Dutch ways and habits I kept after leaving the Netherlands....

Typically Dutch ways and habits that people bien and raised in the Netherlands can't get rid off, even after years of living in a foreign country!

[@MarijkeWillemsen990]

When I was young and on a French school I still remember what my mother had to write on excuse letters to the head mistress when we did something wrong… Je vous en prie madame d’accepter l’expression de mes sentiments les plus distinguees…Something like : I pray to you madame to accept the expression of my most distinguished feelings. It was standard, we meant nothing by it, just conform to the norm but it always struck me as very exaggerated. I translated it in Duch for my friends, its like they saw water burning. We say “Hoogachtend” and finish. But besides that I think the American and English people are very indirect, much more than the French. They can use a lot of words including introduction, circling arount the subject etc to say something. And I think why do you not just say it? 10 words are enough. In English business mails I have to read twice as much words as necessary…I try to skip these sentences as I know they mean nothing by it, its just the culture and copy paste. I think the French are in the middle.

[@ridinwithjake]

The Dutch way is better. I always would rather hear the truth even if it’s painful than fake politeness.