When I first moved to The Netherlands, I was scared that it would be hard to make friends. Luckily, the Dutch people whom I have met are very friendly! It is easy to make friends by joining group events or traveling across the country. I often travel with my coworkers. We take the train to Amsterdam and visit museums and art galleries almost every Saturday. We also go to cafes to eat bitterballen (a classic Dutch snack that's kind of like a meatball) and drink biertjes (small glasses of beer). Once, we entered a bowling competition and I won a chocolate alphabet for being the best foreign bowler! Chocolate alphabets are a big thing in The Netherlands. It is a tradition for children to get chocolate alphabets of their initials from Santa Claus on Christmas! Do you have any special traditions with your friends or families around Christmas?
I think in order to integrate into another country it is important to get out of your comfort zone. At first, it is scary to go places alone, but once you try it a few times it becomes much easier. Soon, you will realize that it is really fun to try new things and meet new people. I also think it has been really important for me to make friends with local people. Foreigners, like me, call the native Dutch "Dutchies".
