My New Home!

It's a dream come true! I have already fallen in love with Groningen. People told me it was nice, but I cannot believe what a pleasant and lively little city I am going to live in for the next year. It seems like the perfect place to be a student and I am already looking forward to starting school in September.

For those of you who might not know much about Groningen, it's an old hanseatic city in the northeast of Holland and has a population of about 200,000. The city is very young with a student population of 40,000. The weather is unpredictable - one minute it's raining and the next sunny. Bikes have taken over the city - cars are actually not allowed in the downtown area. Groningen has been named the most biker friendly city - bikes definitely have the right of way. I read that 2/3 of the population use the bike as the main source of transportation. Biking can be a little stressful here, but I think I'm already getting the hang of it. Cozy cafes and pubs are everywhere you look. Impressive markets fill the city center like the famous fish market which I visited today (too bad I still don't like fish). I also feel like a midget - the Dutch are the tallest in the world, especially here in the north.

My journey here was really smooth although I was a bit tired after waking up at 3:30am. I was kindly greeted at the airport in Amsterdam by Lydia and her younger brother (I am subleasing Lydia's room while she is studying in Copenhagen). We drove to Groningen together which is a two hour drive (really far according to Dutch standards). Lydia helped me out so much! She moved out, I moved in, we saw a bit of the city, and ended the great day at a Mexican restaurant (I was so scared I would not have Mexican food for a year...ha). I could not have imagined a better first day thanks to Lydia and her brother. Dank je wel!

I am living with three Dutch girls, but none of them are currently home. It's pretty quiet but the days are busy and full of fun practical matters like my visa, bank account, etc. Nevertheless, things have been going rather well. I quickly learned that you can make friends fast if you speak Dutch here. It's been really fun surprising people here with the language. I have actually not heard any English throughout the city which is a bit strange after hearing a lot of English in Reykjavik, but it's kind of refreshing when learning a language. The people have been so friendly as well which I did not necessarily expect. People are eager to help you even if you don't ask for it and they just see you with a confused face and holding a map.

All in all, I think Groningen and I are going to get along just fine this year.



Lydia and her brother teaching me the proper way to double ride - I need some practice

My new school - Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (RuG)

Home sweet home