Feeling like a stranger in my own country

Grown up, that is how I felt two years ago when I started studying here in Maastricht. I was going to become independent, make new friends, party all night long and, of course do a bit of studying at the department for Translation and Interpreting at Zuyd University.

Maastricht, Photo by rsndn via Flickr

For me this new adventure was somehow even more special because I’m in a wheelchair and have had a very protected upbringing.

What I underestimated was the time that it actually took me to adapt to this feeling of independence.
In my new house I had to learn to wait for help and live together with ten other people who had a different frame of reference in the sense that they don’t follow higher education.

I also experienced that it is not as easy as I thought to make new friends. This made me realise how attached I was to my secondary school friends I had left back home in the Gelderland region.

The first few months in Maastricht were an awful period during which I felt very lonely and insecure, as if I were a total stranger in my own country.

Limburg to me seemed very different from the rest of the country and even though I’m Dutch, it took me some time to start feeling at home here.

Language barrier
A specific aspect of living in Maastricht or Limburg is the language and culture barrier I have experienced. However unbelievable it may sound, this is possible even in such a small country as the Netherlands. Near Arnhem, where I grew up, we speak Standard Dutch, without any specific accent or dialect. But here in Limburg people speak their very own ‘language’, called Limburgish (“Limburgs” in Dutch). Since it is used on a wider scale than than an average dialect it has the status of regional language.

Even after living here for several months, the dialect of Limburg can still be quite incomprehensible for a newcomer. Things even get more complicated, because almost every town or village has its own form of dialect!

Small glossary English-Dutch-Limburgish:

There are many more examples I can come up with, but these are some of the most commonly used words. People who speak German probably notice the big resemblance between Limburgish and German. Pronunciation varies from town to town, and Limburgers can guess where a person comes from just by their accent, isn’t it amazing?

The southern attitude
Limburgers not only speak a different language, they also act differently. They tend to speak Limburgish to each other, without realising that some people in the room may not understand it. When asked, they will switch to Dutch, and apologise for speaking Limburgish but deep in their heart they seem to think that you should learn their dialect. You are the one who wanted to live here, so you should learn the language, something I still refuse because I feel it is fake for non-native Limburgers to speak dialect. This made me feel isolated in the beginning, because I didn’t understand a word of what people were saying. After a few months however, I did get better at it.

Streetnames in Maastricht, both in Dutch and Limburgish dialect, photo by Sueli Brodin

Furthermore, Limburgers tend to have a very indirect way of saying what they want. At least I experience it that way, because in the east of the country, where I come from, and in the west of the country, we are used to being more straightforward in saying what we want, especially when we express our expectations and wishes. Maybe that is why Limburgers sometimes call people ‘from above’ (coming from the other parts of the country) offensive.

Limburgers, as I have found out, are nevertheless very hospitable towards other people. In the west of the country, people tend to be so busy with their own lives that it is almost impossible to meet them spontaneously, while here in the south people are more likely to drop by unannounced. In the rest of the country everything has to be arranged in advance. It took me some time to get used to this relaxed attitude, but it is getting better and now it is actually one of the aspects of life I like the most in Limburg.

Photo by Luiz Felipe Castro via Flickr

When you manage to adapt to these cultural and linguistic differences, Maastricht is a very nice and beautiful city to live in. Because of its geographical location, near the Belgian and German borders, and the large number of international students, the atmosphere in the city almost makes you feel as if you were abroad, something which always seems to relax me. With its narrow streets and old buildings, Maastricht is very cosy and surprising; behind a corner there is always something new to explore. Even though I felt like a total stranger in my own country in the beginning, I can say that Maastricht has now become my home.

First of all thanks to the friends I’ve made here, and especially one student who is originally from Delft but has been living in Maastricht for the past ten years. The fact that he is not Limburgian comforts me because he struggled with the same things as I do now. He always said that I would get used to life in Limburg, and it looks like he was right.

Street in Maastricht, photo by kevingessner via Flickr

Secondly, I joined a Dutch student association a year ago, something I can recommend to every student. There are even two students associations for foreign students: AIESEC and AEGEE . Most members of one of these student associations are exchange students at Maastricht University or Zuyd University.

The big advantage of belonging to a student association is that it offers a very easy way to meet friends and to stay in touch. Since I paid for my membership fee, I am somehow “forced” to go out at least once a week.

Carnival in Maastricht, photo by Ramon Duran via Flickr

I never thought that I would say one day “I like living here”, but honestly I do, I really do… Although I admit that I will be glad when I can return to Arnhem, just because it is more centrally located in the country.

By Jasmijn van der Ploeg

Jasmijn van der Ploeg is at third year student at Zuyd University, department for Translation and Interpreting, school for International Communication. She is currently doing an internship at the European Journalism Centre.