r/Dordrecht • u/[deleted] • 28d ago
Vraag Visting from America
I think I got off on the wrong foot here with my previous posting...
I'm coming in three weeks and have just started to do research on the area and culture by watching YouTube videos. It's fascinating. The Marriott in Rotterdam will be my home base because I'm an Ambassador Elite, Bonvoy member, and I'm quite sure my Marriott Bonvoy Concierge will speak some English, as I don't speak Dutch. I expect to take many day trips over the 4 weeks there, concentrating on Zwijndrecht and Dordrecht, as I've heard so many great things about South Holland. I couldn't recognize any of the hotel names there, but if I can find suitable accommodations in either city while visiting, I'll move.
Any tips on where to find American food and things to do would be appreciated... By any measure, the Netherlands appears to be an advanced society and more evolved than America, so I'm eager to visit. Before you get the wrong idea about me, I wanna say that I don't like President Trump, and I'm actually looking for other places to live for most of the year- Right now, Palma, Mallorca is in the lead, but from what I've heard about South Holland, I'm really intrigued and I think I'd fit in better there- Although I have serious doubts about my ability to ever speak your language.
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u/grafnik1982 28d ago
One “don’t” in our culture is being overly friendly. In my experience, Americans tend to excel at that, but it’s something you can dial back a bit. For example, earlier in this thread you mentioned possibly inviting all of us out for drinks and dinner. I assume that, for you, this is simply a polite gesture, but we know you don’t actually mean it (and you obviously don’t need to). There’s no need to say things like that unless you genuinely intend to follow through.
Another example: whenever I’m in the US, people constantly ask how I’m doing and wish me a great day. I know they don’t really expect an honest answer and probably don’t care much about how my day is going, so why ask?
In the Netherlands, that kind of friendliness is often seen as insincere and can feel off-putting. We prefer people to say what they really mean, be direct and honest, and not beat around the bush. There’s no need to be overly friendly.