In less than one month from now I will be back in Canada. Can you believe that? I can’t. The time that I’ve been here has flown by so quickly that I wonder how I am going to be able to cope with leaving. It’s going to be really hard because I’ve become so comfortable with my life here.
I’ve met some incredible people over here that I will have to say goodbye to. I’ve also become accustomed to using my bike to go almost everywhere. And not to mention the train–it’s so fast to get around this small country. It will be an emotional time for me when I leave, and also when I return. However, I do look forward to coming back. Not only do I miss my friends, family, and Ivan, but I miss being busy all the time, and having an income, haha. I have to admit that the Netherlands isn’t that cheap, especially food. And of course I don’t think about the conversion in Canadian dollars because it would drive me insane.
I’ve lived a pretty good life over here, and I think if anyone else had visited me they would agree. I don’t really live like the typical student over here. I cook a lot of my own meals, I eat relatively healthy, and I don’t party that much. I’ve become friends with very good people who I know I will be friends with for the rest of my life, despite the distances. As for the studying aspect, I’ve learned to think more dynamically and creatively, thanks to International Entrepreneurship. Just this past week word got around that I can sew, so I will be doing a few alterations with a needle and thread in the next couple weeks. At the end of the month before I return I will be travelling to Barcelona and Madrid. My friend Mariana is from Madrid, and she and her family will be hosting a few of us at her house for a couple of days. I believe it’s going to be very hot there, so it will be the last perfect vacation I will take in a while.
I’ve also been quite busy these past few weeks with final reports, and presentations which is why I haven’ blogged in quite some time. So I do apologize. This past weekend it was a scorcher so I spent most of my time outside. On Saturday a few of us biked to a small beach just outside Arnhem. When we got there we were surprised to find that there wasn’t really a beach anymore. We got a lot of rain last week so it didn’t occur to us initially. On Sunday I spent the whole day with my friend Julia, mostly in the shade. It was too hot to sit in the sun. I believe it reached 28 degrees. Our apartment building isn’t air conditioned so it was better to stay outside than in.
On Wednesday we had our farewell party at the school. The theme for that evening was Oscars Ceremony so we all dressed pretty nice. It was a nice evening to spend with all of the other exchange students before we all leave to our home countries.
This is me and the other Canadian’s. We received a certificate for our exchange here at HAN.
Steph xo
Toast & Tulips 