The fresh breeze on my face as I rode my Donkey Republic E-Bike remains in my mind much past my time in Amsterdam. In fact, the more I think about my study abroad experience, the more I view it as surreal, an experience that almost feels too good to be real. Where should I even start?
Stereotypically, the first day of class, coined “FDOC” on social media, is always filled with nerves. There are new teachers, subjects, people that you’re meeting, etc. Having an FDOC in Amsterdam was not much easier on my nerves. I descriptively recall my 20-ish minute walk to class over the beautiful canals and the bikes zooming past me.
I hadn’t met many people at the time and was just enjoying the sights and Spotify in my earbuds when I stumbled across some students with backpacks that seemed my age. I began to converse with them, finding out that they were going to the same place, but were each taking different courses. One student was from Australia, one from India, and one who has lived in eight different countries but most recently Italy.
While our initial conversations were more of the basic “What do you study?” or “What’s life like in ______?” I was amazed by everyone’s openness and kindness. Sure, we had met 15 minutes ago, but we were cracking jokes, finding out about our commonalities, and empathizing with each other about our uncertainty about how the course will go. The guy from India loved cricket, and we talked about our love for cricket and our conspiracy theories about how the Indian Premier League is fixed.
I took the Vrije Universiteit summer school course in Global Health, and as a medical student, I was beyond excited. However, I wasn’t sure what to expect with how the course would be run and if it would be anything different than familiar concepts. After we completed the introductions in class, I realized that I was one of four Americans in a class of about 18 students, and I was the youngest by a lot.
There was a 25-year-old woman who already had her medical degree but was taking this course to help support her certification in medical entrepreneurship. I talked to her for a good bit about her opinions on medicine and her education in Georgia (the country, not the state). Her story was ridiculously inspiring, and, on top of her political struggles in her home country of Russia, she was so approachable and willing to help. She’s married with an adorable love story and even gave me dating advice!
Over the next two weeks, I was independent. I would go to class and learn, but I’d also often bike to an Albert Heijn and stock up on my favorite Dutch snacks or just stroll the streets. ISA took us on a trip to Den Haag, “The Hague,” where we went to this place that had an adorable miniature replica of the entire Netherlands. There also was one of the nicest beaches I’ve seen, uncharacteristic of my perception of Amsterdam before coming in.
The freedom was beautiful, and the friends were equally amazing. Often people get left out in social situations, but our class’s WhatsApp group chat would make plans for dinner or drinks or going exploring somewhere in particular. Yes, I’m all for solo traveling, but it was nice to have company with people from class that were a similar age as me and also wanted to socialize and explore the city, go bar hopping, and visit the techno clubs—which was a crazyyy experience.
Next, I’ll come to you with the stories that I’ve loved telling my friends back home and the thoughts that stay in my mind from my travels. Thanks for reading!