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    Construction of badger tunnel underway in Molkwerum

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    Police detain underage fan after FC Groningen player is punched in Eredivisie game

    Watch: The New Energy Coalition is on a mission to improve our world

    Watch: The New Energy Coalition is on a mission to improve our world

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    Groningen filmmaker wins Noordsterren prize at IFA 2023 with “Jäger”

    Groningen filmmaker wins Noordsterren prize at IFA 2023 with “Jäger”

    The Northern Times working together with TopDutch

    The Northern Times working together with TopDutch

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      Groningen welcomes Qatar 2022 with cheer and criticism

      Groningen welcomes Qatar 2022 with cheer and criticism

      The anti Zwarte Piet protest in Emmen

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      Buses will no longer travel through the Grote Markt in Groningen

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      “Tall Ships” Race coming to Friesland this week

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      Noorderzon festival returning to Groningen in August

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        Luna: Leeuwarden light festival and young artists’ exhibition winding down this weekend

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          Watch: A workplace that sells itself – CTO on working at Ocean Grazer

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          Watch: I’m 100% positive about my Groningen internship – Hanze international student

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            The cold of the North is compensated by the warmth of its people – Ocean Grazer engineer

            Watch: A workplace that sells itself – CTO on working at Ocean Grazer

            Watch: A workplace that sells itself – CTO on working at Ocean Grazer

            Watch: We’re hiring internationals to help us with foreign clients – ACS Buildings CEO

            Watch: We’re hiring internationals to help us with foreign clients – ACS Buildings CEO

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            Small but mighty: TECNED is looking for internationals to help it grow

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            Talk on International Growth by local founders to take place on the 21st of June

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            Companies in Dutch energy sector seek next cohort of young leaders

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            Annual Beta Business Days event a success

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              Construction of badger tunnel underway in Molkwerum

              Pride and passion: football in the northern Netherlands

              Police detain underage fan after FC Groningen player is punched in Eredivisie game

              Watch: The New Energy Coalition is on a mission to improve our world

              Watch: The New Energy Coalition is on a mission to improve our world

              Who are the BBB? The BoerBurgerBeweging explained

              voting_ballot

              Unofficial election results are in, and it could be a nightmare come true for ruling coalition

              Groningen filmmaker wins Noordsterren prize at IFA 2023 with “Jäger”

              Groningen filmmaker wins Noordsterren prize at IFA 2023 with “Jäger”

              The Northern Times working together with TopDutch

              The Northern Times working together with TopDutch

              E Thomassen a Theussinklaan

              Drenthe makes it official — you can’t smoke or vape at bus stops

              Paddepoel hosting free kids event Saturday

              Trending Tags

              • Lifestyle
                • All
                • Food & Drinks
                • Nightlife
                • Shopping
                • What's happening
                Groningen welcomes Qatar 2022 with cheer and criticism

                Groningen welcomes Qatar 2022 with cheer and criticism

                The anti Zwarte Piet protest in Emmen

                Emmen: Four people still detained after anti Zwarte Piet protest

                The inside of Forum Groningen

                “Let’s Gro” opens a discussion on the future of Groningen

                What about food in student city Groningen?

                Where to get knockout fries in the northern provinces

                Ukraine Food opens in Groningen

                Ukraine Food opens in Groningen

                Buses will no longer travel through the Grote Markt in Groningen

                Buses will no longer travel through the Grote Markt in Groningen

                “Tall Ships” Race coming to Friesland this week

                “Tall Ships” Race coming to Friesland this week

                Noorderzon festival returning to Groningen in August

                Noorderzon festival returning to Groningen in August

                Plans for extensive Kardinge residential expansion revealed

                Plans for extensive Kardinge residential expansion revealed

                Trending Tags

                • Culture
                  • All
                  • Dutch history
                  • Typical Dutch
                  Luna: Leeuwarden light festival and young artists’ exhibition winding down this weekend

                  Luna: Leeuwarden light festival and young artists’ exhibition winding down this weekend

                  Groningen cultural center Usva

                  Groningen makes international headlines for all the wrong reasons

                  International Welcome Centre North

                  International Welcome Centre North

                  A woman.

                  Groninger photographer Courtney Bonneau launches new exhibition in Lebanon

                  Eurosonic Noorderslag

                  Eurosonic Noorderslag

                  Ending the Year with a Bang!

                  Ending the Year with a Bang!

                  It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

                  It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

                  A devastating defeat; an unexpected victory

                  A devastating defeat; an unexpected victory

                  Sinterklaas is Here!

                  Sinterklaas is Here!

                  Trending Tags

                  • People
                    • All
                    • Expats
                    • International students
                    International Welcome Centre North

                    International Welcome Centre North

                    The cold of the North is compensated by the warmth of its people – Ocean Grazer engineer

                    The cold of the North is compensated by the warmth of its people – Ocean Grazer engineer

                    Watch: A workplace that sells itself – CTO on working at Ocean Grazer

                    Watch: A workplace that sells itself – CTO on working at Ocean Grazer

                    It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

                    It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

                    People protesting on a street in Groningen.

                    Former Sugar Homes residents protest for return of withheld deposit

                    I’m not Black; I’m African

                    I’m not Black; I’m African

                    A letter from the Editor – Internationals from 120 countries: Welcome to Groningen, Leeuwarden, Assen and Emmen!

                    MPs call for cap on foreign student numbers in order to ensure ‘accessibility’

                    Watch: I’m 100% positive about my Groningen internship – Hanze international student

                    Watch: I’m 100% positive about my Groningen internship – Hanze international student

                    Common cold becoming too common

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                      Watch: The New Energy Coalition is on a mission to improve our world

                      Watch: The New Energy Coalition is on a mission to improve our world

                      The cold of the North is compensated by the warmth of its people – Ocean Grazer engineer

                      The cold of the North is compensated by the warmth of its people – Ocean Grazer engineer

                      Watch: A workplace that sells itself – CTO on working at Ocean Grazer

                      Watch: A workplace that sells itself – CTO on working at Ocean Grazer

                      Watch: We’re hiring internationals to help us with foreign clients – ACS Buildings CEO

                      Watch: We’re hiring internationals to help us with foreign clients – ACS Buildings CEO

                      Small but mighty: TECNED is looking for internationals to help it grow

                      Small but mighty: TECNED is looking for internationals to help it grow

                      Talk on International Growth by local founders to take place on the 21st of June

                      Talk on International Growth by local founders to take place on the 21st of June

                      Groningen to host its first sustainable business day

                      Groningen to host its first sustainable business day

                      Companies in Dutch energy sector seek next cohort of young leaders

                      Companies in Dutch energy sector seek next cohort of young leaders

                      Annual Beta Business Days event a success

                      Annual Beta Business Days event a success

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                      Home People International students

                      Home away from home: unexpected similarities between Dutch and international cultures

                      Yelena Kilina by Yelena Kilina
                      October 1, 2019
                      in International students, People
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                      Home away from home: unexpected similarities between Dutch and international cultures
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                      When international students first arrive in the Netherlands, right away they spot the differences: people cycle without helmets, eat sandwiches that involve only a loaf of bread and pack of cheese for lunch, and, when it finally stops raining, pause their work to enjoy a precious bit of sunshine. It is easy to feel overwhelmed and homesick when you dive into new culture, but hold on! We suggest making like the Dutch and building bridges: what about finding common ground? We asked newly arrived students about similarities between their homelands and the Netherlands.

                      Written by Yelena Kilina

                      People and practicalities

                      Queueing at the Immigration Service Desk of the RUG, Amir from Malaysia and Haewon from South Korea took a moment to think, as they only moved to Groningen around 2 weeks ago. ‘I cannot think of anything,’ Amir hesitates before coming up with an idea, ‘Multicultural cities and the combination of different cultures. We have Malays, Chinese, Indian people in Malaysia and Groningen is also very multicultural’.

                      Haewon notices that the price of food and transportation in Groningen is similar to South Korea, so it is a little easier for him to adapt to life in the North. As for the differences, he believes that Korean people are less independent and direct than the Dutch.

                      Trends and culture

                      Trying to use university printer for the first time, Joris from Germany lists corresponding ecological trends, like eco-friendly clothing, healthy eating and green cities. ‘Architecture is also similar, though German houses are usually higher.’

                      In the university canteen, law student Hüseyin from Turkey recalls people hanging out on the streets of Groningen at 11 pm, which reminded him of Turkish night life. However, there is more traffic in his country and pedestrians there are less ‘important’ than in the Netherlands.

                      Waiting for her lecture, Yixue, who came from China to study art culture and media, reflects: ‘In Southern China there are a lot of traditional houses and bridges over rivers, even though the style is different, Dutch buildings and canals remind me of them.’

                      Food and customs

                      Chatting in front of the Academy building, students from Finland, Germany and Estonia discussed cultural similarities from the perspective of food. International and European law student Saara is happy that fish is a common part of both Dutch and Finnish cuisine. Her classmate, Henneke from Germany, adds that beer is equally popular in the two countries. Birk from Estonia found out that Dutch dishes remind him of food in Estonia.  ‘Even though Dutch food contains different ingredients, it has similar taste. Perhaps, thanks to sourish sauces’, smiles the behaviour and neuroscience student.

                      When I arrived in Groningen myself, I was also quite surprised to see pancakes and mashed potatoes in the Dutch cuisine – the all-time favourites are also popular in Russian-speaking countries. Speaking of language, Dutch words for mum and dad are ‘mama’ and ‘papa’, which sounds very pleasing to Russian ears. And to conclude my personal top-list, the sweet tradition of the three cheek-kisses to greet and say goodbye is known among both Russian and Dutch people!

                      Have you discovered any other surprising similarities or differences? Share them with us in comments!

                       

                      Tags: cultural similaritiesDutch cultureGroningeninternational studentsmoving to the NetherlandsRUGsimilarities and differences
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                      NorthernTimes.nl is an English-language news site for internationals and anyone interested in news and activities in the three northern Dutch provinces of Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe. The website provides daily coverage and summaries of local news in the north, as well as human interest stories, backgrounds and a regional events calendar. The Northern Times is an initiative of the International Welcome Center North in cooperation with Persbureau Tammeling BV, which owns and operates the website.

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