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Some things to bring back from your study abroad experience
By Hannah Wheeler, Vrije Universitiet, Netherlands Going back home always holds challenges. Sometimes it is easy to fall back into old roles and forget about the experiences and developments that you have gone through. Even just going back from university to your home city with your family, it’s easy to slip back into old habits. This was something I was worried about when I thought about going back to Manchester after my year in Amsterdam. I was scared of returning to my default student ways. Not that all the defaults are a bad thing, but also some I had grown out of in my year away. Your environment is a…
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Hidden gems: Amsterdam edition
By Hannah Wheeler, Vrije Universitiet, Netherlands Throughout my year in Amsterdam, I was always keen to try and find spots that were beyond the tourist’s gaze. When I met an Amsterdamer, I would often ask what places they recommended and what were their favourite parts of the city. Here are a few places I discovered and fell in love with…
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50 things to do while studying in Amsterdam
By Hannah Wheeler, Vrije Universiteit, Netherlands Here is a list of some of the best things, both touristy and Dutchie, to do in Amsterdam and the Netherlands. I hope it has something that will appeal to everyone: from club recommendations to must try cookies…
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Adjusting To The Dutch Academic System: The Way To An Easier Life
By Hannah Wheeler, Vrije Universiteit, Netherlands When preparing to go to the Netherlands, I didn’t think much about how the dutch academic system would be different. My mind was preoccupied with thoughts about housing, friends and Covid. Now that I’ve been studying in the Netherlands for 8 months I wanted to share some tips to help deal with the different academic style.
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My top 5 Dutch things
By Hannah Wheeler, Vrije Universitiet, Netherlands This blog compiles a synthesised list of the things I like the most about Amsterdam and also the Netherlands more generally. The unedited list is very extensive, including how they say ‘hoi’ instead of ‘hi’ and always give you a coaster for your beer, but for the sake of my reader’s attention span I am cutting it down. Cookies with your coffee One custom that has really stolen my heart, is getting a cookie or biscuit of some kind with your coffee or hot drink. Isn’t that just great? Pairing a strong dutch coffee with a sweet Speculas biscuit makes so much sense. And…
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The perks of living with Internationals
By Hannah Wheeler, Vrije Universiteit, Netherlands This exchange has opened me up to so many new experiences. For the first time, I am living with a group of internationals. My apartment of four holds a combination of seven nationalities and seven languages between us. The mixture of cultures and perspectives is incredible.
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A Guide to Self Quarantine
By Hannah Wheeler, Vrije Universiteit, Netherlands I feel that my first blog requires an honorary mention to Miss Corona. Since my acceptance to Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam back in February, Corona has always been trying to get in the way. Thankfully, she did not succeed. I’m now three days into my self-quarantine and every second grateful to be out of the UK and at the start of my year abroad. Self-quarantine has given me the opportunity to write a blog and a great topic to start off with, considering it is relevant for many of us leaving to start our study abroad years. Here are some of the things that…
A study abroad journal by students, for students.
