illustration Henk van Ruitenbeek
The last time I lost my lights was when I went to church. It was quiet and already night so I thought my bike lights would be safe, since there was no one around. But after I came back, they were gone, and I had to cycle home without lights, hoping no police would be out patrolling.
Your belongings are safe in the Netherlands. With one exception: your bike light
Another time, I unintentionally left my wallet on the bus from Amsterdam to Volendam. I was in a panic, since all of my ID and bank cards were in there. The customer service lady of the bus company informed me that they post all items of lost property on their website so I had to check it myself. When I did that, I saw a lot of lost mobile phones and handbags, but not my wallet. Luckily the next day, a lady contacted me on Facebook, saying that she had found my wallet and wanted to return it to me. I was so grateful because nothing in my wallet was lost when I got it back. Many of my friends have told me Dutch people are very honest. And I definitely agree. Your belongings are safe here. There is one exception however: your bike light.
Earlyn Yaputra, an MSc student of Food Technology student from Indonesia
Do you have a nice anecdote about your experience going Dutch? Send it in! Describ an encounter with Dutch culture in detail and comment on it briefly. 300 words max. Send it to resource@wur.nl and earn twenty-five euros and Dutch candy.