You are reading my final IES Abroad blog post! It’s been a little over a week since I left the Netherlands, so I’ve had some time to readjust to American life and for some Amsterdam reflections to come out of the woodwork. Even before I left Amsterdam, particularly my last week there, I began to realize just how much my abroad experience has impacted the way I lead my life. Living abroad is quite unlike anything I have ever done before, and it will always offer me new reflections, perspectives and lessons.
The way I choose to live my life could look a million different ways.
Back in the United States, I feel like my identities and the way I choose to spend my days are clean cut, set in stone—Amsterdam gave me a break from this prescribed, rigorous college student life. I found my classes engaging, but they met once a week and did not take up as much time as they would back at Davidson. My typical hours of studying were traded for exploring Amsterdam and Europe; my working hours for meeting + spending time with new friends. As obvious as it sounds, Amsterdam proved to me that my life could look entirely different, that there is so much more to the world than the little life I lead in North Carolina. It genuinely makes me excited for the new chapters in my life—what is life going to feel and look like when I return to college? What about after? I feel grateful for the agency I have over how I lead my life, and in awe of the varying ways I can do it.
Independence, values, routine, the occasional stroopwafel…
My time abroad is the most independent I have felt in my life thus far, and it wasn’t just because I was cooking myself every meal or making my own travel plans. There were often times that I was alone, in my housing, on my bike commute—where I was obligated to myself and nothing else. (I realize this is verbatim from my first point, but bear with me!) Oftentimes I got to ask myself: “what do YOU want to do?” What do I value, and what gives me purpose in how I spend my days? During a time when I had so MUCH time, creating a values-based routine for myself was essential. Especially on the cold, rainy days towards the end of the semester, it was helpful to have an established schedule or plan to look forward to. If there is one thing I could change about my routine, it would be to build in volunteering—a way in which I could give back to the Amsterdam community that gave me so much.
Amsterdam was a constant learning experience.
You really do learn something new every day. Or ten new things, if you choose to move across the world and orient yourself to it. I realize now how little I knew about the world’s societies beyond the US, and experiencing Europe first-hand has opened my mind to the different ways that life is done. I feel well-acquainted with Dutch culture, and I experienced the customs of other European countries as well, all of which I was unfamiliar with before studying abroad. And of course, I only explored Europe—there is still so much of the world that I do not know.
It’s almost an out-of-body experience to reflect on the life I got to lead while I was in Amsterdam. I still find myself in disbelief sometimes as I smile at my camera roll or journal entries, as I recall memories I got to make. Amsterdam, truly, deeply, thank you. Thank you for teaching me more about the world and my place in it. I can’t wait to bike through your streets again.
More Blogs From This Author
An Ode to My Bike
As I return my bike before I return home, I reflect on how important this aspect of Dutch life was to my study abroad experience.
Brooke Lackey
Brooke is from Winston Salem, NC, United States, and is a student at the University of Amsterdam this fall. She enjoys being outside, thrifting, and reading good books in good coffee shops. She is also a CODA, fluent in American Sign Language.
