Hoi hoi from Maastricht!

As you can tell by my casual (and always classy) usage of Provincial Limburg vernacular, I'm becoming increasingly used to the Dutch way of life. I'm still mildly annoyed by the tiny sandwiches and lack of free water, but there are advantages as well. E.g. - I can now order coffee completely guiltless because there's no free alternative. I also haven't slept in weeks. Trade-offs.

Overall, the Dutch way of life is not that different from the American. While politically more liberal, there is a conservative streak in Dutch culture in everything but government. It's not to Japanese levels, but showing off or showing someone up is considered very rude. No one drives flashy cars; instead they pride themselves on their car's mileage. Doctors proudly live in government housing projects, which expounding the theme of Dutch governmental utility, are much nicer than in America. People just don't accumulate or consume merely for the sake of accumulating or consuming. No one really wants to stand out.

There is an odd dichotomy in Dutch people's willingness to be conspicuous. When someone gets in their way, Dutch people are not shy about letting them know. They are very forward and don't beat around the bush the way Americans might. If you are walking in the bike lane, they will hit you if you don't move. They won't run you down, but simply expect you to get out of the way. I've seen this happen. When their lives are impeded, they will let you know.

Oddly enough, the opposite is true of Dutch drivers. There are numerous roundabouts (rotaries for those of you from New England), yet instead of a mad dash to freedom, pedestrians are always given the right of way. This is even more impressive considering the Dutch are self-policing. I've seen 2 police officers in the entire time I've been in Maastricht, yet there seems to be almost no crime, and everything runs smoothly. The Dutch, I think, let pedestrians cross out of a quest for normalcy. They want pedestrians out of the bike lanes because it is equivalently abnormal. Pedestrians stop traffic because it is.

No one wants to stand out in this culture. When I wrote in an earlier post that I was a fan of the phrase "act normal - normal is crazy enough," I don't think I understood it's full meaning. In my mind, that meant be yourself, open up, enjoy life; and to some extent it does. People here are friendly. They have a good time. They like to make fun of the French (don't we all) and Germans. Yet there is an opposite undercurrent to this saying. The Dutch, for all their liberal laws and leftist governmental policies, just want to be left alone. They want everything to be normal.

I was in Amsterdam last week and witnessed something that perfectly illustrates this point. I saw a man ticketed - in the middle of the city most known for debauchery in all of Europe - for riding his bike on the sidewalk. He was perhaps 3 blocks from the red light district, where interspersed among numerous pubs and probably any drug anyone could ever want are hundreds of half-naked women trying to solicit sex from passers by. But no crime there - it's normal. It's accepted. Biking on the sidewalk? Not normal.

The city of Amsterdam was beautiful, and I intend to go back. I stayed with a friend from Brandeis, Sarit, and had a great time getting lost and then found throughout the city. I even went to the Anne Frank house in an attempt to do something worthwhile. It was beautiful and somber. Reading Anne's desires to see the trees and breathe fresh air, while actually seeing the tree she was yearning for was pretty powerful. The train ride home was a subdued experience.

In other news, classes are in full swing. I did 200 pages of reading about the formation of the European state today. I'm learning Dutch and even had a conversation with a shopkeeper that lasted for longer than 3 seconds. No progress on the scarf front, but I'm just waiting for one that speaks to me. But then I might freak out because clothes are speaking. I have next week off because it's Carnival (Mardi Gras), which is a huge deal in Maastricht. I'm going to Prague on Wednesday. This post is long and low on jokes. They'll be back next time I promise. I hope everyone is doing well and didn't faint from the length of this post. Be well. I'll check in either from Prague or after getting back.