Welkom!

It has been a little over a week since I stepped foot in the land that seems to be doing everything right. There are more bikes than cars. Over 1,000 functioning windmills and all of the country’s electric trains run on 100 percent wind power.  It is safe to say that I have thoroughly enjoyed my first week and I am beyond excited to be spending my final Fall semester in Maastricht, the Netherlands.

Over the duration of this semester I will be sharing my experiences with you all and hope to provide you with tips, tricks and recommendations for your own experiences abroad one day.  One personal goal of mine is to try as many local foods/treats/delicacies of the places I visit and I will include them in each post of mine (though each post won’t be solely focused around that)!

On that note, I spent my first night in Europe in The Hague – home of the U.N.’s International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court. I am fortunate enough to have an uncle that lives in The Hague so I was able to stay with him before driving down to Maastricht. That night we had dinner at an Indonesian restaurant. Since Indonesia was once a treasured Dutch colony, Indonesian dishes are commonly found throughout the country. We shared Rijsttafel, which translates to Rice Table. It is a spread of rice dishes and Indonesian meals. It is said to be a Dutch invention, inspired by the Indonesian multiple-dish meal known as Nasi Padang. Since it was my first time at an Indonesian restaurant,  I am glad that we chose this because it allowed me to try a little bit of everything!

Rijsttafel at Didong, Den Haag

After spending the night in The Hague, my aunty and uncle drove me down to Maastricht where I will be studying this semester! My first few days in Maastricht were filled with some orientation activities and self exploring.

First sunset along the Meuse River, Maastricht.

I have just gotten back from Berlin and will next post about some things I learnt while visiting the German capital.

Tot dan!