Being an International Student in NL

​By Chita

As an international student coming from a non-EU country, the first challenge I encountered was to tackle immigration issues. Yep, applying for a visa and residence permit and such. I called it a challenge, as everything was in Dutch and getting an appointment was hard! So, if you ever plan to study in a different country, make sure to stay on top of everything and get your immigration ‘thingy’ sorted out as quickly as possible. It takes time to process a visa, and you need to make sure you apply for it well ahead, so you won’t be late for the ‘Welcoming Week’!

Another thing you need to sort out quickly is… HOUSING! Yep, housing. As one of the smallest and densely populated countries in Europe, the Netherlands is quite famous for its housing crisis, especially in student cities. I remember being super anxious and worrying about not getting a spot in a student accommodation and having to be homeless–a bit of an exaggeration, I know… but the struggle was real! So, make sure to go room-hunting 3-4 months before coming to the Netherlands to make sure you get a good room. However, be ready to pay a month extra or so, just to have a spot! 

Moving on, I arrived in the Netherlands! I went to a university in the southern part, so clearly, I was not in Amsterdam. I was arriving at the other end of the country! As my university was located near the border, I arrived at a nearby city in a neighbouring country because the flight was way cheaper. Then, I took a really big double-decker train to go to the city where my uni was located. It was my first time being on a double-decker train. It was huge and pretty cool!

The next ‘pretty cool’ thing was the fact that the lady who helped me check into my accommodation did not speak Dutch at all. She just went, “Sorry, I don’t speak Dutch.” To which I replied, “No worries, I don’t speak Dutch either.” Now, that went well. But not being able to speak Dutch was such a bummer. It was kind of difficult and tricky trying to find a student part-time job without being able to communicate in Dutch at all. I did attend a basic Dutch course, but my speaking partner always spoke in German to me. It was not helpful. I probably should have learned some Dutch properly; it could surely come in handy… or so I thought. 

After almost two months living in the southern part of the Netherlands, I started to mingle with other international people who were not part of my cohort or students at the university. That was when I found out that the Dutch language that people speak in the southern part, where I went to study, was different from the typical Dutch one would hear in Amsterdam. Fascinating (gasped with disbelief). Language is not the only thing that sets people in the north and south of the Netherlands apart. People in the south also tend to be more welcoming and warm compared to people in the north–or so I heard. To me, they’re both cold and distant, though :D. One thing I know for sure, people in Amsterdam smoke weed like their lives depend on it, compared to people in the city where I was studying. 

If you ever go to Amsterdam, be ready to smell and see weed everywhere you go. Every souvenir shop will sell at least one thing related to weed, be it a keychain, fridge magnet, t-shirt, or, of course, varieties of consumable products containing weed. But these shops not only sell weed, they also sell other things that represent Amsterdam well: tulips and the red light district! Yep, think about all the random adult products and tulip bulbs in a can. Such a gold (sarcasm). My biggest culture shock, however, was the fact that a lot of students consume different varieties of drugs! I will not talk about it here, but just be careful with the ‘drug culture’ in uni, no matter where you go.

To end this article on a positive note, I would like to highlight all the things I like about the Netherlands and being an international student here: 

• Biking, biking, biking.
• Frites – honestly, their potatoes tasted heavenly, I don’t know why.
• Going to Germany to get toiletries, bread, and chocolates with more varieties and cheaper prices! It is my guilty pleasure to spend money there every other weekend :D 
• Snackies they have to offer: stroopwafels, peppernoten, kruidnoten, bitterballen… all the good stuff! 
• Last but not least, the friends I made here and the parties I have been to. I love how my classmates like hosting house parties, potlucks, and picnics. It was surely one of the highlights during my stay here!

Anyway, if you ever get the chance to study abroad, whether it is in the Netherlands or anywhere else, I would really recommend you take the opportunity, or at least think about it. Being an international student surely comes with a myriad of challenges. But it is also an excellent growth opportunity and a rewarding experience.