by Aimee Kinniburgh, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Netherlands Having explored lots of Amsterdam over the last few months, my housemates and I decided it was time to venture out of the city and explore more of what the Netherlands has to offer. After a quick google, we chose to take a day trip to the historic town of Haarlem. Following a small mishap with buses, namely taking an accidental detour to the airport, we arrived in Harlem in the early afternoon and were greeted by the gleaming winter sun. Haarlem has a more relaxed vibe than Amsterdam and is a place to get away from the busy tourist spots whilst still having…

by Aimee Kinniburgh, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Netherlands When moving abroad, so much of what you’re told is positive: you’ll make the best friends, you’ll experience new cultures, you’ll learn so much about yourself. Of course, all of this is true and already my year abroad is turning into one of the best years of my life. However, what I think people often miss is that whilst you experience some of the highest highs, that also comes with experiencing some of the lowest lows. This isn’t in any way to put you off going, I fundamentally think it’s one of the best things you could ever do. But given all of…

by Aimee Kinniburgh, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Netherlands As I’m writing this, today marks one week of living in Amsterdam and what a week it’s been. It feels like a lifetime ago I left for Bristol airport and said goodbye to my life in England for the next year. This week has been full of the highest highs and also some of the lowest lows, as is often the case when you pack up your life and move countries. So I thought I would make a list of the most important things I’ve learnt after my first week in Amsterdam. I’m sure this list will only grow throughout my time here…