Spot the 'G'

As published in Resource Magazine (for Wageningen University students and employees), 20 October 2010.

Any Indonesian can perfectly pronounce at least three Dutch words—koelkast(refrigerator), kraan (tap), and stopkontakt (electric outlet). Those three words have the same meaning and pronunciation in Dutch and in Indonesian. The real test of our pronunciation of Dutch comes when it involves the mythical 'G' sound.
















After one year of studying in the Netherlands, of course I can say more than those three words. I even can handle short conversations quite smoothly. However, my Dutch friends still spot the imperfection of my 'G' sound!

In Indonesia, we pronounce 'G' like in the English word Game or Great, or like the way the Germans pronounce Guten Morgen. It's not the same in Dutch. We have this theory that our 'G' pronunciation is improving when we have a sore throat. It usually takes us some time to be able to pronounce Wageningen properly. In that case, we consider ourselves more fortunate than our friends who are studying in Groningen!

One evening after basketball training, a Dutch friend came up with a better theory. He said that everyone in the world can pronounce this mythical 'G' sound flawlessly when they are gargling-bubbling liquid in one's mouth, for example after brushing your teeth. Amazingly, people say that one of the hardest Dutch words to pronounce is Gegorgeld! It has three 'G's, one in each syllable. And yes... it literally means gargled!

/Steisianasari Mileiva, MSc Development and Rural Innovation, mileivas@yahoo.com

Vla Love

As published in Resource Magazine (for Wageningen University students and employees), 23 September 2010.

On facebook, there’s a public group named 'You know your Dutch when…' and believe it or not, number one on the list is '… when you love eating Vla.' Well, I have been living in the Netherlands for one year and I have no complaints about the vla culture.
















Vla is my love at first sight. It happened one year ago, at my first dinner in the Netherlands with my Dutch corridor friends in Asserpark student house. After the main course, they told me that it was now time for the most fun part of the dinner... the toetje (dessert). Of course, the toetje was vla.

Back home in Indonesia, there is something called 'fla.' It is a thick sweet sauce made from milk, sugar, egg yolk, and cornstarch. We normally put moderate amount of 'fla' on top of a pudding/jelly, also for dessert. I always like my pudding with lots of 'fla.' So when they said vla, I was expecting a big plate of cold pudding and a bowl of 'fla'. I was surprised to see that what came out from the refrigerator was only something like a milk carton. Yes, that's one litre of vla! Then each of us poured the Vla into small bowls, ate it with spoons, and made the famous 'hmm... hmm' sound just like it's the most delicious thing on earth.

I think having Vla as dessert is smart and strategic... it's sweet, creamy, filling, and most importantly (for the modest student life)... it's cheap! It costs less than two euros per litre and that's enough for 4-5 dessert portions. Moreover, for those people like me who can't make up their mind between chocolate or vanilla flavor, there's the brilliant idea of chocolate-vanilla dubbelvla!

/Steisianasari Mileiva, Indonesia, MSc Development and Rural Innovation