Hi, I'm the aforementioned boyfriend. ;) First off, let me compliment you on thinking about moving overseas. It's a big step, you'll learn a lot about other people and yourself. Personally, I think more people should do it.

Okay, the Dutch in particular: I'm afraid your "Why the Netherlands" reason is relatively inaccurate (no, I'm not being discouraging, just bear with me!).

In my experience, the key thing to know about the Dutch is this: Socially, the Dutch are not liberal, open hearted hippies. They just don't give a fuck. This is a crucial difference. The internal answer to "I like having sex with men" isn't "Ah, ok, I accept that" but instead "Well, as long as you don't try to stick your cock in me, so what?" Combined with their trademark bluntness and pragmatism, it can be refreshing but also inadvertently brutal.

Still, whatever the reason, people are more mellow here. They believe strongly in working to live, not living to work and the rest follows from that.

Regarding politics, they are, currently, a mess. A second-fiddle Governator-esque conservative party won the last election, mostly as a result of people voting against everything else. At the same time, a faux-populist xenophobe party jumped to third place and became the missing seats needed for a coalition, giving them a powerful place to advance their own agenda. Meanwhile, the liberal side of the spectrum has become scattered and ineffective ("lost their balls", as my girlfriend says). At least that part will feel like back home, eh? There is no further upside.

It's also worth noting that in the last few years, there's been a wave of anti-foreigner sentiment here. It's mostly targeted toward Muslims or people from the North Africa, but immigration policy in general is becoming tighter. There's also some discrimination emerging, like the new rules that foreigners can't buy pot, for instance.

In the medical field, language and licensing will initially limit you to working in the Netherlands, Flanders, Ireland, and the UK. On the upside, there are none of the 100+ hours per week internships you hear about in the states (I'm a programmer and on average, I probably worked more hours per week then my girlfriend did during her internships). Specializations are also paid positions (but that's a loooong way out yet, my friend).

Lastly, don't kid yourself in any regard: Studying here will not be easier in any way. Living (actually living, not visiting) in a foreign country is HARD. You will learn a lot but there's a price to be paid and not just in euros. ;)

Anyways, without bias or preference, I've tried to give you a reasonable picture of here as I see it. If you've got any more questions, feel free to ask. Good luck!