I’ve been thinking about this for a while and (as much as I hate having to use this excuse) I really don’t have time to blog about my study abroad experience anymore. I don’t want to post inconsistently so I think officially ending it will be best for everyone.

I want to take this chance I have to thank those who have followed me throughout my journey for the last year or so. The occasional curious questions, camaraderie between fellow exchange students, and expression of interest in my life really encouraged me to reflect, write, and document my journey. Thank you for following, and a fulfilling onward journey to you all!  

I feel like I have come to know some of you, and maybe you feel the same about me. If you would like, copy this email address (cantdutchthisblog@gmail.com) and drop me a line sometime. I would love to hear about your thoughts, experiences, comments on my blog, or questions about the Netherlands or studying abroad.

P.S. I’m in the very beginning stages of turning my blog into a book. I’ll definitely update you guys if that ever goes through.

I had heard about Couchsurfing before I went abroad, but I didn’t actually try it until I arrived in Europe. If you aren’t familiar with CS, the way it works is simple. Everyone has a profile with basic info, pictures, places you have traveled, your couch status, and references from other couchsurfers you’ve been in touch with. If you’re curious, you can look at my profile here (just fyi, I haven’t edited it since I’ve been back in California).

As everyone seems to be, I was skeptical at first. Is it really safe to go stay with strangers in their homes? I browsed the website and asked around to see if anyone had tried it. A friend from California was in the same position as I was (skeptical but curious) and she was planning to attend a meeting/dinner party for CS members in our area and join them the next day for the Opening of the Carnaval events. I didn’t go to the dinner party, but I joined her for the Carnaval event the next day. This event turned out to be a perfect introduction to Couchsurfing! There were people from all corners of the world and everyone was friendly, talkative, welcoming, and happy to be there. I knew this was a community I wanted to be a part of.

[Me, a fellow Couchsurfer and some of our new friends at my first CS meetup in Maastricht]

Throughout my stay in Europe I utilized Couchsurfing in many ways:

• I stayed with a Dutch family, a Czech guy and his mom, a Belgian guy, and two girls in Germany. 
• I hosted Couchsurfers from France so they could experience Carnaval in Maastricht. 
• I met-up with a fellow Couchsurfer in Rome to explore the Vatican together.
• I went to a Christmas party/gift exchange in Brussels, Belgium as well as attending other meet-ups in Rome, Berlin, and the Netherlands.

[My Couchsurfing host explaining something about Czech Republic before our bike ride]

I began to feel like a real Couchsurfer and I wanted my friends to experience the benefits of Couchsurfing too. I tried to get friends and fellow exchange students involved and I recommended Couchsurfing whenever it came up in conversation. Couchsurfing enriched my traveling experiences by helping me get in touch with many locals and fellow travelers. If you are looking for an alternative to hostels or hotels you should try Couchsurfing! Keep an open mind, have a back-up plan, and be ready for new experiences, new mindsets, and new friends. 

It’s time to finish up with 31-day challenge that I started more than 31 days ago! The original goal was to spend my last 31 days in the Netherlands posting one of these each day, but (obviously) stuff got in the way and that didn’t happen. I’m kind of glad though because these will give me some much-needed inspiration to blog and reflect on my experience.

Day 10 - Something that kept you going 

As frustrating as being in a foreign country was sometimes, I always tried to remind myself what a unique time I was experiencing and that this time was quickly coming to an end. Anything I did, everyone I met, and everything I saw was through the eyes of a foreigner and could be interesting if I paid attention to the little things. Even seemingly uninteresting things like going to a new grocery store or seeing the doctor for the first time were amusing to me, and I did what I could to appreciate those moments when they occurred.

I remember noticing the most minuscule things in the beginning. For example…

• the candy selection at the grocery store

• the variety of cars (and the differences between them and the ones I was used to in the US)

• how bumpy the cobblestone streets were (especially when biking)

Everything was exciting and these little things helped me keep going in the beginning, but as I became or acquainted with the city I had to find something new. I stopped noticing all of these little differences and had to expand my imagination to discover new interesting things to occupy my attention. 

Looking back on it now, I can recognize that not everything was amazing, not every decision was the best one, not every weekend was filled with an exciting adventure, and not everyone I met turned out to be someone I wanted to get to know. Ten months is a long time to be a foreigner and it was hard to find reasons to keep going sometimes, but I found a way and I’m so glad I did because in the end I have plenty of stories, good friends around the world, and a better sense of myself and what I’m capable of. It is nice to be comfortable, but one thing I’ve learned is that you really don’t know how nice being comfortable is until you have been uncomfortable. 

I recently got this question in my inbox from Zoe L.: ”Hi Hannah! What do you miss most about the Netherlands? What are you enjoying the most now that you’re home?”

First off, I don’t know who you are Zoe, but I wanted to thank you for asking a question! Like I mentioned, I’m not sure what you guys are interested in (or if the interest is gone now that I’m back in the USA) so I was happy to receive this question! I received one other question that I intend to answer soon, but please keep the questions coming if you have them. Also, if you have followed me for a while please drop by and introduce yourself in my inbox. I would love to know a little bit about you guys who I have shared all of my stories, pictures and tales with this past year. 

Now, to answer the questions…

What do I miss most about the Netherlands? This is a tough one because I’m trying to balance any “homesick for Maastricht” thoughts with good appreciative ones in an effort to avoid dwelling on what I no longer have. Interestingly enough, I don’t have very many thoughts about missing Maastricht, but I have plenty of flashbacks to random moments that are seemingly unrelated to anything on my mind at the moment. I can also think of a few feelings that I think about and wonder if I will ever have again. For example, the rush of being in a new city is like no other and (along the same lines) the accomplished feeling that comes when you finally start to feel at home is one of the best feelings I’ve had. 

What am I enjoying the most now that I’m home? You guys may know this, but I was at my parents house in Bakersfield for a week before I moved back to Santa Cruz (my university town) for summer session. I was really busy during that week at home (getting over jet-lag, going to the dentist and doctor, visiting family, packing & unpacking, and even squeezing in a little bit of time to see friends), but it felt really good to be surrounded by the common comforts of home. Now that I’m in Santa Cruz (I’ve been here almost a week) I’m learning to love it more and more. I appreciate all of the things that I took for granted before. I am so so so lucky to be able to live in a single room with 4 amazing housemates in an awesome house that’s within walking distance from the beach! I’ve found a new appreciation for:

The beach:

My university’s beautiful campus (UC Santa Cruz):

My friends/roommates:

Free wi-fi:

Just to name a few… I wasn’t particularly happy in Santa Cruz before I left for Europe, but I guess absence really does make the heart grow fonder. 

I keep seeing things here in California that remind me of the Netherlands! I have been home for almost a week now. I’m not jet-lagged anymore, I have an American phone again, and it almost feels like I never left. No doubt I am in the ‘honeymoon phase’ of reverse culture shock, and I am still anticipating more challenges to come. I leave for summer school in 3 days, and I’ll be sure to update more when I get back to my college town! 

P.S. If you have any questions send them my way! I am lacking inspiration for what kinds of things to blog about regarding returning from studying abroad.

After what seemed like days of traveling, I was SO HAPPY to finally be able to stand up, stretch, and step off of the plane onto good old American soil. I’ve heard horror stories about clearing customs in the U.S., so I was mentally prepared for a long and difficult journey to the arrival gate. I guess I was lucky, because all I had to do was answer a few simple questions before being waved through at both Border Patrol and Customs. 

I guess you could say that I’ve become somewhat of an avid flyer throughout the last year as took weekends off to see as much of Europe as I could. I’ve flown thousands of miles across lakes, land, and landmarks and hung out in countless airports waiting for departure. Of course this means that I’ve also walked through the arrivals gate too many times to count. Although there was always the sigh of relief that I had arrived safely at my destination, I wasn’t welcomed by any enthusiastic bystanders until I arrived in the US. And boy, were they enthusiastic…

They snapped that picture of me right after I heard “Oh my God” and looked up to see my Mom and little sister smiling and waving with cameras pointing my way. They later explained that after much debate over how to embarrass me the most (including a fog horn and party hats) they decided on a classic patriotic theme. They made a sign that screamed “AMERICAN” and were decked out with plenty of red, white, and blue. 

The goal to embarrass me wasn’t really met, as I couldn’t have been happier to be off of the plane and into the company of familiar faces! 

On Thursday I began my journey from the Netherlands to California, a long and irritating journey that was sure to test my patience. I stayed at a hotel in Brussels, Belgium for one night before my flight on Friday. I had packed all of the stuff I decided to bring home in 2 huge suitcases, a backpack, a small duffel bag, and a purse. Unfortunately my bag was incredibly overweight so I ended up having to buy another suitcase in the airport and dump 7 kilos (15.4 pounds) into it just to be able to fly.

After adding up the overweight charge, 2 extra bag charges, and the price of the extra luggage my €350 room deposit that I was looking forward to changing into dollars was almost nonexistent. I learned my lesson: space bags save room, but make luggage EXTRA heavy! In case you were wondering, my heaviest bag that caused all of the problems was supposed to be 23 kilos (~51lbs) and ended up being 39 kilos (~86lbs). Luckily this was the most difficult part of the trip. I made it safely to London after a quick 40-minute flight, and waiting for about 4 hours before departing for LAX. This was my last shot of London.

And ~10.5 hours later, here is my first glimpse of the California coastline!

And just like that, I was HOME!

More to come on my homecoming, culture shock, and the first few days at home!

I just thought I would let you know that I’m back in CALIFORNIA!! It’s 5:45am on Saturday and I landed around 7:00pm last night. I’m not tired and it seems like I’m experiencing a little bit of jet-lag. With the last long post lacking a conclusion about how I was feeling, I’ll try to answer that question now.

Well, the feeling is surreal. I expected to feel really out-of-place when I got to Los Angeles Airport (LAX). It was odd to hear English everywhere and the abundance of fast food places took me by surprise, but everything felt oddly familiar again. As my mom, little sister, and I drove over the Grapevine to get home to Bakersfield I recognized lots of things, but I had to work hard to remember details (I also hadn’t slept in ~30 hours or so). I thought culture shock would consist of re-learning a lot of things again (it still might), but at this point I truly feel like there was a puzzle waiting for me to get home and fit perfectly into.

That’s all for now. I hope to write more and upload pictures and videos soon!