Landbouwuniversiteit Wageningen (WAU)

It was hard at the beginning (0ne month), since I had no fluent english, and no idea of Dutch (dutch students always spoke it between them, then it was difficult the social life). After that time I met more international students (US, Canada) I started a friendship with. So I learnt a lot and after more than one and a half year I could speak fluently with everybody. Therefore my overall language and communication experience has been very positive, since I hope the adquired language use skills adcquired in Wageningen will give me an advantage in getting a job, either in Spain or in other european country.

I was speaking a fluent Dutch when I arrived in Wageningen. I was keen on improving my Dutch. There were Dutch classes offered but only for the beginners and advanced. All Dutch people speak a very good English and they like to speak English. I still had the opportunity to speak Dutch at the bank, when shopping etc. I could also speak Dutch with some of my house mates. There are many international students, so I was speaking mostly English. Meeting all these internatinal students also provided me the chance to improve the other languages I speak. Overall, it was a great experience. I would rate it as excellent.

English is a well spoken language by dutch citizens, therefore learning Netherlands is not really necessary. In the university, english was also the commom language for all international students, so communication was easy both at academic and at everyday life level.

Although English is not the first language in Holland, but I was surprised how many people speak English there. I did not have any difficulties in any field of life during my stay there, because of an insufficient knowledge of Dutch. Complements for the Dutch people!

Dutch was only spoken between Dutch students, they all can speak English as a second language, and lessons were offered in English so I hadn´t had the need to learn it although I learned the everyday knowledge.

At the begining it was quite uneasy for me to understand but after a few weeks I was used to it.