Cultural exchange and biking

On Saturday 13th, I met Rija, a Dutch adult student who's planning on doing Erasmus+ training exchange in Finland later in the year. We got matched by Hennie, who figured we could use the opportunity and learn a bit about each other's cultures.

Rija came to Groningen and, as I was still fairly new to the city, was kind enough to work as a tourist guide of sorts, even though it wasn't a city she'd ever lived in or anything like that. Still, she introduced me to a few local sights, knew a really good spot for some hot drinks, and showed me an easy, affordable dining place.

Who is Uncle Loeks and why is his horse famous? I never fully understood. Perhaps it's better left a mystery.

Regardless, we had a good talk, Rija was just as friendly as most Dutch people are, and I managed not to completely ruin the image of Finland for her - but I like to think I gave her some tips to avoid potential culture shock. Finns aren't always the easiest bunch for strangers to approach. Not that I think Rija will have any problems.

2,5 hours went by quite fast, and as we said our goodbyes at the station, we tentatively agreed on meeting up another time, this time on her hometown.

For Sunday, I had only one clear agenda: get myself a bike.

As Netherlands is a biking country and I'm no stranger to biking in Finland, it seemed like a fairly obvious conclusion that I ought to get myself a bike. Basically it's faster to travel from home to work on a bike than it is on a bus, and renting yourself a bike in Groningen isn't too difficult. There are several companies, but I opted with Swapfiets, because they had their website conveniently in English, and offered a basic bike with 16.50 euros per month. The bike has served me well enough, but it does feel a bit heavy to me - I wonder if the "Deluxe" bike (19.50 euros per month) had felt lighter. Still, I was heavily warned about just how many bikes get stolen in Groningen every day, and you have to pay less deductible for the regular bikes in case of theft.

So on Sunday, I went to the local "swapstore" and got myself a Dutch bike.

Now, a few words about biking in the Netherlands, and about Dutch bikers.

I always maintain that the Dutch are some of the nicest, kindest people I've ever had the pleasure of being around.

This does not apply to the bikers. 

The bikers are fast, aggressive, and would probably just yell at you if you had a heart attack in the middle of the morning commute to work.

Obviously, not ALL bikers. But I've had three people yell at me in Dutch for biking crimes I apparently committed, sometimes without knowing what the crimes were. Was I too slow? Didn't signal enough? Hesitated at a turn? Well, since they were all so very helpful and yelling at me in a language I don't speak, I'll never know for sure. In hindsight I always tell myself I should have yelled back in Finnish for maximum confusion.

I was told that it's the student bikers you need to look out for. So far, the most vicious bikers I've had the joy of encountering have always been middle aged or elderly men or women, so not sure if I agree with the others on that one.

Still, after some trial and error, I think I've mostly managed to master the ways of biking. A few tips:

- Do not be biking on the pavement where the pedestrians walk. Bikes either go on the side of the car roads or, in many cases, there is a separate biking lane. You will often notice the specific red paths. Sometimes they are one direction only, sometimes they go both ways.

- Hand signal when and where you're turning. I think I've become so paranoid about Dutch bikers appearing out of thin air and screaming at me that I'm using the hand signals even when I'm 95% sure there is no one cycling within 50 meters of me.

- Pay attention to the "shark teeth", aka the white triangles painted on the roads: if the triangle is pointing at you, it's your duty to stop and let cars and other bikers pass. And obviously if the triangle is pointing at someone else, they have to do the same for you.

- Bad news for future travelers relying on Google Maps to get you somewhere, though - apparently starting in July of 2019, using your cell phone while cycling can get you a fine. This can make your first few trips somewhere REALLY difficult, or just really slow.

All in all, I am happy with my decision to rent a bike for four weeks, as it does allow you to explore places in a very different manner from public transport. But it does take a while to get used to.