‘It was never the plan to live here for long’
Latchezara Dimitrova, or Zara for short, is from Bulgaria. She now lives in Maastricht with her boyfriend. Moving to Limburg was never the plan, but in fact, nothing went quite as she’d imagined. Via Bulgaria, Germany and France, she eventually ended up here. It was difficult at times, but looking back, every step has shaped her into who she is today and the life she is building here.
Studying abroad
“I left Bulgaria to study Business Administration in Germany. The education system was very different from what I would later experience in the Netherlands, but at the time it felt like the right choice. After my bachelor’s degree, I stayed in Germany for a while to figure out what my next step would be. Eventually, I moved back to Bulgaria for a year to prepare for the entry requirements for a master’s degree in the Netherlands. I also had to save money and find a place to live. During that time, my boyfriend – whom I’d known since we were in Bulgaria – was completing his bachelor’s degree at Fontys University of Applied Sciences in Eindhoven. So he was already living in the Netherlands at that point.”
Moving to the Netherlands
“In August 2019, I finally moved to Maastricht to study for my Master’s in International Business, specialising in strategy and innovation. The first year felt normal: I settled in, met people and established routines. Then Covid struck, and everything changed.”
I really wanted to learn Dutch, but as I didn’t know how long my boyfriend and I would be staying, I kept putting it off. After graduating, I found it difficult to find work. Eventually, I found a job in Eindhoven. For four and a half years, I worked in software business development for the DACH market. But sales isn’t my passion, so last year I decided to leave before I’d found a new job. That was nerve-wracking, but necessary.”
‘We often travel to Eindhoven, but we’ve made a conscious choice to live in Maastricht.’
Social contacts
“Building a social life after Covid wasn’t easy. Many people I’d met at the start left during the pandemic, so I had to start all over again. The Bulgarian community here is small, unlike in Aachen. I used apps such as Activitree, Bumble Friends and Meetup, which organise accessible activities for expats and locals. That’s how I met Greeks, Romanians, Americans and their Dutch partners. They still form my cherished circle of friends.”
A new job
“I was ready for a new job, so I started looking through the usual channels. My Dutch wasn’t perfect yet, but I’d been making good progress for a year and a half. I applied for a role where Dutch was the working language, in Maastricht, and to my surprise, I got the job! I now work as a Project Management Officer at a small consultancy firm, which collaborates with organisations such as the Province of Limburg, the Water Board, Vodafone and Zuyderland.I speak the language reasonably well now, but I’m still learning every day. Eventually, I hope to be able to work on an international project.”
Living
“As a student, I lived on Brusselsestraat. Later, when my partner started his PhD at Eindhoven University of Technology, we looked for a quieter place close to the railway station. We looked on websites such as Funda and Pararius and contacted estate agents, but in the end we found our flat through word of mouth, the old-fashioned way. A modern flat in a block with many older residents. Nice and quiet – exactly what we needed.”
“My boyfriend and I regularly travel back and forth to Eindhoven. That’s why we considered moving there, but we’re too big fans of Maastricht. The countryside, the beauty of the city, the atmosphere and our friends keep us here.”
Hobbies
“In my spare time, I enjoy meeting new people, learning new languages, reading, cooking and foraging. I got in touch with a woman who runs a foraging academy, and recently led my first foraging walk in Maastricht.”
Cooking connects me to my culture and family. My grandmother taught me a special Bulgarian way of rolling out dough, and now I often make a type of Bulgarian pasta that few young people are familiar with. I really enjoy doing that.
I also read a lot and enjoy visiting Boekhandel Dominicanen. It’s such a warm, inspiring place. I like to browse through the shelves to see what catches my eye. These are usually books about plants, foraging or fantasy novels. There’s a wide selection of English-language books, so that’s ideal.”
