“Happy, Free, Confused, and Lonely”: A Gaucho’s Guide to Studying Abroad in the Netherlands
Mentor: Ljiljana Coklin
My project will be a travel writing piece about my semester abroad in the Netherlands. It will include two parts: reflections on the cultural differences between the Netherlands and the United States and fun travel guides covering both thoughtful discussions about the experience of living abroad and helpful tips for the countries I visited. The reflective pieces will examine subjects such as food, diversity, and transportation, through what I observed, missed, and enjoyed. The travel guides are geared towards students, often weekend and budget travelers, who want to make the most of Europe on a budget, and they will offer specific recommendations on how to spend 48 hours in a respective city. I quickly learned abroad that it isn’t travel if everything goes right, so I want to share my experiences to help others. I currently work in the study abroad office at UCSB and love helping students pick a program. I am there to discuss any academic and logistical issues, but a huge highlight of studying abroad is the memories of travel, food, and people. This is my chance to share them with other students in a fun, informative, and relatable way. Living and traveling abroad means encountering a range of emotions and learning to “go with the flow,” or as Taylor Swift sings, it truly means being “happy, free, confused and lonely at the same time.”
