I was barely 19 when I substituted the small village where I was born for busy and lively Leiden (sarcasm intended). For most of these years I lived in shared housing (or a WG, as the Germans like to call it). Almost 28, I have come at a crossroads. For the first time in my…
Until yesterday Easter for me was synonymous with eggs: chocolate eggs, painted eggs, hidden eggs. Highlight of each Easter was always turning the house upside down in the hunt for the chocolate eggs my parents would have hidden just before my little sister and I woke up on Easter morning. As neither of us was…
Finding affordable housing is a problem every international student or expat is confronted with when moving abroad. Without the right connections and knowledge on where to live and where not to live, finding new housing can become a real challenge! To be sure, the housing issue isn’t just a problem internationals face, as I very…
8.50 this morning. When I arrive at the office my Belgian colleague is fully awake and excited. ‘Did you already hear it?!”. ‘Hear what?’, I wonder. ‘They bombed the airport in Bruxelles’. And she is off again. I start my computer and start reading. Minutes later the news about the attacks in the metro comes…
Living abroad means dealing with new challenges every day. A different culture, an other mentality, and a new language. Especially the latter can be quite the test, as learning a new language requires not just lot of practice, but also a good dose of courage. I usually struggle to find either when living abroad, but…
New month, new job! How I like my new job? Well, it might be a little early to say anything definite about it, but so far so good. I started with very little expectations, I thought it could very well be a job I would like, and that was about it. How exactly I would be…
On April 6th the citizens of the Netherlands are given to opportunity to vote in a referendum for the second time in history. After the 2005 European Constitutional Referendum next month we are now allowed to give our opinion on the Ukraine-European Union Association Agreement, the treaty between the European Union and Ukraine that seeks…
Like any young professional I used to change jobs almost as often as I change clothes. So although my graduation is only a year ago, I managed to serve three different employers so far already: one in the Netherlands and two in Germany. Before that I did internships in Egypt and Kuwait. This to illustrate…
Skype is a wonderful invention, allowing you to communicate (for free!) with friends and family even when you are thousands and thousands of kilometers away from each other. Although the number of people I actually Skype (or voice call) with can be counted on the fingers of one hand, I do appreciate the chat function…
The Life And Times Of A Dutchie Abroad 