Conclusion

Intro

This is my last post of my study abroad journey. In the post you can watch my recap video and read about some things I learned, my experiences in The Netherlands, some of my favorite and least favorite parts, some fun facts, and honorable mention experiences. Thank you for coming along on this journey with me through this blog. I hope you enjoy this last post.

What I learned

This study abroad was interesting because it was mainly a criminal justice trip, so most of the things we did involved criminal justice in The Netherlands. This allowed me to learn some new things out of my major and it taught me how to integrate criminal justice into my major. Writing essays and making videos about the Peace Palace, crime in The Netherlands, a war on drugs, multiple courts in The Netherlands, and many more things taught me how to write about something new. I learned how to research these places as well. I not only learned new things in criminal justice, I also learned how to write and record a travel blog. This was nothing like I expected. Some things I learned are to get footage, it’s not as annoying as I thought it was. I was nervous to take a bunch of pictures and videos, but if I did this trip over, I would take more photos and videos. As I wrote and edited this blog I learned what a good amount of words an essay should be to keep the reader intrigued, and I learned how to edit short, yet informative videos. Lastly, I learned how to travel in a foreign country. Figuring out public transportation and how to get around the cities. I also learned about the culture and what was appropriate and what wasn’t. For example, talking too loud wasn’t an appropriate thing to do on the trams. I learned so much from the trip and how to travel makes me a better person and a better traveler.

My favorite parts

Although I don’t like going to a place more than once, especially in a foreign country, here are a few things I would 100% do again.

• Prison Gate Museum

This museum was very fun to walk through. The museum had the perfect amount of information. It informed the listener but it didn’t overwhelm. The museum was the actual prison, so that made the experience more enticing. It also wasn’t too big of a museum. I was ready to leave by the end, but I was intrigued the whole time and didn’t want to leave while I was there.

• Day Trip

This was a spontaneous trip, but it was one of the most enjoyable things I did. I learned about the countryside of The Netherlands. It also allowed me to explore different parts of The Netherlands. I also enjoyed going with Michaela. It was a good way to celebrate her birthday, and thanks for the ice cream Michaela!

• Mauritshuis Museum

This was the museum where Vermeer’s ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ is. I enjoyed this museum because I enjoyed the people I went with. I went with Madi and Faith, they both were fun to talk to art about. They were just as interested in the paintings as I was. It was a good bonding experience. I also really liked the art, it’s the kind of place that is rare to see in the United States. 

My least favorite parts

This trip was really fun and enjoyable, however there were some places I wouldn’t go back to.

• Peace Palace

We weren’t able to go into the actual Peace Palace and the information we learned wasn’t very interesting. If we were able to go inside, I think it would’ve been a more enjoyable experience. 

• Hemp and Hash Museum

The Hemp and Hash museum was just a boring experience. I learned a lot, but it wasn’t information I was particularly interested in. This essay was one of the more challenging essays to write because I wasn;t very interested in it. I did enjoy learning about the illegalization of the drug, but that was the only thing that I found cool enough to read about. The self-guided tour was also too long. 

Honorable mentions (things too small to talk about)

I wrote about the major activities we did, but there were a few activities that I didn’t write or video about.

• The Mainline Foundation

This was a lecture we went to. I didn’t take enough notes to make a long or fascinating enough essay. I will talk about it here briefly. The Mainline Foundation in Amsterdam is a nonprofit organization that helps people with drug addiction and the use of drugs safely. It is a very effective and very helpful tool for drug addicts. 

• Bike tour

I would not do this tour again, but it was a good experience. Biking is really popular in The Netherlands. Everyone bikes everywhere. Faith and I decided to try it out with a bike tour. My butt started to hurt, everyone was going slow, and biking for the first time in the city was not the best idea. Faith and I decided that we had also seen most of the places we went, like the Anne Frank House and 

• Markets

When we were in Amsterdam on the free weekend a few of us girls went to these two markets. These were like flea markets, but bigger. The first market, the Albert Cuypmarkt, was mainly a food market with food trucks and food stands with the occasional souvenir shop or jewelry stand. The second market we went to was the Waterlooplein Flower Market. This market had tons of clothing and jewelry stands. Both markets were really cool. At the Albert Cuypmarkt I tried pickled Herring, a delicacy in The Netherlands. I will put the video of me trying it under this.

Fun facts

While in The Netherlands, I learned a lot about some things they do that the United states doesn’t

• Toilets

Any public restroom, you have to pay to get into. If you don’t have euros, hold it until you get home.

• Waters

Restaurants brought glass bottles of water, no free refills like in the United States. 

• Public transportation

There is so much public transportation. Nobody really drives cars, everyone bikes or hops on the tram to get anywhere. It was fun figuring out all the public transportation.