Naturalization

I have been a bit surprised about the topics in my Dutch language courses. My previous foreign language courses were in high school, and American high schools avoid controversial topics. My Dutch courses tackle the difficult topics head-on. Our most recent lesson, "Are you married?", briefly went over some of the differences between marriage in the Netherlands and elsewhere. Weak English translation:

Dutch teacher: Do you have children?
Female student: No, after all I am not yet married.
Male teacher: Must you be married before you can have kids? Do you really need that? Is it really necessary?
Female student: Maybe not in the Netherlands, but in my society that is absolutely necessary.
Male teacher: What happens if a women is expecting a child while she isn't married?
Female student: Then you must immediately marry. Preferably with the father of the child.
...
Teacher: Not so long ago that also held for the Netherlands...the last 30 years, though, have seen many changes to marriage. People still marry, but frequently they'll live together first...You can also register with the government as "living together." Then you will be treated almost the same as if you are married, and it is a bit easier.
Another student: What is the difference between marriage and living together in the government's policy.
Teacher: That is indeed small, it is mostly the vows you've taken.

Aside from marriage, the book also goes over the population policy of the government, parties, alcohol, the police, and how the Dutch are friendly but difficult to know really well. I do not believe the policy on drugs is mentioned.

I'm not sure what to think about mentioning controversial topics with public opinions in the language course. They are only a small part of the course. I also think it is critical for immigrants to know about government policies and the values of the people. I think it is important that people make informed choices about where they live, the values of the people they live with, and what policies they support with their tax money. People are given a chance to share what their own country values during the discussion classes.

On the other hand, language courses are required for the spouses and other family members of any long-term immigrants. No one knows enough Dutch to explain the complex ideas behind the social values. It feels a bit like the government is forcing public opinion down the throats of minorities.

In the bigger picture, though, the language courses are one of the least controversial aspects of immigrating. Dutch law requires most new immigrants to watch a social orientation video containing gay men kissing and women on a crowded top-less beach. The video is so racy that an edited version of it was made specifically for Middle Eastern countries.

(I'm waiting for the sequel before I see it. I hear there is going to be an action sequence involving sheep)

Some Ugly Truths about Human Trafficking

The UN's Office on Drugs and Crime released its annual Global Report on Trafficking in Persons a few weeks ago.

The Dutch fared poorly. A uniform comparison across countries is difficult since reported data varies by country. Countries provide some sub-set of people prosecuted, convicted, investigated or suspected of trafficking. A quick look through the data suggests that the Netherlands is either much better at prosecuting people, or that human trafficking is a problem for the Dutch. Conviction and prosecution rates per capita in Holland were eight times as high as the UK. The UK has roughly four times the population of the Netherlands, but the UK prosecuted and convicted less than half the number of people that Holland did.

Another interesting anomaly was the gender breakdown of convictions in Eastern Europe. In Latvia, for example, women are convicted of less than 10% of all crimes, but they account for over half of human trafficking convictions.

Anyways, the big picture is very dim. Sometimes it is easy to forget that it is 2009.

First Impressions of Zuid-Holland

First impressions of Zuid-Holland

The biggest difference between Zuid-Holland and anywhere I've been in the US is the bicycles. I would estimate that one in four to one in three Delfters' have a bicycle as their primary mode of transit. I would say there are a few obvious contributing factors.

The first factor is that Dutch people despise obesity. On a recent poll about attractiveness, obesity was one of the biggest turn-offs of a Dutch significant other. If I had to guess, I would say this value comes from needing to reclaim land from the ocean. Over a quarter of the land in the Netherlands is below sea level; land scarcity and uncertainty necessitated hard work.

The second factor is the price of gasoline. Gas is currently 1,499 euros / liter (the annoying last 9 appears to be universal). This translates to roughly $9 / gallon. The government imposes much higher taxes on gasoline than in the states. I am not a big fan of government involvement, however I'd agree that gasoline taxes in the United States are too low to capture all the externalities (I can't find the sources I've seen relating to this).

The third factor, obviously related to a large market, is the availability of different bicycle models. There is an analog spectrum of bicycle to motorcycle here:

Human-powered bicycle <-> Motor-assisted bicycle <-> Small scooter <-> Large scooter <-> Motorcycle

Motor-assisted bicycles are nearly non-existant in the US. I don't think I had previously seen, in person, a motor-assisted bicycle. Delfters, especially little old ladies, love these models. I'm tempted to hack around with one. I've read about one or two TU Delft students creating battery-assisted bicycles for their MSc thesis.

As an aside, while scooter riders wear standard motorcycle-style helmets, I haven't seen an adult nor teenage bicyclist wearing a helmet. (EDIT: I saw a police officer on a bicycle today, and he was wearing a helmet).

The fourth factor is that the infrastructure is very bicycle-friendly. There are many shortcuts around town that only scooters, bicycles, and bicycle-hybrids are allowed to use. On the main roads there are bicycle lanes seperated from the automobile lanes. Some of these roads have separate bicycle stop lights from the main lights.

The last factor (bicycle-friendly infrastructure) has clearly taken a lot of government involvement. I'm not familiar enough with the regulations and government here to speak to the advantages and disadvantages of having much stricter regulation.

For all the love of bicycles, I have not found a great bike shop yet. During one of my random walks on the internet I found a list saying you're only a true Delfter if you bought your bike at a open market. I didn't see a bike stall at the open market on Sunday, though there is a market on Wednesday that I haven't searched extensively. Once I get to know some people at the University I'll ask about where they bought their bikes. Until then I'll just jealously watch the bike riders zoom by me on my morning walk.



(note: I wrote this post on my laptop before I had regular internet access)