Lex and his work in Boston, USA

Lex in Boston: “The US is a mix of nationalities and cultures.”

Arriving at Logan Airport I remember being overwhelmed by the first impressions of the ‘big city’. Even though Boston can be considered a small size city compared to US standards.

End of small town life

Having lived in a small town in the Netherlands (Wageningen) before, in Boston I was shocked by the noise, busy life, messy streets, badly maintained roads and also seeing poverty in the streets, e.g. beggars holding the doors open at train stations and rattling their empty coffee cups for some small change.

Socializing with the Dutch

After some weeks, the ‘vacation feeling’ was over and I became aware of the fact, that I had to live in this place. Missing the Dutch social live, I contacted some other Dutch people living there. Together we would go out, visit each other and share our experiences. Funny thing was I socialized with other Dutch people, whom I would never had become friends with in the Netherlands, because of their different backgrounds: from a Bank Director to a pastry baker. Here we all shared that same nationality, culture and Dutch humor, not to forget Calvé peanut butter and chocolate sprinkles and real –imported- Heineken beers! Never knew I was so nationalistic.

Though I liked all the opportunities that Boston and the US had to offer (‘The Sky is the Limit’), I missed the Dutch social life and to feel at ease.

Befriend the Irish

I met several nice people in Boston, but felt most at ease with the Irish. There are lots of them out there! Spanish and Mexican people were very nice too, but hard for me to understand.

My favourite places in Boston

The US is very diverse country, a very BIG melting pot with lots of cultural differences. I really like the giant and impressive nature areas, where you can go for a whole day without seeing anybody else. City life itself has a lot to offer 24/7. I enjoyed seeing famous places, going to live music that was always offered in small theatres and cafes (coffee houses). My favorite hangout place was Harvard Square and surroundings, close to Harvard University.
Overall day to day life (food) was cheaper than expected, if you don’t set your standards too high. I liked the relaxed way of car driving, having enough space on the road (3 lanes or more), always sufficient parking spaces available! In the city public transportation (subway) was cheap!

Of course I reckon succeeding in the US is a personal achievement. If you can make it, you’re lucky, but there’s also a lot of poverty and lack of social services provided for everybody. A big difference between rich and poor. No ‘social safety nets’ like we know in the Netherlands.

Despite all the challenges over there, I started missing Dutch life at some point. Maybe it had to do with my age (37-39 back then), just being married and my personal character? Anyway, I still appreciate to have had the experience of living and working abroad and still consider Boston as my second hometown.

The US in 3 words:

The US is a mix of different nationalities and cultures: three words: nice, positive but at times somewhat superficial.