What Are All These Weird Dutch Customs?

Living in the Netherlands for over two years, I’m continually amazed. Recently, in my house, a grassroots movement sparked a lawsuit against the owners. The issue?

Our monthly 10 euros payment for solar panels, a discovery from our annual bill. We filed complaints with the Huurcommissie, an organization handling tenant disputes. 

It’s amusing how the Dutch treat courts casually, like any other office. Filing a lawsuit for a mere 100 euros is no big deal for them. According to the Government of the Netherlands, the national Rent Tribunal (Huurcommissie) gives tenants a low-cost, accessible way to formally challenge landlords over even small rent and service-charge disputes, for as little as 25 euros.

Poles, on the other hand, tend to fear courts’ gravity, associating them with severe consequences. Even if earnings in Poland are lower, I doubt anyone would contest such an amount in court. Yet, the Dutch, astonishingly, can draft a lawsuit for ten euros with one hand while enjoying a thirty-euro pizza with the other.

Additionally, they have a unique habit of candidly discussing their restroom plans. Instead of saying, “Excuse me, I need to use the toilet,” they simply announce, “Sorry, I’m going to pee” or “Sorry, I’m going to take a dump.” This openness extends beyond casual gatherings to formal events like college balls, where everyone’s dressed in finery.

According to Broeder (2021), Dutch communicators rely on relatively direct, explicit verbal and non-verbal messages, consistent with a low-context communication culture. I suspect this may shock many foreigners.

What Happens When I Tease the Dutchies?

I enjoy challenging the Dutch sometimes by sharing opinions I assume most will disagree with. In Poland, discussions are common, but here in the Netherlands, people tend to shy away from controversial topics. I get to witness a range of reactions—surprise, disdain, indignation, or utter confusion.

According to Günsoy, Cross, Uskul, Adams and Gercek-Swing (2015), people from more individualistic cultures feel freer to respond to conflict directly rather than avoiding it.

For instance, I like telling people that I love my job. I love it so much that I question the need for a two-day weekend.

I find it a bit mundane, suggesting a single day off on Sundays would suffice. Naturally, according to the OECD, the Dutch have the highest share of part-time work among member countries, so this rarely lands well.

Moreover, I’ve come up with a plan to tackle an upcoming challenge. I was quite concerned about the winter ahead and how I’d manage, considering the previous one was the harshest in the Netherlands in fifty years.

Many were affected by winter blues, and I believe that played a role in my partner’s disappearance. According to Mersch et al. (1999), about 3% of people in the Netherlands meet the criteria for winter seasonal affective disorder.

How Am I Packing For My Trip Out of the Netherlands?

Thankfully, a solution presented itself. I’ll be heading to South America for about seven weeks in January and February—summer school and hiking.

I enjoyed it so much before that I can’t resist going again. By the way, I’ve started daily weighted walking to prepare for backpacking.

It turns out all my books weigh less than ten kilos. This makes it a bit tricky to fill my backpack adequately.

It’s funny… I essentially only own a computer and a heap of clothes; nothing more.

So things are looking positive. And tomorrow at 9:00 PM on Dutch TV channel 3, I’ll make my television debut :) I’m a bit nervous to watch myself on screen.

But my wild curiosity will likely push me to do so. It’s just a brief two-minute appearance, but there’s always something to share with the kids.