An Expat Talks about Living in Nijmegen, Netherlands

What is the name of the city or town that you are reporting on?

Nijmegen

How long have you lived there?

Four years

What activities, clubs and organizations would you recommend to newcomers to help them meet others?

If you are a student, there are a few organizations that offer services in English at the university. One is Bureau Buitenland. Another is The Bridge.

For older working professionals, there is a network of foreigners in the area. I suggest a few pubs in town such as the one at the cinema Lux. Another really gezellig thing to do is take latin dancing lessons, latin people are really open and friendly!

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In terms of religious, racial, economic and cultural diversity, are the people of this city or town diverse? Are they accepting of differences? Describe.

Nijmegen is well-balanced with respect to age categories. It is a city with everything in moderate amounts. It lies at the boundary of the protestant and catholic regions, so there is every type of religious service here. However, most are not offered in English. People are accepting, and since it is a non-touristic city, people are polite. You have a good chance of encountering 'real Dutch people' here, untainted by foreign influences.

What are the main industries in this city? What types of career opportunities commonly exist? How do most people find new jobs?

There is a university in the city, so there is a large student base. There are several internationally oriented companies, such as Akzo Nobel. Find a new job by going to city hall and subscribing to the CWI (Centrum voor Werk en Inkomst). Other options include search engines on the web (www.intermediair.nl). The provincial newspaper is the Gelderlander.

In general, what are peoples' priorities in this city? For example, do lives revolve around work, family, socializing, sports, etc.?

This isn't a major tourist destination so the foreign network is much smaller. Here, six degrees of separation is more like three degrees of separation.

The foreign population is very diverse, I was once at a party with 20 people and every single one was from a different country!

Life revolves around moderate amounts of family life, social life and the outdoors. Nature is at your doorstep, with the Waal river and Ooij polder less than 10 minutes biking from the center of town. Nijmegen is a fine example of a very pleasant middle-sized city.

If a friend of yours was thinking of moving to this city or town from far away, what other advice would you give them.

You will have to subscribe to an agency to find a place to live in the center. Living in the small villages around is okay if you have a car. I like Nijmegen!