Dear Netherlands,
I am here, finally. I feel a little Dutch already when cruising through the city on my bike! ;)
My first impression is great: warm, welcoming people, a cute little town, highly modern university, comfortable student dorm and a beautiful Dutch bike which is much needed here.
The first day I had to rely on the bus which was rather inconvenient but on the second day I already had the chance to buy a bike - and now I don't like arriving at destinations anymore because arriving means getting off my 'fiets'! I also appreciate how the Dutch car drivers treat 'fietsers': with respect and care. Not like in Germany where the cyclists are always inferior to any other traffic participant.
I am spending the first days with a group of international students and our awesome mentors.
It is great getting to know so many people with different backgrounds all having one aim - attending the university of life here in the Netherlands.
Our Dutch instructor told us today that grumpiness makes the Dutch happy - in the Nijmeegse slang they also have a special word for it: nuilen. 'Nuilen' means complaining, whining.
To be honest, I do not have the time or the nerve to 'nuilen' - I am solely responsible for every action I do here and this is a wonderful feeling.
Our instructor of the Nijmegen School of Management also told us that the university has a special programme where the staff can exchange holidays for a bike to ride to work - can it get even more Dutch??
The last few days have already been an enriching experience and I am looking forward to what you have in store for me, Netherlands.
Ja, ik vind het leuk hier!
Love,
Jane
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