Reflecting

So last night at V34, one of the two bars that we frequent in the Spijkenisse city center, I was talking about what I would say about Holland when I got back to NYC. People were sure to ask, right? So I thought about the following:

1. The Dutch are very orderly. Everything in their country is planned, including the actual country itself--they built it. With dams. Otherwise, they would have gone the way of New Orleans. Xander's friend Sander says Dutch engineers are in NOLA right now helping them with the below-sea-level issue. Is that true? If so, it's smart. This orderliness transfers to their private lives, and it seems that X's desire for a routine and order stems not just from the military or from his personality, but also from his nationality. So why the pile of bills (pile is being kind) on the dining table? what is it with men and the dining table? isn't it supposed to be for eating?)?

They even assign you your seat in the movie theatre. If you tried to do this in Texas, you might get shot.

2. The Dutch were big traders in the 17th century, which is why Amsterdam was the center of the world back then. This sensibility has continued to today, which shows in their strong economy and in their huge, bustling port, Rotterdam. The Dutch will sell you anything if you are willing to buy. For example, we all know the Dutch cheese Gouda and eat it and love it. Sure, they export a lot of it. But where do you think Feta is from? Greece, yes, originally. But apparently the Dutch export a lot of their own feta to, you guessed it, Greece.

3. They love their bikes, man.

4. Holland is the most densely populated country in Europe, and one of the most densely populated in the world. There are people everywhere. But they still manage to maintain a lot of green space. Flat green space.

5. Most of the Dutch are not religious. The influx of Muslims in the country is forcing the Dutch to reconcile the more strict religion of these people with their very hands-off approach to this matter. Most of the religious people in the Netherlands live in the South, whereas most of the business happens in the Randstad, which is in the Northern provinces of Noord and Zuid Holland. These provinces are also where the name "Holland" comes from. Not all of the Netherlands is Holland, only these provinces. But many Dutch will say you can call it either, because most of the business happens in Holland anyway. Of course the people who say this live in Holland, I'm not sure what those Catholic Southerners would say to that.

There's so much more. I have not spent this long in another country, but I must say that the Dutch seem to have a whole lot of personality for such a little place. They are very proud of their country, but are very open to hearing about others. I think it has been very interesting learning so much about another culture...and their artists, their history, their food (and strange ones like drop and herring), their downfalls and their successes. It really gives you more of a perspective on your own place in history and where you and your country fit in in the grand scheme of things.

I also have learned so much about World War II. I knew close to nothing when I got here, mainly that Hitler was out to conquer the world by any means possible, and that part of his plan was genocide. Or most of it. But that is about all. Now I know the true reaches of the destruction, and the sadness of war. But I also know that people overcome the loss, the horror, to rise out of it. You look at Rotterdam, at Berlin, and you see the modern architecture and vibrant cities that have come out of the dust. It is really fascinating to see the rebuilding of Europe after the war, and sad too. I suppose it is all part of the fabric of the world, the depravity and violence of men, and the hunger for power. But there is beauty too, in the strive to rebuild and start anew. And that is what is the best lesson--that it all comes together to create the richness of life, and to experience that is priceless.

Okay, now my brain is done. Too much high-level thinking for one day.