Eva Gabriella

After calling Malaysia her home for 19 years, Eva moved to Amsterdam to study literary and cultural analysis. Well, that was the academic theory — in reality it was more like “cultural shock.” Eva’s mastery of life in the Netherlands involved initiation into the richness of nocturnal hangouts, canals, cuisine, and upright and forthright cyclists (who she now rings her bell back at.) When she is not speeding her way through books, she is winding and weaving down endless straatjes, often finding herself, not so quite by chance, in a gezellig music bar!

I lived in a former Dutch prison: here’s what it was like

One innovative response to the housing crisis hitting students in Amsterdam was to convert a former prison into student living quarters. Yes, you read that...

Dutch Quirk #100: Use the power of the ‘social police’ (betutteling)

There are several unwritten rules of social etiquette in the Netherlands that Dutchies love to betuttel (patronise) you about, as if they’re high-school teachers. The...

Dutch Quirk #51: Dance the Polonaise at parties

The Dutch are certainly no strangers to a good party. Take Amsterdam, for example, a hub for the occasional recreational drug on a long...

Dutch Quirk #75: Gossip in Dutch when they think you don’t understand

Sure enough, the Dutch are known to be direct, but have you ever borne the brunt of Dutch indirectness? Honestly, it may just be...

11 books based in the Netherlands to add to your reading list

Can't get enough of the Netherlands? Here's a list of books based in the Netherlands that'll take you on a journey of bikes, cobblestones,...

Case Studies