My trip to the Netherlands
After the period in Italy I was really looking forward the time in The Netherlands. I wanted to discover the real freedom, the real change respect the Catalan life. The feeling to go to the university and to know new people from all over the world was something I was really waiting
The first week was really good, some students of 2nd or 3rd year organized us an introduction week with a lot of different activities, from a class of sports like Dutch ball or a tour of the city to a tour of all the bars and discotheques. It was exciting because we discovered all the corners of the city in a week and we knew a lot of people from a lot of different places.
Meanwhile we were discovering the city we started the classes. The first day we made a visit of all the facilities of the university and they explain us a little bit how it works but we didn’t see exactly what were we going to do until the second day where we started the real lessons and we discovered how different the system and the activities were. To be fair I have to say that it was a little bit difficult to follow some things during the first weeks and we had to make an effort to understand all the content they gave us but with the help of our mates I achieved to return to the good way and from there it was easily.
The fact to live alone without the others Catalan guys have make me know better some Italian classmates that I did not know from Bergamo where I used to go always with the same people. In the Netherlands I had the freedom to go where I wanted and that made me enjoy much more the experience.
When I arrived there, the first thing I made was to find a job because having my own money is easier to do all that things I like to do and that was one of the best decisions I made. Working I have known some great people and I have discovered other ways to feel the work and the daily routine. At last, one of my objectives going out of Catalonia was to discover new ways to live the life and do the things and in the Netherlands I did it as much I can.
With the group of friends, we did some trips to some places like Amsterdam, Snits or Almere and we have organised hundreds of excursions, picnics, sport matches and different activities with other international students but suddenly everything changed. The Covid-19 crisis arrived, and everything went down. We had to return home and finish the course online what was a big change for us. The differences of the educational system were reduced to the screen and we lost all that experience we were supposed to life during this course but, at least we have enjoy and discovered another way to adapt the course to the online course unimaginable in the escolar system of Spain.
It was a petty to left the country with more differences of all this project the IMM is in the middle of the period but, at least we have lived an unforgettable experience and we have improved a lot our language that in the end is what matters. Now I am looking forward to discovering out country to the Italian mates and go together to Portugal and finish this trip as best as possible.
