For many Americans, those little (and sometimes not so little) countries in Europe can be a little confusing. I'm as guilty of this as anybody. Before I got my internship in the Netherlands and started Googling all of my questions, I couldn't tell you whether the Netherlands or Holland was the proper name (or even if they were the same place).
I've heard people confuse the Netherlands with Norway, Dutch with Danish and The Hague with Den Haag (just kidding, those last two actually are the same). And as a girl who sometimes (just briefly) thinks Swiss people are from Sweden, I can't really judge these mistakes.
So here's some clarification. I am
NOT going to:
NORWAY
Norway is one of those Scandinavian countries, up by Sweden (where people are Swedish, not Swiss). It's a big country compared to the Netherlands but has about 4 times fewer people. Fathers get 10 weeks of paternity leave, because having a kid makes new dads look like this:
Did I mention Edvard Munch is Norwegian?
DENMARK
This is where Hamlet was prince and where you'll find something rotten. They speak Danish, which I happen to be pretty familiar with, typically around breakfast time.
I'll let this sink in for a day or two and then discuss where I AM going (and whether you should call it Holland or the Netherlands).
i like you, you're funny. i like this danish comment but i resent the fact that you may or may not think i have Swedish citizenship. I don't. I have Swiss. to clarify. we're known for cheese. and watches, i think. but mainly cheese. so i'm gonna need some of those fritters. i'm gonna get back to studying for finals now, but blog more please. and keep posting pictures. that's the only way i'll keep reading. none of the textbooks i'm forced to read have any pictures, so you're in danger of losing me if you quit illustrating your (highly entertaining) words. lylas. i
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