Hi everyone! It is Makayla from the University of Florida checking in with my last blog for my semester at Maastricht University. Again, COVID19 cut my semester short after almost being in the Netherlands for exactly 58 days. I have been back in Florida for almost 2 months now and in a way, it has been a blessing (not because I was homesick or missed my family but because it gave me the time to reflect on what I really wanted to get out of my education, future career, and life post-graduation.)
At the time of writing this, it was the week of my 21st birthday. I had hoped to spend it at a nice dinner after class with the friends I made while studying abroad but instead, I spent it in quarantine BUT it was just as fun. My family held a nice dinner for me and I got a lot of kind notes and birthday wishes. Just because something doesn’t go as planned doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it!
For this month’s blog, I would like to talk about Dutch culture and exploring the Netherlands! I know a lot of non-European students come to Maastricht because it is more accessible to travel to other countries, but the Netherlands is also worth seeing! Firstly, the ISN hosts a weekend trip in February where you can visit 4 cities: Delft, Rotterdam, Utrecht, and Volendam. I 100% recommend that you either pay for the package when you arrive in Maastricht at the ISN Office or buy it online.
Dutch Facts I have learned
- National color is orange because of William of the Orange. Here is a nice funny video explaining how the Dutch flag and how they came to have orange as their national color: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFLcaYUPphY&feature=youtu.be
- The King of the Netherlands is a pilot for KLM! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLY7mpG3Adc
- There is a motorway over the sea here! https://youtu.be/6r6zcMl2Xmw
Though my semester in the Netherlands was cut short, I enjoyed my time in such a beautiful country. In fact before I started my semester in Maastricht, I made bucket lists of things I wanted to do, eat, or places I wanted to see during those five and a half months. So here are some of my recommendations for your semester in Maastricht!
Dutch Cities and Places You Should Visit
• The Hague
• Eindhoven
• Haarlem
• Alkmaar
• Leiden
• Gouda
• Giethoorn
• Roermond
• Sittard
• Ambrass Brewery – Zittesje Sjnaak beer
• Thorn
• Wessem
• Stevensweert
• Valkenburg
• Municipal Cave (Gemeentegroot)
• Velvet Cave (Fluwelengroot)
• De Valkenier
• Schin op Geul
• Schaloen Castle
• Castle Gardens of Oud Valkenburg
• Genhoes Castle
• Brunssummerheide
• De Meinweg
• Vaalserberg and the Tripoint
• Wilhelminatoren
• Keukenhof
• Zuiderzeemuseum
• Alkmaar
• Giethoorn
• Kinderdijk
• De Haar Castle
• Brunssummerheide
• The Castle Gardens of Arcen
• Heusden
• Thorn
• De Biesbosch
• Valkenburg
• Texel
• The Dunes of Loon and Drunen
• Neeltje Jans
• Den Bosch
• Het Loo Palace
Dutch Foods You Should Try
- Stroopwafel – dessert with caramel (MUST HAVE)
- Poffertjes – small fluffy pancakes with butter, powdered sugar and assorted toppings (MUST HAVE)
- Raw Herring – served with onions
- French Fries with Mayonnaise and Ketchup
- Bitterballen
- Edam cheese
- Gouda cheese
- Kibbeling
- Stamppot
- Vlaai
- Jenever
- Oliebel
- Honeycake
- Bosschebol
- Maasdam
- Beerenburg
- Rookwurst
- Zeewsebolus
- Pannenkoek
- Pepernoot
- Kaassouffle
- Kapsalun
- Boerenkaas
- Soused Herring
- Leerdamer
- Frikandel
Maastricht is a gorgeous city and there are so many foods and shopping options so you should not get bored! Some of my favorite restaurants that I was able to visit before the shut down include McDoner box (SOOOOOOOO INEXPENSIVE AND LARGE PORTIONS AND AMAZING FRIENDLY WONDERFUL STAFF AND DELICIOUS FOOD, PLEASE GO SUPPORT THEIR BUSINESS I MISS THEM SO MUCH!!!!), Flencious (breakfast that is oh SO good, they have a special deal when you can get breakfast for 5 euros if you go before 11am or something during the week), Restaurant Bim & Bap (Korean food, a must-have, gotta love that lunch menu!), and La Barraca (tapas!!! the shrimp is finger-licking good lol).
“Should I study at Maastricht University? What classes should I take?”
Loaded question. Maastricht University is difficult. As the University of Florida is the #7 Public University in the USA but Maastricht University is much harder than my business classes back home. So much reading. I thought they were joking when they said you had a lot to read. If you want a more relaxed and careful exchange semester, maybe expand your options to other Dutch universities or maybe someplace in the UK, Spain, Portugal, or Italy. There are times I regret going to UM because of just how much I have to read, especially now that we are in quarantine and have to stare at the laptop screen for 10+ hours a day. Think about what your values, requirements, preferences, and goals are. If you think you can handle the work, then go for it. Maastricht was amazing!
P.S: I took Customer-centric Supply Chain Management, Human Resource Management, Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management. At first, CCSCM was hard because I had to get used to the readings and the different class structures. I ended up doing very well. HRM has to be one of the most frustrating classes I have ever taken because we had to read like 80 pages worth of articles for each tutorial (about 4 twenty-page articles). ESBM was pretty fun and I would recommend taking it!
But that’s it from me! Again, this is Makayla and if you have any questions you can follow me on Instagram @makaylamaybe! I love talking about my study abroad experiences and though I had to come back home, Maastricht will always have space in my heart. Thank you so much for having me Maastricht University!
Study abroad 