Dylan Frieden

Overall Experience

I studied abroad in The Netherlands, in Amsterdam through the CIEE abroad program. There were three sessions to choose from, and I chose the third session which took place from July to August. In each session, there were around 4-5 classes to choose from with an option to take Dutch language as well. I took photojournalism and there were around 10 students total in this class. We had class around three times a week and the rest of the time was ours to take part in scheduled excursions or do some traveling of our own. During some of our time off from class, I traveled to Belgium, England, Scotland, Spain, France, and Germany. In our group of CIEE students, there were around 30-50 students taking part in different classes and we all made plans to go out and explore Amsterdam since the group of us was a decent size. It was great to have a group that was small enough that everyone could hangout together, but big enough that there were always people to go out and do things with.

Learning experience

The most valuable thing I learned while studying abroad was that if there is anything you are thinking about doing that might make you feel nervous, scared, or that gives you doubts, you should go for it because life is too short to live with what ifs or regrets over wishing you would have made the decision to do the thing that scares you. The thought of going to Amsterdam to study abroad by myself was definitely a nervous thought, but it also made me feel excited, and in the end, I know I would have regretted it if I had not studied abroad and traveled to Europe by myself.

Memorable experience

The most memorable experience I have from studying abroad in Amsterdam was one of the first days of our arrival. We had all started talking to each other and getting to know one another, and the Euros soccer games were currently taking place. A large group of us had planned to go to a restaurant to watch the England vs. Netherlands match. The environment of the restaurant was very vibrant from all of the locals dressed in Netherlands gear and celebrating their country as the played. Even though the Netherlands ended up losing to England, it was a fun experience to be a part of and something I will always remember.

What did you not expect?

One thing that surprised me was how easy it was to travel between countries in Europe. Of course, traveling in general can be daunting and seem difficult, and at times it was a little bit stressful, but overall booking tickets and boarding vehicles was fairly simple and not as difficult as I was expecting. I think this will change how I approach things in my life because if something like this that seems so daunting and scary can actually be pretty simple, then there is no reason why other challenges that I might face can't be as simple as traveling through countries.

What advice would you give?

If you're thinking about studying abroad but it seems impossible or scary, I think that's a sign that you need to go for it and give it a try. The worst thing that could happen is that you'll find out that traveling or studying abroad is not for you, and then you'll know. However, you could have one of the most amazing experiences of your life and find yourself meeting all kinds of new people and learning about different cultures and how they differ from your own. Being immersed in a new culture is a great experience to have to see just how small your world is compared to what is all around.

How has this experience impacted your life?

This experience has impacted my life as this is the first time I have traveled solo to another country and traveled Europe by myself. It made me feel more confident in myself by knowing that if I can do something as big as travel around other countries for five weeks by myself, I can do anything else that makes me nervous. I think solo traveling is an important journey that everyone should experience at some point in their life. It also helped me see how other cultures live and experience the way their daily lives are lived compared to ours in the USA.

How did you learn about this experience?

I learned about this opportunity on the ISU study abroad webpage.

International Connections