Erasmus in Groningen (the Netherlands)

"What's Groningen on? "

I am actually in Groningen now, taking my "Minors" course called "Capability Approach" at the Hanze University. I am happy, I could not have chosen a better destination.

Source

Hanza University

The different faculties are scattered around the city, but the majority of them are concentrated on the Zenrike Campus. The facilities are impressive and the subjects are very practical. Depending on the minor of the course, you are more or less busy but as a general characteristic, there are not exams in all of them. They focus more on group work (I don't have exams in 6 of my subjects) with the professors very close by and the classes are taught in English.

Source

Transport in Groningen

Bicycle, bicycle and bicycle. Without a bicycle you are nobody, they have priority over cars and pedestrians. It is easy to find one, you can buy it or rent it - I would recommend renting it because then, if it breaks they can fix it and if it is stolen they can replace it. The shop that we have been to was called "Fers Verda", in the centre. Some of the bicycles are old but they work very well and they are all different so it is easy to identify your own bike when you return from a party. There are other companies that rent bicycles that are all the same - they're everywhere.

The communication network for trains and buses in Holland is incredible, if you catch one and you buy a group ticket, you can go anywhere for €7, the outward journey and return on the same day.

Cost of living

I thought that it would be more expensive than it is, it is comparable to the prices in Barcelona. A beer in a bar costs around €3 and to eat or have dinner outside is about €15-20. The supermarket is a little more expensive than Spain but it isn't too restrictive at all. The fresh foods are cheaper in the market that opens three days a week and the fish there is the cheapest! The typical thing to do is to eat "fries", chips, which are amazing and very cheap, there are bars and loads of other places that sell them everywhere.

Here Visa Cards don't work and neither do Euro6000, so you need to get a Mastercard. We have opened an account in ING because, without a Dutch card, you can't buy group tickets on the internet.

The Nightlife

There is always a pub to go to. The night life atmosphere is great on whatever day of the week you go, and the street is full of young people. There is a club and afterwards, many pubs put on music of every genre (you hear a lot of regeatton). You can't drink in the street, so the pre-drinks are done on the down-low. On Wednesday it is the Eramsus Student Night in a pub called "Twistter". Every day the music reflects one particular country, and so the quality of the songs and the atmosphere changes every week. There is also somewhere called Kokomo, the largest club in the city centre. It has a great atmosphere and the music isn't bad, although for Spanish people the star of the show is the place Sunny Beach, because they put on Spanish music and reggeaton. If you like a bit more of an indie atmosphere, I would recommend Warhol, a bar hidden amongst a street decorated with Andy Warhol paintings where they don't play pop music. There are cafés throughout the city and you can eat in or take away.

On the way back from going out, near the Groten Market, you can buy something to eat in one of them 24 hrs shops where they always have food for you and where they sell the classic croquette for only €2. 50.

Groten Market, the main square in the centre, full of bicycles for the night. We park them here for when we go out at night. On Fridays you can barely walk through this square and it is almost impossible to find your bike to take home.

Flat or Halls of Residence?

The majority of people that I know live in Halls of Residence, you have to be quick to reserve one because, although there are a lot, they run out and some students have been living in an airbnb because they did not find anything (it is hard to find a flat because they only want to rent to Dutch people). My recommendation would be to search for a residence as soon as possible in the centre, because the campus is a bit isolated (15 minutes on bike to the centre). My residence, which I discovered by chance, is in the centre and I couldn't be happier.

The climate

We are coming up to October and it is cold. During the day it isn't too bad but at night you'll need to go out with a jacket. You never know how the weather is going to be, as soon as it's raining the sun rises. Until now it hasn't rained very hard, I guess in the winter it'll be worse but we will manage.

I hope that this post has been helpful for you! Come to Groningen, it was my first destination and I don't regret anything!

-Shopping high street

-The Groningen Canal on a (rare) sunny day

-Colourful houses in the Groningen port

-Noordenplatsoen Park

-Another canal

If you want more information about where to go on your Erasmus placement, this link will be a big help to you!