Student
Internationaal
Typical Dutch

Wind power

Everyone knows that windmills are typical of the Dutch landscape, from traditional wooden mills to modern turbines. These structures convert the kinetic power of the wind into energy. After feeling the force of the wind in The Netherlands I understand why windmills are common here, and not in countries like India or Indonesia.

I just experienced my first fall and winter season in Wageningen, and cycling became very hard. No matter how hard you peddle, you won’t make much progress in the wind. While I was hanging on in there, I could imagine myself in a slow motion scene of the movie The Matrix, but then riding a bicycle. A friend of mine, who weighs over 60 kilograms, was even blown off his bike by a gust of wind.

I even experience the power of the Dutch wind when I am at home. You should know that I live in a nice apartment block made of containers. It is a semi-permanent building that is only two storeys high. When the wind blows hard, my entire room vibrates and makes a ‘brrrrrrr’ sound, as if the building is about to take off. So far it hasn’t. Lini Anisfatus Sholihah, MSc student of Nutrition and Health from Indonesia

Do 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 briefly. 300 words max. Send it to resource@wur.nl and earn twenty-five euro and Dutch candy.

NL: Winderig

Na haar eerste herfst en winter in Nederland begrijpt Lini Anisfatus Sholihah uit Indonesië ineens waarom Nederlanders al eeuwenlang windmolens bouwen. Bij tegenwind kwam ze soms nauwelijks vooruit op haar fiets en een van haar vrienden – met ruim 60 kilo toch niet de lichtste – werd eens van de fiets geblazen. Zelfs thuis ervaart Lini de kracht van de wind. Op stormachtige dagen maakt haar containerwoning een brommend geluid, alsof-ie gaat opstijgen.

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