Sunday evening blues..

Spent my Sunday with my godson and my baby sister, soaking up the sunshine in my politically correct city—Eindhoven.

Still feeling a bit groggy since I haven’t been back for long, and honestly, it feels a little awkward. I just haven’t found that homey feeling yet.

But hey, Eindhoven isn’t so bad! It’s been named the smartest city in the world—beating Silicon Valley twice in a row! Plus, it’s known as a design hub, with the Eindhoven Design Week being one of the most popular events in Europe. The mix of modern architecture and historic buildings standing side by side is truly fascinating.

Still… something feels missing. Maybe a little stroll around the city will help me reconnect

If you take away the cars and those tall buildings in the background, you’ll see that the Eindhoven train station was actually designed to resemble an old Philips AM radio!

Frits Philips built his first Philips empire right here in Eindhoven, which is why the city is often called Philips Town. Before those skyscrapers changed the view, I used to come here in the afternoons, sit on a terrace, and make countless sketches of this beautiful station.

Ah, memories…

Eindhoven has become an expat heaven, thanks to its big international companies and renowned technology university. With so many new multicultural residents, it’s also one of the most politically correct places to live. You can’t just be a straightforward Dutchie anymore—you have to think three times before saying something, or you might accidentally offend someone.

It’s ironic, really. Dutchies are known for their tolerance, and almost everyone here speaks at least three languages. But that actually makes it harder for foreigners to learn Dutch, because everyone just switches to English automatically! Sometimes, for fun, I just speak English in shops to blend in.

Bikes, Bikes, and More Bikes

At least expats try to bike like the locals! There’s an old Dutch saying: “You’re not really a resident until your bike gets stolen at least once.” Yep, almost everyone in the Netherlands has experienced bike theft at some point. That’s why people invest in good bike locks—and if you have an expensive bike, you better insure it. (Fun fact: The Netherlands is an insurance paradise—we insure everything! )

I actually have three bikes:1️⃣ A rusty old one—I use this for going out, and if someone steals it? Oh well.2️⃣ A fancy bike—I ride this on rare good weather days. 3️⃣ A racing bike—For when I feel like getting some exercise.

Some people also have e-bikes, mountain bikes, and mopeds—because, well… we just love our bikes! We cycle everywhere—to work, grocery shopping, running errands, even in the rain, snow, and ice. And yes, we own cars too. 🚗 But we also build free underground parking spaces—just for bikes!

Coffee = Life

Oh, and one more thing—we LOVE coffee. The Dutch rank 5th in the world for coffee consumption, and we stay loyal to Douwe Egberts—because let’s be real, Dutchies are way too thrifty to spend money at Starbucks. We just brew it ourselves.

Sometimes, when I travel abroad, I automatically invite people for a coffee… and they give me the weirdest look. But hey, I love my coffee… and my beer… and my wine! Cheers!

We Dutchies are known for being a bit… thrifty (okay, fine—we love free stuff! ). Lucky for us, plenty of companies try to win us over by handing out free samples on the street. Almost every day, you’ll see salespeople offering new products, and today, they got me with a Kinder Bueno Ice Cream! Not a bad treat for this Indian summer in the middle of autumn.

As we wandered through my design city, we stumbled upon beautiful places—ones that felt like memories from a lifetime ago.

My godson and I decided to call it a day and turned to Yelp to find a cozy spot for tea. Of course, being half-blood, he immediately chose noodles (what else? ).

As we wrapped up this beautiful Sunday afternoon, I asked him for his thoughts on the day. He paused for a moment, then looked up at me and said... you !!

Haha, another first-class Aunty duty complete! It made me so happy to see that he had a great time.

Now, it’s time for me to get some rest—I’ve got yet another ungodly flight to Berlin from Amsterdam tomorrow. Wish me luck getting through the airport madness. Goodnight!

Eindhoven, Sept 15th.