Worldly Chatter

Part one of this found here.

I wrote about Princess Maxima and her comment about the Dutch people not having an identity the other day. I wrote about how the Dutch people feel she isn’t Dutch enough to understand the populous, either individually or as a whole. Because she is from Argentina and only a Dutch national for 6 years they feel she doesn’t get them. They have an identity, individualistic and collectively.

So I tossed Dutchie a thought. When I was still living in America, Dutchie and I got into some heated debates about America and the American population. She gave me her opinion on the government and the people as she saw them there in the US and abroad. I saw the country and its people one way ad she saw some completely different things. How can this be? She saw American news as bias and misguided. I knew that the news on particular channels was favored one way or the other but what do you mean misguided? According to her, we didn’t everything she did. Preposterous and around we would go for another round of debates! When I arrived I finally understood. The news was different; the way Americans are perceived here is different from how we see ourselves. But how was I going to know that unless I stepped outside my one limited line of sight? One must really step outside the bubble to see everything that is inside it. If it is too crowded where you stand how are you going to see what is on the other side?

With that said, when I landed here in this little country I had a loud smack of a culture shock and a wakeup call when it came to my own country and previous way of living. What I saw about my own country from their eyes was astonishing. The way they saw our personalities, our policies and government was strong, sometimes good and sometimes bad but definitely had a thought on it all. The continent of Europe deals with America on many levels. Our American culture floods over theirs in the movies, television and other forms of media and entertainment. It is hard to move away from another country when it is all around you. What the government does what the celebrities do and what America creates spills over here. It is the same way on the other side. Business, fashion, government policies etc but not everyone sees it, or cares to. You would have an opinion about such a force too.

If Dutchie steps up to me with her thoughts on my country and all that that means then why can’t someone coming into their country? We now talk a great deal about my experiences here, my thoughts on how I see things and we don’t always agree. I may see something one way and she gets insulted or upset because it is different from what she sees. It is the same thing as when I was living in America. Did that make her think? I am outside her Dutch bubble just as she was outside my American bubble. Maybe the Princess was just trying to say that the Dutch person is an individual and that there is not one personality type that dominates the Dutch population, that they are truly all different and in that respect, isn’t that a compliment? They aren’t mindless drones but rather individuals in their own right. Again, why didn’t the Princess just say that? I haven’t a clue but maybe that is what she was trying to say. One really only knows but like I mentioned earlier the prime minister was trying to straighten it all out. It wasn’t meant to be taken that way. The Princess is in the same position I am and Dutchie is when she goes to America. What do you think? Was she wrong for speaking about the people when she wasn’t one herself or was she simply making an observation about what she sees as an outsider looking in?

Princess Maxima, Worldly Chatter, Dutch Culture, Dutch Identity

What is a cultural identity and do we all have one? Well, there are many Dutchie’s who believe they do and are furious with their Argentinean Princess for making the statement that the Dutch don’t have an identity. It has been news around here, so much so that our prime minister Balkenende tried to smooth things over with the public saying that things didn’t go down well with some people, especially those who are opposed to multiculturalism. I found a blogger who tacked this on www.expatica.com and I found what she said very interesting. Blog writer Michaela is the nomadic type who has an interesting perspective on cultures. When you aren’t partial or attached to any one place you can see outside the box better than those inside. After I read it I shared it with Dutchie and we chatted about what Princess Maxima had to say and why Dutchie’s all over are furious. To say the least, Dutchie had a thing or two to say on the matter and got a tad defensive over the whole thing.

“Who is she to come in here and tell us if we have an identity or not? Just because she married the Crown Prince does not make her an expert on our culture and who we are as individuals!” Maxima met Prince Willem Alexander in 1999, she was granted citizenship in 2001 so that she could marry the Crown Prince in 2002. Like the rest of us who relocate here, she had to take Dutch lessons and get a course in Dutch society. Dutchie states that this alone does not mean she has the ability to assess how she or any other Dutch native is. There are things that the Dutch are known for here in Europe, there individualism, curiosity and straight forwardness. Don’t go by some of the Americans that go and confuse them for Germans, they are very different from Germans, but because some see them as German because of language they don’t see the differences between. Anyway, that’s another topic!

Some people look at the statement she made in this way; that there are too many individualistic identities for there to be a national identity. Why didn’t she just say that Dutchie came out with? I didn’t write the speech so I wouldn’t know but if that’s what she meant, Dutchie is right, she should have said so. A lot of people have taken this one sentence out of an entire speech and lashed out at the Princess. The Dutch have an identity, they have a culture and it is in the small and big things they do, say and feel. Not everything can be put down on a list of identity characteristics like this is typically Dutch, this makes a person Dutch and so on and so forth. There are many things that make a person distinctly Dutch but not all can be seen by the average tourist or expat. A lot of Dutch people have strong characteristics and are curious and straight forward but would a tourist know this by going to the tourist hot spots? Not really and would the average expat see it? Maybe not, it depends on if they care to learn the Dutch folk. The Dutch have a reputation for being rude and I, at one point, thought the same thing when I first met Dutchie. I have come to learn and understand her as well as the average Dutchie. They aren’t rude. They are just curious people who don’t beat around the bush or tip toe around a subject. They will ask you directly, did you vote for Bush or tell you that shirt makes you look fat. Does it mean they are rude? No, it does not. Dutch people won’t talk unless they have something to say, they aren’t big on the pointless chatter, small talk or anything like that. They talk it means they have something to say and they weren’t taught that old saying I was taught; if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all. This does not make them rude but people see and listen to them for a moment and assume they are. They aren’t Dutch, they don’t take the time to know them yet make judgment calls based on a week or two here. Expats who live here and are so stuck in their ways from where they came from, don’t want to see the country and culture they put themselves in for what it is; they merely tear it to shreds, say how they do things different in their country and anything else is wrong or strange and this is what the Dutch feel the Princess has done. She isn’t one of them to know and shouldn’t make the comment she has made.

Think about this. I have a friend who is not American but has a strong opinion about America. Now, 95% of what he says, I agree with yet there have been moments where I have gotten so mad because he criticized and judged. He is not American, he has never lived in America long enough to truly appreciate or judge the characteristics of the average American. I am an American, I can say whatever I want, I AM the people and live the things that go on there. I lived there for 25 years and am only 27; this makes me a bit of an expert over him. The point is. People in any country hate it when someone from the outside say how things are and say who we are. The Dutch hate it too. Can I blame them, not really?

Yet at the same time I can see things that Dutchie cannot. She can see things about my culture and country that I cannot; merely for the fact that she isn’t in the thick of it. That’s part two of Cultural Identity!

Princess Maxima, Worldly Chatter, Cultural Identity, Dutch identity, Dutch Culture

It was gorgeous weather for the Netherlands Koninginnedag and everyone came out to celebrate the Queen’s birthday! It is the day where the Dutch let all their hair down, dance to live music and paint everything orange. Heineken flows while the masses shop around the streets filled with people on blankets selling everything they can find in their attics and cupboards during the free market hours. Carnival rides and games, children playing their instruments to the crowds and an old traditional market shows everyone how Holland used to do things and sells their handmade crafts. It really is an odd way to celebrate a royal birthday for I would have pictured a formal banquette with all the celebrity and royalty attending in their best and the people of the nation would have virtually nothing to do with the affair but it is so far from that! This year Queen Beatrix and her family were in Den Bosch for the celebration. Carnival games, old traditions were on display and the royal family interacted with the towns folk playing games, watching demonstrations and even attending a farmers wedding! The affair started around nine in the morning and went until the royals made their leave around one.
Dutchie and I were no exception and left the house around noon ready to take on Hilversum and all the festivities. I have to tell you I was overwhelmed! Along the street people sat on their blankets covered with stuff and people walking in two lines to view it all. It moved rather slowly but I did find a VHS copy of Hamburger Hill for 20 cents. We walked on passed the carnival and into another market where you could find an older generation showing off their wares and how they used to do things. A man with his wooden shoes showed people how to make them, another with his milk and how they used to get it from the cows and store it and another man showing how they sharpened tools and knives on a machine that looked like it was from the 19^th century. There were food stands everywhere we turned with all kinds of Dutch goodies. One in particular caught our attention, Dutchie because she thought it was yummy and me because the sight made me a little nauseous. Brootje paling, pronounced palling, or eel! You could get a brootje paling for 3.50 or a pound of smoked eel for 16 euro. I remember the haring experience and found myself a tad hesitant but the man offered pieces for people to try so an inch-sized piece went into my mouth! I have to tell you, it was surprisingly good so Dutchie ordered a sandwich and shared it with me. Not all Dutch food that comes from the sea is scary!
Of course, we had DJs spinning their stuff but a walk further away from the center we found music Dutchie liked! A band was doing rock covers and Dutchie was finally happy in her surroundings! We grabbed a Heineken, listened to the music and watched people painted orange rock it in front of the stage. This was not the teenyboppers we had encountered with the DJs this was people our age partying hard and having a great time. My, we fit right in and had a great time!
Around four hours after we hit the town center we started to head back to the carnival where we got another bumper car ride in and headed for the stage where the DJs were playing but found something else Dutchie could get into! Dutch music, Marco Borsato, Jan Smit and others played loud through the speakers getting people into a frenzy! Dutchie got right in there, singing her heart out and dancing to the beat! The Dutch love their music no matter how poppy it sounds!
Really, the Dutch have an unusual way of celebrating a royal birthday but it is a lot more fun than I ever pictured!

koninginnedag, Queen’s Day, The Netherlands, Queen Beatrix, Den Bosch, Hilversum, American expat, Nederland

Koninginnedag has been a Dutch tradition for years. It started with Queen Wilhelmina on her birthday on August 31^st but when Queen Julliana took the throne it was changed to her birthday on April 30^th. When Queen Beatrix took the throne she left Queen’s Day on April 30^th partly in honor of her mother and partly because her birthday was in January. It is mainly an outdoor even so it wouldn’t really work out well in January. The Queen and her royal family pick a town and go about the people while the people pay homage to their old traditions and show off their town. It is quite a sight let me assure you! But the festivities don’t start on konninnedag; they begin the week prior and will go on until May 5^th, bevrijdingsdag, liberation day here in Holland. On the Monday before town set up their carnival rides and slot machines. All the carnival games and rides that can be squeezed into the town center along with beer stands, food stands and all sorts of fun stuff! People and store windows wear orange in honor of the Royal House of Orange and the Dutch flag is hung all over the country. In a nutshell it is tradition and pary time!
All week they had the carnival here in Hilversum but last night, Konginnenacht or Queen’s Day Eve, the party started with DJ Jean! Wow, the dancing and music that went on until one in the morning! Hilversum was packed with people of all ages; food, drinks, dancing and even the weed was present! Dutchie and I went grabbed a beer and listened to some music for a while, dancing and watching the girls dance on stage with their poles. After went further down the street where we went on the bumper cars! Now that was fun! After we walked around and got some more beer and hamburgers and slowly made our way back to the music. Along the way Dutchie tried to win me something at the claw machines. You know the ones where you put gobs of money in to watch the claw go down and attempt to grab a prize. Dutchie was unsuccessful but had a ball trying! People came up to us out of nowhere, asking if we were together, zijn jullie een setje? First time it happened a not so sober man waiting in line for the ATM machine like us just asked us out of the blue. Then while we were sitting with our beer another not so sober man and his friend came and asked us and also wanted to know why we weren’t with the music. Dutchie explained we were, we went to the bumper cars and was making our way back. The whole conversation was hilarious! I suppose it was one of those things you had to be there for!
We finally made our way back to the DJ and danced some more! The lights, music and smoke mixed with sweaty drunk and stoned people was crazy fun! Dutchie, who is into country, needed three beers in her before she could dance to techno DJ music but she finally danced with me, for a moment anyway.

Can’t fault a country girl who gets lost in the lights now can I? We finally made our way back to our house around one where we had a cup of coffee and crashed for the night. We have Koninginnedag today! Need the rest to take on Hilversum again! Today though will be the traditional markets of old crafts and the free market. Tonight will be more music and fun! I am off to enjoy the day!

koninginnedag, koninginnenacht, Queen’s Day, House of Orange, Huis van Oranje, Hilversum, Netherlands, Nederland

Today Prince Willem Alexander headed to town hall to register the birth shortly before ten while reporters and well wishers flooded the town hall grounds of Den Haag; Ariana Wilhelmina Maxima Inez is her registered name and she will be referred to as Princess Ariana.
So what is in a name anyway? My name means listener and because I am the only Samantha in my family I have no legacy in that name to carry on. My brother is named after both grandfathers so he has a legacy in his name. Royal families like to stay within family tradition; a new name here and there but usually carrying on a name of family members past.
Ariana was chosen because her parents wanted to keep a theme of “A” within their children’s name. Maxima and Inez come from her mother’s family and then there is Wilhelmina. Wilhelmina Koningin der Nederlanden (1890-1948) was the first Queen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and is where Princess Ariana gets her second name. Any royal family is particular and articulate about the names of their children. They carry on the family name and history and represent that country. Was it any accident to be named after the Queen? Absolutely not, my brother’s name represents both my parents’ fathers as he was the first born son on either side thus representing my mother’s family as well as my father’s family. It was a clear conscious decision just as the royals do with their names.
Prince Willem’s first born Catharina-Amalia Beatrix Carmen Victoria bears the name of her ancestors as well. Princess Amalia, as she is called, has her name popping up a few times in the Oranje-Nassau family tree. Amalia van Solms (1602-1675) was the wife of Frederik Hendrik. Amalia van Sachsen-Weimar (1840-1872) was married to Prince Hendrik and was the uncle of Queen Wilhelmina. Catharina-Amalia can be dated all the way back to Willem van Oranje. Queen Beatrix, current Queen of the Netherlands, was touched and honored that her granddaughter would carry on her name.
The Dutch Royals have a massive family tree and can be dated back into the 1500’s when the name first came up when the Low Countries provinces were ruled by a Stadholder. There appears throughout the history of the Netherlands a series of names. Back in the 1100’s is was Dirk, 1200’s saw a series of Floris’s and then Willem which is the most common male name found in the Dutch Royalty. Once the crown Prince takes the throne he will be Koning Willem IV.
I was watching the announcement this morning and was astonished at the names that rolled off his tongue like it was the most natural thing to do! I have a first, middle and last name while Dutchie only has a first and last. Once I marry my name will be hyphenated with my last and hers together. She will do the same with my name thus becoming the first Dutch Schmalfuss. Names are always interesting, they say a lot about who we are whether we realize it or not. Why do royals feel the need to add name after name while we common folk only have a first and last, some even having a middle name? Does it speak prestige to have such names followed by titles? History, place in society, cultures and family all play a role in what we are named. It all becomes our name and a piece of who we are and become. So what’s in your name?
Previous post found here.

Dutch Royal Family, Huis van Oranje-Nassau, Orange-Nassau, Prince Willem-Alexander, Princess Ariana

Prince Willem Alexander and wife Princess Maxima have done it again! Another girl added to the Dutch Royal family. The little cutie was born last night around ten and both mom and baby are doing fine. Prince Willem Alexander came out to the press room of the hospital to show off his new pride and joy to reporters this morning with a smile that wouldn’t go away. She came into the world weighing 4,135 g, measured 52 cm and as proud daddy said this morning, was born with the typical Oranje nose!
Queen Beatrix was seen beaming as she drove away from Bronovo Hospital in Den Haag after seeing her newest granddaughter. This is Queen Beatrix’s 7^th granddaughter out of 8 grandchildren. Princess Maxima’s parents were also at the hospital shortly after the birth. Prime Minister Balkenende made a formal broadcast late last night on both radio and television telling the Dutch public the news of the third daughter to the royal couple and fourth in line for the throne. Right now we do not have a name for the kleine meisje (little girl) as is customary until her birth is registered with town offices in a day or so.
The royal family is loved and popular with the Dutch people and news is a buzz on the latest addition. Last night reporters hung around the hospital to get pictures of the family and a first glimpse of the baby. Catharina-Amalia and Alexia were left at home but will be seeing their sister as soon as mom and baby are brought home from the hospital.
Being from a country that doesn’t have a royal family I find myself rather interested in them and what it is they do. I enjoy history and the cultures I find myself in and this wasn’t any different. Dutchie brought me a DVD of their wedding back in 2002 and it was quite a sight! Then again since I intend on becoming a Dutch National in reality I am just learning the Dutch way. Do as the Romans do as the saying goes. Each Dutchie has his/ her place in Holland as does the royals and the Dutch seem alright with that. They like their royal family and have no intention of changing what has been for so long now. The Royal family is a part of their culture, their heritage. The Netherlands is ruled by crown and parliament, as Dutchie informed me, they help make what Holland is; they go hand in hand. So congratulations to the proud parents and welcome to the world kleine meisje!
Announcement of kleine Meisje Here is a video clip of Prince Willem Alexander at the hospital with his baby girl. Video property of www.nu.nl

Prince Willem Alexander, Princess Maxima, Netherlands, Dutch Royal Family