"This here is the victory lap, then I'm leaving"

Honestly speaking, I never considered the Netherlands as very distanced nor did I expect any big cultural challenges coming here to Zeist. I used to visit Holland once in a while with my parents as a kid and now I already knew some friends that are studying here before I arrived. So coming to this country was more like moving to a familiar place.

So since I’ve moved here I haven’t really had any cultural clash. There are differences regarding the educational system and the teacher-pupil relation, but that was predictable, right? Plus I came here without real prejudices against Dutch people; I kind of knew they didn’t all grow tulips in the back of their yards nor did I expect to see a lot of windmills along the roads.

What I can tell you is that everyone on the street (bus, train, shop, whatever) seems friendlier than in Brussels... It’s true that I live in a gorgeous small town where they all seem to know each other but still everything seems so bright and colourful. Does that make any sense or is it just me?

Also I realized from the beginning that I had to adapt... adapt to the way they walk, the way they talk, the way they ride their bikes, etc. That is of course not to look too much of a tourist idiot in front of people. So now, sadly enough, I finally feel like I belong (c:

See you soon, I miss y’all!

Aswin