STUDENTS SEE DUTCH BALANCING TOLERANCE WITH TRUST

The Netherlands is known for its liberal policies on drugs and alcohol.
However, that is far from all that is special about the small European
country being honored this year by Memphis in May.

Fourteen Memphis-area high school students recently had the opportunity to
find out for themselves as participants in the Memphis in May Student
Exchange Program. They spent two weeks living with host families in the
Netherlands and experiencing life as the Dutch do.

The students spent time with their hosts at school and spent days touring
the sights of the Netherlands. They found the liberal Dutch attitude in all
aspects of life.

"Their tolerance affects more than their drug policy," said Leslie Tarrant,
a junior at Hutchison School. "It affects their home environment as well as
their social and academic life."

With tolerance comes a level of trust and respect that is unparalleled in
the United States.

"The greatest difference that I noticed was in the way that young adults
are treated in both countries," said Erin Quasney, a White Station junior.
"In Holland, teenagers are given an incredible amount of freedom, and
although they use that freedom, they do not take advantage of it.

Such responsibility is an integral part of Dutch life. Dutch teenagers
recognize this and respect it, said the students.

"I think that is the difference between Holland and America," said Sterre
van Rossem, 16, of Rotterdam. "Parents teach their kids responsibility at a
young age.

"That is what our school system is based on. In America, all the
responsibility is left to the adults."

The Memphis students found Dutch night life to be a big contrast to their
experience. It is common for Dutch high school students go to discos on
Friday and Saturday nights. They generally go out around 10 p.m. and stay
out until 3 in the morning.

"The night life was like nothing you could ever experience in Memphis,"
said Ian Jennings, a White Station junior. "The discos were so much fun."

While the discos also serve as bars, the Memphis students quickly learned
that does not mean everyone goes home drunk. Alcoholic beverages are
considered beverages and nothing more.

The Dutch students who visited Memphis as part of the exchange were amazed
by the attitude Americans have toward alcohol. Dutch people are very
relaxed where alcohol is concerned and, even though the legal drinking age
is 16, it is not uncommon for people much younger to drink.

"When I told them all that is illegal in America, such as drinking until
21, they had a hard time understanding why we have such laws," said Jennings.

Sebastiaan Wubben, 17, of The Hague, was one of the Dutch students who
visited Memphis. He found it difficult to adjust to the American attitude
toward alcohol.

"Once when I was in a restaurant with my host family I asked for a beer,"
he said. "They laughed at me, but I was serious."

Stephen Pitts, a White Station junior, thinks Holland's drinking age set at
two years younger than the driving age of 18 makes sense.

"Because there's a two-year gap between drinking and driving, teenagers can
get over the experimentation stage associated with drinking before they are
behind the wheel," he said.

The Dutch have a similar attitude toward drugs. Drugs are not legal in the
Netherlands, but are tolerated. The Dutch believe that by controlling the
sale of illicit drugs, rather than banning it, they are better able to
control drug use.