“Differences simply act as a yarn of curiosity unraveling until we get to the other side”

— Ciore Taylor

Essentially, we need to let ourselves be guided by our curiosity.

Once we notice that we could be different from other people, we tend to feel strange or even defensive. Or maybe, we wonder about what the meaning behind it all really is, and then feel the need to follow that curiosity.

In my experience, I’ve always grown up knowing that I had one foot in each of 2 different countries. One that beholds my roots and identity. And the other, that has nurtured me and has made me the person I am today.

So, in a way, these two different cultures have nurtured my identity and my personality, completing what makes me, me. I have always felt slightly different and at the same time not at all. When I would be in the Netherlands, people who wouldn’t know me would assume that I’m Dutch. And when living my everyday life in France, people assume that I’m a regular French person.

Being raised by Dutch parents in a French society has made me analytical about little things whenever I would travel.

So on a more lighthearted note, I would like to share these little things that you might feel, but not notice for yourself if you ever travel to these 2 countries.

For starters, you might feel like the Dutch city streets are less chaotic or emptier than in France. Which doesn’t necessarily make sense because the streets are just as crowded with tourists. And in cities like Amsterdam, people practically live on top of each other. So what I’ve noticed, is that there are no beggars. Yep, no people sitting on the sidewalk with their things. If we take the city of Amsterdam as an example, the city offers personal advice, social assistance, a temporary place to sleep, food, long-term housing and support, etc. This means that most people who stay homeless just prefer to live on the street, and they find ways to make it work without having to beg. And if you’ve ever been to France, you would know that it is regular to be called out a few times by beggars if you walk on the streets.

Another thing that could make the streets feels roomier, is the fact that people use their bikes to get everywhere in the Netherlands. The bike paths are broad, separated from the sidewalk which makes them safe. In France, bike paths are still a work in progress and people always wear a helmet because the paths often blend into car tracks. And for this surprising reason, I barely saw anyone wearing a biking helmet in the Netherlands.

Speaking of transportation, I learned that Dutch students don’t have to pay public transportation if they get their diploma in the 10 upcoming years. It is safe to assume that that is not the case in France. Although, we do get many student discounts and free passes to museums and other patrimonial structures. This could be linked to the fact that the French have a strong heritage of which they are proud, and so they should be. Which is also why anybody in France can walk into a church or religious structure wether or not they just visiting or coming for a service.

Sadly, in the Netherlands, most religious buildings are either closed or paying. That is because faith is no longer practiced as much and making visitors pay is the only way to keep the structure preserved.

To state a few other minor differences, the Dutch use Whatsapp before any other social media, they will drink coffee (mostly lattes) at any time of the day, and the traffic lights react to the approaching of the cars. Whereas in France, texting and messenger are pretty dominant, coffee (mostly espressos) is for waking yourself up and to be drank after dessert as a digestive, and traffic lights are timed. Meaning that you could spend up to 5 minutes waiting for the light to turn green when there’s no one around. Frustrating ? I’ll let you decide.

But I love both of these countries and their differences, which make for their charm. And it wouldn’t be any fun if the world was all the same. I hope you enjoyed getting to know my vision and my experience of these countries. In the future, I might go a little further geographically speaking and tell you about my experience living the USA or traveling to South Korea for 2 weeks… Either way, stay tune for next time !