Laura & Lilli | Groningen
We are Lilli from Poland and Laura from Slovakia. We were just talking about how bureaucratic the Netherlands is and what it would be like to get Dutch citizenship. A lot of paperwork. Anyways, we’re first-year students and just moved here in August. Lilli: I study artificial intelligence and (Laura): I study law. We met at a bar through a student association and started hanging out. We like to hang out by the canal and sometimes we smoke weed here.
What was your conclusion about the Dutch citizenship?
Lilli: As European citizens we don’t really need it, but for other nationalities it can be more important. Unless we want to overthrow the king.
Do you like the Dutch king?
Laura: Actually, I like the traditional stuff, he’s kinda awkward and cute at the same time.
What do you like about living here?
Lilli: People are much more tolerant and friendly than in Poland. Even the cashier wishes you a nice day.
Laura: I got a compliment on my hair from a woman who was riding her bike next to me. Other than that, I had some culture shocks after moving here. All the bikes on the roads were a shock at first, and I caused about 300 traffic accidents every day. I still do, actually. The people here are nice, but also more conservative than I thought. I’ve found that the Dutch don’t like to stand out either, and that’s very different from me. Another shock was that the country is so flat.
Lilli: Another culture shock was the drugs and that people here party on Thursdays. But what I also experienced here is that people seem happier than in Poland. I think life here is less difficult. What is also very nice is that you can drink from the tap everywhere.
Have you met your group of friends yet?
Laura: I have two close friends and Lilli has like two close friends as well. That’s all we need. It hasn’t been difficult to find people we like, but difficult to find people we feel connected to.
What is your motto for life?
Laura: Nothing is worth your happiness.
Lilli: Do what you like. Sometimes people get tied to something that doesn’t make them happy and they don’t break free.
What has made you happy recently?
Both: Finishing our first courses and the hard exams.
Laura: The compliment about my hair!
What has made you unhappy lately?
Laura: People creating drama. It’s annoying to see 19- or 20-year-old people just make a drama even though they don’t have to. That’s why I like Lilli so much. She’s so honest and trustworthy. Also, no toxic honesty.
Lilli: I hate drama too. People can act as if they are children.
Laura: Maybe I participate in drama a bit too sometimes and I cannot just let it go. I have a friend and we were friends with another girl. And the other girl liked my friend, but my friend liked me and we had something going on, then the other girl got mad at us and started making drama. I’m the kind of person who would like the other girl to get right in front of me and tell me what she’s up to and I would understand. I like communication.
What is toxic honesty?
Laura: Maybe I use the wrong phrase, but I mean being overly critical. Because as a friend you also need to accept some bad things. That’s what friends do.
What would you like to be successful in?
Laura: In Politics. But I think I would be a bit controversial with many scandals. But if I do it, vote for me. Though I don’t necessarily want to be a politician, but maybe get involved in an international organization, in the UN or in the EU.
What makes you optimistic about the future?
Lilli: Right now I’m doing something I’m actually really interested in. I can go in many directions from here. Those possibilities and the trust in me make me optimistic.
What question would you ask someone else in an interview?
Laura: Would you date someone with an STD?
Would you date someone with an STD?
Laura: Depends on which one. Also, there’s a lack of knowledge about many STDs. For example, there wouldn’t be a problem dating someone with HIV if the person is taking HIV treatment and has an undetectable viral load, then there is no risk of HIV transmission. But if I date someone for a few months and then catch chlamydia, that’s a no-go, because then the other person must have cheated on me. But then the problem would not be the STD, but the cheating.
Lilli: The problem is that not all people are straightforward with what they have. It should be said upfront, but at the same time, I understand that people would be scared to be shrugged off immediately as there’s not enough education about STDs.
Laura: The problem is also that a lot of people associate STDs with people who have a lot of sexual partners. But you can also be a virgin and just be unlucky the first time.
Lilli, what question would you ask someone else in an interview?
Lilli: I would like to know what people think about drugs here.
What do you think about drugs?
I think if they are available it’s less dangerous. I really like that people in the Netherlands can get their drugs tested. You can bring heroin and they would check if it’s pure. In Poland, you can buy weed and die from it.
