2025 Zimnako´s Blog

 19 January, 2025 __________ This week's class was about Hofstede’s dimension Indulgence versus Restraint . This dimension explains how much a society allows people to enjoy life, have fun, and express emotions freely, or how much these things are controlled by social rules and expectations. The Netherlands is a more indulgent country. People value free time, hobbies, and enjoying life. Leisure is important, and it is normal to spend money on fun activities like traveling, eating out, or festivals. Dutch people also express emotions quite openly. Smiling, joking, and speaking freely are common, even in the workplace. There is a strong feeling that you control your own life and choices. Japan, on the other hand, is more a restrained society. Enjoying life is not seen as unimportant, but it is more controlled by social norms. Leisure time is often secondary to work and responsibilities. People are expected to behave modestly and not show too much emotion in public. Saving money is va...

17 December, 2025 ______________ This week's class was about shopping culture in Japan and how it compares to shopping culture in other countries, especially the Netherlands. In many ways, shopping in Japan is quite similar to the Netherlands, but there are also clear differences. One noticeable difference is the way shopping spaces are built. In Japan, shopping malls and stores are often built vertically, with many floors on top of each other due to limited space in cities. In the Netherlands, we have a mix: some shopping centers have multiple floors, but many malls and shopping streets are spread out horizontally with only one or two floors. The survey we did in class also showed how people think differently about customer service. For me, good service means clear communication, a polite attitude, and knowing how to help when I am looking for a product. I do not need over-politeness or bowing. During discussions, I noticed that many students had similar experiences to mine, espec...

 14 December, 2025 ________________ This week we talked about Hofstede’s dimension of short-term versus long-term orientation in politics and society. The Netherlands has a mix of both orientations. Because the Dutch government is built on coalitions with multiple political parties, governments change regularly and priorities shift from left to center to right and back again. As a result, making strong long-term political decisions is often difficult. Many political choices are therefore focused on the short term. Although there are long-term policies in areas such as sustainability and the economy, the issues most important to Dutch citizens right now are groceries, migration, and housing. These problems require immediate solutions, especially because many people have lost trust in politics and want to see direct results. Japan’s government, on the other hand, is much more long-term oriented. Japan has been governed mainly by the same party for decades, which creates stability and...

 3 December, 2025 ___________ This week’s class was about politics, a topic I find especially interesting because I follow politics in the Netherlands. Over the last few years, many people, including me, have lost trust in how politics works in my country. Before elections, politicians say nice and hopeful things, but too often those promises are forgotten afterwards. The political system in the Netherlands works with a democratic, plural-party system: there are several major parties and voters choose between left, center, or right. For more than ten years, right-leaning parties were often in power. Over the last one and a half years, a more extreme right party gained influence, but they still failed to deliver on many promises, eventually a centrist-left coalition won with a narrow margin of about 30,000 votes. In class I also learned something surprising about citizenship law in Japan. Many people (myself included) thought that if your family bloodline has no Japanese ancestor, y...

1 December, 2025 ___________ This week’s class was about uncertainty avoidance. I immediately recognized how this plays a role in my own life. I always try to prepare for uncertainty, because if you don’t, unexpected situations hit harder and become more difficult to react to. At the same time, I still try to live with a 'go with the flow' mindset. Stress is natural, but only until it reaches a certain point. After that it becomes unnecessary and unhealthy. One quote I always use is: ' You already have a no, but you can get a yes.'  - Mamend, 2025 I change it depending on the situation, for example: ' I already have a bad grade, if I try, I can only improve it.'  This helps me keep my stress level normal while still being ready for uncertainty. When we learned more about uncertainty avoidance in class, I immediately thought about the differences between countries. Hofstede said that the Netherlands scores low in uncertainty avoidance, which means that the people...

 24 November, 2025 _______________ Today’s session was about business cultures. One of the main topics we discussed was punctuality. In the Netherlands, being on time is very important because it shows respect, especially when meeting someone for the first time or in a business setting, like a job interview or a meeting with a client. I am usually someone who arrives exactly on time or a few minutes early when it comes to school or work. But when it comes to meeting friends… I am almost always the last one to arrive. They are so used to it now that they tell me to meet 10 minutes earlier than the real time, and still I end up arriving last. But that is ok. In my opinion. I always tell them: ' Better late than never.' — Mamend, 2025 When it comes to company events or business trips in the Netherlands, it is quite normal to do something with the entire team only once or twice a year, because most people are busy with their families and personal life outside of work. Colleagues s...