Interview About A Dutch Experience
Shaping Cultural Experiences
Travel has been an integral part of my life since I was a young child. I grew up in a multicultural, bilingual home in the Netherlands with a Polish mother and a Dutch father. My
Update & BBC News Link
A brief update: One interview video will be uploaded tomorrow evening. I believe the BBC News One-Minute World News provides well-balanced reporting of news, hence why I wanted to share it. Top stories on May
From Nigeria to Boston
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VNkCazT_T4&feature=youtu.be
When you first meet Oluwagbeminiyi Osidipe, you encounter a very vibrant, friendly, and unique personality. Oluwagbeminiyi or Niyi – as she shortened her name for simplicity – was named by her mother, who had a “very personal experience” when she had her, Niyi explained. Niyi is a Yoruba Nigerian transplant who arrived in the U.S. in 2006. As one of the most densely populated (West) African countries, Nigeria derives its name from the river that spans its land. To the South, it borders the Gulf of Guinea to the Atlantic Ocean. Originally colonized by the British, Nigeria gained independence in 1960. Its main ethnic groups are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, who speak English and their own respective languages, while major religions include Islam, Christianity and indigenous beliefs. Niyi shares her story, her views on politics, cultural differences she’s embraced with humor, and what we can learn from each other by expressing curiosity. Her message is simple: travel enriches us through its exposure to new cultures, and enables us to grow.
Mark Twain on Travel
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” (American author Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad).
Have you had the opportunity to travel (extensively, within your country, or even once abroad)? Can you relate to Twain’s sentiments? How does travel enrich us?
Pleasing The Taste Palate
Food has the wonderful quality of uniting us no matter where we are. There is nothing partisan or narrow-minded about food. It simply invites us to indulge, create recipes, and share with others. Two of my favorite Polish dishes (included in collage) are pierogies and barszcz czerwony – a beetroot soup – served on Christmas Eve in Poland. How does food bring us together? What are some of your favorite dishes and why? Can food trigger memories?
Stereotypes: Truth or Fiction?
DEFINING STEREOTYPES: “An idea or statement about all of the members of a group or all the instances of a situation.” (Merriam-Webster). Stereotypes enable bias and preconceived notions to perpetuate, but can also reveal valid
Annual Human Rights Report
“The world changed immeasurably over the course of 2011. Across the Middle East, North Africa, and far beyond, citizens stood up to demand respect for human dignity, more promising economic opportunities, greater political liberties, and
Euro Crisis & Emerging Stereotypes
Brief Crisis Breakdown Since the onset of the global financial crisis, or Great Recession, in 2007, the Eurozone has feared impending growing global debt levels, as well as sovereign debt within European countries themselves. In
Remembering Tiananmen
Today marks the 23rd anniversary of Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in Beijing, China. Inflation, a lack of career prospects, the fall of Eastern European communism, and political corruption, are all said to have fueled anger
Coffee's Uniting Power
A cup of coffee can bridge cultural gaps. At least, that’s what Gizem Salgicil White, founder of Turkayfe.org, believes. Her organization aims to create awareness of Turkish culture, particularly within America. Gizem is a Turkish native,
Today’s Culture with Travel interview comes as part of our Travel Entrepreneur series in which we talk to travel leaders who are running businesses from all over the world.
We recently spoke to Sjoukje Oostindie, the founder of A Dutch Experience. Learn more about this travel entrepreneur and her Dutch company in the interview.
What inspired the creation of A Dutch Experience?
The Netherlands is a beautiful country that many people like to visit. Most people visit the well-known sights or stay in the neighborhood of Amsterdam. But, there is so much more to be seen and learn about the Netherlands, and the people that live here. I grew up in a small village in the North, studied in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, and live now in Hilversum. All those places have their own unique character and charm. It’s only by exploring a little further afield that you’ll get to know the real Dutch and the best way to do that is with a local, sharing their knowledge and passion about the area they live in.
What do you think uniquely sets A Dutch Experience apart from other organizations that feature local hosts?
Our local hosts are quite unique in who they are. The experiences that they offer are more focused on sharing knowledge, and inspiring travelers than pure entertainment. In addition, we only go for those little gems and passionate people which are hard to find, and it’s so worth it when you do. We feature only our absolute favorites.
How do you feel local experiences enhance travel for a visitor?
One of the scarcest commodities we have nowadays is real human-to-human attention. Most of the things we want to visit as a traveler can already been seen on YouTube, or we can read about it on the Internet. [bctt tweet=”But, if you truly want to experience a country and its people, spending some time with a local is the way to go” via=”no”].
Where is your own favorite city or town in the Netherlands, and why?
The Netherlands still has four very distinct seasons. Depending on the season and the weather (nothing is less predictable than the Dutch weather), I have my favorites. In the spring, I like to cycle around in my own area and enjoy that nature is waking up and everything bursts forth to grow. In the summer, I like to go to Friesland and watch the sailing boots or cycle along the Eleven cities Route.
As a great nature lover, in autumn I enjoy going to the province of Gelderland and going for a hike through the forests to see the colors change and have lunch or dinner in a beautiful outdoor place or estate. In the winter, I like to visit the cozy little streets of a city like Maastricht, Den Haag, Utrecht or Amsterdam.
How do you think A Dutch Experience making a difference for travelers around the world?
There is so much choice and most of the time not enough time. We know that feeling. That’s why we’ve done the work for travelers, searching the Netherlands for those ‘pearls’ which are so hard to find and so worth it when you do. We like to connect people because we strongly believe that people make a difference, by bringing them together beautiful things can happen.
What advice would you share with a budding travel entrepreneur?
I am still a budding entrepreneur myself, but what I have learned so far is that you need to surround yourself with successful entrepreneurs or people. They will challenge you, test you, and grow you more than you can ever grow on your own. “We” is greater than “me.”
Visit A Dutch Experience and find an experience to take! You can also find A Dutch Experience on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
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