The most amazing thing about being an international student is the incredible places you visit, the people you meet and the new place you call home. The worst part is that at some point it will be time to say goodbye to all of this.

Studying abroad gives you opportunities that you would never have if you stayed at home, to meet people not only from the country you are studying in, but to be part of an international community. You learn all sorts of wonderful and weird facts about many different countries and cultures. You meet some incredible people who will hopefully be part of your life for years to come. You party, you travel, you might even do a bit of studying!

You go from seeing a city with tourist’s eyes to calling it “home”, having your favourite hangouts and knowing where to buy the cheapest beer. You learn a lot about yourself and about how friendship, long conversations and some common interests can break down any cultural barrier. You learn that you can conquer a different country’s supermarkets, transport system and even education system.

You gain so much from studying abroad and inevitably a wee bit of you will always be left behind here in the Netherlands. Before you know it it’s time to leave, to go home or onto the next adventure but you will always have a small city in the east of this country to call home.

Nowadays, with Skype, Facebook and Ryanair the world is a much smaller place and goodbye is now only ever see you later. So, until the next time Nijmegen!

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