SUSTAINABLE STUDENTS 58 Written by Isla Pearson Designed by Kalvis Janis 6 7
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1 2 3 4 5 TABLE OF CONTENT WE ARE IIAM 6 HELLO THERE! Welcome to the ultimate guide to student life in the Netherlands! Moving #1 - HOLLAND 101 8 to a new country or city, connecting with its culture and meeting new people from all over the world will definitely make this experience of studying abroad unforgettable! In this guide, presented by #2 - HOW TO BE DUTCH 12 International I Am, you’ll find loads of information, life hacks and advice from actual international students to help you make the most of your time in the Netherlands. #3 - ESSENTIALS OF STUDENT LIFE IN THE NETHERLANDS 20 Of course, student life is not all fun and games, you’ll be dealing with practical issues of finding student housing, setting up a bank account, getting your insurances sorted and navigating your way through a new #4 - GETTING AROUND 29 city. But not to worry! The Ultimate Student Guide to the Netherlands is your go-to source written by your fellow students. Whether you’ve just set foot on Dutch soil or have been around for a while, we’re here to help you #5 - LEISURE 40 out. From the do’s and don’ts of biking to the sickest events in the Netherlands, from saving cash to faking your way through the Dutch language, it’s all in there. #6 - NIGHTLIFE 50 Enjoy your time in the Netherlands, and don’t forget to study! The IIAM. team #7 - COPING WITH PERSONAL ISSUES 54 #8 - SUSTAINABLE STUDENTS 58 Written by Isla Pearson Designed by Kalvis Janis 6 7 WE ARE IIAM. EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES IIAM. is here to unite the entire student community in the Netherlands and create the ultimate student experience! Over 160 events are organized annually, spread With over 130,000 annual visitors to the IIAM. concepts it’s safe to say that the over 21 concepts! For 9 years, a group of 42 fun-loving students have dedicated events are loved by the students. A wide range of concepts is offered to make themselves to making sure that students in the Netherlands make the most of sure that there is something for everybody: Tequila Tuesdays (“infamous” for the their precious years. Wednesday hangovers), Halloween Festival, Prohibition, Live music nights, Neon parties & the list goes on! Use the app to stay up-to-date with our awesome events, discover the hottest places hand-picked by us and redeem exclusive deals around the city. Besides Curious what parties you can attend this semester? Download the IIAM. app! sweet discounts on food, drinks, entertainment and transportation, IIAM. has also created ‘The Ultimate Student Guide’! Everything you need to know about stu- dent life in the Netherlands! THE IIAM. COMMUNITY Together with our community of international and Dutch students, we’re here to guide you through issues, questions, or ideas that you might have about living THE IIAM. APP and studying in the Netherlands. Better together! Join the IIAM. family and become a member of the community through the app. Here you will find our events and other events that might be interesting for you, STUDENT NEWS AND UPDATES amazing deals and discounts around the city, and even a pocket version of this Creating the best possible student experience also means you need to stay up- guide! Everything you need to discover the city & save money doing so! to-date with what’s going on around you, we do just that. Follow our socials and website to see student-related news and blog posts! The app is available in both the Play Store and App Store. @internationaliam IIAM.nl 8 9 4. The Netherlands has the highest English-speaking proficiency in the world. #1 - HOLLAND 101 If someone tells you they don’t speak English, you’re either out of luck or being played. 86% of the country’s population speaks English as a second language. Ahh, the Netherlands. The country of tulips, cheese and windmills (or of weed, bikes and world-class DJs - both are applicable). These stereotypes may be true, but that’s 5. Lovers of gin, welcome! Your favorite not all this country is about! If you’re keen to know more about your new home drink originates from the Dutch jenever, head over and check out these quick facts. You’ll be an expert in no time. Have you brewed in the port city of Schiedam. The already been living here for a while and think you know it all? Test your knowledge Dutch drank this berry-based booze about the Netherlands here: before it was cool! #gettingtoknownetherlands #cheese #windmills #bikes #gin 7 FACTS ABOUT YOUR NEW HOMEcaleb 1. Holland and the Netherlands are not the same thing. Even though they’re used interchangeably, these terms don’t actually 6. Lowlands, tall people. A big part of the mean the same. Holland is made up of the Netherlands is situated well below sea-lev- provinces of North- and South-Holland, el. Luckily, Dutch people have found a way while the Netherlands refers to the entire to balance it all out by growing ridiculous- country. Dutch is an Old-English word that ly tall! Dutch men are the tallest in the basically means the people (in Dutch, Dutch world with an average height of 1.83m means Nederlands). Confusing much? (6 ft.) 2. The Netherlands has more bikes than people. Yes. There are about 17 million inhabitants and 22 million bikes in the country. 7. “On King’s Day, we wear orange”. The Dutch celebrate the King’s birthday on the That’s 1.3 bikes per person. 27th of April by wearing orange and partying on the streets until the early hours. 3. The Dutch basically tamed the sea. There’s a saying that goes a little like ‘while God may have created the world, it was the Dutch who created The Netherlands’. Due to a lack of living space, the Dutch claimed parts of the sea and created an entirely new province called Flevoland. The Netherlands is considered the leading figure in water engineering. 10 11 MAP OF THE BIGGEST STUDENT CITIES IN NETHERLANDS Groningen(55k) Amsterdam (108k) Enschede (55k) Leiden (32k) The Hague (30k) Delft (24k) Utrecht (67k) Rotterdam (65k) Nijmegen (42k) Breda(21k) Eindhoven(32k) THE NETHERLANDS IN 1 MINUTE OR LESS Maastricht(21k) Capital city: Amsterdam (also largest city) Government: Constitutional monarchy, based in The Hague Number of inhabitants: 17.2 million Number of students: 700k Climate: temperate maritime climate (rainy winters, warm-ish summers) National holiday: Kings’ day (27th of April) 12 13 #2 - HOW TO BE DUTCH caleb BORRELS DID YOU KNOW? In the Netherlands, almost ev- Regardless of whether you arrived here from the other side of the world or you’re ery type of occasion calls for a borrel. Dutch loooove deep-fried food? their next-door neighbor, you will notice some cultural differences between you Friday-afternoon borrels (called vrijmibo Especially at borrels, where they and the Dutchies at some point. And this is okay! Because what is more fun and in- in Dutch), New Years borrels, networking even offer borrelnootjes (deep fried teresting than mixing with people from different backgrounds? We’ve listed some borrels, and the list goes on! On a typi- nuts)! Do not miss on the opportu- Dutch traits, customs and habits that we think you’ll encounter for sure. cal borrel, you’ll be hanging out with col- nity to try them! leagues or peers at uni over a couple of drinks and borrel-sized bites, such as bit- #culture #food #borrels #language #gezellig! terballen and cheese. DUTCH CULTURE STRANGEcaleb SANDWICH SPREADS DUTCH DIRECTNESS: KEEPING IT REALcaleb Some Dutchies chase their daily dose of thrills by putting the most ran- Some internationals may experience a Dutch person as being rude, but the dom stuff on their boterham (sandwich) and getting away with it too. To be fair, how matter of the fact is that people in the Netherlands are opinionated and don’t tend to can you not be fan of hagelslag? Name one other country where putting chocolate hold back very often. They rather consider themselves honest and sincere. So how do sprinkles on your bread for breakfast is socially acceptable. If you want to take it you respond if you find yourself being a victim of Dutch directness? Just let it happen to the next level though, consider getting Muisjes (aniseeds with to you, they just want to express their sincerity and don’t mean any harm at all. a sugared and colored out- s Are you a real t er layer), Schuddebuikjes n sweet tooth? Try putting e (spiced shortcrust biscuit d caleb u buttons) or Speculoos (a vruchtenhagel on your bread t WEATHER TALK s sugarrush guaranteed! y spiced shortcrust biscuit b s p People in the Netherlands are not too big on small spread) from the super- ti # talk, but somehow every single conversation is still intro- market. duced by a comment about the weather. Especially in the rare occasion of good weather, the Dutch love to just call out ‘lekker weertje he?’ (literal- ly translates to tasty weather, right?) to anyone who wants to hear it. 14 15 THINGS THAT STOOD OUT FOR caleb GEZELLIG INTERNATIONALS If you haven’t heard of this one • “I immediately noticed that the before, it’s time to spend some time Dutch greet each other with three outside of your room. The Dutch could kisses on the cheek.” literally call anything gezellig, from the • “Cursing with illnesses is a thing feeling of being inside with heavy rain here.” pattering down on your window pane to • “What surprised me the most was getting drunk with your best friends.