I arrived safely in Amsterdam a week ago today. And everything has been a whirlwind since then. Almost literally. The shock of the weather here has been the biggest adjustment, fall has arrived with a bang and it is raining and windy and quite cold.
The VU (pronounced 'foo' in Dutch) has been very welcoming. I have met international students from so many different countries. I had the United Nations for dinner the other night, 8 of us, from Honduras, Peru, Germany, Romania, Lithuania, Estonia, Spain and myself. Most of the people I have met are Masters students like myself, and we are all studying in different fields.
I also attended a Dutch language session and start language classes next Monday night. This week my faculty has the introductory lectures and I will attend a meeting with the Supervisors and Professors. Not to mention 'Water Cycling'. I will let you know exactly what this entails, if I survive :)
Speaking of cycling, one of the first things I did after registering with the city and opening a bank account was buy a bike. Something in the Netherlands that is more of a necessity than anything else. It will just take some time getting used to the rules of the road, as everyone here takes it quite seriously.
I have spoken to my Host Rotary Counsellor and have been in touch with previous Ambassadorial Scholars, now actually settled in Amsterdam, one who is a Canadian. I hope to attend a Rotary meeting soon and introduce myself.
Now I am off with my South African flatmate to make our place a little cozier, namely a trip to IKEA.
Ciao for now.
Laura
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