University of Amsterdam
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The Little Things I Wish I Knew Before Moving to Amsterdam
By Anna Bluemel, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands Moving to a new country is super exciting, but it can also be DAUNTING. I tried to research thoroughly before moving to Amsterdam to feel as prepared and connected to my future mystery life as possible, but there are always small differences that you can only ever find out about through actually living there. For example, during my first food shop I had a bit of a wobble and ended up severely missing the trusty Fallowfield Sainsburys. I had heard that Albert Heijn was very expensive so I tried a different random shop – but my research was not very good because…
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Cafes + Cramming … Amsterdam’s best cafe study spots!
By Anna Bluemel, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands The rumours are true… the workload at UvA is pretty heavy. You don’t need to fret, though – the work is super interesting and varied, and it doesn’t take up allll of your time. Yet a chunk of the year will definitely be spent studying. During exam periods, I got just a little bit too used to the view of the UvA library, and whilst it is stunning, I felt the need to switch up my study location every now and then. In Manchester, I enjoyed going to cafés to study, but in Amsterdam, there are quite a few cafés where laptops…
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A Love Letter to My Bike
by Lily Sanders, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands One of the things I have loved the most about living in Amsterdam is cycling everywhere. I know that may sound slightly ridiculous, but cycling in Amsterdam is so much more than simply riding a bike. The default assumption is that everyone will cycle, whatever the occasion, going to uni, meeting at a café, heading to a restaurant or even a club! I find it so lovely that cycling is a communal activity here, and I feel this especially at AUC because we all live together in the dorms. At the start of my exchange when we were constantly exploring the city…
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academics at the UvA
a blog by Chiamaka🎀(Universiteit van Amsterdam in the Netherlands) (me when i realised had to do work on exchange </3) campuses + campus lifeI studied on Roeterseiland Campus, which was huge. I think that the whole of UoM could fit on its grounds. It has an expensive but delicious canteen, 2 bars / cafes and even cinema rooms to rent. The location is maybe a 10 minute cycle from the centre and there is a metro nearby. There are several study spaces on Roeterseiland, which is perfect since the main library is in a random location. I visited Oudemanhuispoort once, which is the ‘aesthetic’ campus. It’s quite nice and is…
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a complete guide to: KONINGSDAG (king’s day)
a blog by Chiamaka 🎀(Universiteit van Amsterdam in the Netherlands) The city is fully recovered from King’s Day celebrations this past April 27th. The streets were filled with orange, the sun was shining and speakers were blasting. In this blog I will prepare you for the most anticipated bank holiday of the year. It is a annual bank holiday celebrating the Dutch monarch’s birthday. It was originally Queen’s Day (the Netherlands had a queen for 123 years), but the current monarch is a man. People take to the streets for parades, festivals and markets, and the streets are decorated in orange. People also celebrate King’s Night the day before. There are…
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spreek je nederlands ? (do you speak dutch?)
a blog by Chiamaka 🎀 (Universiteit van Amsterdam in the Netherlands) In this blog, I will hopefully clear up your language concerns. You don’t need to speak Dutch. That’s the simple answer. I only know a little. Since every internet source I consulted said that everyone speaks English, I assumed that everything (street signs, ingredients etc) would have small print in English too. Imagine my surprise on my first trip to Lidl when NOTHING was in English. Obviously this makes sense – it’s a foreign country duh – but hopefully I’ll save you some shock. Some ingredient lists have it in French too (Belgian influence), which was my saving grace…
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fietsen (cycling)
a guide by Chiamaka🎀 (Universiteit van Amsterdam in the Netherlands) When you hear ‘Amsterdam’ what first comes to mind? I think of cycling (fietsen in Dutch). Everybody cycles here – it’s the most convenient and cost effective option to move around the city. Wheelchair users even have modified options ! So this blog is going to breakdown everything you need to know about bikes and cycling in the city (and the whole country, I guess). 1 why cycle?Depending on where you live in comparison to your uni (UvA is in the centre, VU is in Zuid (south)) you probably can’t walk. I personally live a 1h+ walk from UvA –…
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From Amsterdam to Dunkirk with a bike and a backpack
Written by Will Fisher, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands My exchange in Amsterdam ended at the start of August, and if there’s one thing I’ve spent my year doing, it’s cycling. Wondering just how good I’d gotten on a bike by now, I carved out a few days and planned a 4-day route from Amsterdam to Dunkirk entirely by bike. My student loans had mysteriously ushered themselves from my bank account by this point, so I eschewed hostels and instead planned to stay at free campsites along the way. It all seemed easy enough: 5-6 hours of cycling a day, three nights camping, and take the ferry over the Channel.…
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Last days in Amsterdam
By Will Fisher, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands After a year, it’s hard to say goodbye to this city. It was hard to make the choice to spend a full two semesters abroad, and nerve-wracking coming here and settling in to a whole new country. But now, ten months later, I can’t have asked for a better way to spend my year. I decided that for my last few weeks properly living in Amsterdam, before I embarked on a cross-Europe (+ Morocco) summer trip, I wanted to pack in a little of everything that made these months so special to me. Fortunately, the University of Amsterdam’s academic block system meant…
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Amsterdam: Beyond University
By Will Fisher, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands It’s nice to earnestly say that my exchange year in Amsterdam has been one of the most fulfilling and formative experiences of my life. I approached the year with both excitement and scepticism, not sure if it would be as life-altering and meaningful as I hoped it would. Seven months in, I wouldn’t have wanted to do anything else with my time. The university itself has, of course, had an impact. UvA’s courses are varied and detailed, and my particular exchange programme has allowed me to go in-depth on topics such as alienation, free speech, and Machiavellianism, ideas that may be covered…
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Three short moments from Amsterdam
By Will Fisher, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands The moon hung full and low and serene over Gaasperplas, the mile-long lake lying a short stroll from my Biljmer apartment. I was walking with a friend whose eyes seemed hand shaped to reflect moonlight back into mine. Our night had taken us halfway around the lake, stopping occasionally to watch small waves lap against the handful of shores and beaches scattered along the waterfront.
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A Trip to Berlin
By Will Fisher, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands The travel options during a year abroad in Europe are practically unlimited. The density and variety of cultures just outside your door practically beg to be explored, and no exchange would be compete without at least a little extra travelling. Over January, me and some of the friends I’ve made in Amsterdam were lucky enough to get a chance to visit Berlin.
