Social activities

21 May 2009

While other concerns may be more immediate just after your arrival in the Netherlands, finding social contacts and making friends is of course essential to making you feel at home in the long run. Depending on the environment in which you come to work, you’re likely to have international or Dutch colleagues. But ideally you may also want to look for some contacts and activities outside your work.

Meeting other foreigners may be the easiest way of quickly finding kindred souls in a foreign country. Some places for you to start looking include:

Dutch language classes
International associations or international neighbour groups at the university
Social activities for expats, often advertised on the internet

If you have an open mind towards getting to know your host culture, and perhaps a little bravery and language skills, you might prefer to make some Dutch friends. Opportunities to meet the Dutch include:

Clubs and associations (sports, choirs, …)
Hobby classes where you learn new skills
Local events, such as street festivals

Because the resources for finding activities will be so unique to each city or region, it is impossible to provide a comprehensive list here. There are, however, many broadly informative possibilities. In this section we provide information on how the Dutch socialize, what general startingpoints could be for socializing with other internationals, on how to find 'What's happening in Holland' on Dutch festivals, on Places to see, Things to do and on Children's events.

Social activities

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