Amsterdam: More than a tourist destination

DW (English)

What makes Amsterdam tick beyond tourism? Local Cila Idris gives us a glimpse into her daily life in this diverse and dynamic city.

Transcript

00:00In America, for example, a coffee shop is a cafe.

00:02In Amsterdam, there is a big difference between a coffee shop and a cafe.

00:09Goeiemorgen, my name is Sila, and today we're going to spend the day together in Amsterdam.

00:14Sila still lives with her parents, which is typical for her age group.

00:18Nearly 74% of 21-year-olds in the Netherlands live at home.

00:22After high school, I actually took a gap year, and that's when I decided to start a YouTube channel.

00:32My main focus is definitely health and wellness and just showing my life here in Amsterdam.

00:37I always try to make time for some kind of workout.

00:40I love doing yoga, dance classes, but I also really like weightlifting, so that's where we're heading.

00:48So in Amsterdam, there's quite a big wellness scene.

00:51People love to work out here, and a lot of people also bike a lot.

00:55So the lifestyle is quite active here.

00:59Now I'm done.

01:02All right, so I just finished my workout, and now we're going to go to my university.

01:07I have a lecture on campus, but before that, I'm going to stop really quickly to grab a bite,

01:12and we're going to take the metro to my uni.

01:16Now, the weather is getting worse, but I'm not surprised, to be honest.

01:21As you can see, also, no one's, like, carrying an umbrella with them.

01:25I feel like the Dutch are really immune to the rain.

01:28So, yeah.

01:30The typical day in Amsterdam, I would say.

01:32Yeah, so the rain got a lot worse.

01:43I mean, still, a lot of people aren't using an umbrella, but I definitely prefer one, because

01:47this is getting worse and worse.

01:50Sila studies International Business Administration.

01:58She's on her way to a global marketing innovation class, which her friend Siobhan is also taking.

02:04I do wish to finish my bachelor next year, and then I would love to work in marketing at a company

02:09that just has a good work-life balance and something that I also, like, I'm very passionate about.

02:1835% of Dutch people between 18 and 24 say they speak three foreign languages.

02:23Yeah, I mean, I guess we speak, like, I guess that, like, Dutch, English, and German, we're both fluent in.

02:33And then, like, French, I also learn in school.

02:36Next to French, I also speak a little bit of Arabic, because of my dad, he is from Sudan.

02:41In Amsterdam, there is a big difference between a coffee shop and a cafe.

02:49And a coffee shop is just for edibles and for buying joints and just, you know, sitting together with friends.

02:55But it's not to get a coffee and a piece of normal cake.

02:59Dutch teens can legally enter and purchase items at a coffee shop when they're 18.

03:05Most people have tried a joint before they turned 18, so I think that it's not really something exciting

03:11to try.

03:11I think that, like, once I turned 18, my interest was, like, long gone.

03:17At 18, young people in the Netherlands can also start driving.

03:21Yeah, it's not like everyone immediately gets their driver's license when they can,

03:27because it's just not necessary.

03:28You can get around the city really easily by public transport, by the bike.

03:34There's this Dutch thing, it's called a LAVA.

03:36It kind of, people came up with it during COVID, which is basically an abbreviation for a long walk.

03:42Yeah, LAVA.

03:42Yeah, we always text each other, like, hey, you want to do a LAVA tonight?

03:45Want to do LAVA now?

03:49So, I'm about to head to dinner, and I'm meeting up with my sister and a really good friend of mine.

03:53Amsterdam really was, like, my comfort zone, which I guess is a good and bad thing, but

04:03that's also one of the reasons why I would like to move away eventually, because I feel

04:06like I've reached, like, my whole potential here.

04:09Like, there's not that much room to grow anymore.

04:11But it really is just a very cozy and nice place to grow up in, and it is a huge part

04:20of me, and I think that I really started appreciating it more as I got older.

04:24Like, as a young kid, I didn't really understand and realize that the city is so beautiful.

04:30Thank you so much for watching.

04:31I'm going to teach you one little thing before I leave you guys, and that's how to pronounce

04:35goodbye in Dutch, and that is do-ee.

04:38So, I want to say it.

04:39Yeah.

04:39Do-ee!

04:40Do-ee!

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