Tag Archives: Netherlands

How the Dutch can be second when America comes first

It has been quite a month (or three). I’ve learned to recognize myself as a ‘slow processor’ and now finally dare to say to people: “Sorry, can I get back to you? I need to think that over.” For the past few weeks I have written many half-finished stories, blogs and articles and nothing got […]

Dare to be proud

Recently I read a blog from a friend in the Netherlands, in which he admitted to be proud of himself. It got me thinking. I think here in the US people easier admit to be proud than in the Netherlands. There is an expression in Dutch that literally translates as: “Act normal, that’s crazy enough.” […]

See the moon shines through the trees…

Nine years, plus three before our family move. That’s twelve years in the US.We’ve been married 19, so most of my married life I spent in the US. Kind of cool, now I think of it. I dream in English, feel like I belong here and miss only my family and friends.I keep forgetting about […]

The strange sensation of losing my Dutch touch

I started this blog, Double Dutch plus Three, a while ago to describe my experiences as a Dutch woman building up a life on an island in Maine. A month ago, I took my husband and my plus Three for a vacation to the Netherlands. As a person living far away from her family, I […]

When home is truly where the heart is

One more sleep and we are off: on vacation as what often is referred to as ‘going back home’. This makes sense: we are from the Netherlands and that will be our vacation destination this year. Both sets of parents live in the Netherlands, as do siblings, relatives and friends. Does that make it home? […]