He first came to Leiden for a year in 1988 and then stayed from 1992 to 1995 and was back again in June 2003 for his PhD 'I’d never heard of the Sweat Room until I heard about it at a Leiden alumni meeting in Jakarta When I visited Leiden in August of this year So I finally wrote my signature on the wall.‘ I have been coming to Leiden University Library for my research every August since 2013. I am writing a book on print culture in the Dutch East Indies and the Library has one of the best Indonesian collections in the world especially the collection of indigenous language materials from the colonial period that I need for my research While I was studying in Osaka and Bandung at the beginning of 1980s I already knew I really wanted to come to Leiden University to continue my study of Indonesian literature This was because I considered Leiden University to be the centre of Indonesian studies in the humanities and wanted to do the research for my dissertation under the supervision of well-known professors and scholars I really enjoyed life in Leiden because of the friends I made I studied Dutch together with Indonesian students which was a bonus because I learnt more about Indonesia too I was lucky that many of my peers were also doing doctoral research on Indonesia The friends from that time are something I now treasure I’m still in touch with them despite them being dotted all around the world My research was on Sundanese (one of the indigenous languages in Indonesia with about 30m speakers nowadays) publications from about 1850 the print threshold in the Sundanese language. I tried to explore people’s consciousness and perception of language and texts in Sundanese once modernity had permeated their society I would still like to describe the cultural life of Sundanese people in the Dutch East Indies period My dissertation was published in not only English but also Indonesian I am so glad that Indonesian students and scholars were able to appreciate the result of my research through the Indonesian translation I am pleased that I could give the results of my research back to the Indonesian people who have supported my research for such a long time I still use the Dutch I learnt to communicate and read documents from the 19th century I learnt how to present and discuss a paper in the international academic arena I had a number of opportunities to attend international seminars and conferences and make acquaintance with a number of academics in the world Leiden is a wonderful place that provides an international environment for students and scholars I am proud of the two books that originated from my dissertation I received one of the most prestigious academic awards from JSPS (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) for academic achievement in 2006 I want to set up a school of multiculturalism in my birthplace Japanese and foreign children would be in the same class and would learn languages not only English and Japanese but other languages too They’d also be exposed to different values from one another’s cultures and would learn from sharing these cultural values The school would be open to everyone: children The elderly could teach about the local history and customs I’d never heard of the Sweat Room [it’s a tradition for all graduates and PhDs to sign their name on the wall of the Sweat Room ed.] until I met Carel Stolker (Rector Magnificus of Leiden University) and Marrik Bellen (Director of KITLV-Jakarta and Permanent Representative of Leiden University Library in Jakarta) at the 50th anniversary of KITLV-Jakarta and I made an appointment with the Alumni Office of Leiden University during my visit this month in Leiden I like the idea of signing the wall as an alumnus of Leiden University Curriculum Vitae Mikihiro Moriyama Leiden is a picturesque university city that in many ways is the intellectual epicenter of the region offering an ideal setting for expats to live in Leiden is home to the oldest university in the country, as well as many museums and many bars, cafés, and restaurants. On top of that the city can boast great public transportation services. Below, Tweel Wonen gives a tour of the town From Leiden Central station, which is a 10-minute walk from the city center, trains take you to Amsterdam in just over half an hour and both Schiphol Airport and The Hague in 15 minutes Simplify finding a home abroad with HousingAnywhere Their easy-to-use platform lets landlords and tenants connect offering a popular service for anyone moving internationally find your new home when relocating abroad quickly and easily with HousingAnywhere Leiden University offers a multitude of programs and courses in English as well as Dutch courses for foreigners which have a reputation for their efficacy university buildings and sorority and fraternity houses are scattered all over the city center Besides the main university, the city also houses a campus of Webster University This school attracts mainly foreign students and gives Leiden an international flair One of the city’s smallest museums is the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum It basically consists of one room with some artifacts but the lack of visual stimuli is compensated by the wonderful stories museum owner Jeremy Bangs tells about the Pilgrims who lived in the city before setting sail to the Americas on the Mayflower in 1609 Leiden is also great for shopping The city’s main shopping streets are the Breestraat and Haarlemmerstraat the really interesting shops are off the main roads in the narrow pedestrian areas of the Pieterskwartier The city is home to a large number of antique stores the city’s shopping area becomes a massive outdoor market that offers a variety of fresh goods By far the most attractive (and expensive) area to live in is the historic city center  Highly desired are large old homes on the Rapenburg and in the Professorenwijk and Burgemeesterswijk house prices reflect the popularity of these areas Most houses in the latter areas were built between the 1920s and 1950s and have the corresponding characteristic details A little further afield are the newer neighborhoods of De Merenwijk and Stevenshof These areas are fully equipped with schools These neighborhoods are newer: houses in Merenwijk were built in the 1970s These are true Dutch suburbs with larger gardens Also popular with families and with a better space-to-price ratio If you’re looking for a place to live, you could try looking in Facebook groups or on websites such as Funda (renting and buying) or Pararius (rentals) there are plenty of sites that cater especially to internationals Adam has lived in Belgium and Hong Kong and is currently residing in the Netherlands His interests range a wide spectrum of topics from digital nomads and modern conflict to sports and local craft beer We explain the complex secondary school system in the Netherlands including the three public streams and various international options Although Amsterdam is typically the number one hub for expats there are plenty of other cities in the Netherlands worth your while From the right to protest to protection from discrimination here's what you need to know about human rights in the Netherlands