One Year In Maastricht

by Monica Salvioli

I arrived in Maastricht two years ago in a cold November. It was not my first experience abroad nor my first time in the Netherlands, yet it was unforgettable.
As usual, the best things happen unexpectedly and my stay was organized at the very last minute, with some leftover Erasmus funds. This probably explains why I could not afford a decent accommodation and I had to make do with a room at the student residence in the suburbs. A 8m^2 room, to be precise. Due to the lack of storage space, my luggage was occupying the only free spot on the floor, painfully blocking my way to the toilet every single night. But there was worse to come. If you are seeking a personal growth experience, I strongly recommend you try sharing the kitchen with 15 bachelor students who are almost 10 years younger than you. Or, you try to sleep while they stay on the balcony until 1 or 2 am talking loudly...

I was feeling a bit lonely, spending much time in the office, sometimes also on Saturdays. Once, I even got locked inside because I did not know at what time they were closing the building!
All in all, it was not a smooth starting. My colleagues were friendly, but they were not so used to have lunch together or to hang out after work or at weekends. My supervisor tried to help by asking some staff members to invite me out. Surprisingly, someone did and I found myself in the most popular pubs of Maastricht for a beer tasting tour. For the record, I was tipsy after 2 rounds.

Slowly, things started to go better. They switched on the Christmas lights all around, which make Maastricht so cozy and warm. I stopped counting down to the end of my stay and started taking all the opportunities to know the area a bit better and to meet people. We organized an office trip to the Christmas markets in Aachen and a Christmas dinner. Some colleagues started inviting me for coffee or for lunch, I started playing squash, and I got introduced to new people and to the activities organized by the PhD Academy, which are a total blast! I took part in some movies night, after-work drinks, the boat party, some dance workshops and even a session of improv on Valentine’s day, which is something I would have never dared to try in my home country!

In the meanwhile, I moved to a new flat with enough space for me (and my big luggage). I celebrated by inviting all my colleagues for dinner. It took me two days to cook all that stuff but it was worth it! After that, we had many other dinners with food from all over the world.
Time flew and my stay came to an end. But, hard to admit, I had changed my mind about living in Maastricht and I was definitely not ready to leave. Thus, I asked to spend part of the last year of my PhD abroad, which gave me the possibility to come back again, and again, and again.

I worked really hard, completed all the missing chapters of my PhD thesis, but I also had much fun!

This experience was extremely positive, in many ways. My colleagues come from all different countries and I learned a lot from such a diverse environment. But I learned a lot about myself, too. For instance, I had always been used to have people around, and I had always found things like having dinner alone a bit awkward, but in Maastricht I started appreciating some alone time as well, either running along the Maas, eating outside, exploring the city center or listening to some live jazz music. Living abroad forced me to adapt and leave my comfort zone. I started a language exchange with a girl who I had just met at the squash field and we are still in contact. Once I turned up out of the blue at a colleague’s place. We really clicked and now she is one of my best friends (and the one who hosts me every time I come back!).

During my stay(s) in Maastricht I definitely became more flexible, curious and outgoing.
Before joining the cycling dinner organized by the PhD academy, I would have never imagined I might enjoy having dinner with complete strangers. On a summer evening, together with my team, I cycled from one house to another to get our starter, main dish and dessert offered by local Dutch people, with whom we chatted and laughed a lot. This was an amazing opportunity to get to know Maastricht, its dwellers and traditions. And on my way home, cycling in the summer breeze, I realized that Maastricht was finally smelling like home.