In Closing: Final Thoughts on my Time in the Netherlands

January 1, 2011: Parrish, Florida, U.S.A

What matters most is what you think of first when you look back.

Sitting here at my laptop in my parents' home in Parrish, FL, it is hard to believe that it was already a year ago that I was preparing to head to the Netherlands for five months to study abroad. I knew little about what lay ahead, no one in this new place, and little about the Dutch culture. I was anxious and worried about making friends, fitting in, enjoying my time in the Netherlands, being homesick and being safe. I was simultaneously super excited about the possibilities of meeting new people, learning another language, traveling all over Europe and not working for five whole months! I had no idea what was in store for me in the months ahead and thinking about it gave me mixed feelings. There were moments I thought I should just back out and not go. That would be simpler, right? I know I can take another semester at Agnes Scott, why not just stick with the norm?

Thankfully, I did not talk myself out of boarding the plane from Atlanta to Philly, Philly to London or London to Schipol. I made the 14 hour journey and landed safely in Amsterdam with all my luggage and very jetlagged. I found my way out of customs and to the train station and managed to get on the train with all my things and disembark at Amsterdam Centraal. I laugh as I think back to those first few moments really setting foot in Netherlands. Stepping out of the train station, I was too tired to be totally astonished by the beauty that is Amsterdam. I was too focused on boarding the correct tram to my hostel to soak in the whole picture of this magnificent city. Despite a few turn arounds and the difficulties of wheeling my suitcase through the snow, I made it to the hostel. This was my first impression of the Netherlands, and it was great. Everyone was so hospitable at the hostel and made sure that I had what I needed. I am thankful that I chose to stay there for my first night in Netherlands.

I remember meeting the other American girls, Martha, Kelly, Audrey and Maddie, and taking the train with all of them to Tilburg the next morning. I was thankful to make this 1.5 hour train journey with all of them, as none of us knew where we were going! I will never forget being picked up by the ESN mentors who drove us to Verbs and lugged our suitcases all the way up the stairs for us! I remember settling into my room and walking down to Westermarkt with my new friends, Anti and Jay for a bite to eat and some grocery shopping. I also remember the fit I had trying to connect to the internet and getting my laptop battery to work,  since I  did not have  the correct wall plug. What a hassle!

I was only homesick once while I was abroad. The second day I was in Tilburg was a Sunday. In Netherlands, most things are closed on Sundays. There was not much going on, as the University was closed and there was only one event for the exchange students that evening. I remember thinking that day, "What am I doing here...why did I do this?" I remember missing home and wanting to come back already. I think that was mostly the jetlag taking its toll on me, because after the next few days, my tune changed 180 degrees! I quickly came to love Tilburg, made friends right away, and acquainted myself with my new home. Although quite different from my life in the States, I knew I was going to love this place.

There are so many memories I hold dear concerning Tilburg. The whole experience was phenomenal. Words cannot even describe. Lifechanging. Unforgettable. Epic. Inspirational. These all sound so cliche. But really, my time in Tilburg has affected every dimension of my life and changed the way that I think about things. I have been introduced to all parts of the world through the diverse group of international students I interacted with at Tilburg. I have learned more about the Dutch culture than can be merely taught in a classroom. I have experienced culture, traditions, and conventions that I have come to cherish. I have been inspired by those that I met during my time abroad to consider a range of views, love unconditionally, and appreciate the fine details of life. I have a new passion for traveling and learning new languages and cultural traditions. Every time I hear someone with an accent, I am inclined to ask them where they are from, and I have had some awesome conversations with people from all over about the places I visited and what these places mean to them.

I began this final entry to my study abroad blog with a quote, "What matters most is what you think of first when you look back". Almost everyday I have a flashback to some moment in the Netherlands: riding my bike to class, cooking in the kitchen in Verbs, shopping in Albert Heijn, studying in the University library... Each of these moments are so precious to me, but my most vivid memories are those that I spent with the amazing friends that I made while abroad. Coffee at 90  with the girls, late nights out in Tilburg, shots at Clancy's, waking up super early to catch the next bus/train/plane to get to our next destination. These are just a few of the many fond memories I have with the friends I made while abroad. These people mean the world to me, and I cannot explain the strong bond that exists between us, even though we were only together for five months. Something really bonds people together when thrown into a totally new environment with total strangers. The friends I made are friends for life, and I am proud to say that we still (over six months later) talk on a weekly basis. My favorite memories from abroad include these friends. They are what I think of first when I look back.

While many people have been dissing 2010 as the new year has just rolled in, I have to say that 2010 was probably actually one of the best years of my life. This has definitely been a year of growth, change, challenges, love, and unforgettable moments. Although I am happy to usher in the new year since 2011 holds graduation, grad school and new internships in store, I am sad to say good bye to 2010. Sad to say goodbye too the year that holds so many fond memories, trips, laughter, and people who are dear to me. Its also hard to believe that this is the final post of this blog. This truly concludes my study abroad adventures.

While I will still inevitably live vicariously through friends studying abroad in Europe and through my memories and pictures, I am determined to be more focused on the present in 2011. There is so much to think about for the future, so much in store for me  in this new year, but I really want to make sure that I enjoy each and every bit  of it. I want to be in the moment every moment and live for the now. I tend to be a planner, and while that is great and works out well, I also want to make a point to live for the moment, be spontaneous, and enjoy every second of 2011.

A year ago, I sat in this chair, nervous about what the year ahead held in store for me, anxious about going abroad, and undecided about my post-Agnes plans. Tonight I sit here a stronger, more mature, worldly woman. I am still nervous about the upcoming year, anxious about graduate school, and uncertain about the fine details after I graduate in May, but I know that everything is under control. God has this all in His hands,as He always does. As I say goodbye to 2010, a year to remember, I heartily welcome 2011. I know this year will hold grandiose things in store for me as well.

Day 143: Kinderdijk/Utrecht

Monday, June 7, 2010: Kinderdijk and Utrecht

On Monday morning we got a late start and took the train to Utrecht from Tilburg, this time just Karu, Bali and I as Mateja had her exam that day. Utrecht is about and hour and fifteen minutes north of Tilburg so we arrived late morning and checked the bus schedule to Kinderdijk. We had to wait a few minutes to catch the next bus to Kinderdijk. While waiting in the Utrecht Centraal Station for our bus to Kinderdijk, we grabbed snacks at our favorites: Albert Heijn and SWIRLS. Then we boarded the bus and road to Kindedijk...an hour and a half bus ride!

Once we finally arrived, we roamed around a bit and admired the windmills from afar. We decided to do as the Dutch and rent bikes to explore the area. I was glad we did, as Kinderdijk is quite an expansive area. We cycled along the dikes and admired the molen (windmills), stopping to take pictures and explore. Although you cannot go in any of the mills, it was really neat to see and read the history of former functioning mills. As we cycled back, we passes a couple taking wedding pictures. Karu also ran into someone that he knew...small world!

When we were back at the shop that we rented the bikes from, we checked the bus timing and decided we had time for a snack. We ordered tosti's from the restaurant and waited (more or less patiently) for the bus home. The bus ride back to Utrecht was a little unnerving, as the bus drove on high, windy roads. I was comforted by Bali braiding my hair during the ride. I also continued working on the soduko puzzles we had brought with us (which I am apparently no good at!).

We got back to Utrecht with little time to spare. We had only an hour or so to walk around the city  and explore. We went to HEMA, Xenos and Blokker (our Dutch favs) as well as a used book shoppe and some other small stores. Mostly I enjoyed walking around and getting a sense for another Dutch city, especially the famous Utrecht.

We had to board the bus back home to Tilburg pretty quickly (and we had to run to catch it in time) so that we could make it back in time for dinner. Mateja and I had agreed to cook a nice parting dinner for everyone, and also to thank Arlette for her hospitality in allowing us to stay in her room. We made it back in time to help Mateja finish the taco preparation and enjoy a final meal with some of our exchange friends.

Day 142: Delft and Scheveningen

Sunday, June 6, 2010: Delft and Scheveningen

Delft in all its glory!

Mateja and I arrived back from Scotland on the 5th, a Saturday. With only three days left in the Netherlands, we decided to make the most of our last bit of time in this beautiful country by visiting a few more places within its borders that we had not had the opportunity to explore yet. Next stop on our list: Delft!

Karu sleeping on the train

Bali's friend from home, Karu, joined us on this day excursion, as he had come over to NL just a few days earlier while Mateja and I  were finishing  our UK trip to visit Bali in Netherlands. We were excited to see him again and travel some with him. The four of us woke and boarded the train north to Delft and Scheveningen for a day of exploration and sightseeing.

Swirls Girls!

Unfortunately, the weather chose to be less than cooperative today, and we were stuck with a  light drizzle and clouds all day long....nothing a few umbrellas couldn't cure! We watched the rain and took turns napping as we rode the long (literally) train to Den Hague Centraal, where we had to get off and wait for another train to take us to Delft. Knowing the length of our mini layover, we took the opportunity to get a light snack and check out the route to Scheveningen, where we would go in the afternoon. We purchased strippenkaarten for the tram to Scheveningen and found some snacks. Mateja and I enjoyed a typical train station treat, SWIRLS! This is kind of like TCBY frozen yogurt mix-and-match yumminess! We blended yogurt flavors and added fruits and sweets and took our yummy treats back on the train with us.

We arrived in Delft, where the train station was undergoing some heavy reconstruction. We made our way into town and found a plethora of shops selling the traditional Dutch delftware. We had seen this blue and white porcelain throughout our travels in Netherlands  and could buy it at any Dutch discount or tourist shoppe, but we all wanted to buy real Delftware in Delft! We scoped out all the shops for deals and each bought some treasures for friends and family. I got a nice Christmas ornament for my mom, who collects Christmas ornaments from various places she visits.

We stopped at Subway for lunch where  Bali and Karu opted for a traditional Dutch snack of kibling at a local stand selling the fried fish, while Mateja and I snuck off to use the WC.  Bali and Karu met up with us in Subway and we decided to have lunch there. We were our silly selves as usual as we ate. Bali told Karu all about my "picture posing" and so we showed him how its done! (yes, at Subway!). We enjoyed our American bite to eat (and  a break from the rain) before heading out to explore some more of Delft.

We ambled through the square and noticed that a lot seemed to be happening that day in Delft. Come to find out, it was the Mooi Weer Feest (in Engels: "festival of good weather"...despite the lack there of) and so there were lots of performances and street artists. We stopped to admire and watch a few as we strolled through the backstreets looking for shops. We came across some interesting shows on our way to HEMA, where we stopped to look for a few more gifts to bring home with us for friends and family. Mateja and I  also put together a nice gift to send to Katie's family in Ireland as a thank-you for our stay in Belfast.


Our last stop for the day was inside a church, where we listened to the organs play for a few minutes. We decided to leave shortly after (as a few of us were falling asleep) and make our way back to the train station. We boarded the train back to Den Hague, where we got off at the familiar train station from a few hours earlier and made our way outside to the tram stop just outside the station. We caught the tram to Scheveningen, the famous Dutch beach!

I was sooo excited to see a beach again, and especially to experience the Dutch version! Our energy boosted about 100% once at the beach, as we were all excited for the sand and water. I clearly recall taking off our shoes and running into the sand. Next thing we knew, Karu had become photographer and was taking pictures of the three of us jumping together in the sand. What a sport!

  We made our way through the sand (not without playing in it) and walked through the cold water. There was a stretch of rocks that led out into the water, which were covered with some kind of slimy green overgrowth. We walked barefoot on those, attempting not to slip and bust ass on the rocks and cold water! (We did so successfully!) After making our way back to shore, we played in the sand some more and expressed our love for NL in the sand.

We had to wash our feet off well before we made our way back to the tram stop and into town to catch the train back to Tilburg. The ride home was far from smooth. We had to take the train to Zaltbommel, where we had to wait for a bit to get a train to 's-Hertogenbosch in order to catch the train to Tilburg. There was some grumpiness going on, but we made it! And we even caught a quick snack in Tilburg before heading back to Verbs for the evening :)Although we had crummy weather and were stressed due to leaving soon (and Mateja's upcoming final), we were able to enjoy one last day trip as the three of us (and Karu!). I am so glad we got to Delft, as it was an adorable city with lots of culture. And the beach was great...would love to go back some day with better weather!

Day 138-140: Scotland

Since I am feeling particularly reminiscent of the Netherlands today (and eating Smarties...and procrastinating), I am going to write one of the few remaining posts I have on this blog. Although my time in Scotland was nearly five months ago, I still remember it like it was yesterday, and thinking about our time there brings a smile to my face. Enjoy the following excerpt about my time in Scotland!


Wednesday, June 2, 2010: Glasgow Scotland

Mateja and I woke up super early in our individual bed's tucked away in the loft rooms of Katie's cozy home. We got ready and headed downstairs for a departure breakfast and saying goodbye to Katie's amazing parents who had been so kind to us! They even packed us a breakfast sack for our trip with snacks and things.

We took a cab to the nearby Belfast airport in time to catch our Ryanair flight to Glasgow, Scotland, the next stop on our U.K. trip. Our flight was super short (and totally worth the 6 GBP we paid for it!). We arrived quickly in Glasgow and managed to find our way through the airport to the train station. Daniel had given us directions to board the train and get off at Glasgow Central, where he would meet us and take us to his place.

We got off the train, tired and hungry! We didn't have any trouble finding Daniel at the station and were glad to be reunited with our mutual friend from Tilburg. Daniel told us the plan for the afternoon and we headed out to hit the streets of Glasgow. We took turns carrying each other's backpacks so that none of us would get too worn out from all the luggage. We walked up Sauchihall street, glancing at all the shops and Scottish sites to see. Daniel guided us to this fabulous little Italian restaurant, Sarti's (that shared a bathroom with another restaurant and was a maze to get to!), where we had a late lunch. We ordered an appetizer before proceeding to order our main course. I had risotto, thanks to our common love for cooking risotto in Tilburg. We sipped wine, and leisurely enjoyed our fabulous Italian meal before heading back outside. It was a gorgeous day! Cool, sunny and beautiful!

Mateja's Sadness due to the mirror :(

We walked through the busy streets back down Sauchihall Street and through the Buchanan Galleries. We decided to revisit a shoppe we had passed on our way to lunch, a Cupcake Shoppe! Mateja and I each ordered a cupcake decorated like a bee...so cute! Unfortunately, while we were in the shoppe, Mateja dropped her mirror that she had purchased the day before in Belfast. Daniel and I tried to comfort her outside the shoppe as we ate our cupcakes, but Mateja was pretty sad (see picture).

 Next, we boarded the train again to go to Daniel's University, Glasgow University. We hopped off the train, prepared for a short (according to Daniel) 5-10 minute walk to the Uni, however, it ended up taking quite a bit longer, which quite irritated Mateja :). We finally made it and relaxed outside a few minutes before exploring the University. It was giant and set high up, with a great view! We wandered down to the University bar for a quick drink (and some Nuts on the quiz machine). After relaxing for a bit, we hopped on the metro to get back to the train station and took the train back to Helensburg, where Daniel's family stays.

Glasgow University

Glasgow University

Posing in the archway

Pretty Arches

Exploring the Uni

Helensburg, Scotland

We arrived at Helensburg Central, an unassuming, quaint little train station of only two platforms. Daniel's younger sister, Anna, picked us up from the train station and took us to their home in her car. First impressions of Helensburg: adorable! Such a cute little place on the water. It seemed like a good, quiet place to retire.

We arrived at Daniel's house (not far at all from the station) and rested for a while before Daniel's mom called us to dinner. It was good to see Daniel's parents again, as I had met them previously in Netherlands, when they came to help Daniel pack his things to take back to Scotland. We had burgers for dinner, prepared by Daniel's mom.

Headed to Pub Quiz

After supper, we chilled out for a bit and settled into our room before heading out for the night. Daniel was anxious to take us to Pub Quiz, as it was a notorious story of his that we had heard all about in Tilburg. We decided to walk, as the sun was setting and the weather was gorgeous. We headed down the giant hill that Daniel lived off of and walked all the way down to the river. We were way early for the quiz, so we stopped first at the Logie Baird where we sipped drinks and Mateja and I split a yummy cookie dessert. We played another quiz machine (epic fail!) before heading to Riverbank, where we met up with Daniel's friends for quiz. Liam, Gio and Robbie were on our team too. Unfortunately, we didn't do so hot, placing fifth. But we had a great time getting to know each other :)

Mateja left quiz a bit early, as she was really tired from a long day of traveling and sightseeing. After Pub quiz, Daniel and I went out for late night pizza at the take out place next door, Lido, before trekking back up the hill to his house and hitting the sack.

Thursday, June 3, 2010: Balloch, Scotland

Loch Lomond, Scotland

The next morning we woke and had a nice breakfast at Daniel's house (thanks to his mom :) before heading out for our next Scottish adventure--Loch Lomond. We were driven to the train station by Daniel's mom and took the train north to the Scottish Loch. It was a substantial train ride, but consisted of some beautiful Scottish scenery. It was pleasant.

Paddle Boats!

We arrived at the Loch, where Daniel had been many times before with his family, yet it was all new to Mateja and I.  We wandered down from the train station toward the lake and came to the paddle boat rental area. I have not done paddle boats in years, and it was only 12 GBP for one boat for half an hour, so we decided to have a go and rented a three-seater. With Daniel in the middle, Mateja and I paddled the boat (go girl power!) and Daniel steered...bad decision! Soon we were attempting to run into the ducks in the pond. Although they were too fast and we were too slow. We enjoyed the workout and some good laughter in the paddle boats before hopping out and heading up to the small shopping and restaurant area. We stopped for lunch at Thornton's. I had a yummy sandwich and Magners (of course...gotta do as the Scottish do!).

Magners :)

After our relaxing lunch, we walked to the castle that Daniel had told us all about. It was a nice walk, but the castle was relatively disappointing. The more exciting part of it all was the dog that was walking freely near the castle. I chose to take the opportunity to talk to the dog, in French of course! Well, this particular dog did not take too well to 'Bonjour' and started growling at Mateja and I. I began to walk away, but the dog continued to bark and come closer to Mateja (who was not to happy with me for the whole incident!).

Loch Lomond Castle

Since it was a rather long walk to the castle, we decided to take a short break and chill for a few minutes on the lawn. Mateja thought this would be a good photo op (as it had been in Slo), and we used her camera to take a timed picture. Well, it ended up taking a picture about every second, so we turned out to have an entire flip book of the whole thing! We laughed about the whole thing as we laid out on the grass and chatted for a bit. Favorite quote of the afternoon: "It would be nice to die because of eating chocolate." --Mateja (who else!?!)

Failed attempt at a picture

On the way back to the train station, we walked along the water, which was really scenic and nice. There were people getting ready too swim in the lake, others walking their dogs, and some just sitting watching it all. What a nice, relaxing place. I tried to soak it all in as I laughed and chatted with my friends on the way back to the train station.

Off to another Scottish trek!

Typical teasing :)

We had to wait a few minutes at the station before the train came (in which time we managed to find bathrooms that we could use), but we got back to Helensburgh in time to squeeze in one more activity before heading back to Daniel's for supper. Daniel walked us down by the water in Helensburgh to Ardencable, an old-time house that is now a restaurant/bar. We took advantage of the gorgeous weather that we had already been enjoying all day and shared a drink together outside on their front lawn. Daniel ordered me a Bulmers, which is another cider very similar to Magners. We sipped our drinks before heading to another outdoors trek in the woodlands of Helensburgh. We walked the trail through H. Hill and admired the great views we had of Helensburgh from the various points of the trail. It was a nice hike, but very tiring since we had been walking all day already! The trail ended near Daniel's house and we headed back for some supper.

Daniel's mom had made us all a nice dinner consisting of beef, veggies, an potatoes. We enjoyed the meal with his mom and sister before relaxing from our long day out. We chilled that evening, and watched the movie 21. I also took the opportunity to blog a bit...trying to play catch up! After the movie finished up, we all hit the sack, exhausted from our long day.

Friday, June 4, 2010: Glasgow, Scotland

Argyle Street, Glasgow

We slept in a bit the next morning and woke to another nice breakfast courtesy of Daniel's mom. After breakfast we walked to the train station and caught the train to Glasgow Central. We decided to take the day to explore Glasgow some more, instead of trying to squeeze in Edinburgh. We decided to take our usual shopping detour and hit up  Argyle street for some deals. I was not feeling too well and had an incident with a monk (long story ;).  Thankfully, I began to begin feeling better after I finally got some Tylenol-ish substance in my system.

Hemlay's

We were excited to visit the Scottish Primarck, as we had already visited on in Ireland and one in London. Daniel was sweet to take us there so that we could look around a bit, although we didn't buy anything this time (guess we were Primarcked out!). Next we went to Hemlay's (an awesome toy palace) in this awesome indoor shopping area and enjoyed a nice lunch in the  food court.

Daniel...

In the afternoon, Daniel coaxed us into boarding the tour bus for a bus tour of Glasgow. Although a bit reluctant to do so (due to our disdain of said tacky tour buses in nearly every major European city), but in retrospect, I am glad we did. We got a great riding tour of the city, which was a nice break after a long morning of shopping. The guide was a bit lousy (hard to hear and quite monotone), but the tour was enjoyable and we learned some cool facts about the city. My favorite part was the statue with the orange cone on his head...Daniel may or may not have had something to do with this at one point in his life!

Scottish Bagpiper sighting!

We hopped off the bus when Daniel said and stopped for a drink at Witherspoon's where we "enjoyed a pint and a chat". Actually, I'm  pretty sure that whatever I had to drink was not too good, but we split some chips and played some electronic card game (well, I watched Daniel and Mateja play). It was a nice break from all the turismo!

Afterward, we headed back to the train station to catch the train to Helensburgh. Daniel's dad was arriving home in the evening from his weekly business trip to Machester, England, and we were excited to see him again (Mateja and I had previously met him in NL). We were greeted back at Daniel's by his father and sister who were home. We asked Anna, Daniel's sister, if she would like to play football (American soccer) with us and she agreed. I was more or less the cheerleader (I don't do soccer!), but enjoyed playing and watching a bit.

Awesome bridge

For our final dinner in Scotland, we ordered take out from one of Daniel's family's favorite take out restaurants (that serves fish and chips!). We all drove down to pick up the food together and enjoyed a relaxing dinner back at the house. After supper, we hung out with Daniel's family for a bit, watching rugby and Britain's Got Talent. To wind down on our final evening in Scotland, Mateja, Daniel and I all crawled onto Daniel's bed again and watched the movie 21. We went to bed pretty early since we had to catch an early flight the next morning.

On Saturday, Daniel's dad was nice enough to drive us to Glasgow Prestwick airport where he and Daniel dropped us off to head back to Tilburg for a few final days. It was a difficult good-bye to our friend who had shared so much with us both in the Netherlands and in his own home country. We did our best to hold back the tears as we parted ways and headed to security. We arrived safely back in Schipol later on that evening (via our EasyJet flight) and took the train down to Tilburg where we reunited with Bali and Arlette who hosted us the remainder of our time in the Netherlands since we had to move out of our rooms to avoid paying rent!