If you ask me to describe my image of the Dutch with 3 words, I would say: open-minded, nice and easy-going.

Open-minded

Since I’ve been in Groningen, I discovered that “the Dutch are everywhere”. The Netherlands is so small geographically, but their contribution for the world is noticeable. Indeed, since very longtime, the Dutch has developed a big trading industry: it was them who first discovered the New-Zealand, they possessed colonies in South-East Asia (Indonesia, India, etc.), in America (New Amsterdam – New York today, a part of Brazil, islands in the Caribbean, etc.), in Africa (South Africa, etc.). They can be proud of their multinationals such as Unilever, Shell, Heineken and the great names such as Van Gogh, Erasmus, etc. Reading the newspapers, I can see something related to the Dutch now and again.
Behind all these huge successes, I think, it’s their great mind-openness.

In daily life, one of the most visible proof of this attitude is their fluency in English: (almost) every Dutch can speak English. On the road, approaching a Dutch, you don’t need to ask him/her whether he/she speaks English. The rate of non-English speaking Dutch is so small that every time I meet one, I get surprised. They feel comfortable speaking English among them, and I think the Dutch must speak English the best among European non-native English speakers.

In class, I have the impression that my Dutch classmates and especially my teachers are very patient to listen to what I say, even when it takes me time to explain my ideas in English. I also feel that they are tolerant by trying to understand and appreciate my ideas or qualities.

Nice

‘Niceness’ is the word to describe my impression that I have about my life in Groningen. Unlike the heavy administration system of France, the Dutch one gives me a much better memories. The city is safe, calm and people trust you: in the supermarket, they don’t check your bags, when you scan your goods by yourself (in Jumbo supermarket, you can use a personal scanner to scan your goods, then give the scanner to the cashier and pay), etc.

People around me are nice and always willing to help. On the street, when you ask a stranger for direction, he/she will try to show you the road, even when you have language difficulty. If he/she doesn’t know the direction, he/she will try with the smartphone or another way to help you. In class, when I have difficulty such as to install a program on my computer, or to enroll for my exams, use the Blackboard, etc. I can count on my classmates for support.

Easy-going

I hardly see a Dutch complaining about work, a classmate or a teacher; or being stressed by the work at school. I don’t know whether it’s because I’ve been mostly working with Dutch guys and this is a part of the “guy culture” or it’s because they only complain about things among them. I remember that during my first semester, every time I asked the Dutch guys of my team on how things were going, their answer were ‘Great!’ or ‘Perfect!’ and they were always optimistic. 

I brought the question to a Dutch teammate, and he replied ‘why do you need to be stressed for school? You can be stressed for your job because you get paid, but why for school?’. In addition, as far as I know, university is free for Dutch students (for the usual scholar duration +1 more year) and once having gotten the first 60 credits, the students can not be fired from school. Maybe it’s one of the reason to explain their relaxing attitude.

However, I also have the impression that since I’ve been here, I am getting more and more…relaxed. That’s…weird, maybe, I’m turning Dutch now! 😉

More seriously, I think that being away from all “les grèves tous les weekends, les RER bien bondés, les annonces des nouveaux chiffres de chômage, le record d’impopularité du président, etc.” helps you to live much longer.