Living in the United States and then moving to the Netherlands was a big change in my life. But this change showed me how different the two countries really are. One of the biggest differences that I noticed was how different daily life was. In the United States, most people use a car to move around, but in the Netherlands, most people use bikes instead. This style of life is very healthy and overall leads to very good bike riders. By the time I left the Netherlands, I was very proficient at riding a bicycle and could even ride and steer without using my hands.

One of the first things you will notice about the Netherlands is how the streets and roads are organized differently to cater to bike riders rather than cars and other larger vehicles. It is surprising how everything is so bike-friendly and accessible. To me, this was quite a culture shock because for my whole life, I was used to traveling places by car. 

It took time to get used to the fact that I would have to get used to riding a bike everywhere, especially because I had never ridden a bike such long distances before. The average person in the Netherlands also rides their bike regardless of the weather. Days when it would rain or even hail, I opted to ride the bus to school but still saw my classmates outside, riding their bicycles.

Because bikes are so prevalent in the Netherlands, they are very customizable and suitable for different people and their different needs. Seat comfortability can be adjusted depending upon whether the rider competitively races or just casually rides. Smaller seats are typically for competitive racing while a larger rider seat is for casual riding. It took me trying many types of bike seats and handles to find which ones worked best for me. Alongside this, Dutch bikes typically have a different shape from American bikes. Most American bikes have a pole running between the handlebars and the seat that make it so that riders can only wear pants. However, Dutch bikes do not feature this pole, allowing riders to wear a dress or skirt while riding a bike. This is necessary considering bicycles are one of the main forms of transportation in the Netherlands, and that sometimes work or school attire may call for skirts or dresses.  

Overall, I think that the bike culture in the Netherlands promotes a healthier and active lifestyle for its people. As someone who comes from America, where in many places, cars are a necessity, it was refreshing to see that there are places in the world where that isn’t the case. The only downside that I found was that riding your bike so often may result in a deflated or popped wheel, which leaves you stranded and forced to walk with your bike to wherever your destination is. In my case, walking home with my bike took about an hour.