Tag: Maastricht

Living in the Netherlands for three months has been surprising and challenging in many ways. Adjusting to total independence, fitting in to a new culture, and making new mistakes have all been interesting, but the most surprising thing for me has been how comfortable I felt in this new home.

Comfort is something I did not expect from my abroad experience. Whether it was flying on budget airlines with not enough leg room even for my short legs, sleeping in 16-person hostel dorm rooms, or simply always feeling out of place, discomfort — a clash of a person with their immediate environment — felt like an inevitability. While I did experience my fair share of embarrassment and confusion, something unexpected happened when my abroad country became my home. It was only as I was preparing to leave that I realized just how at home I felt in my little city of Maastricht.

The main way I realized that I had acclimated to Dutch life during my semester abroad was through my relationship with my bike. In the Netherlands, there are famously more bikes than people and that fact was clear everywhere I went.

Bike paths went everywhere, and cars would always stop for bikes, something wildly unfamiliar to me even in my bike-friendly home of Seattle. Even stranger was seeing Dutch toddlers perched helmet-free on their parent’s handlebars, blond hair blowing carelessly in the wind, looking as comfortable as if they were held in their parents arms.

While I knew how to ride a bike, it had been years, and my first few trips were unstable to say the least.

Cobblestones are a Maastricht mainstay, and bouncing along on my old bike was uncomfortable.

I wasn’t sure if I would actually bike everywhere, or just walk. However, as time passed I became more attached and more comfortable on my bike. I began to enjoy the rush of zooming down cobbled paths. I began to use my bike for more trips, more challenging trips. When I felt restless, I would just hop on my bike and ride — sometimes into Belgium — with confidence that I could make it home. And finally, when I had to sell my bike I felt like I was losing a friend, a right hand. I never imagined myself being so comfortable on a bike! Biking was what made me feel like one of the native Dutch people in Maastricht, and without it I felt like a tourist.

I believe that living in Maastricht gave me a confidence and comfort on a bike that will last my whole life. I am going to be a bike commuter at my job this summer, something I never imagined I would do, and I hope that each time I ride I remember the city that fostered this love of biking in me.

Guest Blogger: Grace Portelance is a junior studying Economics and Finance with a minor in Computer Science.

My time in Maastricht has been filled with many exciting moments and educational opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom (I seem to prefer the ones that occur outside the classroom). These experiences have occurred in Maastricht due to the city’s rich history and culture that dates back to the time of the Roman Empire.

I have also had many learning opportunities at Maastricht University as the international approach of the university has allowed me to study with students from all over the world and allowed me to learn about their views on business, international relations and American culture. Lastly, these educational experiences have occurred as I have traveled around Central Europe to major nearby cities such as Paris and Amsterdam. Placed in the heart of Central Europe, Maastricht has many elements of the countries (Belgium, Germany, France, and Luxembourg) that surround it.

First, traveling to Amsterdam and the surrounding countryside exposed me to the Dutch influence in Maastricht. From the countless amount of bicycles being ridden around the city to the architecture, Amsterdam’s culture is truly prevalent in Maastricht. The reflection of culture is shown in the Dutch people who have incredibly unique personalities which are hard to describe in a few words but include: intelligent (many speak 3-4 languages), blunt (their efficient habits seem to carry over to their vocabulary), and fun-loving (Maastricht holds a weeklong Carnaval celebration in which people of all ages parade through the streets in Halloween-esque costumes).

Secondly, my trip to Paris showed me the French influence on the city of Maastricht which can be described in one word, food! To many students’ delight, the traditional bakeries and cafes of Paris can also be found on the streets of Maastricht serving pastries and baguettes.

Maastricht’s location allows it to have not only an international blend of cultures, but also have the feel of a traditional medieval, Dutch town. While I have explored the Dutch and French influences on the city, I still plan on exploring nearby cities such as Antwerp and Bruges to learn more about the Belgian influence and Cologne to experience the German culture.

Peter Quirk is a junior studying Finance.

I’ve been looking forward to going abroad since my freshman year at WashU. Attending high school in Singapore had given me the chance to explore Asia, but Europe was still a complete mystery to me.

I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when I chose Maastricht in the Netherlands for my study abroad program; it was a relatively small town, I didn’t know a lot about it, and I didn’t really know any of the kids on my program. It was easily the best decision I’ve made.

Although I’m only halfway through my program, I can’t even fathom the idea of leaving Maastricht yet. Over the past two months, I’ve been lucky enough to experience St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin, hike through Southern Germany, and see the Dutch football team play live.

One of the most interesting places that I’ve been so far has to be Berchtesgaden National Park in southeastern Germany in the Bavarian Alps. It’s not exactly a popular destination for students abroad, but it’s definitely been my favorite trip so far.

I first saw pictures of the park when one of my favorite photographers spent a week there. After seeing the pictures, I knew I had to go. I started texting all my friends who love hiking to try to convince them to come with me. Turns out, I didn’t really need to do much; the pictures spoke for themselves. For three days, we just hiked all around the national park. It was perfect. It was right before peak season, so we had a lot of the trails to ourselves and the trip was such a nice contrast from the normal visit to a European city. Between swimming in glacier-water lakes to trudging through 3 feet of snow to find an off-the-path lake to everything about the trip—it’s definitely one for the books.

Being abroad has definitely taught me a lot in terms of work-life balance. At WashU especially, I feel like it’s easy to get caught up in schoolwork and not take time to enjoy yourself. On my hall, I live with kids from Australia, Colombia, and England. They’re some of the brightest kids I know, but one thing I realized very quickly is that while they do value how they do in school, they value their social life and their own happiness a lot more. I think that’s something I’ll keep with me, even when I return to WashU and for the rest of my life. Regardless of what career I end up in, I’ll make sure to leave time for the things I really care about: my friends, traveling, and just enjoying myself.

It’s crazy to think that in two months, I’ll be back in the US, working an internship. Maas has become like a second home to me and the people I live with have become family. I would recommend Maastricht in a heartbeat to anyone thinking about going abroad. The program is everything I could have wanted from my abroad experience.

Guest Blogger: Sach Siriwardane is an Olin junior studying abroad in Maastricht. He is studying Finance and Economics & Strategy.

I’ve been in Maastricht for about two months! Maastricht is a cute, quaint city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The city is very close to the Belgium border and not too far from Germany as well. Maastricht is the perfect place for me because when I was looking for a study abroad location, I was looking for a place in central Europe in a city that was on the smaller side. I have been exploring the city and there are some hidden gems that I love.

My favorite place is called Dominicanen, which used to be a church that has been renovated into a modern book store (see picture below).  I love to sit in there and drink a nice cup of tea and enjoy the beautiful atmosphere.

Another place in Maastricht that I love is the St. Pieterberg’s caves. Cutting and hacking out blocks from the ancient layer of soft limestone created these man-made caves. The caves were used as a refuge during wartime.

My guilty pleasures while being in Maastricht are the waffles. It’s hard to be so close to Belgium and not love the waffles. If you are ever in Maastricht or Belgium, you can’t leave without trying one!

One of the greatest Maastricht traditions that I experienced was Carnival. Carnival is the celebration before Lent. Every person in Maastricht was dressed up in crazy costumes and there were parades throughout the streets. The whole city came together to celebrate!

Samantha with other Washington University students Alyssa Tarrant, Natasha Bhuyan, and Sumeeta Salvador celebrating at Carnival.

Although I love Maastricht, there have been some things that have definitely been an adjustment to living in a new country. The hardest adjustment is the language barrier. I have never been exposed to Dutch before. Although most people will speak to me in English after I have made it clear that I don’t speak Dutch, it is strange to not be able to understand what people are talking about around me. As well, it’s tricky to go grocery shopping because all of the signs in the store and the food labels are in Dutch. The first time I went grocery shopping, I definitely had my phone out and used a translator to make sure I was buying chicken!

I’ve also had to make adjustments in my classes at Maastricht University. Taking classes in another country is bound to be a change. The classes at Maastricht University use a Problem Based Learning style (PBL), which means we have smaller classes, called tutorials, where the students essentially teach each other with the help of a tutor.  I think it is great to be exposed to a different learning style, but it was an adjustment at first. It will definitely get easier as the semester goes on to learn on my own and help my peers learn.

I am definitely taking advantage of the central location of the Netherlands in Europe. So far I have visited Berlin, Germany; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Bruges, Belgium; Dublin and Galway, Ireland; Copenhagen, Denmark; Paris, France; and Aachen and Vaals, Germany. I can’t wait to keep visiting new places and learning about new cultures. Thank you to Olin for providing me with this amazing opportunity to become Dutch for the semester and to explore Europe.

Samantha Hindes is an Olin Business School Junior studying Economics and Strategy and Mathematics.