Column - The Netherlands from an Outsider's Perspective

July 16th, 2021

Antonia Pavlou

For this column, we are inviting Synergy members from around the globe to tell us their perspective on living in the Netherlands. This edition, we asked Antonia to write something on the differences she noted when moving here from Greece.

The period when I was planning to move to the Netherlands I was so excited! It was not my first time travelling abroad but it was definitely my first time living so far away from home. The differences between the Netherlands and Greece vary. One of the differences that I would like to stress is the weather phenomena prevailing in both countries. If your wardrobe does not contain at least one raincoat that might put you in trouble. So my advice to all potential visitors to the Netherlands is; if you don’t like to walk in the rain, do not trust the weather forecast. The Netherlands are unpredictable.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 changed my plans many times. If you are an international student it is more difficult to socialize without going to university, indicating the demerits of home-online education. Apart from that traveling to nearby countries is considered a costly choice due to the massive amount of money required to get tested. Of course the city of Nijmegen has amazing parks to visit and the beach (if you are coming from Mediterranean countries do not fall in the trap) to enjoy the weather and have a picnic. Also be prepared to miss flavors from home because the Netherlands do not provide any special cuisine.

My favorite part of the Netherlands that I will miss when I return back to Greece is my bike and how easily and safely I can ride it here. In Greece, using your bike, especially in big cities, is not very common and that was actually my concern about how to cycle around. I totally recommend buying a bike as soon as possible and starting to explore every part of the city. After ten months of living here I have to say without any doubt that is the best decision of my life and even if the circumstances are different than I expected (because they will definitely be for students), try to enjoy this experience and develop yourself both educationally and occupationally by taking into advantage the opportunities that the Netherlands provide.