On Groningen Part 2: Must's for Study Abroad Students

20 Things:

1. Think about start up costs. Set aside 150 to 200 euros for this. You may need to get a new phone when arriving. Lebara Mobile provides students with a free sim card and every time you top up 10 euro, they match it. Don't use your cell phone to call the United States. Add Skype credit to your Skype account. It works out to be about 2 cents per minute. Phones range between 19 and 35 euro for a cheap phone.

2. The housing office provides you with a kitchen box that includes one fork, knife, spoon, plate, bowl, mug, and drinking glass. You'll need one more of each. The good thing is that IKEA is accessible by bus or walking. You can also rent a sheet set for 17.50 euro for the semester.   You can buy a more comfortable and cheaper one from IKEA.

3. Expect to spend around 40 Euro on your first bike. There is a good chance it'll break or get stolen. Plan on going through at least two bikes. Maybe even three or four. Always lock it to a permanent post and lock the front tire to the frame. You'll save yourself the headache.

4. If you are attending RUG, plan on being overwhelmed and frustrated after the orientation ceremony. Don't be surprised if you have two or three classes at the same time. This is normal. Most lectures are attached to group seminars. The seminars are the equivalent to a NAU class meeting or lectures. The university sets up your schedule and the timetable may be hard to read but there will be plenty of assistance.

5. Again, if you're at RUG, Albert, our advisor is a great contact. He's very helpful and always available. He organizes a group meeting for all the Americans after the first week and it's at a local pub.

6. Utilize the market. It's every Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday. You can find everything there at a far less price than the grocery store. There are 2 markets in town. The Grote Market and the Vismarket. The Vismarket translates to "Fish Market." This is where the food market is.

7. Books, especially if you're in Lit. Courses will be pricy. There is a used bookstore called De Seltag on the main shopping street. Try there first.

8. Try and live close to your campus and/or the city center. Zernike is the north campus and home to the Hanze School. There is also a RUG campus there. The RUG Liberal Arts, and main campus is in the city center. You'll ride your bike everywhere regardless of where you live.

9. If you want to have a great living experience, live at Winschoterdiep 46. It can get loud at night. Party nights are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. If you want a quite house I would not recommend this one. I know of three people who moved to this house because of its awesomeness.

10. When it comes to the parties, limit yourself. You can easily spend 20 euros a night. If that's why you're studying abroad, then by all means, party. If you came to travel and see Europe, party one day a week and see how much you save. Speaking from experience, the first two weeks were a party. This got costly.

11. Don't be afraid to meet people. The best place for this is in the kitchens. You'll come together over food. Share what you know about your own country and cuisine. And if you can, organize a weekly dinner. Right now, Sundays are for cooking, drinks, laughs and friends. I'm currently cooking with Australians, Finns and Americans. There are 8 of us.

12. Once you meet cool people, plan trips together. Also, don't be afraid to travel alone. Some of The best trips I've taken have been on my own. You'll meet strangers in hostels that are just like you; traveling and exploring.

13. When booking hostels, look at location. Hostleworld.com has maps attached to the hostels. Read the reviews but only pay attention to the reviews regarding location. Google "europe's best hostels." Stay in the recommended hostels in the cities they are in. You won't regret it.

14. Join the ESN Intro Week. It's the best way to meet people from all over. Your leaders will be Dutch and have a lot of great insights and information. It's 25 euro and well worth it.

15. There are two airports for travel with RyanAir. The main one is in Bremen, Germany and the other in Eindhoven, Netherlands. Bremen is a hub; therefore flights will be a lot cheaper. A roundtrip bus ticket to Bremen will b 33 euro And roundtrip train ticket will be 34 with the NL Discount card.

16. You’ll need to set up a bank account for a lot of different things. If you want a gym membership you’ll need one. When it comes time to pay the housing office for your rent, you’ll have to pay 7 euro extra to pay in cash. If you have a bank account here, you can set up a transfer for free. You will also be able to get the Dutch Railways Discount Card. The card will cost you 55 euro upfront but will pay for itself in 2 roundtrip fares. It saves you 40% on all fares.

17. Travel to Amsterdam on the weekends. You can get a weekend pass for 27 euro. You have to travel after 7pm on Friday and before Midnight on Sunday. That gives you two good days and nights there. Visit the Anne Frank House, Heineken Museum, Van Gough Museum, and downtown. Amsterdam is such a cool city. Most of the modern aspects of the city are on the outskirts so you get a good feel for what it really looked like.

18. Take buses from country to country. They are really cheap. They may take longer but you'll save heaps. Take night ones as well. It'll save you a night’s accommodation.

19. Keep a blog or a journal. It is the best way to document your experiences. A blog will also keep your family and friends up to date on what your doing. This saves on mass emails and phone calls.

20. This is a once and a lifetime opportunity. Embrace it and don’t spend your time in your room. Love every minute of your adventure. It will only strengthen you as a person in your own life but allow you to see the world in so many different lights. I guarantee you’ll grow and change.

JP Popovich

Picture 1: Me outside Het Kasteel - A bar in the town center

Picture 2: The reflection of another student house from the reflection of a car window/

Picture 3: The canal outside of Winschoterdiep, my student house

Picture 4: A cool house boat

Picture 5: Another reflection picture
Picture 6: No explanation needed

Picture 7: The bar, 'The Three Sisters' - Largest bar in Holland 

On Groningen

I have been in the Netherlands for a little over five weeks. I guess it’s about time to write a blog about the actual place I live and what I have been up to. I got here on the first of February. It was terribly cold when I arrived. It was such a sad change from just leaving Barcelona. The nice trade was that I was able to finally unpack my belongings. It was a great feeling to have a homeafter traveling for over a month. Setting up my room brought such a nice comfort and at the same time made me miss home.

The first two people I met were Penny (Australia) and Johannes (Finland) while waiting for our rooms to open up. They have become good friends. Since being here I have gathered a close net of friends and travel buddies. Hannah and Bianca are from Australia, Jesper is from Finland, and Annie and Brittany are from the states, NAU in fact. It has been so humbling to meet people from all over the world and connect on similar things regardless of our cultural and language barriers. The eight of us do diner once a week as well as go out together during the weekends.

The first thing I had to do once I got unpacked was learn my city. I requested a Dutch mentor for my arrival. Sophie met me in the Grote Market (Great Market in the City Center of Groningen) the day after arrived and walked me through the city center. The Vismarket (Fish Market) is where the fresh market is held on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. These markets are amazing. I am able to get so many fresh items for very cheap. This is one thing that I will miss more than anything when I leave. Eating healthy is encouraged and is far cheaper than eating poorly.

Getting around the city is also easy. I purchased a bike for thirty-five euro and this is the transport that almost every person in the city of Groningen uses. Traffic is designed around bike routes and it is harder to get around with a car. The landscape is flat so it is easy to cycle. Navigating around is also easy. There are three towers in the town that helped me learn my route. The first tower was for a church, once I hit that tower, I make a right towards the next, which is the Martini tower. From there, I make a right and head towards the next tower, which is my university.

The Martini Tower is the town’s symbol. At one point, the top of it was destroyed and it has been replaced. The tower also signifies Grote Market. This is the main area for bars, coffee shops, cafes, and student life. A third of the population in Groningen is students, which makes meeting people really easy. Dutch people are very friendly and super helpful. It made the transition a lot easer.

When it came time for orientation and to receive my course schedule, the travel high ended. I was for the first time, aware that I was in a place that things were not done in the manner in which I was used to. I had three classes at one time, the schedule was in Dutch, and the start and end dates of the course went off calendar weeks not days. I spent almost two hours running around trying to figure out my schedule and the days in which I was supposed to attend. For the first time, I wanted to be back at NAU; a place where I knew what was going on, the location of my classes, the ability to understand the schedules, and LOUIE.

There was so much paperwork to fill out for residency and city hall. I had a mountain of documents piling up before me. I hate clutter and paperwork, so I became overwhelmed quickly. I had to realize that this was a very humbling feeling. I had to embrace what was before me. Once I got home, I sat down, listened to some Jack Johnson, and started filling out the paperwork. My room felt like home in a lot of ways and really helped me just relax and embrace the diversity.

The first week ended with a bang. I joined the student network out here, ENS, and basically partied all week and weekend. Through this, I met a lot of people from around the world. It was a great way to meet people and make connection with Dutch students as well.

After the weekend, school started and I had to get back into the study mode. It was a really hard transition after having almost two months off. Groningen has become my home and I am so happy that it is here. There are so many things about this place that I am so grateful for. I have to admit, I do miss the little things. I miss Cuisine of India in the Basha’s shopping center and their 8.95 lunch buffet. I miss Mexican food and horchata. The one nice thing about being here, is that I cook every meal. I don’t ever eat out unless I am traveling.

And lastly, I want to comment on the weather. It is almost always cloudy and very cold. I have seen the sun 4 days in the last month. This is very hard. I am happy that in a few weeks, the weather will be getting a lot warmer. More than anything, I miss the sun, the moon, the stars, and nature. Arizona holds so much beauty and I am so appreciative to have lived in a place so full of natural wonders. I look forward to returning and at the same time will miss my new home tremendously.

JP Popovich

Picture 1: Vismarket

Picture 2: Martini Tower

Picture 3: Bikes at the University

Picture 4: University of Groningen Main Building

Picture 5: City Hall

Picture 6: Winschoterdiep 46 - My Student House

On Human Rights – Part 1: American Perspective

Yesterday was my first class in International Human Rights – The Dutch Influence and Perspective. I have never taken a course on human rights and/or race relations in my academic career. My knowledge on the subject is what I have experienced through travel, studying the Holocaust and genocide, which has granted me the insight of viewing equality and human rights through a different lens. Politically, religiously, and selfishly, the idea of morality is used in a context that discriminates based on unaccepted religious practices. We have the moral code wrong in our political system in the United States. It should be based on what is humane in the treatment of our own citizens to better the state of our own nation.

I try to see the world as equal. If the United States Constitution, and more globally, the Bible, state that “All men are created equal,” why are we living in a world that is constantly questioning the rights of people and differences that we fear and don’t understand? I was surprised to learn that the Netherlands, being so small, is a leading, and influential part of the global Human Rights puzzle. The Netherlands is doing more than the United States, while the influence of the U.S. may be greater in global affairs.

With this being said, I want to take a moment to look at the election and inauguration of President Barack Obama. When he was inaugurated, I was taking a course on African American Literature. I was asked this question: Has America Changed? Or to put it another way: Has THE Dream been realized? My answer to this question is as follows:

This question is a complicated one. Has America changed? In many ways we are on our way to change, but have we as of this moment? Not really. The evening Obama was elected he gave another inspirational speech in Chicago, and it seemed that Americans had put aside their prejudices in the effort to put the best person in the White House. Americans did overcome racial boundaries and made huge progress in a universal statement that African Americans will finally have the sense of full equality. It was a beautiful and almost indescribable feeling. It really felt like America was on its way to changing and that I could say I was proud to be an American.

The following morning, the feeling of this forthcoming change left me. November 5^th, 2008, in three states, Americans told a group of people, like we did with African Americans, that they are a lesser people and do not deserve the right as any other American. Is this a parallel to segregation and the Civil Rights Movement? I would say that it is. In Arizona, California, and Florida, America spoke loud and clear that being a homosexual was wrong and even though they pay taxes, obey the law, fight and die for our freedom, and contribute in so many ways to the success of this country they don’t deserve equality. When it came time to provide members of our human race with equal rights and treat them with decency as human beings, we shied away and treated them as a lesser person, just because of a difference that a religion or norm does not accept.

Many proponents to these propositions said that homosexuals were asking for “special rights” that they did not deserve. How is marriage a “special right” when every other American can get married. I ask others and myself that present the “special rights” argument this: Were African Americans asking for “special rights” when they wanted to drink at the same water fountain, attend the same schools, pick their own seat on public transportation, and be respected as any other American citizen? Were women asking for special rights when they wanted suffrage? No. These struggles and push were from the uproar of civil society wanting to be treated as equals, as they, and every other American deserves to be.

From the time of the Obama’s nomination to his inauguration, statements like “equal rights for everyone,” and “we finally live in a country where everyone is free” were thrown around as if they were two-cent statements. The problem is that these are far from being accurate. Segregation and the Civil Rights movement have come full circle in such an inspiring way, but America is far from a change and far from being “equal for all.”

Because of this, I don’t feel that the “dream” has been realized. Dianne Feinstein and Pastor Rick Warren both made statements during the inauguration that made me really think about this question. Dianne said, “the struggle for equality in a democratic society made this day possible.” Rick Warren commented that we live in a land of opportunity and that freedom and justice for all unites us as a nation.

Isn’t that the “American Dream;” to live in a land with opportunities and unity through justice? If the “dream” is for everyone to have freedom, equality, and justice, Election Day accomplished making the “dream” possible for some, but took steps away from making it possible for everyone. All Americans are not equal, we still hold prejudices, and we continue to provide judgment on people with differences. Until the day comes where we can truly see every American and human being as an equal piece to the complex puzzle the “dream” will not be fulfilled for all.

It has been over a year since I wrote this response. In that year, America has still not changed. We continue to elect officials who use the religion and the Bible as their platforms, deny our military the right to serve openly, and leave it up to independent states to make the decision whether or not gay marriage should be legal. My hope is that our government rearranges their priorities to make the decision at the national level. I am speaking directly to Obama here: Being from a background of oppression and a history stained with the missteps of a racist government, don’t you think it’s time that you focus some attention to the issue of gay marriage and the equality of homosexuals?

I give this question to President Obama and the entire government with great criticism. I know that is hard to make things change when our government is plagued with special interests and religious extremists. Our priorities focus on death, war, arguing and other wastes of time and money. It is 2010 and I cannot believe that this is even a question in society.

JP Popovich