Foreign Cultures and Customs

After years of living as an expat in the US, I still have trouble subduing my inner Dutch girl with her opinions and judgments and directness. So if you’re an American, you’ll want to stop reading, because here’s my list of 7 American things I don’t do . . .

A loud barrage of furious words slammed me in the back. It was shocking! The language being unknown to me, I did not understand what precisely was being hurled at me. However, since the vitriol originated from the toilet lady’s oral cavity, the message was clear.

How to have a cheek-kissing orgy? Move to France, invite the neighbors. But be warned: hugging is taboo.

As an expat, have you ever come back to your familiar hometown and seen it with foreign eyes? Living abroad changes how you see even the familiar. So here I am, back in Sneek, my hometown in the Netherlands

In Armenia, a picnic barbecue is not just a barbecue. It’s an extreme barbecue, an interesting expat foodie experience. You take a live sheep, and . . . well just read the rest.