The Autumn 2006 Issue contains a.o. the following articles: 

LEGAL AFFAIRS

Permit Obstacles for Students
Though in this issue we have focused on grants, tax reliefs and other types of support for (international) students, we have not yet taken a look at a very complicated issue for foreign students who want to study in the Netherlands; that of the study visa. Of course, we have mentioned the fact that a permit is required and that EU/Swiss/Liechtenstein and Iceland nationals do not need one. But what about the rest of us?
The decision to study abroad requires confidence, determination, money and time. It would be a waste if this was used up just trying to enter the country. With the help of the Mobstacles team, Study Visa Holland and the accelerated procedure you will increase you chances of finding your way through the bureaucratic maze in one piece and in time to start your classes along with everyone else. For more information on either, visit: www.nuffic.nl , or contact the Mobstacles team at: 070 – 426 03 40. 
A list of qualifying universities can be found on the website www.internationalstudy.nl  (click on Search Institution of Higher Education). 
For assistance in obtaining a visa, contact www.study-visa-holland.com

Work Permits and Social Security for Students and Trainees
Just as many other countries do, the Netherlands benefits from the influx of foreign employees. This is inevitable, taking into account the demographic developments in this country and the subsequent focus on labor migration. Employees who come to this country have to contend with both fiscal and social insurance issues; in this issue, Nico van Dijk focuses on the situation of the employees of the future: students. He looks look into whether students can stay and study here and what the position of international trainees is.
Nico van Dijk, e-mail: nico.van.dijk@loyensloeff.com

TAX

Financial and Fiscal Aspects of Education
What to say about the financial relationship between the Dutch government and its citizens – eager or less eager – to learn? How generous is the Dutch government when supporting Dutch residents and non-Dutch residents who have children attending school or university, who want to take up a study themselves for their job, or who want to start something new or just study for fun. And what about those from abroad who come to Holland to study or work here as a trainee for a while? Does the government offer them study grants or a tax relief, perhaps?
Rina Driece, e-mail: rina.driece@loyensloeff.com

CULTURE

Bicycles, the Heart of Dutch Culture
Ah, the bike, the Dutch bike, de fiets. Pity it wasn’t invented in the Netherlands, for wouldn’t it be a far better symbol of this nation than the tulip or the wooden shoe? Not only did tulips originate in the mountains of the Middle East, but they also grow in only a very small portion of the country. The Dutch themselves, not brainwashed by the tourist industry, seem to be not quite as fond of them as most foreigners are. The same can be said for the wooden shoe; created as waterproof footwear for poor people working muddy meadows, they disappeared from life as soon as people climbed up the social ladder and agriculture became mechanized. Only Dutch granddads working in their gardens still wear them. And tourists of course, for about three minutes, until they find out how uncomfortable they really are. As for windmills; well, besides the ones that Don Quixote tried to pacify, you will also find them in Greece and France and Portugal and even in Ukraine. Not so uniquely Dutch either, apparently.
But luckily there is the bike. The Chinese and Danes may also use them, but in my opinion, it conjures up the very essence of Dutch culture, and I will tell you why.
Jacob Vossestein
 

LEISURE

The Pieterpad Revisited...
Three years ago I started my discovery of the Netherlands; in some respect my homeland even though I never grew up here. Initially I thought the expedition would be amusing but hardly original or in any way ‘uplifting’. After having seen everything from the tropical beaches of the Caribbean, to the sometimes desolate rice fields of Asia, to the wild cocoa plants along the dirt roads of Africa, I did not expect the scenery of the Netherlands to spark much inspiration.
Wrong. For such a minuscule country, that you can drive through in a matter of a few hours, and that is absolutely flatter than flat, the Netherlands is one unusual little place. This I have happily discovered on many a weekend touring through this country that is starting to feel more and more like home.
Travel along the tail-end of the Pieterpad with Naomi Bolderhey as she visits Maastricht and environs…
www.pieterpad.nl
Naomi Bolderhey
 

EXPAT LIVING

Naming Nomads
Cultural Complexities in Understanding the Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds
Due to all of these changes, fewer and fewer truly mono-culture communities remain. Many more people are living in and among a wide variety of cultural worlds. Perhaps it’s time for new definitions? In a rapidly globalizing world, many more children may rightfully be termed what Van Reken calls “Cross Cultural Kids” or “CCKs”. By looking closely at the TCK experience, she suggests we can learn many lessons and principles to apply to all cross-cultural kids who have, for whatever reason, lived in or between two or more cultural environments, and meaningfully interacted with them for a significant period of time before adulthood.
These concepts with their definitions are the work of Ruth van Reken. She is currently working on a new book which will thoroughly cover this subject and in much more detail.
Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds, David Pollock & Ruth E. Van Reken: Intercultural Press/Nicholas Brealey Publishers
www.crossculturalkid.org
www.tckworld.com
www.tckfamily.com
Connie Moser

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