I had a difficult time digesting what had just happened. There’s nothing in my background and education that teaches me how to deal with someone who associates happiness with weirdness, to say nothing of this full-throttle directness. Growing up in a village in Indonesia, I was raised to be courteous and friendly to people, even strangers. Pinching babies’ cheeks you see on the street is considered normal and a form of appreciation. In the Netherlands however, this will probably earn you a ticket straight to police office desk. So, at that moment, I did what many Indonesians would do: I smiled, followed by a simple ‘huh?’ The next day, I asked another Dutch friend, who said: ‘Yeah, don’t be too happy, it’s weird!’ I guess it’s not just the liquorice, the mayonnaise and the weather that take some getting used to. It’ll take a while for me to adjust to the stoicism too. So, straight face, your weirdo!
Isti Hanifah, Master’s student of Environmental Policy from Indonesia
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NL: Blij ei
Kort na haar aankomst in Nederland werd Isti uit Indonesië uitgenodigd voor een feestje. Blijkbaar deed ze wat te melig, want iemand vroeg: ‘ Waarom ben jij zo blij? Heb je drugs gebruikt?’ Isti stond met haar mond vol tanden. Blijheid en uitbundigheid zijn haar met de paplepel ingegoten. Ze wist niet hoe ze moest omgaan met iemand die dat aanzag voor gekte. Daarom lachte ze maar en zei: ‘Huh?’ Later concludeerde ze dat blijkbaar niet alleen moet wennen aan mayonaise, drop en het weer, maar ook aan het Nederlandse stoïcisme.