I could name a long list of things I did on exchange or places I went to that were my favourite. However, the most important thing was the fact that Utrecht felt like home. I had become a local during study abroad.
The first day I arrived, I bought a bike and explored the city with some other exchange students – pretend to know what you’re doing, where you’re going, and soon enough you will! By just a few weeks in, I knew my way around downtown, to the train station, through the woods right beside the campus, and some secret hideaway spots.
I had established a favourite Italian pizza place (yes, I know I was in the Netherlands, but this place was delicious), and my go-to café for studying and a latte. It was the typical image I had of European students and, even if it wasn’t accurate, I was living it. I made purchases at stores in my best Dutch, and actually got a response back (not that I could always understand it…). I loved it. I felt like a local.
The best feeling was when I was travelling. I loved visiting new cities, but I didn’t like feeling like a tourist for too long. When I was coming back from my week-long hitchhiking trip to Budapest, Prague, Vienna and Salzburg, I kept thinking how great of a time I had had. But when I saw the blue lights of Albert Heijn (a Dutch supermarket, pronounced ‘Albert hine’), a huge wave of relief came over me – I was home. I didn’t know how stressful travelling was until I felt it all go away when I was back in Utrecht.
Exchange is a much different experience from backpacking through countries because you have the security of establishing a home base. You can visit crazy places and do crazy things, but if you ever need a break you can always go back to your room at home, where all your friends are.
It felt very powerful being able to act like a tour guide to friends who visited. I knew where to go, what to do, and could put a personal spin on it. At the end of the semester, my sister came to visit me and she said she loved having a ‘local’ to take her around. We went to neat undiscovered bars or house parties, something harder to do when backpacking. It was just like everyday life in Canada, just with more exciting and unique things to do.
I encourage you to integrate into the community as much as possible, and make your temporary city of residence feel like home. Sure, it will make leaving that much harder, but it will also establish a foundation that will never leave. When you return to the city, or visit the friends you made there, it will seem like you picked up just where you left off.