US TV Show “House Hunters” Looking for Expat Relocation Stories

I just saw this via Crossroads and thought I’d share for anyone may otherwise miss it.

House Hunters is a US TV show about families or individuals relocating a purchasing a house outside their own country. Apparently they’re looking for a contributor from the South Limburg region. Dan & I aren’t good candidates (we rent), but I’m sure someone out there is.  If you’re curious, swing by Crossroads for a few more details and contact information.

Typically Limburgish: Responses

My Typical Limburg, Typical Dutch post generated a good deal of discussion and many people shared excellent ideas about what makes Limburg distinctive. For your consideration, here’s a list of what we came up with:

Geography

Geography is one thing that’s quite obvious if you’ve every hopped on a bike and explored any part of the Netherlands. Limburg is hilly compared to the rest of the Netherlands; hilly enough that I don’t like biking here without at least a three-speed. The region is also very close to Belgium, German, and (sort of) France and that proximity has had a huge influence on all the other things that make Limburg distinct from other parts of the Netherlands

Language

Lots of people commented on the language differences. Many communities in Limburg have preserved their own dialects and they are often so different that native Dutch speakers not from this region cannot understand the dialects. Frank (no website), who was born in Kerkrade referenced “above the river” as the point where the dialects become distinctly “Limburgse”. The various dialects are influenced by their proximity bordering countries, so may be influenced by German and French.

Invader_Stu also noted that the Dutch accent is different in Maastricht; the most notable difference being the softer ‘g’. Aledys Ver thinks it sounds “less flat” and a bit funny.

Religion

Specifically Catholicism, Judy explains that the Calvinist influences never quite made it south of “the rivers”, partially because the region wasn’t always part of Holland. In fact it was part of Beglium for a while, which is also a predominately Catholic area. You can read her much more detailed discussion of how Netherlands does not always equal Dutch. It’s well worth your time.

I’ve observed the influence of Catholicism on Maastricht as well. The architecture is filled with shines and biblical motifs, not to mention the large number of cathedrals and other religious buildings that have now been turn over to secular uses (notably the University has many formally Catholic church-owned buildings).

Attitude

Dave Hampton, an expat who use to live in Arnhem and now lives in Maastricht, feels that the city is more international (than Arnhem anyway), probably because of the University or it’s proximity to other countries. He feels that life here is less intense overall than up North; people laugh more easily and are more social. On the downside his experience has been that customer service is much slower and less attentive. There is a strong sense of history in the area, but, Dave observes, people in Limburg still identify strong as Dutch when faced with comparisons with other countries.

Judy attributes a local appreciation for fine clothing and good food (Maastricht is a popular shopping and dining area) to the area’s Catholic heritage.

Celebrations

Dave noticed that celebrations tend to be more colorful and noisier than those up North, although things like Queens Day and football are more casually observed.

I think that people in Maastricht just to love any excuse to dress up.

Food

I already knew that the foods can be quite different here, but Dave thinks the beer and chocolate is better thanks to the proximity to Belgium. Waffles (thanks Judy) are just one more notable influence (although Belgian waffles really do taste better in Belgium).

Melissa noted with glee that you can a slice of vlaai in Maastricht when invited for coffee instead of (only one) cookie.

Ultimately, as Judy notes, these differences are “small ‘taters” to the new expat who isn’t going to recognize differences in light of the greater differences between the Netherlands in general and their own culture. But it’s fun to explore what creates this strong sense of Limburg-ness and I, for one, have learned a lot. Thank you to everyone who commented

I suppose if I were to pick something arbitrarily to symbolize Limburg, it would probably a slice of vlaai and small coffee. Tastier to than wooden shoes anyway.

Do you agree? Disagree? Share your thought in the comments.

Fierljeppen: the Video Game?

The Maastricht region doesn’t have nearly the number of canals we see in the North, but a post at A Famingo in Utrecht caught my eye and just had to be mentioned. The xtreme sport in question is fierljeppen, or canal jumping with a pole. Alison give an exciting description of this unique sport, so be sure to check out her post.

Fierljeppen struck me as a sport that requires an incredible set of jumping and climbing skills, and one that ought to be use for the basis of some Wii-based casual game. Could you imagine “climbing” on the Wii-board while keeping your virtual pole straight as you vault over the water?  Totally weird, but totally fun. Nintendo, if you use the idea, you better be giving some royalties.

I wonder if it’s possible to try this out somewhere. It could be a lot of fun.

Go Read Xtreme Dutch Sport.

Image by uitdragerij via Flickr. Used under CC License.

6 Websites The Maastricht Expat Should Know

I would have loved to start this list off with my own blog, but of course, you’ve already discovered it. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here learning about the sites that I always keep tabs on. So without further ado…

1. Crossroads: The first English language site I discovered about Maastricht, Crossroads has a great mix of local news, interviews, and longer cultural and social articles. Check out their great collection of resources for expats as well.
2. Maastricht Region: A general purpose site dedicated to introducing Maastricht and the other cities and towns in the region to new or potential residents. General information, housing for sale or rent, and a cultural calendar. The To Love blog is not to be missed (and you can also read To Live, which I write).
3. Expat Guide Holland: Not strictly about Maastricht, but this guide is the most comprehensive resource for the little things like how health care works, how to register your pet, renting, and other sorts of thing.
4. Random Walks in the Low Country: One of the other active Maastricht-based bloggers, Dave’s calm and thoughtful articles talk about the experience of living in Maastricht (and England) as well as being a business owner.
5. Maestricht.net/Mtricht.com: Update! Maestricht.net & Mtricht.com are two regional social networks for expats and locals that just merged. Sign up for Maestricht.net if you join as it has the larger community. The new combined site should be primarily in English. My.Mtricht is a small, regional social network for both expats and locals. In addition to articles about the area, they also have a nice activity calendar and blog posts by participants. You can “friend” all sorts of people in this Ning community.
6. Dutch News: This site compiles lots of Dutch news into short English-language articles for those of us who can’t read Dutch. Good for national news rather than local.

Typical Limburg? Typically Dutch?

People tend to talk about culture and countries as a one to one proposition, but anyone who takes a moment to think about it will realize that that couldn’t be further from the truth. Think of the differences between Northern and Southern culture in the US (separated by a huge distances as well as distinctive histories). Or even the linguistic differences between Boston and New York (which are only a few hours apart). It’s easy to see the cultural variations within your own country, but outside of that? It’s a harder task.

One of the things I’ve been told by Dutch people is that Maastricht (and Limburg in general) is extremely different from the rest of the Netherlands. In fact, they say, people living here only think of themselves as “really” part of the rest of the country during major holidays (Queen’s Day) or sporting events (World Cup). The rest of the time they regard themselves as separate.

Massive generalizations aside, I find this thought intriguing, and not just because I come from a very nationalist country (Americans are suppose to be Americans first). I can recognize distinctions on a surface level, such as preferred foods and architecture, but as an outsider it is harder to understand what makes Limburg, Limburg or Maastricht, Maastricht on more of a core identity level.

So this is a call out to anyone who might have thoughts on the subject. Can you explain to me what aspects makes Limburg so different from what the rest of the world sees as “Holland” or “The Netherlands”? If windmills and wooden shoes are emblematic (or stereotypical) of Holland, what symbolizes Limburg? Maastricht? One of the other towns in the region?

And for bonus points, what makes this region in the Netherlands different from Flemish Belgium just over the border? I’m told that the distinction is so great that you can tell the moment you cross the border, but as an expat it’s hard to see.

Update: Read the response post, Typically Limburgish.

I’ll be compiling the best responses and explanations in a future post. Thank you for helping out this ignorant, but curious expat.

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