I live where I live because I go to uni here and because my parents live in this country (Netherlands is small, so my parents live a 1 hour train ride away). I recently went abroad for 5 months to do an internship in Hamilton, Canada for 5 months. I found out that while I love the excitement of going to new places, I do miss my family and friends. Videochat is just not the same as having face to face conversations with them. Also, everything is really well organised in the Netherlands. We have reliable public transportation, good biking conditions and the amount of bullshit is minimum. It isn't perfect, but nothing is. As a result of this experience, I'm not opposed to living abroad, but I think that the time I can keep it up is limited. Or it has to be in Europe, only a short flight away from NL.
Oh my god, we are like the same people in two different places! I live and go to uni in Canada, and I'll be going abroad to Utrecht next year. I'm terribly excited and while I love trotting the globe, there's just nothing like being in the companionship of those you love.
Yup, I found that out as well. Funny thing is that you'll make some friends on the other side of the pond, so you'll miss friends even if you're at "home". If you need help planning your trip to NL, don't hesitate to ask :)