Many times when I am asked the question "where do you study?", my answer brings a certain surprise on the faces of the people in front of me. Inherently followed by a raised eyebrow and curiosity: "where?". Today I set out to take your imagination on a tour of my city of love - Maastricht, also known as the Pearl of the South. To give you a first impression of Maastricht,...
The Cherry Blossom Festival is one of the great joys of spring in the Netherlands. After the snowdrops and bramble herald the arrival of sunnier weather, the cherry trees are the first to show off, before the fields of tulips and other spring flowers. People eagerly await the time of flowering and pack their picnic bags for a day out. This...
On 15 March, provincial elections are held in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. On the same day, elections for the Water Council (Waterschappen) also take place. What are provincial elections? Provincial elections are held every 4 years. In these elections, voters elect the members of the Provincial Council. To be able to vote, you must have Dutch citizenship and be at least 18 years old....
I don't remember exactly when I started hearing jokes around me about other sexual orientations. It seems like several lifetimes have passed since then. I only know that we "suspected" and "made fun" of colleagues or friends and didn't dare discuss anything about it with them. And they probably didn't dare to tell us anything, that is.
If you get a Frenchman drunk and have him write a text in German and then read it in a British accent while gargling in the middle of a thunderstorm, the result might resemble the language that about 23 million people speak every day: Dutch. Learning a foreign language is always quite a process...
There are several types of legal entities (rechtsvormen) that entrepreneurs can set up in the Netherlands. They can be classified into two groups: incorporated (legal form is mandatory) and unincorporated (legal form is not mandatory). Incorporated businesses must have a legal form (i.e. a corporate personality or legal person) represented by a deed drawn up by a notary. This form is...
On Sunday, November 17, I was quickly climbing the library stairs. I was going to attend the inauguration of the Romanian Libraries in the Netherlands, hosted by Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam Oosterdok as part of the Huis van Alle Talen project. I knew where I would find the others. I knew how to get there. It was quite different when I first walked up the stairs of this building - it was my first days in...
Unlike Romania, higher education in the Netherlands is not free. The admissions system differs depending on the study you want to do and the university offering it. While tuition fees used to be €2060/year, from the 2018-2019 academic year onwards tuition fees will be halved in the first year. So for the first year you will pay 1030€,...
One of the first things to look out for after moving to the Netherlands is choosing a public transport pass, especially if you will be working in a city other than the one you live in. There are several rail service providers in the Netherlands, and in this article you'll read about the season tickets offered by NS. As the national rail transport company,...
The Ministry for Romanians Abroad (MPRP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and Sport is organising the tenth edition of the "ARC" Camp Programme. This programme initiated by the MPRP is aimed at Romanian students and young people from abroad. In 2018 the camps will be organized in the Recreation Centres in Sulina, jud. Tulcea (26 June - 28 August 2018) and Oglinzi, jud....
The November 2016 Parliamentary Elections are a unique opportunity to vote for those who represent us in Parliament. Change cannot happen without our involvement in the democratic process. The outcome of an election, when based on a significant turnout, can be very different from one achieved with a low level of involvement. Moreover, the diaspora...
