Student Stories

A Year in The Netherlands by Paul H.

I arrived in Oldenzaal, the Netherlands on August 12, 2008. I had not really had any time to ponder what the year awaiting me would be like, as I was busy backpacking around Europe with a friend for many weeks before my arrival in the Netherlands. Had I had that time in Canada, to ponder the fore coming year, as I waited to fly directly to Schipol, Amsterdam and a new life, I’m not sure how I would have felt about the whole experience. As it happened, I had no time to feel any fear or angst and ran full speed into what ended up being the most dynamic and enriching year of my life.

Although my exchange year was filled with great times, that is not to say that I enjoyed every minute of every day. The first month was the hardest, listening to a new language at all times often leaves you very fatigued, and I needed to take regular afternoon naps, something I had never done before. School was also quite a challenge at the beginning, both academically, and socially. All of my courses were completely in Dutch, and although I had seen much of the material before, it was difficult to know the answer when I was unable to read the question. Socially, it is quite intimidating going to a new school, where you don’t know anyone, and although all the students in my class were very nice to me, it is hard to feel at home without your own group of friends. I ate lunch for the first month with the only other student I knew, another YFU student from Norway. Although we remain friends to this day, this was not an ideal situation, as we were not interacting with Dutch students, and spoke mostly in English. I will not deny that the first month was difficult and a little bit lonely as I tried to fit into my new life; however I did at no point feel as if I wanted to go home, as I heard was the case with a few other YFU students in Holland that year. I knew that I would eventually pick up the language, and I had never had any troubles making friends, and knew that these things would come with time.

By October I had found my niche. I had forged quite a good relationship with a guy that I had one class with, and he invited me to join him and his friends one day in the cafeteria for lunch. After this initial introduction, I started joining them in out of school activities, such as going to the bar for a beer on a Friday afternoon, or grabbing a bite to eat at a local snack bar. Before I knew it I was hanging out with the group all the time, and I had become a part of a great group of friends. Our group consisted of about twelve guys at full force with a core of six or seven. I was also in the middle of the football season, or soccer as it is known in Canada. I had been playing since my arrival in late august, and had grown considerably comfortable with my role on the team.

My Dutch improved as the months went by, I was busy every weekend, with a football game every Saturday afternoon, and different activities with my friends. I spent Christmas with my host family, who had been great since day one. The winter in Holland is a bit of a down time, with a break in the football season, as well as little to do outside. We enjoyed a brief cold spell that left us with a tiny bit of snow on the ground and enough ice to skate, an activity worshiped by the Dutch.

Things went smoothly and without incident through until the end of February, when I joined my host family for a week of skiing in the Czech Republic. This was one of the best weeks of the year, as we skied every day and went out every evening with a group of Dutch teenagers. Immediately following the ski vacation was Carnival, something which I can’t even compare to anything in Canada. It consisted of three days of dressing up, partying and parades.

The school year continued to fly by, and my Dutch had become fluent, thanks in large part to my friends and most of all, my girlfriend. The last three months were the best part of my exchange, with stuff going on daily. I had the chance to participate in a school field trip, to the Ardennes in Belgium, where I enjoyed all sorts of sport activities, including mountain biking, climbing and spelunking.

The last month was a sprint, as I was tried to get in all the things I said I would do during the year, and ultimately not everything was achieved. In the end, even a year was not long enough. The last week was bittersweet; I had a couple of goodbye parties from classmates and friends, as well as celebrating my birthday. However it was also a difficult time as I did not want to have to go home. On the morning I headed for the airport I shared a goodbye beer with my closest of friends, and then I was gone, on the plane, back home.

Looking back on my year, it was without doubt the best year of my life so far. I made some of the best friends I have ever had, who I plan to keep in contact with for many years to come. The experience also helped me widen my comfort zone as well as broadened my horizons on many different levels. I was not only able to learn a new language, but experience a different culture and lifestyle. I would recommend YFU to any student looking for a great experience in another country and I wish that I could do the whole thing over again.

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