#netherlands

My favourite band has a 4 night convention at Centre Parcs in the Netherlands every two years (extended to 5 nights next year). They completely take it over and every house/apartment is filled with fans, with the band's music playing in the bars and on the TVs, three full gigs with a different setlist each night, loads of support acts in the evenings and afternoons, quizzes, Q&As, autograph sessions etc. The band and their families stay on site too, so you meet them in the bars, in the shops, in the pool, in the restaurants etc. About 3500 people go, and if you're on your own or can't fill an apartment yourself (and want to avoid a single occupancy supplement) then they will match you up with similar people to share (nationality, gender, age, non-smokers etc). I always used to go on my own and made loads of new friends that way, but now I book a large house with a group of friends who I met previously. Everyone is very friendly and excited and approachable and there's a real buzz about the place, but you can still escape to the beach or the pool or the next-door nature reserve (on the free hire bikes) if you need some space. The normal age demographic of the fans is fairly old (50+, it's an 80's prog rock band), but a lot of people take their whole families, so in practice there's actually quite a good age range there and it's a family friendly event.

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Hmm it’s hard to tell because the original Dutch traditions and culture haven’t really been around since about 1900.

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I hold on to the traditions we sort of have though:

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celebrating Kings Day: the birthday of the king. On this day everybody can set up a spot and sell some of their junk. It’s like a huge flee market all over the country. There are also festivals and it’s normal to dress in orange. 🧡
Kids do ‘Kings Play’ which is basically a sports day at school. Where they do an estafette with different activities.

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Memorial day: 2 minutes of silence on the 4th of May, to remember those who died in the second world war.

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Day of Freedom: 5th of May: celebrating that The Netherlands wasn’t occupied by the Germans anymore.

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Then we have a bunch of Christian celebrations as traditional, like Easter and Christmas. I do not really celebrate it since I’m not a Christian, but we sort of have our own twist.

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The Dutch government announced the creation of a special tribunal for Ukraine.
Political Declaration of the Ministerial Conference on Restoring Justice for Ukraine
Political Declaration of the Ministerial Conference on Restoring Justice for Ukraine, by representatives of the Governments of Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States.
https://www.government.nl/documents/diplomatic-statements/2024/04/02/political-declaration-of-the-ministerial-restoring-justice-for-ukraine-conference

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I didn't have favorite classmates in school. Either I don't remember anymore or I don't want to remember. Past is past. I don't think about it because I closed the door to my past. 💚 But I have to say that I had a few best friends in those years.
My best friend in my first univeristy was Paweł (Paul) but our friendship ended for many private and also unknown reasons for me so I don't want to talk about it. He had a lot of advantages because he was good, polite, kind, protective and person who you can trust thanks to I wish him all the best in his life. 💚
My favorite workmates were Marek (Mark), Dominika (Dominica), Eliza (Elisa) and Sarah.
Sarah was teenage Dutch girl. I worked abroad e.g.in the Netherlands and in Germany in the years from 2019 to June 2022. In the Netherlands teenagers go to work and this is le*gal and common behave.

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This isn't the best purchase I made this year because I'm most satisfied with the JBL in-ear headphones that I received in February as a birthday gift. It was exactly what I needed and it's pink.
P.S. Pink is one of my favorite colors! 💚
P.S.2. I went abroad for work for the first time in 2019. I traveled to the Netherlands until July 2022. I really have a lot of things, clothes, shoes so I try not to overdo shopping for some time because my wardrobes are bursting at the seams. 😂
P.S.3. I no longer want to lead an overmuch consumerist lifestyle. Although from time to time I enjoy shopping. It's true but now I have other priorities e.g. to buy a flat.
I have half of the necessary amount of money for this purpose. I will take out a loan in a year or two years (In my view a loan is a better option than living with your parents a long time or forever).
I want to have my own place, not with another person. Is it selfish? In my opinion it isn't selfish. In my view it's practical and reasonable. I don't want to have lawsuit in future. 💁🏻‍♀️
It's my final decision. 😊
P.S.4. I'm sorry for mistakes in my answer. 🤭 English isn't my native language and I won't be perfect in this language. 😊

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