Tag Archives: cultural differences

How holding hands can be a powerful symbol

How do you show that you care? In the Netherlands this week, men showed that they cared by holding hands, women showed it by sharing the pictures and encouraging this action. Children showed it by holding hands, all together. Why? Last week a gay couple on an evening stroll was brutally attacked by a bunch […]

Avoiding making rookie mistakes this winter storm

Being a Maine-igrant I have made many rookie mistakes. Like arriving at a party at 6, when the invite says: 6-8. Six in Maine means six-ish and unless you don’t mind that awkward situation when the hostess is still in the shower and the husband is watching TV and there are no other cars in […]

How the Dutch can be second when America comes first

It has been quite a month (or three). I’ve learned to recognize myself as a ‘slow processor’ and now finally dare to say to people: “Sorry, can I get back to you? I need to think that over.” For the past few weeks I have written many half-finished stories, blogs and articles and nothing got […]

How to avoid getting Yankee swamped this Holiday season

I love the Holidays! And everything that goes with it. From the lights, the Christmas tree, the festive store windows, the excitement in my kids, everything,  but the stress. Stress that was completely unknown to me until I settled in Maine. The Christmas related stress I knew entailed making sure you have your Christmas dinner […]

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…

Nine years, plus three before our family move. That’s twelve years in the US.We’ve been married 19, so most of my married life I spent in the US. Kind of cool, now I think of it. I dream in English, feel like I belong here and miss only my family and friends.I keep forgetting about […]

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 […]

The strange sensation of losing my Dutch touch

I started this blog, Double Dutch plus Three, a while ago to describe my experiences as a Dutch woman building up a life on an island in Maine. A month ago, I took my husband and my plus Three for a vacation to the Netherlands. As a person living far away from her family, I […]