imgoing to be a foreign exchange student from the u.s. and ive decided on these 2 places. i like outoor adventure, but also a very laid back atmosphere nd lots of things to do. iwould looove the coffeeshops but in australia i would love the ocean and mtns and niceweather. i want to experience a whole different culture.anyone thats been to both places or just oneay advice? things to do ect ect. pretty much what is a typical day like for a local in these 2 places? thanks
True.....but Oprah reckons we're pretty awesome too.:2thumbsup: Living here...I would say go to Holland...you are much closer to everything in Europe etc. Oz is too much like the US to experience anything "different" as such. just my 2 cents
If you're going to Netherlands, don't go for the Dutch. Many of them are rude and dislike foreigners, in my experience. The country, however, is beautiful.
Hollandse peoples are lovely, but after a while the country will start to annoy you. It's too flat and too crowded. Go for Oz,lot's of wild places and better weather,and I'm sure you will be able to score some pot on your travels and hang out in some cool places. Saying that though I have never been to Australia and know fuck all about it apart from what I have seen on the telly.
if i go to australia i wanna go surfing, scuba diving, hiking,jumping off waterfalls and just explore whatever city im by. if igo to the netherlands i wanna go to the coffeeshops, the clubs and whatever else there is to do. is this realistic?
You just answered your own question. Coffeeshops are great for a holiday but you get bored of them. Going out clubbing in holland is also great, but again after a while you crave the outdoors and the isolation with which to enjoy your nice hash. If you are planning on going to Nijmegen then I would recommend going to nijmegen though. Go party your ass off, make sure you bring lots of money or know people who live in nice squats.
We DO have coffe shops and clubs too yannow.....we're not that laid back and far behind... Our coffee shops arent the same as the ones in the Netherlands though
Some Dutch people are very rude, especially in Amsterdam, but the nice ones more than make up for this and they are not in any way as rude as British people can be. Some of them don't like the fact that so many people come there just to smoke weed, and they really hate it when you start talking to them in english... even though most of them can speak perfectly good english. Like any country, if you go there it is wise to learn a few phrases so that you at least look like you are trying, and that can often make a difference. It is a horrendously difficult language to learn though. For every dutch person who hates being spoken to in english you will find one that hates their own tongue and will insist on talking to you in english, even though everyone else is Dutch, because they want to practise and get really good at it. I've heard a lot of dutch people saying that they think their own language is just stupid and fucked up, and they are right, it is.
depends on your likes n dislikes man - Holland is flat and physically not very interesting; also one of the most crowded places on earth. The Dutch are nice and you'll not have many language problems but at the same time the society outside the cities is pretty conservative. OZ is huge, mostly hot and dry (not Qlds at the mo!) and is a easy going hedonistic culture. Lots of nature but along with lots of poisonous things too. Having been there a few times and lived in NZ I reckon that OZ is more challenging (depends tho on where you'll be studying - varies lots and distances are huge and the place is pretty empty except around the coasts. Darwin and Cairns were the friendliest places - goin troppo in OZ was alwasy the best. On the other hand in Holland you have access to the whole of Europe for variet of culture etc. OZ has no culture apart from 'Okker' and you have the realise the distances involved - for instance the current flooding in the state of Queensland is in an area the size of France & Germany together! And that's just part of Qlds! OZ is a very ancient continent with 18m people - Holland is a little bit of reclaimed coastal flat land with the same amount. Finally - plenty of smoke is both places :sunny: Simon
