Goedenavond! Ik leer nu Nederlands, zo will ik een beetje Nederlands schrijven. :)
Punt.
Okayy, English time!
Currently, I live in Groningen, in the city of Groningen to be exact (Groningen is also the name of the province). I live in Paddepoel and I can say it's a really great area to live in here! There, it's not very far from Zernike (where Hanze UAS is located, sadly I rarely go there these days), and it is not that far from the centrum (10-15 minutes by bike in sunny/no rain day, 15-more minutes during rain). There are many supermarkets nearby, so many that your hardest task is to choose! Winkelcentrum Paddepoel is the closest (accross my housing building), then there are winkelplein Selwerd and winkelplein Vinkhuizen.
I like the fact that I am living in the city, because of the fact that I can go anywhere to get anything I need in less time. I think many people in Indonesia agree to this, as we tend to live as near as possible to the city center (or in the city is even better). I think that it will be a waste to spend money on transportation (going everywhere by bus) while we can commute with bikes, which is the cheapest and healthiest option here. Although, I spend quite a lot of money to subscribe Weekend Vrij.
This doesn't really happen with the Dutch. Now, as I am doing internship, I get to ask where they actually live. And it is pretty fascinating to me, because most (well, can I say: all? It's too early to say it, huh) of them live outside the city center, for example in towns and villages. Travelling with bus, personal car, or train are good options beside one hour bike trip. I can't really think how many euros they spend on transportation fare or gas per month.
But, if I think about it, it makes sense that many people opt to live outside the city. I realize that Groningen is a crowded city and sometimes even I get a little bit stress with the little chaos and sea of people in Vismarkt or Grote Markt (I clearly wasn't ready for the crowded-ness in Amsterdam after living in Groningen for 2 months, it's crazy!). With this, people want to find peace and live outside the city. It's not that far from their workplace, though, but it gives them lots of spaces for themselves.
Well, all I can say that it is matter of preference. I prefer to live in the city (for now), but others might not. And it's not a big problem, actually. Do what makes you happy, that matters.
