New in Groningen: Emalaee from New York

Emalaee Fico: ‘In the University everything is so nice, everybody is so kind and willing to help’

Groningen is the youngest city in the Netherlands, with an average age of 36,4 years. This makes Groningen a typical student city. Emalaee Fico is a twenty years old girl from the outskirts of New York.

She decided to move to Groningen for a few months because she wanted to experience a cultural change and travel as much as possible, since it is the first time she has left her hometown to live abroad for several months.

When she arrived to Groningen, the first thing she did was take a walk, and she fell in love with the city and the cleanliness of its streets.

She studies at Hanze, and is delighted with the treatment of the people, who are always willing to help.

When it comes to Groningen nightlife, one of the things that has caught her attention, is the number of places you can go, and the duration of the parties, because in her country people usually return home around three in the morning, while here, in Groningen, the party continue til five or six a.m.

‘The house search is probably the hardest thing in Groningen, because there are so many students moving into the city and everybody wants to be as close to the city center and also the campus’.

Emalaee had a hard time finding a home that was equipped with everything an international student needs, since she cannot buy many things because then she will have to take them back home, but she has managed to stay in a student residence which is still under construction.

In her free time, she loves being able to travel to nearby cities, meet new people and not feel like a tourist anymore.