Blog 1: From Nijmegen to Albany: My Journey Begins

Blog 1: From Nijmegen to Albany: My Journey Begins

Hi Everyone,

First of all, welcome to my blog! My name is Sidar Yilmaz, I’m from the Netherlands, and I will be an intern in the Capital Region from the end of August until mid-January. During my internship, I will write a blog to show you how, as an international student, I experience the United States, and especially the Capital Region of New York.

As a 22-year-old Dutch student, I’ve been raised with a lot of influences from the United States. A great example would be the TV programs or movies we would see in the Netherlands, and I would feel confident enough to say throughout Europe as well. This has always made me come up with the question: How is life really in the United States?

Since my internship is required by my university, Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences in Kleve, Germany, I thought it might be worth following this question that has always been in the back of my mind. For my studies in International Relations, I thought it might be interesting to find an organization that has an international impact and to connect with others around the globe. This is how I found the International Center of the Capital Region, which was happy to co-host me together with Hudson Valley Community College as a Global Initiatives, International Programs and Civic Diplomacy intern.

During my interview with Beth Wales, Executive Director of the ICCR, I came across the fact that Nijmegen and Albany have a sister-city connection. This was such a coincidence since part of my family is from Nijmegen itself. But you might have never heard of Nijmegen, so it would be nice to give you a short introduction:

Nijmegen, a city near the Dutch-German border in the east of the country, is where part of my family has lived for centuries and where I am therefore indirectly from. Nijmegen was founded in 98 BC by the Roman Empire as Novio Magus, which makes it the oldest city in the Netherlands, at nearly 2,000 years old. Nijmegen has been through a lot: the Roman Empire, the Middle Ages, the Industrial Revolution, and the Second World War. The last historical event I mentioned is where the sister-city connection between Nijmegen and Albany began.

While doing some research, I came across the FAN Foundation. FAN is short for ‘Friendship Albany NY Nijmegen.’ I got in touch with Anja Adriaans, the founder and Chairwoman of the Friendship Albany NY-Nijmegen Foundation (FAN), founded in 2015. We arranged a chat together in person, where Anja Adriaans told me a lot about the history of the sister-city connection. I deeply appreciate the chat we had together, since it gave me a clear vision of the connection it has with the city that part of my family is from. I also came across an animation that was created by Femke Koppe for the FAN Foundation, the link to which is mentioned below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeBX2NiWKUI

I’m looking forward to seeing what the United States will bring me, especially the Capital Region of New York, where I will be living for nearly half a year. I’m curious how the weather will be, as it could not be worse than in the Netherlands. Although, I heard the winters are tough. Also, how is life without a car in a country where nearly everything is made to be accessed by car only? Compared to Europe, this is completely different, as cities and countries rely a lot on public transport, or in the Netherlands, on bikes. Lastly, what Dutch influences are still visible in the Capital Region, since the Dutch established the first permanent European settlement in the Albany area.

I can’t wait to write more about my experiences in the coming months.

Stay in touch as we will experience this journey together!

Sidar