Last September was a big moment for me: I was moving from my small hometown in the Netherlands to the big city of Boston. By myself, may I add! I was super excited and loved every second of the moving process, but the truth is that I was terrified. Moving from a small town in a small country to a big city in a big country was a big deal to me! I went through some ups and downs and experienced homesickness, but now that the end of my freshman year is near I can say it was all worth it in the end. I have met so many awesome people, experienced so many cool new things, and learned so much! A lot of things changed for me so quickly, and it was hard to adjust at times. Here are some things that I needed some time getting used to:
Being the tallest girl in the room everywhere I go.
It’s a fact that the Dutch population is the tallest population in the world. I’m 5’10”, which might be considered slightly tall in the Netherlands. But here, I am considered a giraffe! If I got a dollar every time someone has called me tall since I’ve been here, I’d have enough to buy myself some Louboutins and make myself even taller… because who cares at this point.
Being made fun of for pronouncing things the wrong way.
Or not being able to find my words for that matter. My roommates love to tease me with this. A few of their favorites:
- “What’s that thing you use to make a straight line and measure things?” (A ruler)
- “Let’s make a picture”
- “They recently got a baby”
- “How do you call one of those things you put pictures in?” (A picture frame)
- Mispronouncing words like ‘Aladdin’ and ‘Adidas’ and many more
Not being able to legally drink here… or really go out at all.
In the Netherlands, the drinking age is 18. So, I am used to go out to bars and clubs often! Not being allowed to do so anymore was slightly disappointing at first, but by now I’m used to just going house parties instead, which is just as much fun!
Overall, moving to Boston has meant a lot of adjustments, but it has been worth it in the end. I’ve had an amazing time here! Even though I’m leaving Suffolk after this semester to go to a university in the Netherlands, I wouldn’t have traded my time here for the world.