The good intercultural skills of the Dutch !

[Sixpack]

According to this person from Sri Lanka anyway

From Wiki on my current hometown (well near anyway) Haarlem.
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Talk:Haarlem
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I am a Tamil from Tamil-Eelam (presently Northern and Eastern parts of Sri Lanka). Wonder how I am connected to Haarlem? I am, in a sense. I come from a village that was once called "Haorlem" . My home town is 'Nainativu', a tiny island, in the Jaffna District of Northern Sri Lanka. The Dutch captured our Kingdom of Jaffna in 1658 A.D. from the Portuguese who had earlier defeated the Tamil King Sangili Raja in 1619 and taken our kingdom. It is recorded that the Dutch were more peaceful than the Portuguese in their dealings with the local people. They however re-named many towns and gave Dutch names for them. My home town of Nainativu was re-named Haorlem by the Dutch at that time. There were other towns which were given Dutch names such as Delft, Middleberg, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Hammenheil, Kayts, Point Pedro and so on. After the Dutch left in 1796 A.D., most towns went back to their previous Tamil names. Haorlem became Nainativu again. However, a few towns retain their Dutch names (such as Delft, Kayts, Point Pedro, Hammenheil, etc.) until now.

nagesu.singam@gmail.com

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Haarlem"

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Now, hit me !!!!!

I always read Dutchmen are considered to be so direct and rude by people of other nationalities. Well, I certainly never tried to convince the lot of you here otherwise And yes 'read' because they'll never say it to your face. Talking behind one's back is considered more polite than frankness, I guess

So, this is your opportunity to express your take on the Dutch without reservations; the people, the culture, the politics, the military, whatever etc. :hmm:


EDITED because the English in this post didnt make much sense, I guess.

[The Avon Lady]

Wooden shoes are stupid!

[Torplexed]

But quaint windmills are awesome.

[TLAM Strike]

You call your selves Dutch yet your are from "Holland". That is very confusing! :P

[August]

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

You call your selves Dutch yet your are from "Holland". That is very confusing! :P

Also called "The Netherlands"...

[Happy Times]

Positives. I have a positive image of Holland. I like how Dutch play soccer, Oranje, Ajax and Litmanen. The dutch that ive met have been nice people, little crazy like Finns. You have a lot of interesting culture and history. Your military seems professional and well equipped, but in a small declain. Negatives. I suppose your politics is little more facked up than up here. I suppose many Finns see Holland as an warning exsample how to NOT handle imigration. Also, based on reality or not, the pro drugs image is something that comes to peoples minds from modern Holland.

[Kapitan]

The UK can be called

UK
United Kingdom
United kingdom of great britian
Great britian
Britian
England
GB

[Oberon]

My North Sea neighbours?
I like Holland, the quaint windmills, the tulips, those strange yet wonderful bridges. You're very open minded, and yet not afraid to say what you feel...and you're not as mad on political correctness as your British neighbours...yet I can see the seeds creeping in from the EU
Oh....and you have Arrow classic rock

[Sixpack]

My my, what a nice group of people we got here. Certainly you can do better than that ?!

I don't need politically correct compliments. We're not the UN here. Happy Times did it best and at least hinted at some (obvious) touchy subjects. Avon Lady has a point ofcourse on the silly wooden shoes, but imo only from a sunny country's (as is Israel) perspective. Clogs are in fact great for the muddy Dutch agricultural environment. It would be a shame to waste Italian shoes on that, eh ?

But anyway, I am eager to find out if there is so much as a general international consensus on 'the Dutch and Holland'. We Dutch might be able to learn from that and improve our image (not just image, but by actual adjustments - right, tell that to a liberal devil may care Dutchman).

Furthermore, we could ofcourse later play this little game with the other countries represented here. Unless it's too direct considering one's culture, ofcourse

[August]

I've been to Holland. Lotsa fun, nice people.

[Kapitan]

ive been to holland to cant remember much of it....i was high as akite for most of the trip thanks to you lot smoking whacky bakie.

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by Kapitan

ive been to holland to cant remember much of it....i was high as akite for most of the trip...

And that's before you left Dover...

[Kapitan]

LOL you know me so well, but i dont know whats worse, me being high or me in a lorry with an equally high driver.

[Abraham]

Originally Posted by Happy Times

Positives. I have a positive image of Holland. I like how Dutch play soccer, Oranje, Ajax and Litmanen. The dutch that ive met have been nice people, little crazy like Finns. You have a lot of interesting culture and history. Your military seems professional and well equipped, but in a small declain. Negatives. I suppose your politics is little more facked up than up here. I suppose many Finns see Holland as an warning exsample how to NOT handle imigration. Also, based on reality or not, the pro drugs image is something that comes to peoples minds from modern Holland.

You could have added: "It's the country where the best Subsim moderators (like Drebbel) come from."
:rotfl:

[Abraham]

To all:
Don't confuse Holland and The Netherlands, you might offend some Dutchies.
Let us do it ourselves...

The Netherlands: Kingdom since 1814 including all 12 provinces (and 6 Caribian islands).
Holland: The mightiest, richest and most trade-minded of the seven provinces that formed the Republic of the United Netherlands before ca. 1800. (in order to break the might of Holland Napoleon split it up in two provinces: North Holland & South Holland, to the great joy of the other provinces).

Some people from other provinces, especially when they still have their own culture like Friesland, Limburg and Zeeland, dislike to be called "Hollanders" but prefer "Nederlanders" instead. Others don't care. With "Dutchmen" you're always playing safe!