“I want to get the most out of my exchange”
This phrase means something different to everyone. It ranges and whether that means learning a new language, immersing yourself in the culture, making the most of the academic opportunities, travelling, experiencing new food, making friends or even just living in a country that isn’t home, it all holds value.
For me, going on exchange, my big goal was to travel. I wanted to make the most of my time in Europe and take advantage of the ease of transport and close proximity of the extensive range of countries and cultures. I also wanted to explore the Netherlands and see more of the country I was living in for 5 months. Without a doubt, I easily achieved this goal. Since flying over in December, I visited 18 different countries as well as 20 Dutch cities/towns. I saw some incredible places and experienced some insane things. Countries I had always wanted to visit, I got the chance to see and places I hadn’t even considered became new favourites. I also loved getting to bike around and between different Dutch towns and see more than would otherwise be possible. The photos below are just some of the places I have been since my last blog post!
Despite all of this, the travel is not what I would say has “made” my exchange. That would have to be the people. I met some of the most incredible people while away and made friendships I know will last a lifetime.
Exchange is often seen as being about the big moments. Travelling, learning a new language, and experiencing a different culture. I have come to learn that rather it is about the little moments. The quiet ones that sneak up on you. It’s the people and the times in between the chaos. It’s movie nights where you never get around to watching the movie and instead stay up talking until 2 am before biking home. It’s sitting with your flatmate in the hall, just talking for hours. It’s hanging out with your friends, sharing songs from your childhood, and laughing about how weird they all sound. It’s the bike rides back from a night out. It’s laughing together about a big miscommunication that results from not understanding each other’s accents. It’s randomly running into each other everyday and losing track of time because of it. These little moments are where you make the connections and gain some of the best memories, and they are the ones I will miss the most.
Don’t get me wrong, saying goodbye to the city I called home for the last 5 months was sad and so tough, but without a doubt, the hardest thing was saying goodbye to the friends who made the city what it was. Because, unfortunately, as is the nature of exchange, as we scatter across the world again, we have no idea when we’ll get to see each other next. It’s a blessing to have these friendships, but boy, is it tough. It’s hard knowing we are going from being a 10-minute bike ride away at most to a minimum of 2 days of travel and a whole lot of money. Even just the fact that we will be in vastly different time zones is hard. Having friends across the world is such a fun thing to be able to say until you’re saying goodbye and heading home to the other side of the world. There is no way I would trade my exchange, though; it was, without a doubt, one of the best things I have ever done.
To anyone considering an exchange – GO FOR IT! No matter what you hope to gain from it, you’ll only get more.
To anyone currently on exchange – just appreciate every moment. No matter what you are using your time doing, you will be making memories, and before you know it, you’ll be hopping on your flight back home.
To the lifelong friends that made Utrecht special for me – I guess it’s now just about planning my next trip back!
Doedoei Utrecht ♡