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Re: Ireland and Holland
in reply to a message by Mar
And to me my country's name is The Netherlands. Holland is used as the country's name mostly by foreigners, but were originally only two provinces in The Netherlands (North and South Holland).It's the same for me as well! :) Also, I have to say that as a Limburgian, deep down I feel a tinge of annoyance when people refer to our country as Holland, because Holland was historically those two provinces (like you said) and so everyone who lives outside of those provinces doesn't feel connected to Holland at all. Not to mention that life and culture is quite different outside of North and South Holland, which makes it extra weird to have my place of origin be referred to as part of Holland. It's kind of like saying to a Scotsman or a Welshman that their countries are all part of England, heh. ;) So all in all, I much prefer the term The Netherlands, since it is not only neutral, but also correct.Oh, and bonus annoyance points when fellow countrymen refer to the country as a whole as Holland, since the people that do that are often from North or South Holland and as such tend to come across as having a hollandocentric outlook to me. Extra annoyance points when I see this reflected on TV with shows such as Holland's Next Top Model, Heel Holland Bakt and The Voice of Holland... ughhh! -_- Good thing I barely watch TV anymore these days. :P

"How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on... when in your heart you begin to understand... there is no going back? There are some things that time cannot mend... some hurts that go too deep... that have taken hold." ~ Frodo Baggins
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Hear, hear!Bonus annoyance points indeed when fellowcountrymen do this, comming from a Brabantse currently living in Friesland.
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