I can still remember how much I regretted coming to study abroad the first few days I was there, and now, as I am leaving Utrecht, I cannot imagine feeling that way about this amazing city anymore. Before I came to Utrecht, I knew next to nothing about the Netherlands let alone the city! The first few days I was so homesick and nervous about meeting new people. I had a full week of orientation, exploring, and acclimatizing myself to the new environment for the next 4 months. While it was a lot to take in at once, all of those activities really helped me to settle in and get comfortable into my new environment.
One of my favorite parts about Utrecht (besides the canals) was definitely its proximity to other cities in the Netherlands! It made it super easy to travel to cities like Amsterdam, Haarlem, Gouda, and more in about an hour. With how central the Netherlands is, it also means other countries are only a bit aways by bus, train, or plane! In addition to that, Utrecht itself is a great city with much to see. One of my favorite things to do in Utrecht was to go out with my friends and grab a sweet treat in the city center. During the warmer months, this might mean grabbing some ice cream and watching the sunset while sitting along the canals. In the colder months, for my friends and I this meant grabbing some hot chocolate while walking around the streets with cute holiday decorations around and seeing the Dom Tower as it is lit up at night.
UCU was such an amazing experience for academics as well. Compared to UW, the class sizes are usually much smaller (10-30 students, about 15 on average) which means it feels much more intimate. For me, this was great. I felt it was so much easier to talk to others and professors in this setting, especially when compared to the bigger classes at UW. With so many different nationalities at the school, discussions were also quite interesting in class. There were many different perspectives and learning more about them was in my opinion, one of the most interesting parts of class.
As time went on, I got much more comfortable at UCU. Keeping myself busy with school and friends helped me to get adjusted quickly. Being able to stay in a place that was completely foreign to me really helped me step out of my shell, compared to at home. Going to a new country with a different language and culture forced me to get comfortable with being uncomfortable (as cliché as that sounds) and was a truly unforgettable experience. Whether you chose to study abroad here or someplace else, I highly recommend it!
