Comparison

After two weeks we can say that we know something about the Frisian identity. The Flat Earth is always present in the Frisian identity. The landscape is an inspiration for the artists, but it is also what Friesland is made of.

But what about the other identity's whitin our group. Do they match with the Frisian identity or are they different?

Kiki Stoumpou (Greece)

All in all living between differed from different nationalities is most of the times a very weird phenomenon as it is basically makes you understand yourself through others. Dutch, Irish and Greek have major differences in their mentality and way of thinking which result from everyday lives, traditions, language and education that they are accustomed to. Summarizing it is very important to approach others without any prejudice and just accept them the way they are. The only thing that someone can to when mingling with other people is just trying to explore them.     

Ronan Sloan (Ireland)

Information about the Irish Identity


Marie-Christin (Austria)

One of the biggest differences I experienced during my stay here, was the landscape. The Austrian landscape is quite different form the Friesian landscape. In Austria, you can find the Alps, lakes, rivers, hills and woods. As there are different floras, you can find a lot of different flowers on the hills, on the mountains and on the flat land. You can always use the mountains as a reference point, so you always have a feeling for where you are.

While to Frisians, freedom means to see as far as you can, with a lot of sky, for me, as Austrian, it means standing on the top of a mountain and see the wide few from there.

Also, Austrians feel more save and cosy if they are surrounded. To me, being surrounded by mountains, feels like being surrounded by my own four walls. It makes me feel save. The “own four walls”are very important for Austrians, we spend a lot of time here, and always try to create a space of cosiness and safety, where we only invite close friends and family.

Another connection that I can make, considering the restricted view, it comparing how we decorate our windows. Also here, the Dutch do not worry about views form outside. Austrians do not want anybody to see inside the house. We always have two curtains. One which is a little bit transparent and lets daylight in. We keep it covering our window the whole day. But if it gets dark outside and you leave the light on, strangers can still look inside at night. So we have a second curtain, which is thicker. It protects us from looks from outside, and as well it is useful to keep the room dark while sleeping.

More information about Austria

My experience in Freesia was very enlightening and showed me a lot about this part of Holland. Before travelling here I was unaware of the cycling culture, and only associated canals running through the street with Venice, Italy. The laidback atmosphere and the attitude of the locals appeals to me and  after living here for two weeks, it is somewhere I would like to live in the future.