Marianne during her internship in the Netherlands

Hey! Where are you from? Where do you study/live/work?

My name is Marianne, I’m a marketing student from Antwerp and I’m currently doing an internship in Rotterdam.

What was the first thing you thought when you arrived in the Netherlands?

“Where the f*ck did I put my ticket?” The Netherlands has this great system where you have to scan your ticket to leave the train station, and of course, I have this habit of deeply stuffing my ticket in my bag after it’s been checked. What a great combo, I must say! So, during the first five minutes, I was on my knees with all the contents of my bag scattered on the floor, searching for that damn ticket to leave the station.

What was the most shocking difference between Belgium and the Netherlands?

How seriously they take cycling here! I bike to work every morning and take my time to enjoy the beautiful surroundings. The Dutch don’t do that—they’d rather leave 10 minutes late and then make up for it on their bike. So there I was, totally relaxed, when a mother with two kids and some groceries nearly ran me over. Zero chill. I knew the Dutch do everything by bike, so I thought they’d be pretty relaxed and friendly about it, but no way. Ain’t nobody got time for that. You bike until you drop.

Have you ever felt homesick? How did you deal with it?

Not exactly homesick, but sometimes I do feel very Belgian. I never really felt Belgian until you live in another country and start noticing the differences with your own culture. I always felt happy catching a bit of Flemish on the radio or from tourists. It gives you a weird sense of pride like YEAH, that’s MY language.

I was working when the attacks in Brussels happened. It was really strange to know so many people living and working in Brussels, to fear for their lives, and to mourn the victims, while life in the Netherlands quickly went on as usual. It’s moments like these when you really feel you’re not in your own country.

Do you feel at home in the Netherlands? Why (not)?

I do feel at home to a certain extent—I feel I can definitely live here... But my home will always remain my home.

Give us tips about who you should befriend abroad. The Russians? The Irish? The Chileans?

I’m surrounded by Dutch people all day and I definitely recommend them. Once you get used to their sometimes blunt directness and the fact that they can talk about money all day long… they’re actually really nice and fun people to hang out with. Of course, it’s always good to befriend the Belgians too!

Describe the people of the Netherlands in three words.

Cozy, cozy, cozy.

What did you learn from your experience abroad? Was it the beloved community you liked? The cheap cocktails? The beautiful nature? Or was your experience less than expected? Details, we want details!

I really had to get used to how direct people are here. For a Belgian, I’m quite direct myself and don’t mince words, but it’s nothing compared to the Dutch. The organizational culture is also very different. I wasn’t used to colleagues treating with sweets for their birthdays or having to chat with my boss on WhatsApp. Especially during my first weeks, when I didn’t know anyone, this was quite comforting and helped me feel at home quickly. I actually grew to love the directness and warm-hearted culture of the Dutch here!

Once I threw my own ideals overboard and started looking at things from their perspective, everything got much better. What would be seen as a “lack of personal boundaries” in my country was just normal here—genuine interest in each other’s lives outside of work. What I always saw as arrogance was really just self-confidence (and volume. Man, the Dutch are loud!). And their lack of culinary excellence (I mean, pulling fried food from a vending machine/wall and adults eating chocolate sprinkles is not exactly gourmet food) is actually a melting pot of different cultures. I’ve had the best Vietnamese food here ever! So yes, it’s definitely the people, community, and culture that made my stay in the Netherlands so wonderful!