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I just had a really stimulating convo with a 16 year old Dutch girl online (yes it was all innocent in case you're wondering). I've had quite a few like this. Considering omegle isn't exactly the place where a lot of bookish people go, I thought it might represent a pattern.
Oh she also said she finished high school at age 15 and education is compulsory until age 20 (tertiary), which is very surprising, so maybe that has something to do with it?
uh huh. Sorry for being skeptical but more than likely you were chatting with a 45 year old balding man claiming to be a teenage girl.
Well I work for the Dutch and travel there like I cross the street, but I deal with the adults. From that I can tell you that there is nothing extraordinary about them, their are plusses and minuses. They seem to excel in language skills. You are also dealing with an extreme urban country with some lack of diversity (although some cities like Rotterdam have a huge immigrant population). That can be both a plus and a minus - you have the benifits of a homogenious culture - namely consistency. So you have good schools and generally a well-behaved and well-educated population. They also have the fondness for not making quick decisions except by consensus - irratating beyond belief for a business man.
However, note that what you won't be chatting with is the large number of adolescent heroin addicts that you find like soulless sheep outside the Amsterdam train station. They have their problems with their young population that are unique to that country.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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Originally Posted by LindavG
Huh? How does the weather make people more bookish and intellectual?
It's hard to generalize people based on online discussions because the internet itself is highly selective. The Dutch people you come in contact with speak fluent English and joined an international (message) board so it's not that surprising that they have a more cosmopolitan outlook or seem more intellectual. You're not likely to meet the ones who don't care about other countries or don't bother to learn other languages, which is not to say they don't exist. That said, being internationally oriented is a key characteristic of Dutch society and very much ingrained in our culture - even going back many centuries - so you are bound to run into that when you meet a lot of Dutch people online.
Because people spent more time indoors instead of doing outdoor activities.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LindavG
Finishing high school at the age of 15 is extremely rare. This is only possible if her birthday happens to be in the summer (July/August/September) and she did the lowest level of education (VMBO). Education in the Netherlands is (partially) compulsory until the age of 18, not 20. See this chart:
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dd714
uh huh. Sorry for being skeptical but more than likely you were chatting with a 45 year old balding man claiming to be a teenage girl.
Well I work for the Dutch and travel there like I cross the street, but I deal with the adults. From that I can tell you that there is nothing extraordinary about them, their are plusses and minuses. They seem to excel in language skills. You are also dealing with an extreme urban country with some lack of diversity (although some cities like Rotterdam have a huge immigrant population). That can be both a plus and a minus - you have the benifits of a homogenious culture - namely consistency. So you have good schools and generally a well-behaved and well-educated population. They also have the fondness for not making quick decisions except by consensus - irratating beyond belief for a business man.
However, note that what you won't be chatting with is the large number of adolescent heroin addicts that you find like soulless sheep outside the Amsterdam train station. They have their problems with their young population that are unique to that country.
Well no because she gave me her facebook.etc - although we haven't chatted yet there, so who knows lol jk.
I studied with many British and Dutch people (at bachelors level) here and I completely agree with your observation. It seems to me a bit like the British feel that unless they're partying, drinking and having sex as much as they can during their teenage years they're doing something wrong. A cultural thing, I guess?
Some of the greatest ever minds have came out of Britain. And what the hell is wrong with partying and having sex when your a teenager?!
uh huh. Sorry for being skeptical but more than likely you were chatting with a 45 year old balding man claiming to be a teenage girl.
That's what I was thinking too, lol. Her claim of graduating high school at 15 sounds questionable. It could be that she actually is 15/16 but doesn't want to admit that she's still in high school, for some reason.
Do you know when her birthday is, Trimac?
Quote:
They also have the fondness for not making quick decisions except by consensus - irratating beyond belief for a business man.
The infamous Polder Model is actually something we Dutch people pride ourselves on but I can see why it may be frustrating for a business man, especially one who is not used to this approach
Quote:
However, note that what you won't be chatting with is the large number of adolescent heroin addicts that you find like soulless sheep outside the Amsterdam train station. They have their problems with their young population that are unique to that country.
The Netherlands does not have unique problems with drug abuse (of any kind). Check the statistics, the rates of drug abuse are similar or lower than those of neighbouring countries even for 'legal' drugs like cannabis. I am a young person myself and I don't know anyone who has ever tried heroin or any other type of hard drug (except alcohol/tobacco). If there is one stereotype I am tired of, it's this constant association of the Netherlands with drugs. I wish people - including my own countrymen - would stop propagating it because it's just not true. I'm sure Amsterdam isn't the only major city in the Western world where you'll find junkies hanging around at train stations.
I've met Dutch teenagers or young people on three occasions that I can remember, all in youth hostels. The first was in NYC. The girls effortlessly switched between English with the hostel staff and Dutch with each other. The second was in Barcelona. A group of high schoolers (maybe 14, 15?) were staying at the hostel. They often interspersed their Dutch with English swear words and I remember one of them, a girl, saying the most disgusting rhyme, which I will not repeat on here. The third was in Mexico. The girl was on a trip around the Western Hemisphere and she was discussing her plans for the US. She seemed sweet.
What can I conclude from these three meetings? Well, I guess that young Dutch people tend to speak good English, but I already knew that.
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How does the weather make people more bookish and intellectual? 
