Category Archives: Cultural differences
Dare to be proud
Recently I read a blog from a friend in the Netherlands, in which he admitted to be proud of himself. It got me thinking. I think here in the US people easier admit to be proud than in the Netherlands. There is an expression in Dutch that literally translates as: “Act normal, that’s crazy enough.” […]
See the moon shines through the trees…
The Thanksgiving Orphans
It was November, we had been here for about 10 months now and I was still learning about the differences between my familiar culture and my new one. I couldn’t believe my eyes seeing the enormous turkeys filling the cooling places in the supermarket. I pointed it out to my husband: “How does that even […]
When home is truly where the heart is
One more sleep and we are off: on vacation as what often is referred to as ‘going back home’. This makes sense: we are from the Netherlands and that will be our vacation destination this year. Both sets of parents live in the Netherlands, as do siblings, relatives and friends. Does that make it home? […]
No lunch? No problem! A delicious home-made solution.
Got to eat your veggies!
I remember the first time in the big US supermarket: the shiny apples, yellow bananas, tomatoes in different shapes and colors and then, those things. Big, green, yellow, orange, brown and everything in between. It looked like a fall display on a classroom table. Shaped like melons, pears, even a bit like a humongous acorn. […]
The black liquid that keeps me going
I can so incredibly look forward to my first cup of coffee in the morning. When I wake up by the alarm, so not ready to face the day, I just want to turn to my side and fall back asleep. But there are three kids that need to be ready for school, lunches to […]
How to satisfy your cravings and look good at the same time.
Sometimes you just have a craving for something. Without reason. Today was such a day. Actually, I had been craving ‘boterkoek’ for a few days now, but just didn’t get to make it. Because, of course, I always seem to have an intense desire for that what is impossible. Had I lived in the Netherlands, […]
Why I needed a Buzz feed quiz to find out the shocking Dutch truth.
One of the questions I get asked frequently is what I miss most of the Netherlands. And the longer I live in Maine, the harder it is to answer that question. I miss my family, of course. But truth to be told, I don’t always miss the fact that I used to have to divide […]