6 things you need to know about the Dutch
The photo is taken during my son's swimming exams in Bussum, near Amsterdam. Families gather to see their children aged between 6 and 10 take diferent levels of swimming exams. Everybody can swim in Holland and most have passed 3 different levels of swimming exams (a, b and c level and there are at least 3 more). Says something about the wealth of the country, organisation, risk planning and of course the geography of the country....
An unbiased article about the Dutch can be found at the website expatica.com, click here for the article, also read the comments below the article by expats and Dutch people.
That article is a better read then the 6 items I present here. But as an addition to the article here are 6 thoughs:
1. World war 2 is still important for the Dutch perspective on life. Dutch people and government think discrimination against others is a bad thing and there is a risk that too much discrimination can lead to grave crimes, as happened during the second world war.
2. The Dutch are open and friendly, but friends are few and you do not invite everybody into your house. However, a true friend is a friend forever.
3. The Dutch don't like others to brag. Do normal, don't exagerate, be honest, don't cheat. If you make mistakes, than it is your responsibility.
4. The Dutch are direct in communication, and if they are negative (or positive) about something you do, it has to do with what you did, not with whether or not they like you. Don't take the directness personal, learn from it.
5. The Dutch society is very egalitarian. Everybody is equal. Be polite to everyone. The waiter has the same social status as the boss.
6. Some more facts for the visitor: The Dutch are the largest beer & cheese exporters in the world, Dutch are the tallest people, gin & golf were invented in Holland and on average Dutch people cycle 900 km per year.
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