One of the joys of living in a foreign country is being able to get together with other foreigners and discuss about the natives and their ways. A survey of what some of the TU’s foreign students like and dislike about living in the Netherlands.
It’s normal for foreign students to experience ‘culture shock’ when relocating to a new country, especially if they’re from another continent. Yet, even those of us who come from mainland Europe are somewhat shocked when arriving in the Netherlands. What began as simple coffee conversations with other foreign students about life here in the Netherlands, became increasingly interesting enough to research more thoroughly, so I decided to pose the following question to as many foreign students as possible . ‘What’s the good side of living in Holland, and what’s the bad?’ The results have been compiled into the ‘Top 10 Good, Bad and Ugly’ things about living in the Netherlands:
Bikes: We foreign students love them and love using them as our main form of transport.
Public Transport: it’s readily available and reliable.
Vla: foreign students can’t get enough of this unidentifiable but delicious dairy product.
Coffee: but not the muck that comes out of the TU’s campus coffee machines – if indeed that really is coffee.
Freedom: in the sense that one may dress and express yourself however you like, without fear of discrimination.
Equality: The power distance between professors and students is much less here than in countries situated closer to the equator.
Stroop wafels: this needs no explanation. Yummy!
Punctuality: the time of the appointment is really the time of the appointment.
Beer: well, we’re students after all!
Location in Europe: after seeing everything in Holland, just jump on a bus/train/plane and you’re quickly in a very different country.
Bad
Bread: quantity yes, quality no.
Cuisine: is ‘Stampot’ a dish or a glue for wallpapering?
Bureaucracy: much too much of it for even the simplest things.
Traffic: it’s dangerous, aggressive and there are speed cameras on every road.
Direct communication: The Dutch don’t beat around the bush, and it’s not always appreciated.
Steep stairs: Everyone knows there are no mountains in Holland, but it sure feels like climbing Mount Everest every time you go up a flight of stairs.
Banks: they’re horribly unhelpful, not mentioning any names . ABN AMRO.
Beer sizes: the beer tastes good, but why not give us a full glass? Surely thimblefuls of beer aren’t the way it’s supposed to be served?
Pinda sauce: is it really necessary to smear this brown slop on everything?
Raw herring: enough said.
The Ugly:
Service: In some countries the ‘Customer is King’, always considered ‘right’, with no questions asked and then served accordingly. Here, judging by the quality of service, the ‘Customer is Pauper’, to be ignored and abused at will. Service on many levels can and should be improved, especially within bureaucratic departments like the IND.
The above list should of course be taken with a pinch of salt. Questioning students during lunch regarding these topics did generate some funny and even uncomfortable moments, like the day when a Scandinavian student suggested that Dutch women should definitely be included in the ‘Good’ things about life in Holland. However, to our amusement, a Southern European student who was also present immediately exclaimed, “No! No! No!”, forgetting that his Dutch female friend was sitting next to him! Happily, they’re still friends.
(Image: Yang Yang, China, MSc)
It’s normal for foreign students to experience ‘culture shock’ when relocating to a new country, especially if they’re from another continent. Yet, even those of us who come from mainland Europe are somewhat shocked when arriving in the Netherlands. What began as simple coffee conversations with other foreign students about life here in the Netherlands, became increasingly interesting enough to research more thoroughly, so I decided to pose the following question to as many foreign students as possible . ‘What’s the good side of living in Holland, and what’s the bad?’ The results have been compiled into the ‘Top 10 Good, Bad and Ugly’ things about living in the Netherlands:
Bikes: We foreign students love them and love using them as our main form of transport.
Public Transport: it’s readily available and reliable.
Vla: foreign students can’t get enough of this unidentifiable but delicious dairy product.
Coffee: but not the muck that comes out of the TU’s campus coffee machines – if indeed that really is coffee.
Freedom: in the sense that one may dress and express yourself however you like, without fear of discrimination.
Equality: The power distance between professors and students is much less here than in countries situated closer to the equator.
Stroop wafels: this needs no explanation. Yummy!
Punctuality: the time of the appointment is really the time of the appointment.
Beer: well, we’re students after all!
Location in Europe: after seeing everything in Holland, just jump on a bus/train/plane and you’re quickly in a very different country.
Bad
Bread: quantity yes, quality no.
Cuisine: is ‘Stampot’ a dish or a glue for wallpapering?
Bureaucracy: much too much of it for even the simplest things.
Traffic: it’s dangerous, aggressive and there are speed cameras on every road.
Direct communication: The Dutch don’t beat around the bush, and it’s not always appreciated.
Steep stairs: Everyone knows there are no mountains in Holland, but it sure feels like climbing Mount Everest every time you go up a flight of stairs.
Banks: they’re horribly unhelpful, not mentioning any names . ABN AMRO.
Beer sizes: the beer tastes good, but why not give us a full glass? Surely thimblefuls of beer aren’t the way it’s supposed to be served?
Pinda sauce: is it really necessary to smear this brown slop on everything?
Raw herring: enough said.
The Ugly:
Service: In some countries the ‘Customer is King’, always considered ‘right’, with no questions asked and then served accordingly. Here, judging by the quality of service, the ‘Customer is Pauper’, to be ignored and abused at will. Service on many levels can and should be improved, especially within bureaucratic departments like the IND.
The above list should of course be taken with a pinch of salt. Questioning students during lunch regarding these topics did generate some funny and even uncomfortable moments, like the day when a Scandinavian student suggested that Dutch women should definitely be included in the ‘Good’ things about life in Holland. However, to our amusement, a Southern European student who was also present immediately exclaimed, “No! No! No!”, forgetting that his Dutch female friend was sitting next to him! Happily, they’re still friends.
(Image: Yang Yang, China, MSc)
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