1) When the Dutch have a misfit in a group of people, they don't call it a misfit, they call it ‘a small outside leg’ (Buitenbeentje). They seem to have a thing with legs, as the Dutch also don’t wake up in a bad mood, or get out of bed on the wrong foot…they step out of bed 'with the wrong leg’ (Met het verkeerde been uit bed gestapt). Funny folks!
2) People are obsessed with keeping the sidewalks clean of dog poop (and dog owners seem to be notoriously awful at cleaning up their dogs feces!) River dog stumbled over this delightful sign saying 'Poep Niet Op De Stoep' (pictured below) which Google Translate says means, "Shit Not on The Sidewalk." #class
3) Tacos here are so, so terrible. Having tried 3-4 places in town, absolutely nothing compares to Mexican food from California. And the funny thing is, the best place (i.e. most tasty) I've found here has the worst ratings online. The Dutch are not well versed in burritos and queso!
4) King's Day is imminent! On April 27, everyone in the Netherlands dons orange clothing for an all day city wide street party, an annual Dutch national holiday in honor of King Willem-Alexander. Really, it's just an excuse to party your face off. If you like a good crazy party (SF friends, think Bay to Breakers x 100), then plan your Amsterdam visit around it!
5) As the sun is starting to come out, people are emerging from their winter caves, and everyone makes a habit of sitting on their front stoop in the late afternoon/early evening sun. Finding a place with a solid stoop set up is considered a major win. All the better if you've got one large enough to host the neighbors. #stoopgoals
6) I've said it once but I'll say it again: Amsterdam and the Dutch are leading the way in Sustainability/Circular Economy efforts. There are so many groups here who are heavily involved in leading initiatives to ensure Holland is at the forefront: Impact Hub Amsterdam, Plastic Whale, Circl, Instock, Marqt, Holland Circular Hotspot, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. The list goes on. I'm planning to attend an event early this evening put on by World Wildlife Fund and the Impact Hub Plastic Ocean Accelerator, followed by a Global Waste Dinner at Heineken as part of the Young Professional network of the UN Global Compact. #eliminatefoodwaste All on a Wednesday evening! There's so much going on in this space, which is really inspiring for people passionate about these global initiatives (more to come on this, as I plan to soon share more on my work/learnings on these topics :))
7) Some words are extremely long and seemingly even more random. Yet here I am, walking around the hood and confronted with the "waterongevallenwagen" (pictured), which translates directly as "Water Accident Car". You can’t make this stuff up.
8 ) The Dutch also have a word which means to "walk in the wind", 'Uitwaaien'. It's their way of saying to go for a walk, often out into the countryside, or to clear one's head. I think this is the closest they come to a word for 'hiking', my favorite activity.
9) Odd laws: it is against Dutch law to urinate in a canal – but acceptable if you are pregnant. When you gotta go, you gotta go! But really: there are strangely exposed yet private street urinals available for men on pretty much every street, so there's really no excuse.
10) While Americans slave away at their jobs 40+ hours a week (I'm v. guilty of having done this in the Bay Area tech bubble), most Dutch professionals enjoy a 36-hour workweek and a generous 4-6 weeks of holiday per year (yes, this is how I am able to travel so often over here). Spoiler alert: The Dutch are doing just fine. In fact, better than fine.
