Far from home: how do internationals staying in the Netherlands spend their winter holidays?

Mihail Manchev is from Bulgaria and in his second year as a CMGT-student. He wants to become more independent this year and lives with a couple of Bulgarian roommates. They all went back to Bulgaria a couple of weeks ago. "So we decided to host  a little holiday celebration here."

He likes becoming more independent and just doing things for himself instead of going back to his family every year: having the same dinner, with the same conversations at the same house. “I want to have a more unique Christmas this year. My girlfriend and brother are coming over for Christmas, so I will show them around in the Netherlands.”

The Dutch holiday celebrations are comparable to the celebrations in Bulgaria. They also celebrate Christmas and New Years. The official religion of his country is a little different type of Christianity, but the traditions are the same, he says. “The only thing I wonder about is: do Dutch people also celebrate Christmas Eve, the night before Christmas? Where we also give presents to each other. This year I will host a little dinner-celebration with Bulgarian food for my guests and enjoy this independent Christmas.”

The same plane

Tran Nhan and Phu Tran, both from Ho Chi Minh city, arrived in the Netherlands coincidentally in the same plane. They were both heading for Saxion to study, also Creative Media & Game Technologies, ready to start their new life as a student.

“The plan was to stay here until the summer. During that time, I would’ve gone back to my parents. But during my first year here, in 2020, corona arrived, so I couldn’t go anymore”, says Phu about the situation. This was the plan for many international students. A year abroad would’ve been bearable with the thought of returning safely home at the end. But due to the current situation we find ourselves in, this isn’t possible anymore.”

Tran & Phu’s home country, Vietnam, has very strict regulations regarding travelling to and from the country. Phu: “Even if I managed to come there, I would still have to quarantine for two weeks until I could see my family.”

But it’s not uncommon for international students to stay away from home for a long time. “Usually, Vietnamese people have relatives living in the country they’re going to.” Says Tran. Phu was lucky in this sense, visiting relatives in Germany to enjoy Vietnamese food again and celebrate Tết, the Vietnamese New Year.

Not so lucky

Tran, however, was not so lucky. She did not have any relatives living close by, as the only one that lived abroad was overseas in America. Fortunately, she found an alternative: “I’ve gotten lucky during the holidays since I’ve met some Vietnamese students close by that I could spend time with. Eating Vietnamese food together and making the winter holidays less lonely.”

To combat the loneliness during her free time here, when most people are out on holiday or with their families, she does her best to stay busy. For example by visiting various places in the Netherlands like Amsterdam, and meeting up with other international students and friends.

Recognized

This is a common situation international students find themselves in. When they can’t visit their home countries due to travel costs or situations like the pandemic, they have to make do by connecting with other international students.

Tran, for example, also participated in Secret Santa events, where students send anonymous presents to other students to give homestayers a bit of the holiday spirit.

More recently, Saxion has started to recognise and act upon this need from international students. Programs like the Buddy Box, a Secret Santa like event where international students send care packages to other students, or the more recent Winter Programme, where Saxion connects international students staying in the Netherlands during the holidays to do activities.

Monetary struggles

All this travelling and gift-giving costs some money. Whereas EU students within Saxion usually have no problem getting a part-time job, non-EU students struggle. “My parents provide for me because I can’t get a part-time job. But, every time I apply for a part-time job, they ask for a working permit. So, I am not able to work enough to provide for myself.” says Tran. While the money she gets from her parents is enough to get her by, it prevents her from truly making the most of her time here. She feels guilty taking too much money from her parents, wishing she could relieve at least a bit of the financial stress.

Both Tran and Phu keep in touch with their parents regularly. They have weekly video calls to get updates on their family and let their parents know how they’re doing.

Tran and Phu miss their home countries very much. Not only the food, the events, the weather, or in Phu’s words, “having a bidet in every toilet”, but their families the most.

Mostly about food

Priscille Desrosiers from Aruba moved to the Netherlands almost six years ago. “Aruba is also part of the Dutch Kingdom, but I do consider myself an international student.” In her own household, Christmas was not celebrated that much. “In Aruba Christmas is mostly about food, gatherings and eggnog. Eggnog is so good; it is a popular thing in South America. But Christmas is a general holiday in Aruba, we used to have Christmas dinners at school where everyone got dressed up. I miss the Christmas input from Saxion, even putting up more lights up would help.”

She went to Aruba last year, but this year she decided to stay in the Netherlands.  “I do not like going to Aruba if it is just for a short time because I want to have enough time to spend there. It is also expensive to travel there.”

The first time she did not go, it was a lot lonelier for her. Luckily, she met some good friends that are also from Aruba who she is planning Christmas with. They get together and everyone brings some food. “Last year we had a pyjama party, where we all stayed over at someone's house, watched movies and drank lots of eggnog”, she says. “Then on the 24th of December when it turns 12h, in Aruba you usually call your family to wish everyone a merry Christmas.”

Priscille wishes she could host it for more internationals. “Just so I can learn about how other cultures celebrate.”