A newcomer in The Netherlands – my first week

Preparations, frustrations, people I leave behind … my flight is delayed … I remain calm, it’s just me, a few good friends and my dream … and just like that we are landing, I’ m here. My first week in Holland begins!

Enthusiasm kicked in on my first day in this new country. I filled a mug with hot coffee and grabbed my laptop, in my effort to expedite my integration into the Dutch society. On one hand I got mixed feelings and anxiety, coming up in questions like ”where am I? What am I doing here?” On the other hand, what kept me going was the expectation of a new job and the desire for a fresh start. The first emails I received were also mixed. Friends from Greece wrote to me wanting to know how I am coping and if all is well. Did they really miss me already? Just a few hours ago we were together. I also got messages from my friends here in The Netherlands. They sent me emails with links to online job adverts, sites with job listings and groups in social media that might be useful to me.

Holland seems really promising for a young person who visits for the first time and aims to stay. I am impressed by the scenery; everywhere you look is green, with some intervals of impressive constructions, roads, buildings and bridges. Access to transportation is easy. There are signs for internationals almost everywhere, there are trams ad busses covering all routes. Busses and trams and trains are on time and there is even a regular night bus service, which I used in my first hour in the country, having arrived at midnight after an eight-hour flight delay. As for the Dutch …they are friendly, courteous and pleasant. The service in stores is good and people are willing to help you also outside, in the street. I am impressed by the level of English language that the Dutch speak, no matter how old they might be.

I am half way through my first week and adjusting to my new environment is going well. Now it’s time to organize my schedule. My stress is diminishing. My first job applications were sent out and I quickly feel at home in my new place. Without realizing it, the weekend has arrived. Suddenly my migration looks more like a pleasure trip. Meals and drinks with friends. I meet new people and together we have a great time. My first trip was to The Hague, since I live in the nearby town of Delft. There is order and peace in its streets. A festival for volunteers, a concert and safe bike rides with a borrowed bike … wonderful. Furthermore, I traveled to Amsterdam, the city with the thousands of tourists, a continuous spree in the streets and bars. Coffeeshops in every corner and free prostitution, an attraction that you cannot experience only once. Open-minded people from around the world pour in the streets. They don’t really care about who you are and what you do, they just wanna spent some time talking to you.

I breathe in and the first week is over. The week ends with a feeling of optimism and a good mood, probably thanks to the good weather we had in Greece before I come over. Keeping track of my first days here, raises some doubts in me. So questions like ‘‘What am I looking for here? Will I be able to make it?”, questions that began to fade out in my first days, now they are coming back … until I wake up and Tah Dah, it’s week number two already!

Written by Panagiotis Giouvanas, newly arrived in Holland …