Procuring a work contract and the proper visa are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to moving to a foreign country. The real challenges are faced daily as international students and employees adjust to life in their host country.
When Yulia Bachvarova of Sofia, Bulgaria (PhD candidate, Human Media Interaction Group/EWI) first arrived in the Netherlands five years ago, she found it difficult to adapt. Bulgarian culture is closer to the `southern' cultures with loud and overt displays of emotion. Over time, she has come to appreciate some aspects of the more reserved nature of Dutch people. She says that Bulgarians `talk too much' and that she's learned that there are times when it is good to be guarded with one's emotions.
Along the same line, Blanca Perez of Lerida, Spain (junior employee, Water Engineering and Management/CTW) mentions the different ways of cultivating friendships. She explains that in Spain it is easier to meet people and get to know them casually. `In the Netherlands, it's difficult to know people, but once you do, it's true friendship.'
Tatiana Filatova from Chita, Russia (PhD candidate, Water Engineering and Management/CTW) brings up an aspect of Dutch society that she finds especially curious: daily planning. She marvels, `People plan their day so precisely. They are always carrying their agenda with them. There seem to be a lot of meetings and coordination.' But, she admits to having gotten used to this phenomenon and even finds it helpful.
It's not just moving to the Netherlands that poses challenges, any international move has its difficulties. Dutchman Alexander van Amerongen of Arnhem (MSc student, Applied Mechanics/CTW), spent three months interning at P.T.Pauwels in Bogor, Indonesia. At work, the `I'll do it tomorrow' mentality drove him nuts. At home, he lived in a student house with five Indonesians: `I was the first foreigner they'd ever met. The furnishings were simple and there were “animals” running around: cockroaches and little lizards. Our shower consisted of a tub of cold water and a bucket.'
Ashok Sridhar of Chennai, India (PhD candidate, Production Technology /CTW) arrived just this month at the UT, after earning a master's degree from RWTH in Aachen, Germany. He is disappointed by the UT's ostensible segregation of foreigners by housing them together. `The best way to learn a language and about a culture is to talk to native speakers, but all of my neighbors are Indian!' he laments.
In Germany, Sridhar dealt with linguistic barriers. He knew absolutely no German upon arrival. `Since it was not always possible to get on in English, I learned German in one year.' That's quite an achievement. Indeed, that is the flip side of adjusting to a foreign culture: the gratifying feeling of accomplishment.
Perez speaks of the novelty of being `somewhere that is not your environment,' asserting, `In your own place, people know all about you. In a foreign setting, you have to find yourself, define yourself.'
On moving to a new country, Bachvarova maintains, `If you manage to learn the rules, it's a big boost to your self-esteem.' She claims that that coming to the Netherlands has made her more flexible and better able to understand other people.
Van Amerongen enthuses, `It opens your eye to the notion that there is something more than the Western world. It makes you realize that life is going on 24 hours a day.' Acknowledging a personal transformation following his stay abroad, he says, `I don't worry about luxury things anymore - I've learned I can do without them.'
As Bachvarova says, `It's not about losing your identity, but adding to your identity.'
Blanca Perez
Tatiana Filatova
Alexander van Amerongen
Ashok Shridhar
