How to fit into Dutch society, have a home birth (Photo: Sofeminine)
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How to fit into Dutch society, have a home birth

The Shallow Man, after ten years in the Netherlands has learned many things about the Nederlandse samenleving. One of the things that has puzzled both myself and many other expats is why Dutch women are so loud. There have been many theories…
All Dutchies speak English (Photo: Front Page Mag)

All Dutchies speak English

Is this true? According to Jakub Marian: almost fully true. Jakub Marian made an interesting Map of European Union competency in English based on this 2012 Eurobarometer report (the data are from 2012, so Croatia is not included).   Jakub…
'Zwarte Piet will disappear from the NLs' (Photo: Geen Stijl)

"Zwarte Piet will disappear from the NLs"

July, full Summer period, temperatures higher than 20 degrees... not to mention wars, disasters, the economic crisis and the World Cup... Nevertheless the discussion around Zwarte (Black) Piet, the servant of Sinterklaas, is one of the topics…
Are Italian men the worst flirters in Europe? (photo: Runawaycook)
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Are Italian men the worst flirters in Europe?

The Shallow Man recently read an article on the expatsHaarlem website called “are Dutch men the worst lovers in Europe?”  I found this a bit rich, considering that the author of the post is from Italy. Using the same lazy and subjective…
Netherlands v Chile, simulated
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Netherlands v Chile, simulated

Netherlands v Chile: can't wait for the real match? Check out this simulated version...
Are Dutch men the worst lovers in Europe? (Photo: Marco Alf)
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Are Dutch men the worst lovers in Europe?

Do you know the feeling when you think there’s something wrong with you but you're actually convinced that the problem is the other person?This is what I felt the first time I experienced the Dutch way of making love. Same story the second…
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Yes. Summer has finally arrived..!!

In case you haven't noticed.. Today it's June 21st. In other words; "The Longest Day Of The Year!" So, a good reason to celebrate the summer.. If you feel like embracing the summer Then go for it! Get out of your comfort zone, challenge…
What makes you an Expat?
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What makes you an Expat?

Is it possible to feel more at home in your new country than your home country? Read my story and the challenges I faced when I moved back to the Netherlands after a 10 year stint abroad. According to Wikipedia: “An expatriate (sometimes…
INTERVIEW DANIEL-RYAN SPAULDING (Photo: Arianna, Daniel, Novita)
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INTERVIEW DANIEL-RYAN SPAULDING

Daniel-Ryan Spaulding, the Internationally-Touring Canadian Stand-Up Comedian, has performed in 35 countries worldwide. His intelligent cultural and social observations are delivered with a high energetic, flamboyant style that is impossible…
Shit Expats Say in The Netherlands
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Shit Expats Say in the Netherlands

Stand-up Comedian Daniel-Ryan Spaulding explores expat culture in the Netherlands. Performing soon for expatsHaarlem!  
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Songs not to play on Father's Day

Songs not to play on Father’s Day   It is Father’s Day today. There are a lot of great songs about fathers but try to avoid playing these around your dad today.   5.) John Denver- Please Daddy (Don’t get drunk this…
Luilak Day
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Luilak Day

Saturday before Pentecost: little wagons and a lot of noise? Sunday of Pentecost: dirty windows? LUILAK DAY! Luilak, or Lazybones Day, is a youth festival celebrated in Zaandam, Haarlem, Amsterdam and other towns in the western Netherlands.…
10 ways to fit into Dutch society
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10 ways to fit into Dutch society

It’s another beautiful day in the Netherlands, time to sit on a terrace and have the pleasure of inhaling cigarette smoke from those sitting nearby. If Van Gogh and Rembrandt were alive today, their paintings would feature buxom ladies with…
'What If Gay Guys Said The Shit Straight People Say?'
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'What If Gay Guys Said The Shit Straight People Say?'

Daniel-Ryan Spaulding asks 'What If Gay Guys Said The Shit Straight People Say?': 1,496,839 views in 2 weeks time! Cue Daniel-Ryan Spaulding, a worldwide very popular comedian who explores gender, sexuality, culture, stereotypes and identity.…
Nederlandse politiek voor dummies (Photo: Bol.com)
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Books - Nederlandse politiek voor dummies

Finally a book in which Dutch politics are understandably explained. In Dutch. Good exercise. How did Dutch politics start? What do members of the parliament do? How are decisions taken? What are the government and the parliament doing?…
Spijt! wins best European youth film
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Spijt! wins best European youth film

The Dutch youth film Spijt! has won the European Film Academy Young Audience Award on Sunday evening in Erfurt, Germany. The film by Dave Schram recorded against the Danish MGP Missionen and the German The Stormwind. Young people between 12…
Orange clothes that come with beer
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World cup 2014: Orange clothes that come with beer

On June 12th 10 pm (Dutch time) the waiting is finally over: In Arena Corinthians, Sao Paolo, home country Brazil will kick off the FIFA world cup against Croatia. With less than a month to go and orange fever slowly starting to rear its fugly…
ETOS proclaimed best drugstore of the Netherlands by consumers (Photo: Careality.nl)
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Gfk: Etos best drugstore of the Netherlands

Etos has been named best drugstore in the Netherlands. In a yearly research project, conducted by market research agency Gfk, D.I.O. drogist came in second, followed by DA. Over 6000 consumers were consulted to rank the 6 large drugstore…
10 May: Nationale Molendag / National Windmill Day (Photo: Luca Guarnieri)
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10 & 11 May: Nationale Molendag / National Windmill Day

Windmills are an iconic part of the Dutch landscape.. and a visit to one is a must for visitors in the Netherlands. On Nationale Molendag (National Windmill Day), this weekend, about 950 windmills throughout Holland will be open to the public.  Every…
4 & 5 May: Remembrance Day and Liberation Day (Photo: Melanie Caitlin)
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4 & 5 May: Remembrance Day and Liberation Day

The Netherlands is unique among the other European countries in having two national ceremony days originating from the Second World War: Remembrance Day – ‘Dodenherdenking’ and Liberation Day – ‘Bevrijdingsdag’. On 4 May there…
Nature greener and earlier than last year (Photo: Michael Hofmann)
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Nature greener and earlier than last year

We could enjoy blooming flowers earlier this year. Spring came this year a month ahead last year. Nature is also a lot greener. According to Natuurberichten (which means Nature messages) nearly 30 percent of the deciduous forests and…
First "Rokjesdag" of the year (Photo: Arianna Ardia)

"Rokjesdag"

What is Rokjesdag or Skirt Day? It is officially the first day on which Dutch women wear skirts with bare legs underneath.  Every spring the men look forward to Rokjesdag, the day when the temperature is high enough for women to wear…
See the Netherlands by Train (Photo: Nick Ferrara)
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See the Netherlands by Train

The weather is starting to get nice again and at least for me that means time to get out and explore.  Did you know that it is possible to travel all through the country for a whole day for around €15?  That's a great deal and I'm going…
The government has extended the leave regulation (Picture: Arianna Ardia)
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The government has extended the leave regulation

If a mother dies during giving birth to her child, the father will get from now on her maternity leave. This should ensure that the newborn can count on the care of a parent in the first period of his life. This plan of the Minister of Social…
Downloading illegal
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Downloading from illegal sources: as of today officially forbidden

Illegal downloading didn’t exist in the Netherlands. Now it does. As a consequence of a judgement of this morning of the European Court of Justice about the unfairness of home charge copy, illegal downloading of movies, music and other…
Dutch Wingman condom makes “furore” in Germany (Picture WN)
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Dutch Wingman condom makes “furore” in Germany

The Wingman condom is presented these days at the Hannover Messe, the most important industrial fair in the world. Here the Wingman condom, also known as the one hand condom, got a lot of attention.  The Bild, the biggest German newspaper…
Still 7.4% of the Dutch use end of live Windows XP
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Still 7.4% of the Dutch use end of live Windows XP

On the last day that security updates about Windows XP were offered, 7.4% of the Dutch consumers and companies still use Windows XP, the outdated operating system of Microsoft. In the Netherlands the usage of Windows XP is however lower than…
If you hear sirens and it is Monday don't panic!
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If you hear sirens and it is Monday, don't panic!

Loud sirens? On Monday? Don't panic! In Haarlem and elsewhere in the country the first Monday of every month at 12:00 the air raid is tested to check whether the sirens work anywhere and can be heard, but also to keep the alarm system in the…
Books - Legal thrillers of Bram Moszkowicz and Leon de Winter
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Books - Legal thrillers of Bram Moszkowicz and Leon de Winter

The top ex-lawyer Bram Moszkowicz and the writer Leon de Winter from Bloemendaal and partly Los Angeles are writing a new trilogy: Legal thrillers. Bram Moszkowicz writes the first part and Leon de Winter the second part of Legal Thrillers.…