‘Denk aan de Buren’
I encountered this phrase first when I was volunteering at an international NGO that focuses on sexual reproductive health and rights. One day, lying on…
Not Locked or Down: the Dutch Approach to the Pandemic
For the Dutch, lockdown doesn’t mean locked or down. When the first package of measures was announced in the second week of March many thought it was the end of freedom as we know it. However, compared to other countries, the Dutch way has always been keeping basic freedoms
Was Philippine Hero Rizal Inspired by the Dutch novelist Multatuli?
Rizal’s books are mostly relevant because of his convictions and ideas, full of interesting thoughts about a fair and just government, about non-violence, religion, etc.
Een Gezellig Kerstdiner (What a Cozy Christmas Dinner)
Ping! My WhatsApp just had another message and it loosely read: Parents, here is one last announcement, “a Christmas Fashion Show is organized for the…
Message of acceptance at the Amsterdam Pride Canal Parade
This year’s Pride celebrations commemorate 50 years since the Stonewall riots that broke out in New York and paved way to the LGBT movement around…
Finding diamonds in Antwerp
If you’re looking to buy a diamond, Antwerp is the place but I wonder where the diamonds come from. Could they be blood diamonds? I…
A Pocket Full
My son’s pockets are always full and so his imagination. When my 5-year old started elementary school (or basisschool in Dutch) last year, he was…
Maasvlakte beach, a paradise of its own
Every summer, our little family would venture outside Rotterdam to go the beach since we are usually holed up in a nearby campsite in Oostvorne….
Zierikzee, Queen of the North Sea
Zierikzee used to be one of the most important cities in Holland during the middle ages due to its location in the North Sea, where…