Any Californian Expat in Groningen?

Welcome to Expat.com yelena1112

Just thought that I would say Hallo...I am an American expat living in the Netherlands with my partner .I am a middle age woman and he works in Groningen .We live about 45 min from Groningen and commutes daily .
We have been flying back and fourth and decided that I should move here .
I am from the west coast (the best coast)near SF :-)
I hope that you have a smooth move .Have a great day !

Hi CalifCowgirl1

Welcome on Expat.com!

Armand

Hi, welcome to expats.
I am not from California, but am a "West Coast" person....from further up north....Vancouver BC Canada.
Hope you make new contacts here in Holland.  I also live in the Groningen area...and have lived in Holland for now almost 25 years.  Huge difference from the west coast lifestyle...but has a charm of it's own, if you are willing to see and experience it.
greetings Joy

Hello,
I'm a Californian living in Groningen! I actually just gave up my Californian drivers license for a Dutch one last month. However, I think I'm a little different from you guys. I'm Asian American, not married to a Dutch person, in my mid 20s, and work for an American phamaceutical company (Abbott). But I'm always interested to have American contacts here.
Kaccie

Hi!

Just wanted to chime in because I am a Californian from Berkeley and will probably move to Groningen in a few months. My husband is considering accepting a postdoctoral research position at the university, which would begin later this year, and last for 2 to 3 years.  We are in our late 20s.  He is a scientist, and I am a lawyer (I would obviously explore other career options during our stay in NL).

Are you all enjoying Groningen? What do you think about the apartment rental market?  Was it difficult to find good housing? Did you find the transition from the West Coast to Groningen difficult or easy?

I would really like to be in touch with some other Californian/West Coast expats when we arrive in town.

Thanks,

Lauren

Hello Lauren and welcome to Expat.com!

You should start a new thread on the Netherlands forum for all your questions.

Good luck,
Harmonie.

Hello,
In my opinion, it ultimately depends on your personality and attitude toward a completely different culture that will decide whether or not coming to Groningen will prove to be enjoyable. I'm a scientist that got a PhD from UC Berkeley last fall and moved here immediately just to try something different. Groningen is not for the faint hearted, so in general, I would not recommend moving here especially from the bay area. You can expect to have the following issues here:

1. Poor health care - I pay 104 euros/month as opposed to 90 dollars a month in Berkeley (Kaiser). Surprisingly, it actually covers less. I still haven't found a general practitioner as they say they always are not taking new patients at this time. I checked 6 locations.
2. Taxes are extremely high. Expect to pay more than twice that as in California. I hope your husband knows exactly how much he's getting in his pocket. There's a million deductions listed on my paystub that I don't understand and the final amount is much lower than the quoted salary.
3. Housing is difficult even if Connect International helps you. The real estate agents know that most expats have a decent salary so all of they will quote you a high price. There is also a one month rent service charge on top of one month security deposit and a couple hundred more euros for administration cost. You don't get administration and services charge back!
4. Groningen is nothing like Amsterdam. The Dutch people here are not tolerant. I get a lot of insensitive and borderline racist comments. The treatment of North Africans/blacks is actually much worse.

If these are things that can really bother you, I would not recommend moving here.

kaccie14,

Thank you for your reply.  These are all very good things to think about.  We were aware of several of the issues that you described, and have been considering those as we make decisions going into the future. We have stayed in Groningen for a short time before, and noticed some of the negative aspects that you mentioned.  On the flipside, we also experienced a lot of very good things there, and I've been told that there is a somewhat supportive expat community. So, it is a very difficult decision that we have to make.

In any case, I think you are right that, compared to the SF Bay Area, Groningen is something completely different. 

If we end up moving there, I'd like to be in contact.

Thanks,

Lauren

Hi Lauren,
I would love to be a contact if you guys eventually do move here. Regarding the Expat community, I would say the that, besides the students at the RUG, it is still quite new. Karen, the owner of Connect International who is a Florida native, is awesome and has been extremely helpful in getting me settled here. There are some activities that Connect holds for singles and couples (more recently than before), but most activities are still geared toward families and trailing partners. It sounds like you are pretty set on moving here. If you guys are looking for an apartment, I would suggest moving into a furnished one first (downside is that that cost a bunch more) because Dutch apartments come with almost nothing except windows. Sometimes, the kitchen cabinets and appliances are not even included! You have to do all your floors and electrical work and internet takes about a month to set up.

Kaccie

Definitely moving to Groningen in late September. The decision is made, the die is cast, and I think it will be quite an experience. We should definitely be in touch.

Now, I just have to work on my Dutch language skills.

Hi Lauren, Yelena, Kaccie and everyone,

I'm Dutch, live in Germany and would love to go to CA in the future! I visit Groningen often to be with my family, i'm glad to say my family is much more tolerant than the average people which Kaccie discribes. Do not expect a nice hi, how are you when meeting someone, so you won't be dissapointed. Housing can be a problem, but you have to know your way around. I have experience in the Dutch housing system (about 10 working years) and will be glad to assist any of you with questions or problems / translations.

The deductions on the paystub include taxes, WAO, WIA, etc. If you have any specific questions just ask. Don't forget that you also " pay"  a deduction for the AOW, a social retirementfund in The Netherlands. This includes expats, you build up a little Dutch retirement saving. But it's for sure you pay a lot more taxes than in the USA.

I live in Germany for 5 years due to beter taxes, more value for money for housing, open borders and free traffic in Europe. It's about one hour drive for me to Groningen (about 65/70 miles),

Groningen is differtent than the SF bay area (visited SF in june 2009), it's smaller , but people can be tolerate and friendly! I know my way around in the Groningen area and am happy to assist with any questions about the Netherlands, or Germany if interested. I would be happy to meat people which teach me more about living in CA in my future! Hope to see you soon.

Greetings,

Klaas

happy to meat..... meet....

Just a little update:
I got a general practitioner! I didn't successfully enroll in that practice myself, but Connect International must have pulled some strings to get me in. After almost 1 full year, my health is finally covered! Funny thing. The doctor (turns out to be a pretty cool guy) asked me if there was any reason I wanted to enroll now. I told him how I haven't been able to find any practice that accepted new patients, and he just made a big grin. He knew exactly what I was talking about!

Culturally insensitive situations continue to pop up. I walked into a pub in Bourtange, and everyone in there just stopped doing what they were doing and stared at me for 3 or more seconds. I felt like the black guy in those western movies entering a bar with swivel doors

Not only finding a practitioner is hard, Dutch many dentists have waitinglists for new patients. I recommend to connect with a dentist to if you are living here, just for the regular checkup and just in case of you'll need him/her.

My final update:
As of October 15, 2012, I've officially moved back to the US. Not quite back in California though but quite close (at least to socal) over in Arizona. I've left with a heavy heart due many of the friends I've made including Lauren and her husband Karl whom I've ran with once or twice a week for quite some while now. Groningen has been an eye-opening experience for me. I wish the best to all expats still there! You'll be missed!
Kaccie