Mikko (Finland)
Twenty-seven. I had just turned 27 and had just started with
my Master's Thesis. I felt myself old and mature. I was the editor-in-chief of
a student magazine with circulation of 2 000 copies. Soon I would apply and get
accepted to the board of the European Law Students' Association in Helsinki.
Soon I would live in a two-room flat, bigger than ever before on my own. But I
felt something was missing in my life. It was already almost ten years since I
had been in the student exchange to the United States.
One day I was sitting in an open office, in my workplace,
doing something on my computer. It was the university exchange application deadline
day. I had thought about it, had decided not to do it. But once in a while I
came back to the question: why not? Now time was running out. Truly it was now
or never. Quickly I made some choices. Erasmus Programme. The Netherlands.
Tilburg. Courses. I rushed into my university. I found the mailbox for exchange
applications, left an application, went back to work.
The dean of my law school said yes, Tilburg University said
yes. Finally I believed it myself, I would go abroad again. A few of my friends
told me about Tilburg and the university, about ESN and about parties, about
Verbs. I asked for an advice and I got some. But it's not something you can
truly prepare yourself for. You never know what is going to happen there. I had
no idea. I left everything I had in Helsinki and started something new,
something exciting, something scary and something so wonderful.
I arrived to the Netherlands, to the Station Tilburg
Universiteit and the Academia building of Tilburg University, joined I*ESN
Tilburg, registered for the TOP Week and the Intro Camp, bought my first bike
since I had been a teenager, got the keys to my new room in a Verbs floor
shared with five girls, walked there in few minutes, bought some quality beer
at a bargain price, went to a party and met a lot of new people, both Dutch and
international. That was just the beginning, the first day of my exchange.
Tilburg, 's-Hertogenbosch, Eindhoven, Maastricht, Antwerp,
Brussels, Nijmegen, Zandvoort, Berlin, Freiburg, Vageningen, Gent, Utrecht.
Dutch for International Students, Research Seminar, Human Rights, Global Law:
Criminal Law. Cantus, Crazy Animal, sExchange, Carnaval, Tequila, Toga, Spring
Gala. Stroopwafels. Mentor Dinner, Pub Quiz, CD Dinner. Geronimo's Cadillac,
Kubb, The National. German, Canadian, Czech, Dutch, British, American, Italian,
Turkish, Swedish, Spanish, Austrian, Lithuanian.
I found some good new friends. That's why I'm writing this
blog post, for a friend. I don't know all the exchange students in Tilburg, but
many of them I truly like. I studied and learnt a lot of new things. I learnt
new things about myself. I partied and travelled all around like I was young
again. I found a girl. That's why I'm going to see her again. Overall, I had a
great time in Tilburg. That's why I'm never going to forget this student
exchange. And now I know that it's true: it's never really too late to study
abroad.
Rebecca (Germany)
During my
visits to Tilburg, I was strongly reminded of my own Erasmus time more than two
years ago. Studying abroad is a great opportunity to get to know a new country
and new people from all over the world and I had enjoyed this time a lot. But I
think that you were especially lucky with choosing Tilburg, seeing all the
great activities and parties that your ESN-group organised for you! Ours in
Nizza did way less, so I was really impressed. Also by the Verbs-ghetto! It
reminded me a lot of my very first semester as a college student, when I lived
in a 12-persons flat in a residential which really was a lot like Verbs (only
uglier and yes, that’s possible!). I think a ghetto like that helps a lot to
get to know each other and do a lot together. I also liked the park next to the
university (although I still don’t know why people tried to fish in the water
bassin), Tilburg itself, which is not spectacular but really cute (and I love
houses made of bricks) and also the nice trips to Antwerpen, Gent and Utrecht.
So after
all, I had a great time and I really envy you all for your great
Erasmus/exchange semester in Tilburg! J
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