It does not seem obvious, a Dutchman living in the same house as two Italians. Still, Raymond (left photo) finds it quite ordinary. It so happened that all three of them were looking for accommodation last March. “We clicked, so why not?”, says Raymond. “In fact you don’t notice the difference in backgrounds. There are some cultural differences, but that’s the fun of it: it adds an extra dimension to living together.”

Although Daniel (right photo) manages to find his way around without any trouble at all, a Dutch housemate does come in handy. “Raymond knows about everything in Eindhoven. Besides, it’s always handy to have a translator around”, Daniel laughs. Integrating into the Netherlands is very important to him. “Strangely enough landlords are inclined to put persons of one nationality together in one house. When it is so much fun to mix with new nationalities.” There is no language barrier. Daniel manages to follow Dutch speakers fairly well. “Then again, the Dutch speak English very well. That makes it easier to talk to people.”

There is a good atmosphere in the ‘Palazzo’, as they call their place. “Everybody likes to go their own way. Due to the different working hours we don’t even get to see each other that much.” Unfortunately there is no such benefit as enjoying a delicious Italian dinner every day for Raymond. “I usually eat at my work, because I have other working hours”, he explains. Moreover, Italians tend to plan their dinner considerably later than the Dutch do. It took some time anyway for Daniel to get used to Dutch eating habits. “In the beginning Raymond would put tomato ketchup on his pasta. That is really not acceptable in Italy! We soon made him break that habit.”

The boys do not know the meaning of the phrase ‘sitting still’. Both of them practice a couple of times a week with their football team Pusphaira. “The team is an international mix of Dutchmen, Italians, Spaniards and Norwegians. We are a very close-knit team.” The footballers also spend a lot of time together outside practices and matches. In the weekend they prowl around the pubs. “We like going for a drink at Stratumseind and we visit 80s & 90s parties in the Effenaar.”