Daytime temperature in November

At night it's about 3–4°C. In Dec–Feb it can freeze, and sometimes it even snows ❄️. Temwa A Den Bosch winter day feels like a cold June night in Lusaka, all day long.

Hours of daylight ☀️

Winter is dark, but in summer it stays light until 10 pm!

The Netherlands has more bikes than people. Kids from about 12 cycle to school on their own, and so do grandmas, office workers and the prime minister.

• 🛣️ Bikes have their own red paths (fietspad), separate from cars. Very safe.
• 💡 Lights on when it's dark. That's the law (and it's dark at 5 pm!).
• 📵 No phone in your hand while cycling. You can get a big fine.
• ✋ Stick your arm out to show where you're turning.
• 🔒 Always use two locks. Bikes get stolen a lot here.

How it works

• 🌍 Everyone in your class is new to the Netherlands, from all over the world. Nobody speaks perfect Dutch.
• 🗣️ Lots of Dutch lessons, plus maths, English, sport and more.
• ⏳ After about 1½–2 years you move on to a regular secondary school that fits your level.
• 👩‍🏫 You get a mentor: one teacher who's your go-to person for anything.

Different from Malaysia

• 👕 No school uniform! Wear your own clothes.
• 🥪 Bring your own lunch (usually sandwiches) and eat it at school.
• 📵 Phones are not allowed in class (that's a national rule).
• 🙋 Asking questions and giving your own opinion is encouraged, even disagreeing with the teacher (politely).
• 🧑‍🏫 Teachers are friendly and less strict, but they expect you to plan your own homework.

In Malaysia

People are polite and indirect. "Maybe, lah" can mean no. Nobody wants anyone to lose face.

In Zambia

Greetings matter a lot, you show respect to elders, and you say hard things gently.

In the Netherlands

"Your haircut is not nice." "No, I don't want to." Direct, honest and quick. It's not meant to be rude!

The agenda

The Dutch plan everything, even playdates with friends, sometimes weeks ahead. Turning up without asking is unusual.

Be on time

10:00 means 10:00. Being 10 minutes late is seen as rude. No "Malaysian time" 😉

Dinner at 6 pm

Dinner is early, around 18:00. Lunch is small and simple, usually bread.

Birthdays

On your birthday, you bring treats to class (trakteren). At parties, everyone sits in a circle and congratulates the whole family: "Gefeliciteerd!"

Shoes on

Many Dutch people keep their shoes on indoors. At our home we can keep our shoes-off rule, like in Malaysia.

Going Dutch

With friends, everyone usually pays for themselves. "Tikkie" is the app people use to pay each other back.

Dutch things to try

Tastes from home 🏡

• 🍛 Indonesian food is everywhere in NL: nasi goreng, rendang, sambal, satay. Very close to Malaysian flavours!
• 🛒 A toko (Asian shop) sells rice, noodles, kecap, pandan and more. "Toko" is even the Malay word for shop.
• 🌽 We'll find mealie meal for nshima at African shops or online. Sunday nshima stays a tradition!
• 🚰 You can drink tap water straight from the tap. It's very clean.

Pinnen

People pay by bank card or phone almost everywhere. Some places don't even take cash.

Supermarkets

Albert Heijn, Jumbo, Lidl and Aldi. Bring your own bag, because plastic bags cost money.

Recycling

Rubbish is sorted: paper, glass, plastic, food waste and the rest. Bottles and cans have a deposit (statiegeld), so return them and get money back!

Huisarts

If you're sick, you call the huisarts (family doctor) first, not the hospital. The doctor often says "rest and paracetamol" 😄

112

The emergency number for police, ambulance or fire. Learn it!

Shop hours

Many shops close at 18:00. Supermarkets stay open until about 20:00–22:00. Plan ahead!

He's not Santa! Sinterklaas is an old bishop with a red cape and a long white beard. Every November he "arrives by boat from Spain" with his helpers, the Pieten, and his white horse.

• 👟 Kids put a shoe by the door (with a carrot for the horse 🥕) and find a small surprise in the morning.
• 🍪 Pepernoten: tiny spiced cookies everywhere.
• 🍫 A chocolate letter with your first initial: S and T!
• 📜 On 5 December (pakjesavond) families give presents with a funny poem.

Something honest about "Zwarte Piet"

In the past, the Pieten had their faces painted black, with red lips and curly wigs. Many people, especially Black Dutch people, found this very hurtful, because it's based on racist pictures from the past.

After many years of protest, most cities, schools and TV now use "roetveegpieten": Pieten with just a few smudges of soot from the chimney. Den Bosch stopped using black-face Pieten in 2021.

You might still see the old version in some villages or old pictures. If it makes you feel bad, or someone makes a joke, your feelings are valid. Tell us and we'll talk about it.

During carnival, Den Bosch changes its name to Oeteldonk ("frog hill" in the old local language). You'll see frogs everywhere, plus the colours red, white and yellow.

• 🎭 7–9 February 2027: everyone dresses up. There are parades, music and dancing in the streets for 3 days.
• 🧥 People wear a "boerenkiel": a blue farmer's smock with a red scarf.
• 👦 There's a special kids' parade on Tuesday.
• 🙌 The cheer is "Alaaf!"

Your mix is a superpower

Kids who grow up across countries are called "third culture kids". They're great at languages, making friends and understanding different people.

About 1 in 4 people in the Netherlands has roots in another country. Lots of Dutch heroes are half-Dutch, half-African, like footballers Memphis Depay (Ghanaian dad) and Cody Gakpo (Togolese dad, born in Eindhoven, just down the road!).

Being honest 💛

Den Bosch is less mixed than Amsterdam or KL. Sometimes you might be the only Black person in the room. (At ISK everyone is from somewhere else!)

Most people are kind and curious. But racism does exist. If someone says or does something hurtful:

• It is never your fault and never OK.
• Tell us, or your mentor at school. We'll handle it together.
• It can be reported at discriminatie.nl.

Storm

• 🚲 Get a bike and practise the route to school
• 🏫 First days at ISK
• 🏀 Try out a basketball and/or football club
• 🛏️ Set up your room your way
• 📲 Keep going with the Dutch app

Temwa

• 🏛️ Register at the gemeente (city hall), get your BSN number and residence card
• 🩺 Sign up with a huisarts
• 💳 Open a bank account and get DigiD
• 📚 Find Dutch lessons and the library's language café
• 🤝 Meet people: international groups and church

All of us

• 🎁 Sinterklaas in town on 15 Nov
• 🧥 Winter clothes shopping
• 🧁 First Bossche bol!
• 🚣 Binnendieze boat trip
• 🌹 Sunday rose & thorn dinners