Pre-departure:
The last week before leaving SA on my journey to Leiden, Netherlands, a lot of preparation still had to be done even though it felt like I was preparing for the past three months. Small things that you don’t think of, like finding the right plugs so you will be able to use your laptop, hair drier or chargers.
Some things still had to be done at the bank. I was not sure if I should get a cash passport or use my credit card or cash until I manage to open a bank account here. In the end I took cash with me and managed to open a bank account at Rabobank quite easily.
The last thing was to ensure that I had all the necessary documents printed and saved somewhere online. This is not an easy task as you receive millions of emails from both Stellenbosch University and your host university requesting different documents. Certified copies of your birth certificate, ID, Passport and any other thing you can think of.
Arrival at Schipol was intimidating as I had no idea what to expect and if I would find my way. Luckily, being Afrikaans speaking, I could understand some of the direction indicators at the airport. I got my luggage and found the right train to Leiden by some miracle. I studied the map of Leiden extensively before departure but when I arrived at Leiden Central Station I did not know which way to turn. I asked around for someone to point me to the visitor’s centre where I was supposed to find my key for my room. Looking back I feel embarrassed that I couldn’t find it on my own, I guess the whole day was a bit overwhelming. I refused to take a taxi and decided to walk with my enormous suitcase, in the wind and rain for 2km (which felt like 5km that day) to my new home.
I live in an international student house of about 150 students. I share a bathroom and kitchen with 3 other internationals from London, America and Suriname. We get along fine and it is good to have people around to prevent feeling too alone.
Before I could even think of feeling homesick, orientation week for all the internationals started. I was in a group of 15 others from all over like, Greece, Italy, Jordan, India, Indonesia, Finland, Mexico, Peru, Boston, Germany and Australia. We were a good mixture of different cultures and races. We had a lot of fun exploring Leiden and getting to know each other. Some of those people will be lifelong friends of mine.
After orientation week we had to start registering and attending class. It was absolute chaos. There is no one who seems to really care if you do any subjects or not. One lady told me that “in the Netherlands you need to be self-sufficient” after I asked her the same questions a third time. Well, I quickly learned to be exactly that, and eventually managed to register for my subjects and get a student card etc.
Experience at the Host University:
After all the admin of registration and settling-in was over I could relax and properly get the feel of the beautiful town I was living in.
I was attending three courses. Two courses were part of the Industrial Ecology masters presented by Leiden and Delft University. Consequently I had class in both towns. The third course was at the Anthropology faculty in Leiden; this course was a great learning curve for me as I am used to engineering subjects which are based on facts and numbers.
The classes of the courses run only once a week and are three hours each. Also, I received a program of the classes at the beginning of the semester but they reschedule easily. I therefore had to check announcements on the blackboard system they use daily. The three classes I had were scheduled on a Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Thursday’s were full, as I had class in Leiden in the morning from 10:00 to 13:00 and then in Delft from 14:00 to 17:00; I took the 13:20 train from Leiden Central station and arrived at 13:45 in Delft. It was quite a rush to get to class on time.
Comparing the academic experience in Leiden to that of Stellenbosch I will firstly say that the difficulty level is very much the same – if not lower in Leiden. This was a big surprise/relief to me as I always had the impression that Europeans are much smarter than we are. Luckily that’s not true!!! Furthermore, the classes are very similar; they also use projectors (which sometimes fail) and white boards to make notes during class. Something that I have rarely seen in Stellenbosch is guest lecturers. In Leiden, we had a few guest lecturers on specific subjects which was a like a fresh breath of knowledge.
Activities that I attended that were connected to the University were all organized by the ISN (International Student Network). It involved trips to the famous tulip garden, Keukenhof, and international food evenings. It ensured that I could keep contact with all the international friends I made during the orientation week.
One highlight during my stay in the Netherlands was Kingsday. It is a public holiday specifically dedicated to the King’s birthday. All the towns have big concerts and everyone wears orange. It is definitely one of the craziest parties I have ever been to. We (20 other South Africans and I) rented a boat in Amsterdam and sailed through the canals. It was truly priceless to sing along to a Kurt Darren song with 20 South Africans by my side on the canals of Amsterdam.
Furthermore, I grabbed every opportunity I got to travel Europe. I saw Berlin, most of Belgium, Prague, Oslo, Luxembourg and went skiing in Austria. It is so much easier and cheaper to travel if you are based in Europe. What a privilege it was!
Return:
Returning to Stellenbosch-life came as shock to my system. It felt like I was gone for a long weekend on the most amazing holiday and suddenly had to fall right back into writing my thesis. It is the weirdest feeling. It feels like nothing has changed but at the same time life went on without me. It makes you realize all over again how small you are in this big world. It should be a refreshing thought. I am thinking of it in a positive light and attaining some valuable lessons from it:
- Don’t stress too much, about anything. It will all pass with time and is irrelevant to the memories you make and lessons you learn through it all.
- If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.
- In the end it all boils down to what you get out of life.
- What you can do for the people in your life (in your immediate proximity), not what they can do for you.
- Almost always, you don’t realize the true value of a moment, until it becomes a memory.
I am truly grateful for the experience I had abroad. Words can’t describe the adventure it was. Times I wouldn’t trade for the world.