When preparing for a trip, I love watching movies and reading books set in the place (bonus if they’re written by locals). Whose stories are being told and what’s being told about them? This kind of pre-trip preparation gives a peek into how the culture is portrayed and what is valued.

The Dutch are known for being clever and cooperative as they work together to drain and maintain their below-sea-level land. These core values are evident in their continued innovation, engineering, and healthcare system. Films and books gave me a glimpse of this ahead of time (Films: Tulip Fever, Girl with a Pearl Earring, Diary of Anne Frank, The Resistance Banker, Books: The Dinner, The Coffee Trader, Why the Dutch are Different, The Black Tulip). Then, those core values stood out even more clearly on our visit to the country.

Although it’s never the whole picture, searching for commonalities and core values provide a piece to the puzzle that is any culture.