Expatriate community: Out of touch with the Dutch? UM exchange students discuss their experiences in Maastricht

Take a walk around the Guesthouse Universiteit Maastricht’s campus near Annadal, and it is quite likely that you will hear nearly every language imaginable – except for Dutch.

The Guesthouse is home to the vast majority of Universiteit Maastricht’s (UM) incoming exchange students during their stays in Maastricht. In contrast to many of Maastricht’s expatriates, UM exchange students’ stays are much shorter – usually ranging from four to nine months – resulting in a significantly different experience abroad, with less integration into the local culture.

This year, Universiteit Maastricht admitted over 700 exchange students, mostly to the English-speaking International Business/Economics, Law, Psychology, University College, and Arts and Culture/European Studies faculties.

The students come from universities all over the world with whom UM has made bilateral agreements to host visiting students. According to Alice Watt, a Guesthouse employee, sixty-nine countries have been represented at the Guesthouse during this academic year, ranging from Bhutan to Bulgaria, and from Russia to Tanzania. Most, however, come from Western countries, particularly Spain, Italy, and the United States.

The Guesthouse as a way of life
Situated in a patch of green space removed from the city, and with all facilities provided therein, it can seem as if the Guesthouse and its inhabitants occupy a universe of their own separate from Maastricht.

Exchange students typically befriend one another, and they are instantly recognisable around town in multi-national groups of 20-somethings speaking English. They can frequently spotted at their preferred hangouts in Maastricht: The Highlander, The Shamrock, and the Twee Heeren pubs, but less frequently at other establishments.

“You really have to go out and find these things on your own,” remarks Josh Vicini, an American business student. He points out that exchange students were not introduced to the bars and pubs in town beyond the Highlander and Shamrock, which is why Guesthouse residents tend not to stray beyond these establishments.

To integrate or not to integrate?
Su Ma and Keira Ball, from the US and the United Kingdom, respectively, emphasised that they hoped to experience a different culture through their exchange experience.

However, a number of obstacles prevent exchange students from integrating significantly into the local culture, including the short length of their stays, the constant exposure to other international students, and frequent travelling outside of the Netherlands.

Students have expressed that it has been difficult to meet either locals or Dutch students. Michel, a local resident who was born in Maastricht, admits: “The Maastricht mentality is chauvinistic. It’s hard for outsiders to enter.” However, he adds that “once you make the effort to know the locals, it’s worth it.”

“I haven’t learned Dutch”
“I think Dutch is an ugly language,” asserted a couple of Italian law students who asked not to be named. “Even if I had to live here for five, ten years, I still wouldn’t learn the language.”

Although others generally do not share this strong view, most exchange students have not made significant efforts to learn Dutch. This year, the enrolment in the UM Language Centre’s introductory course in Dutch for exchange students was 98 out of over 700 students.

Students often cite the short lengths of their stay, a desire to improve their English skills, as well as the excellent English spoken by Dutch people, as reasons for not having learned the language.

As a native English speaker, Keira laments that she came here with all of the best intentions to learn Dutch, but since arriving, she has not done so. “I guess it’s a shame to say that I haven’t learned Dutch,” she says, “but I haven’t needed to. Otherwise, I would have.”

Germans generally have an easier time learning and understanding Dutch than their peers from other linguistic backgrounds, but it is still a challenge for them. “There are too many Germans here,” observes German economics student Tobias Schwabe. “So it’s really hard to learn Dutch. Even the Germans who know Dutch speak German, and the Dutch speak English.”

Despite these difficulties, a representative from the Language Centre stressed that it is important to learn Dutch. “I can speak several different languages, and I always appreciate being able to know what others are talking about when I am going travelling. It is always good to at least be able to ask how to buy a loaf of bread, for instance. It is good to know what others are talking about.”

Tobias points out that when he goes abroad, he wants to learn to speak the language of the country he is visiting: “I think it’s impolite to speak my own language. I’m coming here, so why not learn Dutch?”

Impact on Maastricht
Certainly, the city has benefited from the presence of exchange students from around the world. “It’s a plus situation,” enthuses Michel, whose job at the UM library brings him into frequent contact with exchange students. “We need more of them. They create a nice atmosphere, and they make it more cosmopolitan. Maastricht needs it because it is such a small city.”

Exchange students’ economic contribution to the city should also not be underestimated. It is difficult to estimate their impact on the local economy, but Maastricht certainly receives a sizeable economic boost each year from the hundreds of incoming exchange students who spend money on eating out, drinking, groceries, transportation, entertainment, furnishings, clothing, and gym memberships. Indeed, monthly expenditures easily exceed 600 euros, with one student sheepishly admitting to spending about EUR 1,200 a month.

Certainly, exchange students occupy a unique position in Maastricht, separate from the local culture, but also separate from the expatriate community. Their short stays make it difficult for them to connect with either group, or to learn the Dutch language.

While some students complain that the locals are not very open or receptive to their presence, many of them have not taken significant efforts to integrate. Tellingly, Tobias points out that his efforts to learn Dutch are well received, when shopkeepers are friendlier to him when he practices his Dutch when them.

As such, the efforts should come from both the locals as well as the students. Michel seems to have it right when he makes an observation that applies to both exchange students and the community at large: “onbekend maakt onbemind.” If you don’t know something, you can’t like it.

By Maxine Chan