Bjorn de Nooijer (duh-Noy-yur)

Age: 23

Pronouns: He/Him

Occupation: Project Assistant at ZB

Languages: Dutch, English, French, German, Spanish

Favourite colour: Forest green

Introduce yourself…

Hi there! My name is Bjorn and I’m one of the Dutch chaperones for this very exciting trip to Nederland, Colorado and actual “Nederland”, a.k.a. the Netherlands. I’m currently living in Middelburg just outside of the beautiful historic centre with its quaint little dwindling streets and cute Dutch houses.  Before Middelburg, I used to live in Victoria, BC, Canada, for a little while, which is why my spelling of English is neither British nor American. I bet their English rubbed off on me, eh?

Before Canada, I did my bachelor’s here in Middelburg at University College Roosevelt, an American-styled college that I’m happy to talk about, should you be interested in studying here – and even for non-EU citizens, it’s still cheaper than the US. Starting this Fall, I’ll move to Leuven, Belgium, and pursue a second bachelor’s in psychology.

What brought you onto Going Dutch?

After I moved back from Canada in February 2023, Jeanine (our Dutch project coordinator and international relations officer at ZB) contacted the old batch of students that partook in an EU project called “Our Democratic Europe” between our library and three others in Belgium, Poland, and Denmark in 2016-2017. I was about the age of our current students back then. Also, feeling sorry for Jeanine, I wasn’t always the most responsible teenager. I had lots of fun though. Anyways, somehow, she was still happy I was willing to help her with setting up this exchange. I hope I redeemed myself with her 😉

What are you most excited for in Colorado?

Looking at the program, I’m definitely curious about the rodeo, but most excited for the hiking and camping in Estes Park. My Canadian cousin advised me to wear jeans for horseback riding, which means I have to buy those. I hardly ever wear jeans, frankly.

What are you most excited for in the Netherlands?

On the Middelburg day of our trip, we’re going to visit Vleeshal Centre for Contemporary Art in the city centre. Working there and knowing the (assistant) curator(s) and staff, I’m so happy our students get to appreciate their beautiful new exposition. More information can be found here: https://vleeshal-next.vercel.app/archive/on-water,-flow-and-warped-time-en