Published September 1st, 2007 by Mliesie
My ‘hometown” Holland
Today, 2 months ago I arrived back home in Holland. Last week, almost 8 weeks later I again arrived back home, in Yulin, China. It was wonderful being in Holland again and meeting up with family and friends but also to see one’s ‘hometown’ (as my students call it) from another point of view. There are things I have learned to appreciate more, there are things that I never realised before and there are things that surprised me and sometimes left me astounded.
What hit me most when I first arrived was the silence. It was so nice to just sit on my couch and not hear the honking of the car horns, the whistle of the train, the noisy cars and tricycles but……to hear birds whistle instead. It almost hurt my ears 
My first two weeks in Holland were an absolute eye-opener….. The first thing I realised was how many fat people there are in Holland. It hit me hard! Before I left for China last year, the government had decided more attention should be paid to obesity because more and more people tend to get overweight. It wasn’t until now that I actually really saw how many fat people there are and how bad their eating habits are. Junkfood seems to be on top of their shopping list……
Before living and working in China ever crossed my mind the one thing I knew about the Chinese is that they tend to spit….. loudly and a lot! I think every Westerner knows about that. Well, let me tell you something. While walking the streets in Holland, I very often saw people SPITTING!!!! They spit while they walk, bike, jog, rollerblade, even while driving the car and they do it silently, which is worse than spitting with the horrendous sounds the Chinese tend to make before they spit. Why? At least here, in China, you know somebody will be spitting so you can take precautions……. As I am sure the Dutch are not the only ’silent spitters’, let’s please not point at the Chinese any longer and say how disgusting a habit it is!
The thing I had to get used to most? The fact that when I crossed the street, cars will actually stop to let you cross. The first time I was waiting to cross the street and a car stopped to let me do so, I didn’t dare to as I couldn’t believe what happened! The car driver must have thought I was absolutely mad…..
What I appreciated most? The fact that Holland is so intensly green and lush, the fact that we have bicycle paths, all the lakes, ponds and rivers, the multi-cultural society we live in.
It was wonderful to be back and experience Holland a little differnet than I have before, but I was also very happy to go back home to Yulin again. I missed my friends, my students, my colleagues, my work, my house. In short: I missed my life in China. As of now I will try to keep you updated again on whatever happens here.
Take care and enjoy life!