Two weeks of school down, yay! I have hit several milestones these last two weeks and I am proud to be integrating well into the Netherlands. First and foremost, the crown of honor in a true Leiden resident- I ate absolute sh*t on my bike. I was riding along on my way to a café (this is a place that sells coffee, not to be confused with a coffee shop in which sells a variety of products that contain a little green drug largely illegal in the US) to do some homework. It was a sunny(ish) day, and finally not too cold. I was riding along leisurely, admiring all of the beautiful houses that line the street when out of nowhere my wheel made contact with the curb. Before I even knew it my face was in the curb, tights ripped, hands bloody and all. Now it would have been enough for this to be the end of my embarrassment, but about 10 bikes passed me without stopping (seriously, not one), all laughing. When I got home all of my roommates started clapping, I am officially a part of the house as they have all done the same. (The gif above is exactly what my fall looked like if you were wondering)
School here is very different from the States. I have never known what free time like this feels like. The school is on a block system, meaning you split your classes into two sessions. I am in two online NAU classes, but I am only in two in-person classes here at Leiden. They meet once or twice a week, and the only homework is reading and preparing for a final. In the US, not only do we meet at least two or three times a week, but you take 5 or 6 classes at a time, meaning you're almost always in class. Plus, there is so much homework and busy work you don't even have time to read and learn the material. But here, I have so much time to read and actually learn. Plus there has been very few nights where I have had less than 8 hours of sleep (which is so freakin cool).
Travel here is so easy, everything is cheap and within reach. I am going to Milan next week, Prague after that, and Paris the next week. Something have really struggled with is that I have found it is really hard to travel with people who don't travel the same way as you. I am a complete cheap, stingy, bum traveler. And people who like lavish things hate traveling with me, and that is so okay. I am so annoying about it. I am a person who would give up any luxury to save money. And don't get me wrong, I do not save. I am terrible with money. But the way I think of it, if you take the 10 hour bus overnight for $20 instead of the 2 hour flight for $150, you not only have saved $130 to be spent on 6.5 more bus rides but you also saved money because you don't have to pay for a place to sleep! I would rather go on 6 more uncomfortable trips that no more trips plus a good night sleep. I also am a firm believer that no person should stay in hotels while traveling. This is not because of money. I mean, it is. But that is not all. Hostels provide a stage to meet tons of people from other countries and different backgrounds. My boyfriend Alex and I met a man in Brazil at a hostel that literally changed our perspective on our entire lives. There is a common misconception that hostels are dirty or unsafe. The truth is that the world is mostly good. And for the parts that are not, you can save yourself by not being an idiot. Don't sleep on sheets that you aren't positive are clean. Ask the desk for new ones. Don't leave your bag outside of your locker unattended. Don't go anywhere alone at night where there aren't like 30 other people to stop anyone from having the courage to do anything terrible to you. The only reason to spend lots of money on a hotel is to stay in it, and I really think if you're in a new place you should be doing anything but laying in bed in your $150 per night Hilton. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with luxury and treating yourself. And hopefully one day I hit a point where I can afford a Hilton in a beautiful new country. But for now, I am still trying to find people with limited funds and careless travel style.
Regardless of my bike, school, or travels, this place feels like home and that makes me really happy.