Its all coming to an end and I don’t know where to begin, so much has happened since I left London last August. I read through my first blog post before writing this, and feel where better place to start than here. Reflecting on what i had written I was wrong about one thing; you do feel like a bit of a tourist at the start, but thats because YOU ARE! Having said this once you meet locals and you yourself start to learn the ‘unwritten rules of the city’ as i first referred to them, then you feel integrated into the city, you become part of the flowing river of people that meander around, what I have to say, is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Secondly, Oscar Wilde was wrong. There is no way that even the most intelligent people or modern thinkers can foresee the future; predicting the unpredictable; expecting the unexpected. Well for me anyway, knowing what I would do and as I have said time and time again, the people would meet was nothing like I imagined and exceeded my expectations. I never foresaw that I would hitch-hike to Berlin for example, meeting truckers with stories of rock’n’roll in 70s. I never thought I would experience a university building become occupied, by squatters, as a form of social movement against the university itself (theres a link from The Guardian at the bottom if you want to know more). At times I’ve lived with a South African, a Frenchman and Irishman (no this isn’t the start of a joke), interviewed academics for my dissertation and visited artistic squatters camp, in the shipyard of Amsterdam. The experience has been amazing. I only wish it could continue and I hope that my life can continue to be as fulfilling and as colourful as the last 6 months here in Amsterdam. The time has undoubtedly change me and my desire to travel and live abroad has grown and grown, which only leaves me with some slight sense of fear that I may never get an opportunity like this again. To all those reading who are undecided about living abroad I urge you to do it. It won’t all be easy, but life is a roller coaster and you just got to ride it, and going abroad is the daddy of roller coasters.
I have little else to say, although I must make once last cheesy remark and thank everyone who made it possible and congratulation the Erasmus scheme on a job well done.
Thanks to all, its been unreal, until next time!
UvA Occupation: