The part 1 of the post you can read here

Now I will tell you about the characteristic traits of Dutch people. I was observing my friends and acquaintances, and at the end of my stay in the Netherlands I noticed the below given traits in them. These traits at some point reflect our characteristic traits also. In a long run I was observing them through our cultural glasses. I hope these observations of mine will be interesting and useful for you in your lives.

The Dutch people are very direct- they say what they think about you without any hesitation, and do not care what you might feel about it. I.e. they are not like us who care 1st of all about the person’s comfort, then care about other things. Such a quality is considered as a one of the best qualities in their society, especially if you work as a manager, this quality is considered as number one requirement.

They are more time conscious and punctual than normal. If you are arranging a meeting with a Dutch person, you should: 1st ask whether he/she has a free time. 2nd arrange a meeting. 3rd make sure that you came in time. This trait I think is regarded to all people of developed countries, but in case of Dutch it is really their strong characteristic trait.

In Dutch society, being late to a meeting or not coming to it at all- is almost a crime. This trait is related to abovementioned one, while arranging meeting with a Dutch person, one always is required to say an exact time, like 10 a.m. or 1 p.m.; saying, let’s meet around 10 a.m. is completely unacceptable. The Dutch person at once will have an impression that you do not want to meet with him, or you do not like him, this answer is equal to giving no answer, yea it’s not like in Central Asian case when you just say: Let’s meet around 10 a.m. and come to a meeting at 10.20 and the person who was waiting for you is relaxed and says: -Oh its ok. Don’t worry.

When it comes to money, they are very careful and serious; they might double check the expense. While making shopping, they might walk around for hours, and not buy anything if they consider prices as too high. I think this quality is very good; it is practical and useful in life. When I observe our society I see a lot of waste. Especially for wedding parties, why do you need so many Mercedes brand cars for wedding? Haven’t you thought about spending this money on something else, for buying new furniture for example? But it is useless to talk about it with our country mates; I’ll continue with Dutch character traits and won’t be going far away from my topic.

The next trait of them is while keeping conversation or doing something with them one always should keep talking, keeping silence is very rude action. For example: if your Dutch friend took you to a park or theatre, he/she will be asking you question very often, whether you like it or not? Or, Are you enjoying it or not?

Now the last and noblest trait of Dutch people: they find time for volunteering and helping needy people. This trait is amazing, I saw so many Dutch people from different economic backgrounds, from different classes, at different ages. All of them do find time to do a volunteering or helping work to people who are having difficulties in life. I even saw people who devoted their whole lives to helping others. A bright example can be ICCO and Kerk in Actie organizations.