Picking up the pieces after typhoon Rai (Odette)
The devastation that Typhoon Rai (Odette) has left in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines is enormous. Help is still very much needed to rebuild and rehabilitate.
Category: Features
Zeeland: Land of the Sea
This story is the 4th of my series about how the Netherlands protects the country and its people from sea surges and sinking land by…
Amsterdam’s Future: Man-made Islands
Amsterdam is arguably one of the most beautiful and intriguing cities in Europe. Built in the 12th century, a huge part of it was a…
Rotterdam: The Manhattan of the Maas River
After the City of Rotterdam was completely flattened during the the War War II in 1940, and again in 1943, it took more than 70…
How Dutch-Filipinos in The Netherlands Vote
Filipinos in Netherlands vote spread among different parties If a small caucus group is an indication, Filipinos in the Netherlands do not vote for a…
Snow Falls in the Netherlands
For the first time in 10 years, the Netherlands is experiencing heavy snowfall with snow storm in the last two days. I strolled for four…
Netherlands: The Land of Reclamation
There’s a saying in the Netherlands: “God created the world, but the Dutch created the Netherlands”. Because of its natural location that is always threatened…
Ode to Haarlem on her 775th Birthday
Hip, hip, hoera! Je bent jarig, mooie meid! (It’s your birthday, beautiful girl!). On November 23, 1245, Haarlem, now the capital city of North Holland,…
Genieten—go enjoy yourself!
Two years ago, I came as a trailing wife (with our then 4-year-old son) to my husband to Suriname. He goes there regularly to teach…
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