Assen Travel Forum

After thinking i'll be moving to Aberdeen, my company decided to send me to Assen for 8 months

I visited Amesterdam about 10 years ago and haven't been to the Netherlands since- this is also my first time working as an expat

Any tips will be extremely helpful, but the ones i can think of so far are:

1. A colleague at work recommended living in Groningen and commuting to Assen for work- what is the distance? and is the public transportation good?

2. What are the reasonable rates for accomodation (I'm single) in both Assen and in Groningen? where are the better places to live in both (safety, close to shops/town, close to public transport, etc)?

3. Do i need to learn Dutch?

4. I can't live without the internet :-) - what are the best internet service providers?

Try this expat website - they have loads of useful information & a forum to post questions.

www.expatica.com

It's is not essential to apeak Dutch & in Amsterdam but when we lived there I knew the basics - for the train, cafes & shopping etc.

All the bast

PJL

1) Groningen is a great city! I was there yesterday and I remember seeing signs for Assen. It should be less than 30 km from groningen. However, I wouldnt suggest living in Groningen unless you have a car. I assume the trains are good (you need to check into this), but dont know how long they take and what the schedule is (ie-when they stop running).

2) I dont know how it is in teh Netherlands specifically, but across the boarder in Germany, you could get a 1 bedroom flat for around €300 a month in a city like Groningen.

3) No matter where you live you need the language. Even if everyone can speak english (I know about 90% in the area speak german, maybe the same amount speak english) you will need dutch to be able read the newspaper, watch the news, listen to the radio, set up a bank account, be able to listen to conversations, etc. It isnt a difficult language, so in 8 months you can pick it up.

4) I am not sure of internet providers in the Netherlands

Just some tips since you are living as an expat: exchanging your money for Euros might be a big problem, so clear this with your company, as maybe they have a way for helping with the exchange.

1. Groningen is a student city and has an excellent bar scene. If you are looking for young people, Groningen is the place to be. If you want to live in a more peaceful surrounding, stay close to Assen.
Public transportation is OK: direct train connection 19 minutes travel time. Monthly ticket = Euro 131.00 (and you need some bus transportation at both sides too!)

2. Better places = higher rental rates.
At http://makelaar.lokaalzoeken.nl/regio7/ you find some local house brokers.
The first appartment I see = Euro 439.00 per month at Assen

3. Learning Dutch. Not really, but we appreciate the few Dutch lines you can master.

4. For all providers look at: http://provider.pagina.nl/
I have Essent broadband Internet via a cable modem (the same cable that provides the TV-channels).
Broadband Internet = Euro 48.00 per month (400k/sec).
Next to cable modem ADSL is popular; broadband speed is slightly less, compared to cable.

PJ

pieter_jan_v please dont say that about not learning dutch. The thing I hate most about the Netherlands and Germany is that people here tend to have the attitude that you dont need to learn the language to live here (you can get by with english). It is true that you can 'get by' with english, and it is not necessary for a visitor to learn your language to get around, but for anyone who lives and becomes a resident in any country should know that it is 100% necessary to learn the language and customs. When you tell people that it is not necessary to learn your language you are telling them that your culture and history are worthless and not worth learning and you are forcing the natives of your country to go through trouble to adapt to a visitor, when the visitor is the one who should go through the trouble and adapt to the country.

It's just a fact. We Dutchies will understand English.
We care about our culture and I'm sure any foreigner with interest in the Dutch culture will learn some Dutch.
Half a year is probably not enough to do that, but I recommend learning to count in Dutch and learn some basic lines.

This is a guy that lived in many countries. For the few month he will spend here, I hardly can say he MUST learn Dutch.

PJ

It can be useful to learn a bit of Dutch - then you can shock the locals when then start talking about you & they definately don't expect you to understand !

PJL

Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

;-(((

My parrot aint gonna sit on your shoulder any more.

Spain´s more fun than Aberdeen, but still think you should´ve gone there!!!

Have fun Babymuncher, Jem

thanks everyone for your responses- Obviously I'll learn my one or two Dutch words to get by, but i doubt i can master the language in time :) Good to know most people understand English.

Sounds like it's more economical to opt for living in Assen, close to workplace, and commuting to Groningen on weekends etc

Yes I understand, and for 8 months you can learn basic dutch, but it is not expected that you speak fluently. I am sure for your work you will use english (or whatever other languge the company uses in this case). I was just asking you not to tell people 'not to learn dutch' or that 'it is not necessary to learn dutch' , as i have heard this hundreds of times. I just say this because last time I was in Rotterdam I met people who had lived there for 8 years and couldnt speak enough dutch to put together 2 sentences, and there are people who have lived in germany for over 10 years and cant speak any. The blame lies with them for not wanting to learn and not caring, but my point was that some of the blame also is with the Dutch and German people because they tell these people 'no need to learn our language' or that 'it is not necessary, you can get by with english'. I was just trying to say this is like telling people 'we dont matter and our culture doesnt matter and we will go through trouble to cater to you'. This of course is not the case in this situation, so I was not trying to be negative!

My 2p:

Assen -Groningen is 30 kms, connected by the motorway A28. That's a 30 minute drive (they are very strict on speeding in the northern provinces).

Drenthe is a very nice province. Lots of people go on holiday there because of its rural setting.

I'd guess Assen is a lot cheaper to live. Groningen is not only a major town, it is also a university town.

Don't worry about safety, especially not in Assen.

Yes, I think you should always try to learn the local language. It enriches your stay and understanding of the people. There are numerous courses to learn Dutch as a second language. If you go to Groningen, visit bookstore Scholtens Wristers and get some advice on which course to get. Get yourself a good English/Dutch, Dutch/English dictionary (the standard is Van Dale) or the software version of it.

While you're in Assen and if you're into it, there's a racecourse (TT) and karting.
In the province Drenthe (of which Assen is the capital), you'll find a lot of (pre)historic country life, as well as the famous dolmens (prehistoric stone graves).
One of the world's best zoos (well, top 5 Europe anyway) is in Emmen.

You'll enjoy living there.