Day 62: Forever Optimistic

Another sunny day in Tilburg, what more could a girl want?

Nothing terribly exciting happened today, but I just thought I'd share some thoughts I've had over the past few days here. Today I had my first presentation at Tilburg. Luckily for me, it was in English (my Dutch is not that good yet!). We had worked in a group of seven students for our Culture/History/Society class to research differences between two countries (we chose Greece and Turkey).

It turned out to be a really great project. I worked with four Dutch students, a Canadian and Mathea (my Slovenian friend). After our initial research and meeting with the professor, we divided the work amongst us for the presentation. The native English speaker, I got the job of presenting and Mathea agreed to present along with me. We worked quite a bit yesterday and today getting ready for it, but as always, we were both a bit nervous just beforehand!

However, the presentation ended up going really well! We got through it just fine and I think the prof enjoyed it. It was really interesting to hear the other groups present too. All the students in the class had completed the same project and were presenting this week. So we heard comparisons about all of the countries in Europe- Greece, Hungary, France, Germany, Poland, Sweden, Turkey, Netherlands and more! It was really cool and a quick, fun way to brush up on some European history! I also found it really fascinating, because the majority of students that presented were not native English speakers. In fact, my friend Alissa and I were the only two native English-speaking students who presented out of nearly 20 presenters. But all of the students really impressed me with their ability to speak English in front of a group and remain poised and calm. If I were trying to do a presentation in Dutch or Spanish....oh my word, I can't even imagine!

So now I feel very refreshed that my presentation is over with! And the weather is super nice today. Its sunny(ish) and its currently 64-degrees Fahrenheit outside....I think this is the warmest its been since I have been here! Mathea and I are heading to the city centre tomorrow...I will buy some shorts and t-shirts to welcome in the warm weather and spring...alas!

Past that, things are going good. I have really been enjoying my Dutch class. Its nice to be learning a bit more of the language. I realize its not practical beyond this time in my life, but its really neat to be learning another language in its home country. Plus, I get to practice a lot while I'm here. This weekend, I even had a bartender tell me that my Dutch was good! I try to practice some outside of class...I say "dankjewel" a lot when I am out to eat or at Albert Heijn. Its all in good fun :)

Last night as I was walking back from the library (actually walking to my bike to cycle back!) I realized how gorgeous Tilburg is. Its been kind of hard, as I tend to compare the campus and school to Agnes Scott, which is beyond beautiful. So the "looks" of Tilburg were kind of disappointing at first, but last night as I walked on campus with the sun set and the lights on, I realized what a nice place it is. It is very different from ASC (in so many ways), but I really appreciate those differences and am thankful for all of the amazing experiences I am having here. Literally every day is a new adventure and I enjoy living, learning and absorbing every moment of it! My experience abroad is totally priceless. I cannot express all of the sentiments I have about being in this place, exploring the cities and countries around me, and the people I have spent these months with. This is truly an unbelievable journey in my life, and I do not regret my decision to come here at all. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure I'm really in Europe, and this is not all just a dream :)

Wow, so this has been a pretty reflective entry! Sorry for boring anyone who's reading this. Just wanted to put some of this on paper (or computer screen?) so that I can have these memories to hold on too as well.

This weekend I will be heading to Bruges, Belgium (again) with Bali and Mathea. Bali's uncle will drive us there, so it should be fun to ride in a car again and explore Bruges a bit more. I'm hoping for good weather (knock on wood :)!

Then next week I have four exams between Monday and Tuesday, and on Wednesday, I head to France to visit my friend Ashley from Agnes Scott (the one who visited me here in February). I am really looking forward to seeing her again and exploring some of France. We will visit Paris and perhaps some places around Besancon, where she goes to school.

So many exciting things! Stay tuned :)