Each country has its own new year’s traditions

New Year’s Eve is a time of different traditions in Fryslân and the Netherlands. For example, the last day of the year is the only day that the typically Dutch game ‘sjoelen’ is played, that the real Frisian people go ‘carbidschieten’ in the meadows and that we eat ‘oliebollen’. As soon as midnight nears, we end the year with a drink while we watch the last seconds tick by on the clock on the television.  Of these typical Dutch and Frisian traditions, we are often not even aware. This is just how it is supposed to be and how we do it every time. But what is normal in other cultures? More

Nice to meet you Sinterklaas

This funny article was written last year. It was sent after Sinterklaas and too late to upload then. Now it’s in time. Even though Sinterklaas himself is from Antalya, Turkey – just like my mom – I didn’t know anything much about him till I moved to the Netherlands. While using the term of ‘anything much’ I actually mean ‘nothing’! But it didn’t take much time for me to get to know about this old, legendary man and his Piets. More

Through the eyes of… Kristine Moiseikova from Latvia: Very kind and open-minded people

Waking up one morning, I found myself in a new world. Everything seemed so different, but I enjoyed it. I liked that I can explore my new world. I had never been to the Netherlands before. I didn’t know anything about this country. Thus, the more interesting it was for me to get acquainted with it. More

Through the eyes of… Feng Chien Kao (Connie) from Taiwan: Clean Air and Small Classes

After 13 hours flight, I arrived at Schiphol Airport. It was the first time I visited to Europe. Everything was so new and fresh. I was surprised that the Dutch were so tall. I seemed like a child in the crowd. More

A Syrian girl in Leeuwarden [3]

Since 2015 Friesland received approximately 2,250 adult refugees. Leeuwarden houses the majority of these immigrants, about 540. Naimee Alayobi, an 18-year-old Syrian girl told us her story and talked about her dreams and the challenges of starting over in the West. This part 3 of a series of 3. More

Through the eyes of… Martina Andrés from Spain: smiling people and strange eating times

Coming to the Netherlands has been one of the most exciting adventures in my life. And it still is. I don’t know exactly what I expected when I first came here. Meeting new people, discovering  amazing places, learn, have fun, these are things we all think about when we face a situation like this, when we leave our home countries and take the decision of starting a new life anywhere else. More

A Syrian girl in Leeuwarden [2]

Since2015 Friesland receivedapproximately 2,250 adult refugees. Leeuwarden houses the majority of these immigrants, about 540. Naimee Alayobi, an 18-year-old Syrian girl told us her story and talked about her dreams and the challenges of starting over in the West. This is part 2 of a series of 3. More

A Syrian girl in Leeuwarden [1]

Since 2015 Friesland received approximately 2,250 adult refugees. Leeuwarden houses the majority of these immigrants, about 540. We rarely get a chance to see the journey and difficulties of a refugee through the eyes of one of them. How is the integration with Dutch society, what are the obstacles of learning a new language, work, study. What are the biggest difficulties and what are the best things about living in Friesland. Naimee Alayobi, an 18-year-old Syrian girl told us her story and talked about her dreams and the challenges of starting over in the West.  More

Through the eyes of…. Maria Fernández from Spain: Lanes ánd parking garages for bikes

Everyone somehow knows about how much they like to cycle in The Netherlands but you don’t really realise how serious this is until you experience it. I came to Leeuwarden by train and even before getting to the city where I would live, before actually standing for more than five minutes on Dutch ground, I was already surprised. On my way from the airport to the station, the train passed somewhere next to a three-floor bike parking garage. What a thing! It may sound like the most common thing for Dutch people, and I’ve seen a few more since then, but you need to know that’s really shocking at the beginning for foreigners. I had never seen such a thing before. More

Through the eyes of… Milen Elefterov from Bulgaria: Drinking coffee and nightlife

It is a surprise for most Frisian people to find out the amount of foreign students that come to Leeuwarden to study. Why Friesland?, Why Leeuwarden?, How did you find out about this city? are amongst the most common questions that I have been asked throughout my stay so far. People have been pleasantly surprised by the fact that foreign people know about this Dutch province. And as an Eastern European who emigrated to seek new opportunities, I have tried to make the most of my stay. More

Through the eyes of… Tomás O’Reilly Gallardo from Spain: The irony and excessive kindness

I arrived in Leeuwarden on January 26th. Prior to my Erasmus application, I had never heard of the city or even Friesland for that matter, so I didn’t really know what to expect. I read in forums that students here had a wonderful time, but I was unsure whether this tiny northern Dutch city would suit me, what would the people be like and a thousand other questions that were flying through my head. It was already dark when I set foot outside the station and the first thing I saw was a whole set of party-like lights and decoration. It was indeed the first of many times I was going to hear the words “Cultural Capital of Europe”. More

7 Useful Frisian sentences to learn

OBE Lân fan taal, visitor centrum

People love to be approached in their own language by tourists. Since the Frisian language is a common language in Friesland, we wrote down some useful sentences for you we translated to Frisian. If you learn these simple Frisian sentences, you can easily have a fun conversation with Frisian people when you are in Friesland this year. More

From South Korea and Spain to the Frisian cows

Leeuwarden is known as the capital of the prosperous, agricultural province Fryslân. A province with nearly 3.000 dairy farms and more than 280.000 dairy cows. Fryslân is the home of the Frisian cow. Fryslân’s economy is sustained by agriculture and tourism. As international students, we have plenty of opportunities to experience the cultural and social life of Leeuwarden but that does not really cover what being a Frisian citizen means. More

Leeuwarden, the cultural capital of my dreams

Peter van der Ploeg (59) and Dick Jongman (69) are not just artists, they are also friends. They feel honoured that they are allowed to be part of Leeuwarden-Fryslân Cultural Capital 2018. The two friends made a tribute to Leeuwarden by means of creating a song. Dick is the singer and Peter guides him whilst playing the guitar in a beautiful, classical way. More