As I write my first blog post, I find it crazy to think that it has been officially one month since I moved to the Netherlands. The past month has gone by incredibly quickly to say the least. Practically every day I've been on the move doing one thing to the next. But with fast months comes good experiences to write about, which is why I am incredibly excited to share my insight with all of you. 

​

Luckily moving to the Netherlands on my own has mostly been a breeze with very few hiccups. Because of my experiences moving to back and forth from Colorado to Louisiana and Washington, D.C. on my own, I actually found moving here comparable to my moves in the past, but in some ways much easier. As I knew, the Netherlands is the mecca for amazing multimodal transit infrastructure, but I was afraid that with a good bit of luggage, taking transport would be difficult, but this was not the case. Getting my stuff from Amsterdam to Rotterdam was probably one of the easiest parts of my journey transitioning into being a Netherlands resident. NS, the Netherlands main train system throughout the country, was incredibly easy to navigate for someone who wasn't familiar with the train system. After getting my bags from the claim, I had made it to my AirBnB within less than an hour in Rotterdam. Other portions of my move proved to be pretty easy- from getting my studio to feel like a home, purchasing a bike, exploring Rotterdam and learning how to get around, things seemed to seamlessly come together.

​

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, I will be blunt and honest- not every moment during my first month in the Netherlands was as picture perfect. I managed to get sick after my first week of moving. Unlike in the US where we would normally go to the doctor and get medicine to cure our cold in an instant, this was something I was unable to do as most European doctors do not prescribe medications for colds unless they get to be very serious. I also struggled with starting my Dutch bank account at ING because I did not have a Dutch telephone number, which even my masters program failed to inform me I would need. 

​

Besides these minor issues though, the month of October has been a balance of fun and educational enrichment. I've not only explored Rotterdam and its very unique environment, but I've also been to Amsterdam, Utrecht, Zeeland and Ouddorp within a matter of four weeks while simultaneously studying, attending lectures, writing presentations and creating group reports. 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

Experiencing things I've read about throughout my undergrad and personal research have likely been one of the best parts of my time in the Netherlands so far. Learning about their street spacial development in class, and also riding my bike to and from place to place has helped me recognize how the US can implement road construction initiatives that are conducive to all means of transport without risking safety measures. And even by simply riding the NS trains, Metro, and RET (Rotterdam's local tram and bus system),  I've found small, but meaningful ways the public transport systems are so well maintained and do not deteriorate as fast as many public transport networks in the US. The Netherlands also has a similar deltaic plane to that of Louisiana. Because of my experience as a Louisiana Service and Leadership Scholar that concentrated on poverty and coastal wetland loss issues, I explored the delta in the Netherlands and educated myself on their water management infrastructure. 

​

My masters program, thus far, has proved to actually be easier than I expected. While I was worried that I would be constantly working on degree-related work because it is an accelerated program, I have found it almost easier than my bachelors. Because I was constantly going non-stop at LSU with extracurriculars, work and school, my experiences almost prepped me too much to be good at juggling so many different things at once. However, unlike LSU, I am in an environment of 41 different nationalities at all times. The Urban Management and Development program at Erasmus attracts people from all over the world because it is ranked the number five program in the world for Planning and Development.

 

Within a day, one moment I am speaking French with my friends from Luxembourg, Turkey, and Lebanon, the next moment I am having my Chinese friends in my program take me to the Chinese Market in Rotterdam to teach me their language, and later in the evening I celebrated the Indian holiday of Diwali. So not only am I experiencing the whirlwinds of living in a different country, but I am immersing myself in so many other cultures. 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As people in the Netherlands say it best, 

DOEI!

​

Goodbye for the next month. November is already filled with so many exciting adventures planned. From traveling to three different countries, to meeting with employees at the Netherlands Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment to collaborate on roadway project management, it seems like it will be a great month to write about. 

​

​