TRAVELLING LIGHT
Foreign Students in Nijmegen
Tekst: Sylvester Hoogmoed (published in Vox, 2002-2003)
”Vla is great!”
”I already tried to shop for some warm stuff to wear”
Nicolas and Gautier from Montpellier, France
”Much of the city live in Nijmegen is students-oriented”
”Dutch vegetables taste like they are made in a factory”
”Here I can only go as far as my bike will take me”
”I can’t stand an empty room”
Links for people who are interested in the Netherlands
(Vox, September 19th, 2002:)
Who?
Irene Sinou from Patras, Greece; 22 years old, student of American Studies.
Lives at?
Hoogeveldt
Brought along?
One suitcase and a backpack. ‘That’s all, nothing else. One should to be able to live with only a few things.’
Should have packed?
Her comb. ‘The first three days I didn’t comb my hair at all since I didn’t know were to buy one. Not that I bothered to search very hard. It was a good experience to live without a comb for a few days.’
Could not do without?
Her small nightlight. ‘As long as I can remember I have been sleeping with it. There’s no way I could doze off in total darkness.’
First purchase in the Netherlands?
Vla. ‘Many friends told me I should buy vla (custard) in the Netherlands. We don’t have that in Greece; not even something close to it. You should try to export it to Greece. It’s great! I’m really getting addicted to it. My favourite taste is the combination of chocolate and vanilla vla. My second purchase was a bicycle. I love cycling!’
‘My room is very empty. The mother of a Dutch friend gave me a painting she made. I like it a lot: it makes the room so much livelier. I will buy a carpet to stay warmer in winter, and also some posters. But I won’t buy too much. I prefer to save my money for travelling. I would like to travel all around Holland to see with my own eyes all the places I read about in the Lonely Planet. Then I like to visit France, Belgium, Germany, England, and Ireland. It’s not easy to travel from Greece to Western Europe. The Netherlands is for me the ideal country, because it’s so centrally situated; you can go all around.’
‘I didn’t bring much from home because I don’t like the idea of being dependent on material things. I only had some clothing and novels with me when I arrived. It feels quite adventurous and free! I left all my CDs in Greece. Though I miss them a lot, I don’t want to listen to the same kind of music here. Discovering music is a journey without an ending. You don’t have to cling to the songs you know because there are so many other kinds of music. I have already discovered some Dutch bands. Kayak for one. Last weekend I was at a party in Belgium where I met a girl who writes lyrics for Kayak. We sang and played the guitar together. In Greece I’ve been singing in a choir and playing in a band for many years. I didn’t even bring my guitar with me to Nijmegen, because it’s a pretty decent one and I was afraid that it might break during the transportation. Nothing in my room reminds me of my life as a musician.’
(Vox, October 3rd, 2002:)
Who?
Érica Kawamori Pesquero from São Paulo, Brazil; 22 years old, student of Management.
Lives at?
An old house in the Piersonstraat.
Brought along?
One suitcase on wheels and a big backpack.
Should have packed?
Playing cards. ‘You need them at night, when you’re drinking and having fun with friends. Then you can’t go out to buy some. Whereas at daytime, when the shops are open, I always forget to do so.’
Could not do without?
Novels and poems in Portuguese. ’One of the reasons to come here was to practice my English, but you miss so much of the details, when reading in a language different from your mother tongue. When I feel sad or bored it really feels good to read. Antonio Cícero for example; his poems are like music.’
First purchase in the Netherlands?
A beer. ‘Because of delays and lost luggage my trip took ten hours more then it should have. After 26 hours of travelling, having managed to catch the last train to Nijmegen, I finally got to the pub where I could collect the keys to my room. I then heaved a big sigh, sat down and had a beer.’
‘I am not very keen on buying clothes, but I love summer shoes. I brought three pairs, none of which I will be able to wear in a few weeks time. In Brazil whenever it’s cold I stay inside. Here I can’t avoid winter wear. I already tried to shop for some warm stuff to wear, but because of the exchange rate, it was too expensive. My mother will send me some clothes. My ex-boyfriend sent me a CD with Brazilian pop music. At home I don’t need CDs, as my favourite music is being played on the radio all day long. Just before I came over I was desperate to buy some, but what I wanted was sold out.’
‘This room belongs to a guy who is currently in the US as an exchange student. All the furniture and posters are his. I am a bit afraid of changing things. After all it’s still his room. Only the pictures of my family and friends are mine. I feel homesick. For the first time in my life I find myself having to deal with loneliness sometimes. Back home, whenever I feel like meeting people I can call someone. Here I don’t even have a phone! Still, I will miss Nijmegen when I go back; I met some really nice and helpful people here.’
(Vox, November 7th, 2002:)
Who?
Nicolas Weiss and Gautier Pepin from Montpellier, France, both students of Management Studies.
They live at?
Lankhorst.
Brought along?
A car completely crammed with French CDs, food, whine, pastis and champagne.
Should not have bothered to bring?
Their stereo set. The furnished flat they sublease turned out to contain a luxurious Bang and Olofson set.
Should have packed?
More French alcohol. Gautier: “It’s cheaper in France, and many special French wines are not for sale here.”
Could not do without?
Pictures of their families.
First purchase in the Netherlands?
Two bikes. Nicolas: “We have a car, but it’s difficult to park it in the centre. Not so difficult as in the centre of Montpellier, but you have to pay for it with a chip card we don’t possess. So we bought some cheap bikes.”
Noteworthy
In the Netherlands it’s much safer to drive your car than in France. Nicolas: “The Dutch are driving much more slowly: fifty is fifty. In France fifty is eighty! If you are driving fifty over there everybody is hooting.”
Gautier: “The flat we sublease here is very well equipped. Much better than our place in Montpellier. The only thing that was missing was a washing machine. And what is strange, there seems to be no launderette anywhere in Nijmegen! The first week we asked many people where we could find one, but nobody knew. Finally, someone gave us a washing machine for free. For that, it proved handy to have a car. Now we have everything we need.”
Nicolas: “We are not nostalgic about France, but I miss a French sandwich at lunch time: a big baguette with chicken, salad, tomato and mayonnaise. Here, I only find some little white buns with a lot of strange things on it that I can’t recognise. We tried Dutch food, but I’m not very keen on things like croquettes, so there’s a problem. Another drawback is that in France lunch is much cheaper for students than the prices you have to pay in the Refter.” Gautier: “During the autumn break we went back to Montpellier to see our girlfriends. When we returned we brought along lots of food - cheese, saucisson, porc, cassoulet. It is difficult to cook French cuisine in Nijmegen, because so many ingredients are not for sale here.”
Gautier: “Nijmegen is about the same size as Montpellier. Perfect! You can enjoy the way of life of a big city, but it’s not too big. If you walk through the centre of Nijmegen you can easily meet people you know. And like in Montpellier, much of the city live in Nijmegen is students-oriented.” Nicolas: “We are only here for six months, so if we had gone to a bigger city, we wouldn’t have had enough time to discover it. Integration would have been very difficult. Therefore we wanted a human sized city, where we could find friendship from the beginning.”
(Vox, November 21st, 2002:)
Who?
Radek Staron; from Lodz, Poland, student of Management.Studies.
Lives at?
A small room in an apartment building near Goffertpark.
Brought along?
A knapsack, and two large bags, one containing a bicycle.
Should have packed?
The loud-speakers of his CD-player. Now he can only listen to music trough his earphones.
Could not do without?
His bicycle.
First purchase in the Netherlands? A bottle of Coke. 'I'm an addict!'
Noteworthy
The many yellow memos that cover the wall opposite his bed, with English words on it he wants to memorise.
Radek's room of ten square meters looks rather ascetic. Apart from the memos there is nothing on the walls but a calendar and a loose telephone wire. The room holds his bicycle, wardrobe, bed and a desk that is covered with lecture notes and other documents, just like the floor. 'I don't spend a lot of time here, I'm usually at the university or somewhere else. I love bike riding.' Just like his father, who was a professional cyclist and won the Polish national championship three times.
'Apart from my bike, I don't need many things. Only something to eat, something to listen to and something to read. At home I have a huge shelf with books. When I'm in a bad mood, I tend to take one of my favourite books and start reading it. I can't do that here; maybe I should have brought some Polish books with me. But what I miss most are things I really couldn’t have taken with me to Nijmegen: people, and places where I usually go to in Lodz.'
Unfortunately he couldn’t take too much food with him either. ‘Back in Lodz I eat at home, food prepared by my mum or me. Its much better than what I get here. My first bite of Dutch food at the Refter was a big shock. Now I’m getting used to it, but what I still miss are good vegetables and fruit. Dutch vegetables taste like they are made in a factory and have hardly any flavour. In Poland you go to a market and buy vegetables from Spain or anywhere you want and they're really delicious.’
‘Living the Socrates life is a great experience. When I go back I will miss the people that I met in Nijmegen. I had a lot of very nice moments here, met many other exchange students who broadened my horizon. Back home I will have to write my thesis and graduate soon. Then, in the middle of next year, I will have to find a job. After this exciting Socrates experience, the prospect of taking a job in some office is kind of scary to me. Part of your life comes to an end when you finish your studies. You go somewhere else where it is probably also nice, but different. It is difficult to say if I want that or not.‘
(Vox, December 19th, 2002:)
Who?
Andy Moss, from Tennessee, USA; student of political sciences, environmental sciences and chemistry.
Lives at?
Galgenveld (11th floar)
Brought along?
A backpack and a rolling suitcase. ‘In fact it didn’t roll. It just bounced around or fell over.’
Should not have bothered to bring?
So many clothes. ‘I brought just about every piece of clothing that I’ve ever owned in my life. Don’t ask me why.’
Should have packed?
His laptop. ‘It would have been much easier to type papers when I want to. The library closes early.‘
Could not do without?
Photographs of his family and friends.
First purchase in the Netherlands?
A Belgian bear. ‘American bear tastes like water compared to this stuff!’
Noteworthy
His small Galgenveld room looks like a curiosity shop. It is stuffed with all kinds of knick-knacks, including a plastic orange crown, two likewise orange little flags with a chicken and a egg painted on them, some Christmas lights, a lighting installation with dimmer and a puppet. ‘The girl that lived here left everything behind. I still don’t know everything there is in my room.’
He wears a striking necklace: two fish hanging from a piece of Brazilian flag. An amulet? ‘I always make sure I’ve got it on, so it must do something for me. Actually it’s a combination of two necklaces. A friend from Chicago gave it to me, about eight years ago. I have no idea what it’s supposed to mean. There was a little piece of paper that came with it, but I soon lost it. My girlfriend gave me the Brazilian flag part of the necklace. She new how much Brazil means to me; I spent about a month and a half over there during an exchange program. As the two necklaces were broken I put them together and made a new one. It’s a good conversation starter. I make up a new story every time somebody asks about it.’
‘My backpack is great for buying groceries. I have the impression that European go shopping maybe three or four times a week. I go once every two weeks. I have freezer here, so I buy huge packs of meat and other things and fill my backpack with it. Then I ride my bike home; I have to lean forward, otherwise my front wheel will come off the ground and I will fall backwards. It must be a funny sight, but I ignore people watching me.’
‘Without all the things I left behind in the States I don’t feel freer than at home. Quite the reverse actually. I realise now how much I rely on my car at home. It’s an American thing. There’s a 170.000 miles on my rev counter. I like to get out and see everything. Here I can only go as far as my bike will take me.’
(Vox, January 16th, 2003:)
Who?
Claudia de Martino, from Rome, student of History.
Lives at?
Vossenveld
Brought along?
Fifteen suitcases. ‘I came by car, my father brought me here. But now he tells me he’s too busy to take me back in January! I don’t know how I can get all my things to Rome again.’
Should not have bothered to bring?
So many clothes.
Should have packed?
More photo’s and paintings. ‘I can’t stand empty walls. At the university I bought some posters.’
Could not do without?
Her CDs. ‘Sometimes I really want to hear the songs I have grown up with. I don’t listen often to them, but sometimes I really need to. Italian music, that you can’t buy hear, like Roberto Vecchioni.’
First purchase in the Netherlands?
A carped. ‘When I came here in I immediately noticed a carped was lacking. I wouldn’t like to live without a carped. It makes everything warmer, more covered and furnished.’
Noteworthy
Her bookcase full of clothes.
‘I can’t stand an empty room. When I came here the room was completely empty. I just had to fill it with everything I could. That’s my habit at home. In Rome I have a room were I’ve been living for ten years, There isn’t any free corner left. Things are not really important to me though, only the combination of things. Maybe in the beginning, when my father left me here in August, I tried to reproduce my room at home a bit. For the first time in my life I was leaving home for such a long time. It was hard to feel at home.’
‘I brought fifteen suitcases full of things from Rome with me. When I’m travelling I always try to bring with me as much as possible. I like to have everything I need, or might need, around me. Some pans for the kitchen, some blankets, books… And the strange thing is: I used almost everything. Although until now I didn’t use the German dictionary I brought with me. I’m not reading in German here. Still, I like to have it around. I could need it one day. If only to look for one single word I would like to have it. I wouldn’t look it up when I came back after six months. That goes for a lot of things. I don’t like postponing. I brought even letters that I want to read again sometimes. I’m not sure that I’m going to read them here. But if I need them they are within reach.’
‘Six months are not enough to really feel at home somewhere. I’m only beginning to have some habits now that I am nearly going home again. I like to go back. Not because of my friends: lots of them have come here to visit me. But I’m missing Mafalda, my dog. It’s not allowed to have pets at Vossenveld, despite the grass parks around here.’
Some useful links for people who are interested in the Netherlands:
Amsterdam (I) * Amsterdam (II) * Architecture * CIA Facts * Cinema * Cities and regions * Cobra * Couperus * Cycling * Fortuyn * Hermans * How's the weather in Scheveningen today (webcam) * Literature * Lonely Planet * Ministry of Foreign Affairs * Multatuli * Museums * NL Menu (links) * Ockeghem * Painters * Politics * Postwar prose * Popmusic * Poems * Politics * Radio Netherlands (news in English) * Shaffy * Van Gogh * Vermeer * Yahoo links