Living with an international PhD

The process of finding  a room in the NL

As we all know finding a place to live in Wageningen (and in the Netherlands in general) is really hard. I was subscribed to all the possible pages to find a room. I received a lot of  “Sorry Arianna, only dutch people” or “Tomorrow 20 people will come to see the room and if we don’t like any of them we’ll let you know”. In the end, I had only two rooms to visit or I would have had to pay for an Airbnb till I could find a place to live.

What nobody told me was that when you look for a place to live it’s like having a date with the housemates. They have “open days” and meet with several possible flatmates, then they select with whom they make “match”. Yes, like Tinder.

When you look for a place here it is like having a date with the housemates. Then they select with whom they make “match”… Yes, like Tinder.

First room meeting wasn’t good at all, I wasn’t expected to socialize, drink beer, talk about my favorite things to eat, drink and, besides it was my first day here, and the second day in the NL, my English was a bit rusty. It was a fail!

Second house, same day, just before visiting the other. A few blocks away. I was more -mentally- prepared. The night was nice we had a nice chat about things that we like and who we are. It’s a house of only two rooms so talking with only one person was easier, more chill and I fell in love with the house, and its cozy stile.

Living with a PhD student

Living with my PhD roommate has been good. When I moved in she was so busy finishing her thesis so we barely talk. Moreover, she is a night owl. And believe me when I say it. She wakes up around 1 PM and sleeps around 2-3 AM. Me, I’m slowly becoming an –extreme– morning person. My classes are at 8:20 AM, mostly every day, so I wake up at 6 AM to have enough time to dress and enjoy my coffee and breakfast.

In the exam’s week, I was going to sleep at 9PM and waking up at 5:30AM because by the time I was getting home I was so tired to keep studying so I decided to do it early in the morning. So yes, our time schedules are complete opposites but on the weekends we see each other more. And every time she is cooking I can’t avoid asking “What’s that?” because it always smells and looks so good. Now that she just finished her thesis we’ll have more time to do dinner together or just have tea on the cozy sofa.

She is 4 years older than me -and with a lot of experience- but I don’t feel any age differences and it’s good to have advice from somebody that already did a Master and a PhD at WUR. That’s good motivation!  Also, since we both are international every time I feel homesick we both relate.

Our house

Our house is really nice. Since it’s a PhD house it doesn’t look like the regular Uni dorms. It is very spacious, comfy and it’s decorated like a “real home”. A lot of plants, candles, and warm colors. My room was completely empty so I could decorate it myself. I even have my own balcony!

Another thing that I love about living here is that the house is in the city center. Every Saturday I just need to go downstairs and in less than 2 min walking distance I’m in the city market. Also, I can just walk to the bars or parties.

Definitely living in this house makes me feel less homesick and every time I feel down I just go to the main street and enjoy walking under the Christmas lights that are now decorating the city.

Do you also live with a PhD while doing your Master’s or Bachelor’s?

Comment below how has been your experience 🙂