CIEE Social Sciences + Humanities in Amsterdam, Netherlands

I wish I had known that you can only take one humanities class at the UvA. Due to the limited number of CIEE student openings in these classes, you'll likely only be able to get into one humanities class. The rest will be social science classes. So if you planned on doing this program for the humanities electives, be aware.

During an average day on the CIEE Amsterdam program, you'll likely only run into CIEE if you either have a CIEE facilitated class or physically stop by the office. The rest is up to you.

My day consisted of me waking up, showering and eating breakfast, biking to class (which is very easy via the bike pathways all throughout Amsterdam), and usually stopping by a new cafe or section of the town after class.

The program itself isn't overly structured, so it leaves you a lot of time to travel and do your own thing when you want to.

My biggest challenge studying abroad was loneliness. I didn't make a solid group of friends in the first couple weeks, so most of my time exploring Amsterdam and traveling was done alone. I'll be honest, there were times I didn't feel too great. Sometimes I would just force myself to get out of my apartment every day just to see other people.

Eventually, I discovered Meetup groups and befriended some local coffee cafe owners, so I did get to know some locals. I also made an effort to take advantage of the CIEE activities. I started doing the day trips to other cities and I went on both overnight excursions (Utrecht and Schiermonnikoog respectively). I also participated in the weekend homestay opportunity that CIEE offers, which I can honestly say I'm very happy I did.

In terms of traveling in Europe, I also learned how to travel on my own. Since most of my trips were done by myself, I learned how to navigate airports, book hostels/Airbnbs, figure out buses and train schedules, and overall just became more independent.

I believe it is important to understand that while most Netherlanders speaking English, they are not like their English neighbors from across the North Sea.

Now, of course, this is just my observation, so none of this is set-in-stone fact. However, I noticed the Dutch were classically Northern European. In other words, they tend to be a little cold. Not unfriendly, but just a little different from my usual American perspective. By cold, I mean that they tend to stick to their own groups and mind their own business.

You'll also get used to "Dutch Directness", which is a fancy way of saying that they like to get to the point. If you go to a restaurant, you'll typically find that the waiter or waitress won't introduce themselves or go out of their way to greet you or ask how you're doing. To me initially, this came across as slightly off-putting or rude. However, this isn't considered rude. Politeness for the Dutch is getting to the point and not wasting each other's time with pleasantries.

Once you do get to know a native Dutch person though, you'll find them to be as warm and friendly as anyone else. The initial barrier is a little awkward, but rewarding in the end. If worst comes to worst and you still haven't made that connection with a Netherlander, just wait until the weather gets warm.

By the end of my time in Amsterdam (May and June), I saw a noticeable change in how open people were in Amsterdam. Personalities come alive as the rainy season is finally gone. Suddenly cafes will be filled with locals having a beer on outdoor tables and kids of all ages having fun in local parks. It'll never be as warm as say Italy for example, but keep an eye out for the small changes as the seasons progress.