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Netherlands: Student Comments
“Studying abroad in Holland for six months was truly an amazing experience. Every day that I spent in the beautiful town of Leiden, I felt more and more at home. Although it was difficult to adjust to my new surroundings at first, by the end of the six months I didn't want to leave. I have to laugh at myself when I remember how afraid I was that I wouldn't make any friends. Not only do I have people to visit all over the globe, I have friendships that will last me for life.” —EAP Student “My stay in the Netherlands at University College, Utrecht, was by far the most amazing experience I have ever had. Being given the opportunity to study and live in another country is something that is indescribable! I have to admit that I was incredibly nervous before I left for Europe, but once I got to the Netherlands I quickly realized that Dutch people are some of the world's kindest, most polite people. Although I did not speak the language, everyone there speaks English and they are happy to help in any way they can. I feel that going abroad made me a better, more worldly individual, much more tolerant of people and world issues. When September 11 happened, I felt slightly lost for a few days, but the Dutch people seemed to be very understanding and extremely nice to all the Americans.” —EAP Student “Not only did I visit some of the greatest, most beautiful sites and museums in the world, but I also made friendships that will last forever. A large group of us (mainly American, Dutch, and German) have continued to keep in touch since our departure from Holland.” —EAP Student “I will never forget when my friend and I went to meet the taxi that was taking us to the airport at four o'clock in the morning to return home. We were the first two to leave from our group of friends and everyone walked out to the street with us, and we all just hugged one another and cried because we knew we would never be coming back to this amazing experience.” —EAP Student “I plan to return to Utrecht next year for a visit, and although I realize it will be nice to remember the time I spent there, it will never be the same terrific time I had when I went abroad. That is the great thing about going abroad-you create this new life for yourself outside of your regular world and that can never be taken away from you!” —EAP Student “The housing situation at UCU is excellent. The dorms and academic buildings are seconds away. I had my own single room, with adequate space. The cost was no more than what I would have paid back in Irvine, and the dorms are less crowded and of better quality then the ones at UC Irvine.” —EAP Student, UC Irvine “The complete EAP experience was mind-blowing for me. I was able to find out things about myself that I never knew were possible. Having a difficult time in a course for the first time really changed my perspective on higher education. Seeing a lot of Europe added to my bank of collected experiences, and meeting so many new people was quite exciting for me as well. I learned so much from this experience I wouldn't know where to start or stop-both academically and personally.” —EAP Student “My EAP experiences were extremely rewarding. The learning style and structure there was very different from what I'm used to, and I found it to be excellent. The friends I met whie abroad I still keep in touch with almost daily. Something about meeting new people from all over the world and starting a life in a new place brought me so close to them.” —David Benjamin, UC Davis “It was the most fun I've had in my life! My friends loved living in Maastricht. The cheese was so cheap and to die for!” —Lizette Cannarella “Each day after my classes, I took walks into the city center-past the canals, medieval storefronts, and bakeries housing local favorites like stroopwaffels, and numerous tulip stands. If the weather permitted, I'd wander through farmland or quaint neighborhoods. My favorite spot was the local forest, where I envisioned scenes from childhood fairy tales. Being late to class was never a concern: academic buildings are a few steps from the on-campus apartments. The classes are small (15 students max) and primarily taught by Dutch faculty. Utrecht was amazing-I can't wait for my return! ” —Jen Fleischer, UC Davis “Don't be discouraged by the cold, rainy weather during the winter months in the Netherlands. Leiden truly comes alive in the spring! Buy some baguettes and dip from Hoogvliet (the grocery store) and have a picnic in the park on the Rapenburg. It's fun to watch and wave at Dutch families taking their boats out on the canal; and students walking through the park on their way to Plexus (the student center) will be happy to stop and relax in the grass. One of the most fun days I ever had was the day that my friends and I rented paddleboats. This is a wonderful way to explore the town and to see everything from a new perspective. The Dutch love the warm weather and will set their dinner tables outside on the street to enjoy a spring evening. Make some Dutch friends and join in the festivities!” —Meredith Jaegar, UC Santa Cruz “I had the opportunity to observe and visit a hardcore/heavy metal concert for a subcultures project in Holland. The similarities between shows in America and Holland were very profound. Nonetheless it was great seeing my favorite bands right in the heart of Amsterdam.” —David Kim, UC Irvine “The building I lived in while in the Netherlands was separate from the main dorm facility and housed about 20 exchange students. The first weekend I spent there, my roommates and I decided to throw a party for the people in our building. We had only met a couple of them and thought that everybody should get to know each other. We went to each room in the building to invite them to the party, but many people weren't home. So we put up signs announcing the party on all the entrances. We figured at least a few people would show up, hopefully it wouldn't be a total bust. It turned out to be an awesome party. Only one or two people in the building didn't come and everyone had a great time. It was a fabulous start to the year and indicative of the many fantastic parties to come.” —Megan Lee, UC Santa Cruz “Over winter break I visited friends of mine who are studying on EAP in France and Italy and new friends who live in Germany and Luxembourg. The people I've talked with, learned from, laughed with, cried with, these people are involved in my life as much as I am involved with theirs. My new family will be dispersed around the globe after this year is over, but now there will be no excuse to not visit them again and again. I have made new life friends and new life choices. By learning about another culture, another place, I've learned about myself: who I am and who I want to be. Don't deny yourself the chance to become something even more amazing than who you are now. Go abroad to discover life, about others and about yourself. You will never have an opportunity quite like this again.” —Cara Pettite, UC Irvine “I lived in a tiny college campus that was one-third international. My roommates were from Spain, the Netherlands, Turkey, Bulgaria, Italy, and the U.S. School was fine, but where I really learned about life was traveling and hanging out with people from all over the world who had thier own ideas about life, and were willing to share. I miss the canals of the Netherlands and riding my bike along wet cobblestones under the romantic Dom lit up at night. I also went traveling through Italy for three weeks after school and will never forget it.” —Meghan Pino, UC San Diego “I cannot stress how important I feel it is for students to go abroad if at all possible. Your life and friends will still be where you left them when you get back, and in the meantime you have had this incredible opportunity to see the world and learn about another culture. My college experience has definitely been heightened by my travels abroad and I like that I can say I made two radically different groups of friends while I was an undergrad! Europe is an amazing place, rich with culture and history, and I definitely brought a lot of its history back with me!” —Estee Stevens, UC Santa Barbara
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