Pre-departure:
I applied for a Schengen visa through VFS Global agency. I had the choice of applying online or in person at their offices in Cape Town. I opted for the latter, as the sequence of the application and required documents were clearly explained on their website. Unfortunately, when I arrived for my appointment, I was told one of my documents still required certification. This meant an extra drive through to Cape Town again. Moral of the story: make doubly sure you have everything before handing in your document during your appointment. The application itself was processed and delivered to me in a remarkable 3 working days!
Regarding flights, I eventually settled on the Dutch airline, KLM. They had an option of a direct flight, which landed at Schiphol airport in time for the airport pickup organised by the VU Amsterdam Summer School team. It is always a good idea to take your own pair of earplugs. KLM does not hand ones out if you are taking a daytime flight. Be sure to download the nifty KLM app too. It will give you all your flight details such as check-in & boarding time, chosen seat etc and even holds a digital version of your boarding pass. All you do is whip out your digital boarding pass and scan the QR code. Voila!
Some general tips:
- Save all your documents and paperwork to a Dropbox folder. This way, you will be able to access your documents from any device, anywhere in the world.
- Create a document with emergency information. You never know when this may be needed. Include things like your travel insurance number, emergency contacts, allergies, blood type etc. Print a few copies and store then in multiple places e.g. suitcase, handbag etc.
- Apps are a valuable source of information. Download some Amsterdam city and sightseeing maps. There are also public transport apps (like GVB) with routes and schedules to help you get around.
- If you are able to pick your seat on the plane, either go for a window or isle seat. Then cross your fingers and hope no-one sits in the middle seat.
Packing tips:
- Be sure to pack a light rain jacket! While it is summer in Europe, there is still a chance of rain and the wind can get quite gusty.
- Bring comfortable shoes. You will be doing a fair amount of walking and now is not the time to break in a new pair of heels.
- Try to pack light and make sure to leave some space in your luggage on the way there. You will definitely want to bring a packet (or three!) of stroopwafels home for your friends and family to taste.
- Conversely, consider packing some South African treats such as Nik Naks, biltong or a box of rooibos tea. This is the one thing I deeply regret not thinking of doing. It would have been so special to physically share, not just talk about, something from home with my new international friends.
Experience at the Host University:
I attended the Operations Research: A Mathematical Way to Optimize Your World course for a duration of 2 weeks, from 5 to 19 August. The VU Amsterdam Summer School provided housing for us, and I stayed at their university residence, Uilenstede, which was very comfortable and well maintained. My 10th floor room also had a fantastic view. Just note that your room does not have WIFI, only a LAN connection, which the Summer School does warn you about.
Our classes started earlier in the morning and usually ended later when compared with the other Summer School programmes that other students were attending. Thus, I would say our program was quite fast paced and intense. In class, we covered a wide range of topics within OR. Coming from an engineering background, I had come across many of the concepts and techniques during my studies already, however, I was presented with some slightly different solving methods or problems I have not come across before. It would be beneficial to have a knowledge of basic statistics as well as linear algebra for this OR course, otherwise I think you might struggle to keep up with the mathematical/theoretical side of things.
The lecturers were enthusiastic and obviously knowledgeable in their disciplines and it was great to network with them and my fellow class mates. I do believe that my program at Stellenbosch University and OR research group is on par with global academic standards. Our department believes in and indeed delivers academic excellence, and I see no reason not to brag about them.
The lecturers of the course were kind enough to organise an excursion for the class to Ortec in Zoetemeer, one of the world’s lead consulting firms in optimization software and analytics solutions. They gave a very informative presentation and we met founder and CEO Gerrit Timmer. It was valuable to see how OR is being put into practice and what kind of job/place you may end up at.
I have nothing but praise for Eva, the VU Amsterdam Summer School Programme Coordinator, and her entire Summer School team. They generously offered up a portion of their summer vacation to make our experience a memorable one. They were efficient, easy to contact and deal with and always quick to respond to emails. They sent out all information and practical arrangements in a timeous and clear manner. They even gave us each a welcome package which included a Dutch sim card, city map and other pamphlets.
There were options to take extra excursions arranged by the Summer School team. I opted for the day trip excursion to Haarlem. This was a fantastic experience: eating warm stroopwafels at an early morning market, beholding the impressive and magnificent Boverkerk, seeing all the wonders at Teyler’s Museum. Thereafter, we were treated to a lunch and drinks at the famous Jopenkerk – an old church now converted into a brewery and restaurant.
Return to Stellenbosch:
This was my very first time in Europe and I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity. I had always been aware of the fact that my family has Dutch roots, but never had reason to give this much thought before. I have no foreign family and grew up only in SA, considering myself a pretty much fully-fledged, if somewhat average, mother city chick. It is surreal and strange to think that say, five or six generations ago, this is where people came from with whom I share DNA!!!
The Dutch are an open and tolerant people. On the day I landed, they were celebrating the annual Pride Parade with colourfully decorated floats on the canals and more than a touch of glitter. It’s wonderful to see how they embrace each other’s differences and you will find people from all nationalities and religions who call Amsterdam home. This is definitely something all countries can learn from and aspire to!
One of the things that will stay with me from my trip is the people I met. I can now say I have friends from just about every corner of the globe: Taiwan, India, South America and Russia to name a few. They were more than happy to oblige all my questions about their home counters and cultures, and I was, in turn, delighted to regale them with things like the Big Five, fynbos and breath-taking views from Table Mountain. Because I can speak Afrikaans, I could easily read Dutch street sign and supermarket labels, which people thought was quite cool. I then couldn’t resist impressing them with the fact that SA has 11 official languages! (”Do you speak all of them!?!?” a wide-eyed classmate responded.) It was a privilege to meet new fiends and I am inspired to visit each one of their home countries. I sincerely hope our paths will cross one day again.
The whole trip was exciting and eye-opening, but as they say, there is no place like home. I was pretty happy to be on African soil again! After this overwhelmingly positive experience, I am now considering doing my Master’s degree at VU Amsterdam.