Dutch Americano: A Blog about Living in the Netherlands
Struggling with Dutch culture one day at a time.
A part of me didn't want to write this blog post. Why share something that isn't great when waiting until the tears have dried out, the wine's been drunk, and then you have no choice but to smile is always an option? Because, hey, the world's a bit rosier after rosé. Just kidding, of course.... Continue Reading →
Some of you may read this title and think I'm talking about learning to bike in the Netherlands specifically. That's the beauty of an ambiguous title like this—it means what you want it to mean. In the early days when I would visit the Netherlands as a tourist, I refrained from biking here. At the... Continue Reading →
One of the reasons I started this blog was to share my experiences of living abroad so that others who couldn't could live vicariously through me. It was also to inspire people to take the leap and move to a different place, if that's something they've always wanted to do. A year and a half... Continue Reading →
In the US, especially in big cities, every neighborhood is bound to have at least one nice café that you can go to. You know what's great about Europe, and especially here in the Netherlands? Every neighborhood is bound to have at least A FEW good cafés. Café in Utrecht. A bit empty due to... Continue Reading →
Until last Sunday, I had never been to The Hague. Even though I had visited the Netherlands seven times before I moved here permanently last year, I did not have the chance to see many other places besides Amsterdam and Utrecht. Because there was so much to see and do already! Now that it's the... Continue Reading →
I usually blog from my apartment in Utrecht, but now that the corona measures have been considerably lifted, I am finding that I can indeed blog from wherever I like. Right now, I am on a train to Den Helder from Utrecht, and I am extremely grateful for how easy it is to get around... Continue Reading →
You know how there are some things that feel so right that you get used to them immediately? Like, if you had roommates and then you live alone, maybe it's harder to go back to sharing your space with someone else after a while. I absolutely feel that way about some things the Dutch do,... Continue Reading →
Okay, so I moved to the Netherlands to experience the Dutch way of life. The typical Dutch lifestyle with "gezelligheid" (coziness). And the Netherlands is still a very cozy country, but will Dutch culture withstand the changes brought on by the infamous coronavirus? I know you're thinking the same thing about where you live right... Continue Reading →
What can I say, in the past four years that I've gotten to know the Dutch culture and the Dutch people, they've won a place in my heart. But because the country is so small, many people I know aren't very familiar with the Dutch way of life. I bet there are some Americans out... Continue Reading →
You might be familiar with the Danish word "hygge", which roughly means something like "cozy". Well, the Dutch have a word for it too— gezelligheid. Yeah, I know, it's a bit of a mouthful. Maybe that's why the Danish one caught on more. But the Dutch really love for things to be "gezellig" (cozy). If... Continue Reading →
My friends were so shocked when I told them that I was moving to the Netherlands permanently. Sure, I had talked about moving to Europe, but no one was prepared for when it happened. Least of all me. This blog is obviously about my experiences abroad, but I haven't yet written about my journey to... Continue Reading →
You may have heard the saying, "when in Rome, do as Romans do." I'm a big believer in that. My family is multicultural, and I am an American from New York. But I also lived in India for many years and my family is Persian. My extended family is spread out all over the world,... Continue Reading →
The coronavirus outbreak has made it a trying time for everyone. I've been hearing about all kinds of problems from various groups of individuals, those who can't work from home, those from countries where the healthcare system isn't as accessible, from people in crowded places who are worried for the safety of others. The list... Continue Reading →
This weekend, I attended the birthday celebrations of two of my girlfriend's friends. It was an especially nice way to round off the first week at my new job. It was also a great occasion to gain some insight into Dutch culture. I usually expect that things like celebrating birthdays should be more or less... Continue Reading →
There are many things I love about grocery shopping in the Netherlands. For instance, everything is much, much cheaper than in the US. In the US, I can buy a tomato for 89 cents. Here, I can buy a pack of eight tomatoes for the same price. And these are your run-of-the-mill normal tomatoes, not some classy... Continue Reading →
Dutch Americano: A Blog about Living in the Netherlands 