Erasmus Experience in Maastricht, Netherlands by Courtney

Why did you choose to go to Maastricht, Netherlands?

Because it is well known for being a very international city, it is also incredibly close to Germany and Belgium - offers fantastic opportunities to travel. The School of Business & Economics in Maastricht has a really good reputation and I was curious about the Problem Based Learning system which is vastly different to the system at my home University in Brisbane, Australia. Also I chose the Netherlands due to the Dutch being stereotypically direct, open-minded and friendly. Lastly, I wanted to go to a country that was part of the EU yet the English proficiency of residents was fairly high, which is indeed the case.

How long is the scholarship? How much money do you receive to help you with living costs?

I received a $6000 AUD OS-Help loan from my home university in Australia. This wasn't a scholarship however. All my other living expenses I had to take care of myself.

What is the student lifestyle like in Maastricht?

It's very lively. Because there are a lot of Universities in the city itself and it is relatively small compared to a capital city, for example, it means that you really get that 'student city' vibe by walking down any street in the centre of town. The International Student Network (ISN) is super active here (if you get Laurie on the O-Week pub crawl give her a hug and buy her a beer). I highly recommend getting involved with all of their Orientation week activities (i. e. parties). I met the majority of my friends through events held by this network. There are also events/parties multiple times during the week during semester too. Double Trouble and International Thursdays are my personal favourites.

There are a lot of group projects that you have to participate in, and because of the demands of study here there is a real 'This is a bit crappy, but we're all in it together' mentality. You have to study a lot, but you do this in cafes and at the Student Services Centre / Library with your friends and it doesn't feel as soul-draining.

Would you recommend the city and the University of Maastricht to other students?

I feel like Maastricht is my home now, so I would definitely recommend coming to study in this city. There is so much I have fallen in love with about Maastricht (see last question for a more detailed outline). However, the study load and expectations from the University are very demanding. If you are coming here to chill out, have a good time and travel on the weekends this will need to be complemented with very very hard work during the week.

What is the food like?

Food is great! Not the biggest fan of Dutch cuisine, but the local bakeries have great 'vlaai', stroopwafel is the bomb, I'm even on board with herring these days. Oliebollen are divine and the fries with mayonnaise after a big night out are heaven. There was a Food Truck festival in the Spring time that was all my culinary dreams come true. Also, at the moment there are Christmas markets where you can get everything from glüwein to waffles to bratwurst (I know, not very Dutch, but delicious all the same). Other traditional Dutch food in my experience has comprised of a lot of mashed potato accompanied with some kind of sausage, Bitterballen (deep fried meatball-type thing) and deep fried fish called Kibbeling. The Dutch really like their fresh mint tea too which is very comforting and refreshing on colder days. There are a lot of very cosy cafes and restaurants around the city, so there is plenty of other kinds of food to choose from in very cute settings as well. There are a lot of different supermarkets to choose from (from most to least expensive): Jan Linders, Albert Heijn, Jumbo, Plus, Lidl and Aldi. They have fresh food markets every Wednesday and Friday in the Market square which is fantastic for cheap produce and also sampling oliebollen, kibbleing, fries and herring of course!

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Maastricht?

No. I went through a Facebook group 'Rooms/ Kamer/ Zimmer in Maastricht' to find my accommodation. The first 6 months of my stay I found a really lovely 5 bedroom shared house around 15 minutes bike ride away from the University campus. In the second 6 months of my stay I went through this Facebook group again and found a reasonably priced loft master bedroom with ensuit 5 minutes walk from the city centre for not a great deal more per month. Everyone that I have lived with have been awesome and am still excellent friends with everyone and we all hang out frequently. I had the option of staying at the Guesthouse but I feel I found much nicer, cheaper and more central accommodation through this Facebook group. If you have the patience, I would suggest using this group and also securing your accommodation as early as possible. Maastricht is a student city, and the demand for rooms outweighs the supply by a fair bit. You gotta get in early to get something good!

How much does it cost to live in Maastricht?

This is hard to say. I spend quite a bit of money on food and entertainment, more so than back home. So on top of between 400-460 euro/month rent I would say between 50-80 per week on food/entertainment/going out. Electricity, water, gas and internet is included in the rent price which is nice as this isn't the case in Australia. If you get your food from the market, go out on the student discount nights and don't anticipate doing much shopping (good luck with that as Maastricht has some really cute boutique and brand name retailers) then you could live here very cheaply. This is excluding travel outside Maastricht and other ad hoc costs like textbooks, buying your bike, etc. Speaking of which, you will spend next to nothing on public transport, as you will be biking or walking everywhere. If you have to catch public transport, however, it is quite reasonably priced.

Is the language easy to get to grips with? Are there language courses available at the University?

My personal experience with Dutch isn't the best. There are definitely language courses available for around 100-250 euros per course depending on which one that you choose. I came over with the best intentions to learn more Dutch, but because I didn't enrol in the language course at the University I didn't continue this. While I would try to practice with locals, pretty much everyone speaks English so my discipline went out the window with that too. If I'm brutally honest between the workload here, travelling and sleeping, the thought of doing an additional language course on top of that borders on impossible a bit. In my opinion. Again, although this is a somewhat lazy attitude regarding this aspect of exchange you don't really need to learn Dutch to get by here. Hallo (hello), dankjewel (thank-you), nee (no), ja (yes), sorrie (sorry) and tot zeins (see you later) have gotten me by for the past year without any real issue. Oh, and Ik spreek Engels (I speak English).

What's the easiest or most economical way to travel to Maastricht from your city?

Well I am from Australia. So flying is really my only option. And then I got the train from Amsterdam to Maastricht which was super easy, the train network in this country is very efficient and on-time. Although pack some hand disinfectant to use the bathrooms on the trains. They're nasty and the soap dispensers don't always work.

Where would you recommend to go on a night out in Maastricht?

I could be mean and say go to the Alla. But don't go there. Even though that's where all students end up anyway because it's the club that is open the longest. Go to Cafe Cliniq or Bascilica if you want to 'party' and dance in a bar environment. Look up events at Muziekgieterij and Complex if you want live music/DJs in larger venues that boast more of a open 'warehouse/club' vibe. Go to De Brandweer Kantine, Cafe Zondag or Take 5 if you want to have a cocktail/beer and chill with friends. And go to Cafe Forum on Monday nights if your into jazz.

And for eating? Can you recommend some good restaurants in Maastricht?

• Cafe Sjiek is a good place to sample some traditional Dutch cuisine - order Zuurvlees and don't ask any questions.
• Cafe Bijzonder is my all time favourite restaurant in Maastricht. It does incredibly healthy, delicious and interesting food with a seasonal menu and the most friendly staff ever! They also have a huge selection of teas and have brunch items that would make anyone salivate.
• Fab is also another place that do very good breakfasts that is situated on the Market Square.
• Witloof is excellent for Belgian cuisine and beer.
• Burgerlijk does amazing burgers and G&T's.
• Koffie in my opinion does the best coffee (who'da thunk). It's also got a really cool vibe and is a great place to study.
• Another place for ambience, coffee, tea and great cake is Tea Zone - try their salted caramel brownie or apple tea cake.
• Cato Cato is a student favourite and there's very good reason for it. It's all home made food with plenty of vegetarian and vegan options, the menu changes every day and it is incredibly cheap.
• Other favourites for coffee would be Alley Cats Bikes & Coffee which ironically has the cutest in-house doggie that roams about looking for petting.
• The Living Room is also a cute place for a coffee and a panini.
• Head to Pinky if you're craving a waffle or a good icecream, it'll be hard to resist as you can smell them all throughout the city centre.
• If you want to dine alfresco and join the throngs of locals and tourists on the Vrijtof, go to Vrijthof 9, it's the cheapest but also has really decently sized meals.
• Le Petit Bonheur is great for a date and if you're into french cuisine.
• Thiessen Wijnkoopers do an excellent wine and cheese pairing.
• If you have some cash and really want to splurge on an extravagant night out head to Chateau Neercanne - it's a restaurant/estate on the Netherlands/Belgian border about a 15 minute bike ride from city centre. Google it and you'll understand why I'm recommending the place.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

Within Maastricht itself you could head to Sint Pieter's Fort and do the caves tour. There are a number of interesting museums and galleries in the city I've never had the pleasure of visiting but I'm told they are good.

Is there any other advice that you could give to students going to Maastricht in the future?

Maastricht is great because it is the kind of place where you bump into your friends almost every day as everything is located closely. The bicycling culture is probably my favourite thing and this coupled with the fact that you can also walk a lot of places actually meant that I lost weight and adopted a healthier lifestyle than I did in the city I used to live in. There are beautiful walks really not that far from the city centre and the town itself is stunning, clean and cosy. Spring and Autumn here are straight out of a travel brochure or a Pinterest 'Travel Insp' board. The student life is lively and you will make friends easily and quickly. Also the location gives you excellent opportunities to travel all around Europe. Personally I've ticked off 14 countries since arriving in February. Downsides of Maastricht are the weather - but that is to be expected when coming to Northern Europe. I had quite a bit of adjusting to do as I come from Brisbane where we get sun 80% of the time and our winters don't dip below 12 degrees. Also the PBL system and the workload is very demanding. You learn and grow and get lots of skills to use back at your home university and also in the workplace. But if you're going on exchange just to meet people, travel and party then Maastricht probably isn't the place for you. Having said that, if I had to do this all over again I would still pick Maastricht as the destination of my exchange.