I have now been in the Netherlands for 10 days now, and have enjoyed every second of it. Following my full-fledged immersion in Dutch society, there are some things that just stand out for me.

The excellent public transport
I come from a country where you risk your life if you try use what little public transport there is. The Netherlands is a refreshing change to this. I have thoroughly enjoyed using the very efficient busses and trains here.

Bicycles
I have just raved about the public transport but I think that cycling is even one better. The Dutch landscape is totally flat, making cycling a pleasure, especially considering that there seem to be more cycle paths than roads here. In fact, it takes me less time to cycle into the centre of Haarlem from where I am staying than using the very efficient us service. And on top of all this, cycling is safe, free and good excercise.

The food
I have heard a lot of people complain about the food in the Netherlands, but I will be the first to disagree with that. I love the food here.

I have tried stroopwafels, Dutch cheese, mayonnaise on chips, an assortment of Dutch biscuits and I have no need to complain at all. And then just looking at the sweets and chocolates available makes me feel like a little kid in a candy store.

Trappist beer
I am not much of a beer drinker. I do have a weakness though, and that is Belgian beer, and I have found my favourite amongst these. I tried some Trappist beer and have fallen in love with it. Now I just need to go on a Trappist tasting session….

The Dutch people
Out of all the people I have met I like the Dutch the most. They are decent honest people, and very tolerant of others. In addition to this, the average Dutch person has a good knowledge of English, so communication is so much easier. I do want to learn Dutch fluently, but am finding it easy to make myself understood until then.

Fanta Cassis
One of my favourite drinks in SA was Fanta Grape and Fanta Strawberry. Both of these are unfortunately not available in the Netherlands, but I did find one even better. Fanta Cassis, which is essentially blackberry flavoured Fanta, which is so good, that my memories of Grape and Strawberry will very quickly fade from my memory.

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