Thursday, April 7, 2011

A Day In the Life of an International Student

Hello followers, I must apologize for the lack of postings this past month. I could make up a slew of excuses for not writing anything but, put simply; I’ve been busy having the time of my life! This post goes out to Dr. Wagner of Western Michigan University. He brought it to my attention that I haven’t been posting about the most important part of my exchange… Class.

I’ll run you through a typical day of class and shenanigans. My day starts no earlier than 10:00am, due to my awesome ability to schedule classes, with a quick shower and some breakfast. While I have to wake up at the 10:00, my Lithuanian roommate, Bronius, likes to sleep in a little later than that. So, I creep around the room stumbling into random objects trying to gather my belongings then I’m off to class.

(If you remember from previous posts, I get around by my kick ass 7 speed Euro bike). I hop on my bike and head east towards the University. Along the way I travel under railways, over canals, passed the local soccer stadium and through campus, which is littered with modern works of architecture and design. The bike ride can be accomplished in a mere twenty minutes but it takes me around thirty because, number one, I am slightly lazy when it comes to physical activity and, number two, I don’t want to sweat through three layers of clothing before I even arrive.

The architecture on campus is Amazing. As I ride down the main bike path, which is more like a two lane road, the first building I see is a high rise that seems to be resting on stilts and is spotted with all the colors of the rainbow. Continuing on I pass a long, slender, glass building with the Letters HU in bright blue and red. Across from the HU building there is an establishment which serves refreshing beverages titled “The Basket” and on its rood holds a fully enclosed basketball court.

Following this building there is yet another mirrored building with a giant concave entryway and at the very edge of campus there is an apartment structure in the shape of a giant inverted “U”. Nestled directly under the student accommodations is a student run bar that is surrounded partly by a small body of water.

The sights on campus are something to marvel at, but I have to remember why I rode my bike there; Class… So I park my awesome bike among the hundreds of others and make my way into the FEM (Faculty of Economics and Management) department of the HU building.

I usually spot a fellow classmate or two and mingle for a few minutes before heading off to my lecture. The building is set up like a rat maze; there are only 3 levels to the building but few of them are “level”. Many of the halls are on a slight incline so it is like walking around on a giant enclosed wheelchair ramp which to me is pretty amusing. Once I get over the fact that I am either walking uphill or downhill, I find my class and take a seat amongst the crowd of internationals.

Classes are set up very similar to the classes back home. There is a lecturer, usually with a Power Point presentation, at the head of class relating theories to real life situations. While students sit in either a lecture hall or classroom diligently taking notes, pretending to take notes or chatting about what their plans are for the weekend.

The professors here are fairly informal and down to earth. They introduce themselves by their first name but don’t mind if you call them mister SoandSo or Dr. Whoever. The Dutch Profs are very direct and explicit when it comes to assignments and deadlines so there isn’t really any troubling questions as to what needs to be turned in and when. Also, when it comes to their English skills, most Dutch people speak nearly impeccable English. So, I never have to worry about attempting to translate a sentence or statement.

After class, which tends to last anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours, I find someplace to hang out while waiting for my next class. Over the past two months I have narrowed it down to my three favorite places to chill while waiting for class to begin.

  • · One of the three on campus pubs (Yes, I count that as one option)
  • · The lounge area in our faculty which contains a big screen, couches, beanbags and foosball tables
  • · On the grass just outside the building where I often find people enjoying a fresh crescent or cold Heineken.

The decision is sometimes difficult to make, seeing as all three options are very tempting. Pending on the weather and my mood, I choose a location and relax for a while. The hour or two that I have in between classes always seems to fly by (probably because I am having such a great time even while on campus).

My second class goes much like the first and I’m finally done with class for the day (Yes, I only have a max of two classes per day this block but that will change once the fourth quarter starts). Often, lectures are followed by after class group meeting. Groups are typically comprised of multiple nationalities. The professors do this in order to promote multicultural learning and diversity, which is no problem for be because most all of the students are cool to hang out with.

Groups in Utrecht are much like any other group I’ve been in; some people work hard, others don’t. Some people show up on time and some don’t. Sometimes productivity is accomplished and sometimes we sit and ponder the meaning of “We’re in the ‘talking’ stage of our relationship”. Even so, the work eventually gets done and we all celebrate in the standard fashion.

After a long (6 hour) day on campus it’s time to either head home or ride to the center to relax with a few friends and possibly even grab a cone of chips (thick cut fries served in a paper cone) or a warm stroop waffle (the greatest thing known to Man).

Life is good here in the Netherlands. Granted, there are the long shitty nights stuck in the library working on flowcharts and the Globalization Efforts of Transnational Corporations. But, it makes it all worthwhile when I realize that tomorrow I will wake up and still be studying abroad; still having the time of my life.