Life in-between: an expat in North Limburg

Expatriation: a difficult but sometimes necessary choice
Leaving one’s home country is never an easy decision but, when it is dictated by love, as it is in my case, then every obstacle can be overcome.

Even the idea of moving to a small German village in the middle of the countryside did not look too bad, nor did the many compromises I would have to make in order to keep on living my dream.

I moved to the region of North Rhine-Westphalia two years ago, right after graduating from a Master’s course in Milan, the Italian capital of fashion.

Source: Map of Limburg

It was an ironic decision as my relationship with the German language, although I had studied it for eight years, was not idyllic. Living in a country which for me had the lowest appeal among European states was another challenge I accepted to take.

I was happy however to soon find out that at least the standards of living in Germany were much better than in Italy, so my struggling with a country I didn’t belong to was somehow justified by the prospect of saving some money for the future (possibly elsewhere).

Home-base: Germany
The rental price of a two or three-room flat in the German province of Viersen is set around EUR 400 a month. For the same amount, it is not possible to find anything bigger than a single room apartment in the province of Milan.

Living costs are also cheaper in Germany than in the neighbouring Netherlands; rentals under EUR 600 in Venlo or Roermond, two Dutch towns located in the Limburg region just across the German border, are difficult to find. For this price, the most common offer is a single room in a shared apartment. Grocery shopping, restaurants and leisure are also far more affordable in Germany, coming down to at least half of the price when compared to Italy or Holland.

It becomes clear that a good option to maximise savings is to live in Germany and work in the Netherlands where income tax is lower.

Working in Holland without knowing Dutch
Although the best chances to find employment are reserved to job-seekers who master Dutch, and vacancies are more frequent in big cities, smaller towns also offer good opportunities for expatriates.

Most job ads for foreigners with no knowledge of Dutch that can be found online, on websites such as Jobrapido or Stepstone, seem to be limited to call-centre or credit collector positions. Vacancies however are usually located in Amsterdam, The Hague, Utrecht or other big cities.

Hence the necessity to settle for a not-so-attractive job, but which at least is less dull and brings in a better salary than a comparable one in the country of origin would.

Most expats keep searching for a chance to improve their career. Helpful agencies for Dutch illiterates are for example Abroad Experience, Undutchables, Multilingual Vacancies and it is also worth browsing the Limburg region job vacancy site which occasionally posts offers in English.

Not all roads lead to the Netherlands
An indispensable prerequisite for cross border workers is having a car; public transportation is very expensive in both countries but, more than high prices, the real obstacle is the scarce offer of travel services across the border, as well as the fact that not all villages are close to a railway station.

On the German side of the border the main train stations are Viersen and Mönchengladbach which are both connected to Roermond and Venlo; while the trip from Viersen to Venlo takes less than half an hour for a price of about EUR 7, Roermond proves to be a trickier destination, with one change to be made and a total journey of almost one hour to cover just 24 km.

There is no direct train from Mönchengladbach to Roermond either and the 33 km trip takes about an hour and costs EUR 11.20.

This is clearly a point against commuting to work by public means of transport during week days. Weekend evening outings are also drastically affected if one has to travel by train or bus and is bound to fixed timetables.

A car is definitely the best investment for the cross border commuter.

Leisure: German highlights
The truth is clear: the rural areas of North Rhine-Westphalia do not offer much as far as culture and leisure are concerned. Villages are deserted in the evenings, giving the impression that everybody is conducting their own lives in their houses. Local communities gather for Carnival, flea markets in the weekends, village parties with lots of sausage and chips stalls but there is not much else going on; the luckiest communities can count on reading clubs or local debates, which are all in German.

It is worth expanding one’s field of action to bigger cities which are more likely to offer a wider choice of entertainment in music, art, culture and social activities. There are two bigger centres at one hour’s drive from the Dutch border: the modern city of Düsseldorf which will host the 2011 Eurovision song contest, and Cologne, crowned by its Gothic cathedral, the symbol of the city.

Every first weekend of November, the Long Night of the Museums (Lange Nacht der Kölner Museen) in Cologne attracts roughly 20000 visitors for an eight hour-long marathon of museum visits, open air concerts, poetry readings and exhibitions. Although most of the events are in German, the beauty of art and music does not require the knowledge of a foreign language to be enjoyed.

What is certainly not lacking in the Niederrhein region is a wide choice of outdoor activities, for the joy of sports and nature lovers. Cycling or tracking routes will take you from Germany into the Netherlands, through the De Meinweg natural park, and new EU-funded projects, such as initiatives within the INTERREG IV A program, are currently being developed by the Maas-Schwalm-Nette Natural Park organisation, with the aim to bring together the historical, cultural and environmental history of Germany and the Netherlands.

While in the Netherlands…
On the Dutch side of the border, the town of Venlo, with its 100.328 inhabitants, is a favourite shopping centre for Germans, very much like Roermond, whose recently opened outlet centre is sought for its designer brands and affordable prices.

The local expat community can enjoy movies in original language either in the newly built, and delightful, Foroxity multiplex as well as in the smaller, but cosier, cinema in Reuver, 10 kms away.

Although both Venlo and Roermond boast many nice restaurants and cafés, what is definitely missing is a greater offer of cultural activities and events aimed at expatriates, similar to those which liven up the provincial capital of Maastricht, about 60 km to the south. The atmosphere in this university centre is very different from what one can find in the rural parts of Limburg; debates, concerts and exhibitions turn this former Roman town into a unique cultural hub in the region.

I had the chance to attend a couple of meetings organised by Maastricht Debates last year, and was struck by the stimulating discussions that took place between students and other audience members with speakers such as representatives of the Dutch Parliament or European institutions in Brussels.

I also noted the existence of several publications announcing events in English, which expatriates can attend, such as concerts, movies, theatre productions and festivals. A very useful tool to keep up to date is the site www.maastrichtnet.nl or the Week in Week Uit brochure highlighting the weekly events in the city, also available in electronic format on http://issuu.com/weekinweekuit.

Smaller expat communities
Expatriates living in Venlo, Roermond and across the border in Germany envy this cultural livelihood which they don’t find in the eastern part of the province.

A common remark I hear in my workplace in Venlo, which employs more than 60 people from all over the world, is indeed the lack of cultural initiatives and of places to visit in the area. It could also be that expats are not aware of many events in their region, due to language barriers or to the lack of a common point of contact, such as the International Service Desk in Maastricht for instance.

A form of solidarity however tends to grow spontaneously among people working in the same place and sharing the same lifestyle; the limited contact with the German or Dutch community helps the growth of an expatriate community, where people share the same feelings of nostalgia for their countries of origin and, in many cases, the warmth of the people they left behind. This encourages work colleagues to organise parties, dinners and trips together, as the chances of meeting other expatriates would otherwise be narrowed down to attending Dutch language courses or sport clubs/activities.

Being “homeless” is a good reason to try and recreate a home elsewhere; it may be impossible to overcome the geographical and ethnic boundaries that make the Netherlands different from Italy, France, Nigeria, the UK, but I am sure that feeling at home away from home is not an impossible mission.

To achieve this aim though, it would be helpful to have access to proper tools and organisations. My wish is that the relevant authorities at sub-regional level would help unite the smaller expatriate communities.

By Claudia Costa

Claudia Costa, 26 years old, is an Italian graduated narrative translator at the Scuole Civiche Milano faculty for Interpreters and Translators. She recently started working as a freelance journalist and is currently attending a distance learning post graduate diploma in Journalism and Newswriting at the London School of Journalism. She currently works in The Netherlands and lives in Germany.

Links:
Niederrhein region tourism portal (English)
National park De Meinweg (English)
National park Maas- Schwalm-Nette (German)
website of the INTERREG IV A programme “Deutschland – Nederland” (English)
Cologne tourism portal (English)
The long night of the Cologne Museums (German)
Düsseldorf city portal (English)
Viersen city portal (German)
Mönchengladbach city portal (German)
Properties for sale or rent in Germany (German)
Roermond portal (English)
Venlo portal (English)
Maastricht debates (English)
Designer Outlet Center Roermond (English)
Foroxity cinema Roermond (Dutch)
Reuver cinema (Dutch)
Abroad experience Job Agency (English)
Undutchables (English)
Multilingual vacancies (English)