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Why do the Dutch have no curtains?

3/3/2016

4 Comments

 
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It’s one of the things that most foreigners notice about the Netherlands. Whether they’re living here or just here for a visit. The Dutch tend to leave their curtains open for all to see in.  Some Dutch appear to have no curtains at all allowing passers-by to see what Dirk is watching on the televisie, what the familie Jansen are having for dinner, the games Jasper and Anouk  are playing or what newspaper Opa is reading. For many this lack of curtains may seem like an invitation to peer inside, but be warned, however contradictory it may seem the Dutch are very privacy orientated and taking a peek is considered very rude.  And whilst this strange (for most) phenomenon is on the decrease it is definitely still very apparent in both cities and villages around the Netherlands.
So what is it with the lack of curtains? Where does it come from? There are a number of different explanations and the answer may well vary depending on whom you ask.
 
1. Nothing to hide - The most popular (and accepted) explanation stems from Calvinism. Honest citizens have nothing to hide. Closing the curtains can indicate otherwise.  Some say that in former times it was forbidden to close curtains. With everyone’s curtains open you can be sure that everyone is honest, and therefore not committing any sins.

2. 
Showing off – The ideal that everyone is equal is hugely important in the Netherlands and any behaviour which suggests that you are better than anyone else is frowned upon. This also goes for showing off personal items such as clothes, jewellery or fancy television sets. So, what better way to ‘discretely’ show off by allowing the world to view the latest model flat screen TV or that very expensive-imported-from-halfway-around-the-world bank than by leaving the curtains open?

3. Light, light & more light – curtains open means more light gets in. Who can argue with that one?


4. Watching the world go by – whilst the focus (for us buitenlanders) is on looking in through these curtainless windows what about the other way around? It allows the residents to watch the world go by (and catch out the odd foreigner bold enough to peek in).  So who’s been watched now?!
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Black Pete, White Pete, Rainbow Pete

1/12/2015

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It’s that crazy end-of-the-year time again. The festival season has kicked off with Sinterklaas and his trusted helper friends the Zwarte Pieten (the Black Petes). Whether this is your first year experiencing one of the oldest Dutch traditions or you’ve been here  for a while you may well wonder how politically correct Zwarte Piet is.
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8 Things the Dutch find Rude

29/6/2015

 
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When living overseas it’s always a good idea to have an idea of how to act, and of what type of behaviour is acceptable, and what isn’t. Here are 8 things that won’t win you any friends in the Netherlands.

1.     Telling someone what to do – the Dutch are allergic to hierarchy. Telling someone what to do may well backfire and probably won’t have the desired result. Ask nicely… it makes a huge difference.




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Tip for Success in the Netherlands: If you want something...ASK FOR IT

12/3/2015

3 Comments

 
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There's a great little Dutch expression which goes "Nee heb je al, ja kun je krijgen’. Translated literally it means “You have (a) ’no’, ‘yes’ you can get”. Loosely translated it basically means that if you want something ask for it;  “nothing ventured, nothing gained”, and it applies to everything in the Netherlands, both in the working environment and outside.



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10 Tips for Making Friends in the Netherlands

8/1/2015

8 Comments

 
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One of the many challenges when moving to a new country is making friends and building a social circle. Many people complain that it is difficult to make friends in the Netherlands so whether you have just arrived (welcome!) or have been here for a while here are some tips to get you started.


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Culture Shock - why do some deal with it better than others?

27/10/2014

1 Comment

 
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Culture Shock is the period of adjustment a person goes through when taken out of their home culture and put into a new one.  It often comes with periods of alienation, frustration and homesickness and isn’t very nice. We all go through it but it appears to affect some more than others.



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Dutch Traders: from Herring to Heineken, and Tulips to TVs

29/9/2014

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The Dutch are traders. It all started with a small fish found in the North Sea called Clupea harrengus, a.k.a. herring. The Dutch were fishermen and in 1385 they discovered a way gutting and salting the fish so that it would keep indefinitely and so began a centuries long tradition in trade. 

This in turn led to the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compangie or VOC) which is regarded as the first multinational company ever and was responsible for setting up the first stock exchange in the world at Amsterdam. The VOC traded everything from spices to fabrics, and from opium to elephants and was the largest company in the world for close on 200 years. Not bad for such a small country.



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Religion in the Netherlands:                                                 King's Day, Black Stockings, straight lines and Carnival

31/8/2014

9 Comments

 
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In general the Dutch aren’t what you would term a particularly religious society.  If you were asked however to associate a particular religion with the Netherlands you would probably think of Calvinism, right? And whilst outside of the ‘bible belt’, the Protestant churches may be far from full nowadays; it is this religion that has left its mark on the majority of today's society.

 (If you’ve never heard of the bible belt it’s a strip of land stretching from Zeeland to Drenthe made up of towns and villages where the most conservative of religions are practiced. There are often referred to as the 'black stocking churches' in reference to the sombre dress worn).



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Dutch Egalitarianism: (Wo)Men in White Coats

1/7/2014

1 Comment

 
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Some would say that the Dutch are besotted with the idea of egalitarianism, of everyone being (supposedly) equal, of no-one being better than anyone else. But whilst reality often tells a different story it does figure in many areas of society. 


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Guest Blog: What makes you an Expat?

21/5/2014

2 Comments

 
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Is it possible to feel more at home in your new country than your home country? 

Read Petra's story and the challenges she faced when she moved back to the Netherlands after a 10 year stint abroad.


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Top 10 Tips for Doing Business with the Dutch

31/3/2014

6 Comments

 
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Whether you have a Dutch boss, subordinates, colleagues or customers, knowing how the local culture influences the way business is carried out is crucial to successful and effective business relations. 


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Guest Blog: I miss the sun down in Africa

12/3/2014

14 Comments

 
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Leigh is from South Africa. She has been told that she's not really African because she isn't black and is often made feel to like a "country bumpkin" from "the colonies". 

Read about her struggles settling into life here in the Netherlands in the first of a series of Guestblogs written by various internationals for The Dutch Culture Blog.


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Dutch Birthday Parties

26/2/2014

6 Comments

 
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Painfully laborious or a wonderful insight into Dutch Culture?

If you've never been to a 'traditional' Dutch birthday party this article probably won't make any sense.

Birthdays are celebrated in most countries, some more so than others. In the Netherlands birthdays are a big thing and whether you love them or hate them you can’t deny that they have a special place in the Dutch culture.

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Do the Dutch get Embarrassed?

6/2/2014

5 Comments

 
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Well.... do they.....ever...??
Have you ever been in a situation where a Dutch person makes a faux pas, you are cringing and wishing you were anywhere else she doesn’t seem the slightest bit bothered (or even have noticed that she has said something ‘inappropriate’)?


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How common is Common Sense?

7/1/2014

3 Comments

 
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Who has it and who doesn't?
Whilst there are many definitions of common sense, I find this a good one (i.e. easy to understand) “sound practical judgment that is independent of specialised knowledge and training”.


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The Dutch and their Meetings

26/11/2013

1 Comment

 
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Why do the Dutch love their meetings so much?
Anyone who works for a Dutch company or has a lot of Dutch colleagues will have noticed that the Dutch love their meetings. There are meetings after meetings after meetings, meetings to decide when a meeting will take place, meetings to discuss what was discussed at previous meetings and so on.


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Would you Lie to Help your Friends?

30/10/2013

1 Comment

 
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What’s more important to you, following the rules, or helping out your friends?

You are in a car with a friend who is driving. The speed limit is 50kph. Your friend is doing 55kph and hits a pedestrian. You are the only witness.    


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The Obedient Servant

3/9/2013

1 Comment

 
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Hierarchy in the Workplace 

Some time back I attended a reception hosted by the Colombian embassy where I met the Minister Consul of one of the African embassies. The man, to me, seemed quite ‘high up’ but referred to himself as "The Obedient Servant”. 


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Speak Dutch with Me!!!

25/7/2013

7 Comments

 
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Many expats are sick of Dutch people speaking English to them in shops, bars, restaurants etc. For those of us who have lived here a while this is nothing new, however today’s article in the Volkskrant newspaper; "Haagse expats zijn het zat; ze spreken heus wel Nederlands" (Dutch expats have had enough; they can speak Dutch) yet again shines a light on the subject.

But will anything change?


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Dutch School or International School?

23/7/2013

9 Comments

 
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Some time ago I met Monique.  Monique is 13. She lives in The Hague and goes to the French school. She was born on the Netherlands and has lived here all her life. 


When I asked her what she would consider herself. “French, of course” she replied (with a bit of a “what a silly question” look). She has never lived in France. All her friends are French (apart from one neighbour she sometimes plays with). Can she speak Dutch? “emmm... yes…a little but… “


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At Home Abroad is a registered company with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce, the Hague, the Netherlands. 
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