I am non-white, non-European, I wear a headscarf and I don’t speak the mother tongue of this country. When I was living in the United States, those unique qualities of mine were not widely accepted, and I still face prejudice when I travel around the globe. People stare at me because of the piece of cloth on my head, I get judged because of my skin colour, accent and even origin. However, that is not the case here.
I’m surprised to see a quiet room in Radix where I can say my prayers. I’m impressed when my Dutch acquaintances know about the festivals that I celebrate. I’m delighted when strangers greet me in Dutch. I feel relieved when the locals do not mind that I can’t speak the language and most importantly I’m happy when my Dutch friends and I laugh and joke about the stereotypes that we have about each other. And that is what I find unique about this country: how neutral and accepting the Dutch are towards people from different backgrounds.
It is true that the Dutch are cold, like to complain, are straightforward and have stereotypes about you, but once you talk to them and get to know each other better, they will welcome you with open arms. Over here, I’m not judged on my appearance or my beliefs. Rather people see me as an individual and treat me respectfully. Never mind the bad weather and tasteless food. Mas Muniroh binti Mohd Nadzir, PhD candidate in Plant Breeding, from MalaysiaDo you have a nice anecdote about your experience of going Dutch? Send it in! Describe an encounter with Dutch culture in detail and comment on it briefl y. 300 words max. Send it to resource@wur.nl and earn 25 euros and Dutch candy.NL: WARM LAND Ze haat het weer en vindt het eten smakeloos. Toch voelt promovenda Mas Muniroh binti Mohd Nadzir uit Maleisië zich thuis in Nederland. In de Verenigde Staten werden haar ‘unieke kwaliteiten’ – getinte huid, hoofddoek, accent – bezien met achterdocht. Zo niet hier. Vreemdelingen groeten haar in het Nederlands, er is een stilteruimte waar ze kan bidden, kennissen zijn bekend met haar feestdagen en met vrienden lacht ze om de vooroordelen die ze over elkaar hebben.