{"id":22987,"date":"2023-08-15T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-15T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rompro.nl\/?p=22987"},"modified":"2023-08-12T10:14:40","modified_gmt":"2023-08-12T08:14:40","slug":"olanda-vs-romania-diferente-si-asteptari","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rompro.nl\/en\/olanda-vs-romania-diferente-si-asteptari\/","title":{"rendered":"Netherlands vs Romania. Differences and expectations"},"content":{"rendered":"
The new school year is approaching, a good time to reflect on the good and not so good things that have happened since August 2022. A year ago I was at my desk and already mentally preparing myself for what was going to be an overwhelming new phase in my life, going off to college in the Netherlands and moving out on my own. The thought was causing me anxiety, and the sheets on my desk with essays on \"Ion\" and \"The Lighthouse\" were being used as excuses to distract me from the next big step in my life. At the time, I had no idea what things were like in Holland, how different everything was from the comforts of home, or how I should approach this adventure. But almost a year after that shock of leaving home, I can proudly say that I have gained some answers for the younger me studying at the office for my BAC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A conclusion that struck me from my first day at college, and that hasn't changed for a second during my first 2 semesters abroad. From the moment I arrived on campus to submit my admissions paperwork, I felt how open the ladies at the registrar's office were to guiding me and, after all, doing their job. I put my paperwork on my desk, used to the lack of empathy shown by public office employees who would send you anywhere they didn't have business. This fear of not having everything in order, or of returning when the civil servant was in the mood or on schedule, disappeared about 2 days after I landed on Dutch soil. Even going to the town hall to confirm my move and to get my BSN was an easy operation that took 10 minutes, exactly as long as it said online on the platform where I registered my appointment. There was no standing in queues, or waiting for more counters to open, everything went smoothly. And even if I missed a paper that was stipulated on the website, it was enough to show a picture with the relevant data, the man in question said that frequently those who sign up for a registration number forget from the paperwork. Fortunately, however, I noticed that there was none of that bureaucratic crampon typical of the Moritic lands back home, which was a welcome change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And another very good one. Trains are (almost) always on time, among the fastest in Europe, and the short distances between cities make it very easy to visit the whole country. What's more, absolutely all the buses are electric and have well-established routes, which makes it very easy to get from one point to another, especially when you're new to a city. All the timetable and transport details can be found on the NS app, which will even guide you to get an OV Card, specifically to pay for public transport. There's also metro in cities like Amsterdam and The Hague, also new, all good reasons to leave your car at home. Much different, in a good way, from Romania, where public transport pushes you onto roads already full of honking and crowded with polluting cars and buses, and where CFR supplies the same late, 60-year-old locomotives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking of... the roads are much freer in the Netherlands, with people preferring the options outlined above, or walking. Add to this the use of bicycles, a real mainstay of transport in the Netherlands. They benefit from the necessary infrastructure, but also from a developed civic sense of citizens, who respect the directions and rights of each participant in traffic, whether on 2 or 4 wheels. In Romania, cycling is discouraged, as there are very few cycle lanes, while the Netherlands has built roundabouts with special lanes for them and giant car parks where people can leave their vehicles. This underlines the importance of the locals for efficient traffic and as close to zero pollution as possible, a value deeply ingrained in the consciousness of the locals, who look at you strangely if you don't own a bike. For more pointers on making traffic more efficient in the Netherlands, here is a link<\/a>, which should elaborate more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n