"So, here you are. Too foreign for home, too foreign for here. Never enough for both."
Ijeoma Umebinyuo, Questions for Ada
It’s funny to realise that while I might be a first-generation immigrant here in the UK, growing up in the Netherlands I was in fact a second-generation immigrant. I don’t think I’ve ever been discriminated. I’ve only experienced some of your ‘normal’ degree of prejudice at the most. But there are some moments that I still remember to this day that made me realise I had a different ethnical background than most of my Dutch classmates.
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On the first Sunday of the month I always write a Dutch-language blog post. // Vandaag de eerste aflevering van de nieuwe blogserie ‘The Expat Files’. Hierin deel ik niet alleen mijn eigen ervaringen als een Nederlandse expat, maar ook van andere Nederlanders in het buitenland én ook van immigranten in Nederland. In deze eerste aflevering vertel ik je over hoe mijn emigratie niet alleen mijn leven, maar ook mijn beeld op Nederland(ers) heeft veranderd!
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Tell me, do you use the name ‘Holland’ or ‘The Netherlands’ when you speak of my mother country? Despite its common usage, the Dutch government recently announced they want to ban ‘Holland’ and rebrand the country’s name internationally. Why are they so eager to initiate such a huge and expensive undertaking? Find out in this blog post!
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Tell me, do you use the name ‘Holland’ or ‘The Netherlands’ when you speak of my mother country? Despite its common usage, the Dutch government recently announced they want to ban ‘Holland’ and rebrand the country’s name internationally. Why are they so eager to initiate such a huge and expensive undertaking? Find out in this blog post!
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With the shorter days and fickle weather these last days, there’s no escaping that autumn is coming. And what better way to escape from the gloomy outside world than immersing yourself in the magic of cinema? Get some great film tips in today’s post about 5 films to look forward to this autumn!
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What is your favourite science fiction film? Mine is Ridley Scott’s ‘Alien’. Just like me, this iconic film turned 40 this year. And to celebrate this special event, director Alexandre O. Philippe made the documentary ‘Memory: The Origins of Alien’, showing never-before-seen materials, interviews and exclusive behind-the-scenes footage.
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The unconventional feel-good movie ‘Heavy Trip’, a Finnish comedy about an upcoming amateur black metal band, has been hailed as the Scandi version of the cult film ‘This is Spinal Tap’. Even if you’re not the biggest metalhead, the bizarre adventures of this ambitious metal quartet will rock your socks off!
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Street art has always been a main subject on ‘Dutch Girl in London’. Through my blog I’ve met some many great fellow bloggers and in today’s blog post I want to highlight 3 street art bloggers you should follow!
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From 28 till 30 July 2018 the city of Bristol was largely covered in scaffolding allowing street artists and graffiti writers from all over the world to create stunning artworks for the 10th edition of Upfest, Europe’s largest street art and graffiti festival. It was an extremely difficult process but here are a few of my personal highlights of Upfest 2018!
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In today’s post I want to share some of the witty artworks by Belgian stencil artist Jaune with you that I came across this week on and around Brick Lane – possibly the most famous destination in London for graffiti writers, street artists and urban art aficionados.
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This message was sent to you from the unique landmark Lizard Point in Cornwall, mainland Britain’s most southerly location. A remarkable location that has inspired many great minds, including Tolkien!
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Hip hip hooray, it’s my 40th birthday today! And it’s the perfect festive ending to a great week spent in Cologne and Berlin. It’s been a week of history, art and the latest electronic music gadgets. From a visit to Cold War bunkers to the final resting place of the Three Wise Men, it all happened on this trip! Read all about it here.
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It’s the last Sunday of March already so time for my monthly recap where I look back at what I have been up to for the last weeks. Today it’s all about the cultural highlights of our recent travels through Australia, New Zealand and Singapore!
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There’s more to that perfect Insta travel photo than meets the eye. It often takes a lot of careful planning and selfish behaviour towards others. I found this out the hard way during our recent travels. Find out more about my painful experiences here.
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It’s funny to realise that while I might be a first-generation immigrant here in the UK, growing up in the Netherlands I was in fact a second-generation immigrant. I don’t think I’ve ever been discriminated. I’ve only experienced some of your ‘normal’ degree of prejudice at the most. But there are some moments that I still remember to this day that made me realise I had a different ethnical background than most of my Dutch classmates.
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In today’s personal review of October, brought to for you from Braga in Portugal: when a family emergency makes expat life less glamorous and of course my film and TV tips and travel stories.
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In today’s personal review of September: today I’ll be fighting my way out of an immense art maze for adults, while earlier this month I went to my first networking event and visited one of the most exploitative museums I’ve ever been to.
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They say children are the future. Witnessing this week’s global climate strike I think this saying has never been so appropriate. What started with the 16-year old Greta Thunberg Friday’s for Future weekly one-person demonstrations, has now grown into a global movement.
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London is a city that is full of surprises and here’s five books that offer up different ways of seeing the metropolis. From the islands that people live on, to moving stories from a different generation.
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There’s been some exciting news I’ve been itching to share with you for months now. After having sworn absolute secrecy, I’m so relieved I can finally tell you! Click here to find out what it is.
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Have you ever thought of how magicians and mediums use psychological devices to play tricks on you? You’d be surprised to learn how even your own brain deceives you! The current exhibition ‘Smoke and Mirrors: The Psychology of Magic’ at Wellcome Collection reveals the rational truth behind the world of magic.
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We all know of course that the British Museum is THE place to go if you’re interested in seeing ancient Egyptian artefacts in London. But did you know that the world’s fourth largest ancient Egyptian collection is housed in a small building on the University College London campus? I only heard of the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology last week and was rather blown away by all the treasures it holds!
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On the first Sunday of the month I always write a Dutch-language blog post. // Vandaag de eerste aflevering van de nieuwe blogserie ‘The Expat Files’. Hierin deel ik niet alleen mijn eigen ervaringen als een Nederlandse expat, maar ook van andere Nederlanders in het buitenland én ook van immigranten in Nederland. In deze eerste aflevering vertel ik je over hoe mijn emigratie niet alleen mijn leven, maar ook mijn beeld op Nederland(ers) heeft veranderd!
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Once a month I write a Dutch-language blog post. Today’s post is about National Brother and Sister Day. // 30 september was het Nationale Broer en Zus Dag. Daarom vandaag een blog over mijn broer!
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Once a month I write a blog post in Dutch. Today I’m revealing my Top 5 Dutch music guilty pleasures. // Geïnspireerd door het zomerse weer, heb ik mijn favoriete Nederlandstalige liedjes voor je op een rijtje gezet. Ik ben erg benieuwd of jij je ook kunt vinden in mijn top 5 Nederlandstalige guilty pleasures!
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On the first Sunday of the month I always blog in Dutch. Today’s post is a belated Father’s Day blog post. // Huh, hoezo Vaderdag? Dat was toch al bijna een maand geleden? Ja, dat is wel zo, maar mijn vader kan niet zo goed Engels lezen. En daarom bewaarde ik dit onderwerp voor mijn Nederlandse blogdag. Want mijn vader is een bijzondere man en dat mag iedereen weten.
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