ARRIVAL AND THE MAASTRICHT EXPERIENCE:
(7 September 2014)
3 weeks ago I arrived at Schipol International airport in Amsterdam for the start of my exchange. The place is huge – I couldn’t actually believe how far I had to walk to go fetch my luggage after disembarking from the plane. I chatted to someone who was on the same flight as me and that made me feel slightly less nervous about everything which was to come. After collecting all my luggage I managed to find my way to the correct train to Maastricht.
A 3 hour journey later and I had arrived at Maastricht station with almost 40kg worth of luggage. Public transport in the Netherlands is incredibly efficient and this is immediately apparent. I was very concerned prior to departure as to how I would fare with the system, but it was incredibly easy and the Dutch people all speak English and are very helpful.
As soon as I landed I could feel that I was in Europe. It is very much what you expect it to be, to an extent. BUT, at the same time, it is very different. Maastricht is a very pretty town. It has a distinctly gothic appeal with little narrow streets and a nice big river (the Maas).
Things are VERY expensive in the Netherlands. From a South African perspective at least. So I really may have overspent a bit in the first two weeks but it’s hard to realise what the relative prices are in the beginning, but I am getting the hang of it now.
The first three weeks have been relatively tough. Being thrown into a completely different environment without the possibility of getting help from anyone familiar is daunting. You are forced to step outside your comfort zone. It’s easy to go into your shell and just do your own thing, but that is not the best way to deal with things. I have found that speaking to strangers and asking for help, no matter how stupid you think the questions may be, pays dividends.
I have met some really cool people and it is also very apparent that kids in Europe are very different to those back home. Obviously I haven’t been around here long enough to really have an informed point of view, but some things are just very different. This has been the most interesting part of my experience so far – meeting complete strangers and hearing there stories. You meet so many people so quickly if you open yourself up to it.
Overall I have had a good three weeks. Had lots of admin to do with opening bank accounts and sorting out the final few things with the Visa office here at UM. But everyone is very organised here and things get done quickly.
ACADEMICS & MORE ON THE EXPERIENCE:
Classes are very different with each subject consisting of a lecture and a tutorial per week. These tutorials require you to be well prepared and consist of only 15-20 people. You have to participate a lot, which is actually refreshing. I am looking forward to the next few months.
(3 November 2014)
Since I last wrote so many things have happened. The days have changed from warm and humid to dry and cold. It’s dark around 5:30 and I have been studying a lot lately.
2 weeks ago I wrote my first set of exams here at Maastricht. These went relatively well. I found that the added need for preparation during the year for tutorials makes studying for the exams much easier. Directly after that I have had to start studying for Company Law – which has been far tougher than I originally thought it would be.
Prior to exams I got to visit a few different places. I visited Brussels, Amsterdam, Leiden and Hamburg (Germany). All three of these places had unique appeals and were a lot of fun. I have met so many people from all over Europe (and the world) and it really does broaden your perspective on life and sheds light on things that you may only have seen from a South African point of view.
There have been some hard times, Sunday nights generally provide for the perfect opportunity to miss home and feel sorry for yourself haha. But this is not a Europe specific phenomenon. Being overseas has definitely taught me to appreciate home, but at the same time it has taught me to appreciate every day here. It’s strange how new everything was in the beginning and how, suddenly, foreign things feel normal.
I remember sitting in the pre-departure lecture in Stellenbosch and being shown this weird graph thing of how you would feel over time on your exchange. I initially thought it was nonsense, but to be honest, it’s pretty accurate. I only now feel like I have properly settled in and now I feel like the time to leave is too close.
By now I have had enough Stroopwafels to not have to buy them anymore and I have a new found respect for real meat, open space and Afrikaans. I have also learned that it’s not a myth that people eat A LOT of bread here – they do. But it’s pretty good bread though. I have also discovered that Europe has its own problems and that it’s not nearly as close to perfection as it appears from RSA.
The coolest part so far has been meeting all these different and interesting people. After a while you start to settle and find people who are on the same page as you. You start to find people who, although they are from vastly different backgrounds, are very similar to you or at least share certain similar views or ways of doing things. You make friends rather than exchange friends.
It has been incredibly enriching so far and I know the last month and a half will likely be the best yet. Gloves and a scarf are next on my list of crucial things. Anyways, have to go finish studying for Company law – tomorrow is the big day.
BACK IN SOUTH AFRICA:
(30 January 2015)
I have been back in South Africa for exactly a month now. I very excited to return after four and a half months in Europe. What especially excited me was the prospect of seeing friends and family again, as well as warm weather. I found the cold and lack of sunlight to be quite a tough barrier.
Seeing everyone again was great. It occurs immediately to you that while you are away things do not stand still. Everyone has progressed and carried on living in your absence. I found this quite refreshing. I also found it very easy to slot back into my normal life. To an extent it feels like I never left.
What I do realise is how much I have grown as a person on my exchange. The life experience and knowledge which I gained are immense and have altered my way of seeing things. I feel more tolerant, informed and more educated on life. I feel enriched.
I do miss Europe but the appreciation I gained for South Africa completely outweighs how much I miss it. The experience was far more valuable than I ever could have expected and I definitely plan to see other parts of the world in future. I would recommend this programme to anybody. It is something that I will never forget.