The more I find myself in 'international' communities the more I find myself saying 'I'm Dutch!' It didn't really mean that much to me before since I see nationality as a huge coincidence that I just happened to have received upon birth. So the accomplishments of 'my' people and 'my' country are not really mine and I could just as easily have been born somewhere else and have disliked all that is Dutch.

But, while I exchange information, life stories and fun light-hearted chats with people from so many countries, my 'Dutchnes' is starting to mean more. I appreciate where I live, I appreciate the lack of worry people in my country have, and I appreciate rain in a way I know I will never be able to explain to the many Steemians living in warmer parts of the world.

Dutch is a language too

Being Dutch is not just an identity but Dutch is a language too. One I chat with in a specific 'Dutch' Discord community with the aim to promote Dutch content. Now, Dutch people all speak some level of English and depending on educational level it's a bit better or a bit worse, but we are all able to write, understand and speak English. I know many Steemians from other countries who speak 'a' language as their mother tongue and write in English. Some communities choose to write in their native language exclusively.

There are many variations thinkable when you speak more than one language, and it's a very specific subject of interest to me: the huge variety of people and languages in a world that's dominated by the English language. I personally lose part of my personality, and win another part as well, by speaking in English. I find my wit and spontaneity to be more pleasant in Dutch. I find my emotionality to be more easily expressed in English.

So anyway, it's interesting most people on this platform write and express themselves in English while they would or would not be 'different' writers or conversationalists in their own, native language.

This is a very long rambling intro for actually just a fun community engagement challenge I want to introduce

Let's celebrate our native languages by sharing music

I want as many Steemians as possible who speak a language other than English as their first language to share a music video from that language with me in the comments.

I've recently been listening some 'golden Oldies' in Dutch and it somehow got me emotional and feeling connected to something I had lost or thought I never had. It's basically Oldies because I myself as an adolescent or adult have not really been listening to Dutch music much. But my parents did and we used to watch Dutch television where Dutch artists would visit and play a song or two. So I am posting here a few Dutch songs I learned to love (or first hate) because my parents listened to them, and end with two songs that came out in the hit lists more recently.

I want YOU to: 1) state your mother tongue in the comments, 2) pick a song in THAT language that you like or has a significant meaning to you, and 3) post a link to the music video or sound-based app in the comments.

I will upvote all the music videos I like and probably even those I don't like and will do a follow-up post with my favourites later this week.

Now, I know I post videos below that you might not be able to appreciate since sometimes it's the words alone or the memories tied to it that make the song worth listening to. But not to worry if you feel a song is not worth sharing or hard to appreciate without speaking the language. I just want to display some of the language diversity we have on this platform in a fun and light-hearted way. We can be proud of being able to express ourselves in a language that's not primarily ours and for a moment be mindful about that :-)

A few Dutch songs

Wat is mijn hart

The title is "Wat is mijn hart" which translates to "What is my heart". For me the meaning is: in love and relationships where we fight - what then is your heart? Where stops yours and starts theirs? If you express your pain and anger, what pain and anger do you then cause the one you're yelling at? The singer, Marco Borsato, has many hits in the Dutch charts and I've always admired his artistry. The video I believe is well understood even without the lyrics and at the meantime you can also see the intensity of Marco Borsato the singer himself.

Zing, Vecht, Huil, Bid, Lach, Werk en Bewonder

(Sing, Figh, Cry, Pray, Laugh, Work and Admire) This is from a Dutch singer, Ramses Shaffy, who has touched many Dutch hearts. He is no longer with us and I know many Dutch people have cried when he passed away. To compare: the same song from both his younger years and when he was already considered 'old':

Onderweg

I know @r00sj3 will love this song for example, and many Dutch women (?) of our generation will. This Dutch band, 'Abel' has a singer with a lovely Dutch accent from one of our provinces and it's such a sweet song with lovely lyrics that makes you swoon. I love the simple videos that were made in this period by the way.

Dat ik je mis

A song from a Dutch 'singer songwriter' contest where contestants write their own lyrics and music and perform them for the first time (!) in front of a jury. It's so so poetic this song and if you listen the song to the end you will see the jury basically can't keep their eyes dry it's so touching.

Zoutelande

This is probably the band I have seen live the most since both my mother and I love their music. The lead singer, Pascal, has so much heart, and the fact he comes from my favourite province in the Netherlands means I feel so much 'home' in his lyrics as well. His current hit song is no exception - this is the song I would listen to when I was living abroad and missed home. The lyrics, his voice, the video even - they scream 'home' and reminds me in so many ways of people I care about... It's a true favourite of mine.

I'm curious about your entries! If I receive enough input I will create a 'Steem World Playlist' of some sorts just for fun :-)

And to those who don't speak anything but English: expose yourself to some other languages while you're here! You will find you might understand more than you think. Music in a way is universal anyway. (And if you really need to add music because it's just too much to be left out like this you can cheat by sharing a 100% instrumental song. Well, ain't that kind of me!)

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