rickyatradboud

[rickyatradboud]

It's been a while!!

SO when I said I was done traveling.... here I am again! That Italy experience was eye opening and taught me a LOAD of lessons. 

Due to that, and with a HORRIBLE visa / residence permit issue going on I have been dealing with living on a very very tight budget and that has come with some stress, but at the end of the day (or weeks,rather) I was able to make it through with the help of my family. Because of all of that I haven't been out much in what feels like a very long time. 

Billy arrived in Amsterdam on Saturday April 22 and he stayed the whole week until the next Sunday morning! It was crazy to see each other for the first time after three months. We spent the next two days exploring all of Nijmegen together- going out to all of the little bars and cafes I have always wanted to go to but never took myself. Billy tried "FEBO" - my favorite Dutch fast food and he loved it just as much as I do- it made me really happy to see Billy enjoying Europe so much. I showed him all around my town, relaxed in the parks, and tried different Dutch foods all day long. Billy liked the krokets the best! Billy's third day in The Netherlands was our first trip to Amsterdam where he had veal krokets on bread with mustard :-) In Amsterdam we visited the Hemp Museum, Cat Museum, and walked around Vondelpark.  We also took a tour of the Bols House Gin Museum which included a cocktail at the end! My drink was pink and had yummy whipped cream on top. It was a great day in Amsterdam.

The next day we woke up early to take a bus into Antwerpen, Belgium. That was my favorite trip of my entire time here. We spent one night in a small hotel right outside the city center. The location was perfect and we had a great big window with a window seat and a view! In Belgium we ate and drank all day and night all over the city. The food we ate was amazing - for dinner we went to an underground medieval restaurant where Billy had AMAZING fish stew and I also had great beef "Antwerpen" stew. We also went to the oldest pub in Antwerp where I tried beer made from monks- it was delicious! Billy's favorite part was probably the Absinthe bar we found, he said it was the nicest bar he has ever been to in his life and that made me so happy. The next morning we woke up and ate delicious Belgian waffles right outside the MAS museum where we climbed all the way to the 10th floor for a panoramic view of Antwerp (travel note the 2nd and 10th floor are free!) Outside of a big church there was a beautiful pub that looked very old and had a lot of character with many statues of saints surrounding the entire pub. After a great lunch we caught our bus to our next destination: Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Billy's mom was so nice to use her travel points on Billy and I- getting us a great hotel in Rotterdam which was right next to a huge beautiful park. We arrived to Rotterdam on Kings Day, which is basically The Netherlands version of Saint Pattys Day so there were a lot of drunk people in orange roaming the streets. It was a cool sight to see and we had a quick beer and bite to eat to celebrate before heading to our hotel. We walked through the large park on our way and stumbled upon a large Kings Day Music Festival on the beach! We climbed up a small hill and sat in the grass to enjoy some free music and the nature- the park was so green and had beaches with Windmills and also a farm animal area which was really cool. This park also has a pancake house in the middle of the forest which we went to for Breakfast in the morning. Billy ordered us pancakes- mine had cheese apple and bacon inside and I ate the whole thing! The last night of the trip Billy's mom provided an amazing hotel again which I will forever be thankful for! We got to stay at the Hilton Amsterdam Airport. It was so nice to be able to spend as much time as we possibly could together that Sunday morning before Billy's flight - the airport and hotel were connected! The best part was that our room got upgraded to the very top floor, "The Executive Floor".... it even had an "Executive Lounge" with FREE FOOD AND ALCOHOL !!!!!!!!  We had the best last night ever feeling like VIPs!  

It was really nice to go out so much and not have to worry about spending money. Billy took all of my financial stress away for the entire week and on top of that we had an amazing time traveling The Netherlands and Belgium together!  Saying goodbye was super sad and I definitely miss having Billy here already, but I am looking forward to the rest of my time here and soon it will be July 17th already! Time is flying.

The best way to cure a sad mood is music - the Tuesday after Billy left Madison and I went to see JOHN MAYER at Amsterdams Ziggo Dome. (Another travel tip: the cheapest seats in the house are the best at Ziggo Dome. We paid under $50 and had an amazingly close view!) The concert was really special for me because I have always wanted to see John Mayer and his new album has become one of my favorites to listen to when I want to relax or take my mind off of things for a while. I love John Mayers lyrics, and my favorite song he played was Born and Raised. The whole stadium lit up with phone flashlights / glow sticks/ lighters when Born and Raised played, John Mayer even had the big screens and lights behind him turned off to show just how many people were lighting up The Dome- it was beautiful. His last song was just himself and a piano on stage.

Madison and I caught the last train back to Nijmegen after the concert and headed to Ibiza in the morning with two other girlfriends we have made at Radboud! The two girls are from California so we have 2 east coast and 2 west coast girls all excited to finally see some sun again! We arrived in Ibiza, got to our hotel and immediately ran out onto the hotels beach area to warm up. Mainly all of the beaches in our area were nude beaches, but thankfully our hotel only had a few topless woman and no naked men in sight (PHEW). We had fun being silly and enjoying the wonderful feeling of not having to wear our bathing suit tops at a rocky part of the beach we found - no one was around and it was our own personal paradise. Although Ibiza is known for their insane party scene, we did not go to any of the clubs in the city center. To enter the famous clubs you have to pay an $80 cover fee and that just was not in the budget. I don't regret not going to the clubs because the 4 of us were able to have a really fun time all together just around our hotel on the beach and watched movies that I downloaded on my laptop before the trip. It was really nice to not have a strict plan to do anything and to not spend a lot of money doing much of anything other than burning our skin and gossiping all day long. It was a real girls trip- my first spring break type trip without any parents- and we stayed safe and had a blast  :)  

After two days in Ibiza, next up is Lisbon, Portugal! I am writing this as I wait for my gate to be announced at the airport. The 4 of us traveled to the airport together but split up for or travels, all on different modes of transportation from Ibiza to Lisbon, which kind of makes for a fun reunion to look forward too! Madison and I are meeting at the Lisbon airport and staying in a hotel together to stay safe. I am excited to see another new city and spend more time with the friends I have made :)

Madison and I reunited at our hotel for our first night in Lisbon! We were pretty tired from all of the travel so we spent the night watching a movie with pizza delivery and enjoyed the nice shower/comfy beds.

In the morning, we were supposed to meet up with our two girlfriends but we decided to just keep our room at our hotel for our second night to make things easier. We may meet up with them for dinner or drinks tonight, but for now, Madison and I are relaxing on a large stretch of beach, soaking up the last day of sun for a while. The beach is huge- at least twenty miles of beautiful shore line with the city in the distance and many small beach cafes on the piers (travel tip: this is the cheapest way to enjoy your day and a great hamburger and pineapple juice was under 5 euro!)  

For our last night, Madison and I are now heading to a sushi restaurant in the city center and then plan to be home early for our flight in the morning.  

After two nights in Lisbon Madison and I are taking a cheap flight to Paris and spending 9am-9pm in the city before a cheap overnight bus back home to Nijmegen. After this trip I will have visited a total of 7 countries in under 4 months!!!!!

Amsterdam/ Zaans Schans/ Edam/ Rotterdam/ Utretch, Netherlands

Zurich/ Luzerne/ Rheinfalls,Switzerland

Barcelona/ Ibiza, Spain

Milan / Venice ,  Italy

Lisbon, Portugal

Paris, France

Antwerpen, Belgium

It is a dream to be traveling so much. I am so thankful for my family for helping to make all of this possible not only by financial support but also by their emotional support; my family has shown that they believe in me to be able to handle a 6 month study abroad and they are always just a phone call away when I miss them. The best part is, MY GRANDPARENTS ARE COMING TO VISIT ME IN LESS THAN 5 DAYS!!!!!!!! I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Grandparents are the most amazing people in my life- they are the most supportive and caring grandparents a girl could ever ask for. I have missed my Grandy and Grandpa more than I can explain. Sometimes I wish I picked a school in Philly so that I could have spent my college years with them- that’s how great they are. They are my favorite traveling companions and I am counting down the hours until their arrival. It will be the best week ever.  

[rickyatradboud]

Italy Was Still My Favorite

The food was AMAZING I would do anything to go back.  This is where I want to go back to time and time again. This is my favorite place.  Italy is amazing. 

Pizza, pasta, pizza, pasta, gelato, more gelato was my entire diet and I have never felt so amazing. 

Everything was beautiful and I am hungry again just thinking about it. 

[rickyatradboud]

Travel Troubles

During my past Italy trip, everything seemed to go wrong. (Well, not everything, but that is to come) 

90 euro at a non refundable HORRIBLE hotel to begin Madison and I’s trip to Milan.   Next up, Group Decision Making.....

We planned to meetup with our friend Joe from our school who would also bring 3 other UD guy friends with him.  Madison and I needed them to book us accommodation wherever they decided to stay for the one night we would travel out of Milan- we planned for Venice but the group of boys were unsure, all having their own agenda of where they wanted to go and why.  Madison and I were just meeting these 3 other friends, so it was slightly awkward to but in on all of their arguing over the destination. 

Finally, Venice was announced the winner and the boys promised they would get a 6 person accommodation. After Madison and I just had so much bad luck with hotels, we were thankful to be relieved of the responsibility..... but boy were we wrong.... 

When we arrived to Venice, the boys finally broke the news to Madison and I that we still had no accommodation- the air bnb did not work out and we had to walk around looking for wifi / walking in and out of hotels asking for vacancies. We paid a crazy amount of money for our hotel that night..... 

 The next night Madison, Joe and I traveled back to Milan with a very early flight in the morning.  We arrived to the hotel (in a very dangerous part of town... so dangerous that the late night pizza stand man told us to call a cab for the rest of the 5 minute walk) only to find out that we were at the wrong hotel.  Our hotel was over an hour away, and we had already spent a crazy amount of money on a cab. We had to take a loss on the money we spent on that hotel... it was too far and it was too late in the night.  We got a room at a hotel down the street- we barely slept because the front desk man was telling us how dangerous it was that we were in this neighborhood and insisting he have a cab waiting for us when we woke up instead of having us wait at the bus stop. 

The next morning, Madison and I left at 4am for our flight.  The directions we looked up were wrong and took us to the incorrect location, but both of our phones did not work in Italy. The train stop was in the middle of no where and there was no one in sight- it was completely empty except for an unsettling amount of gypsies. Madison and I needed to call a cab but there was no payphone or wifi to use... we had only an hour until our flight at this point and it seemed hopeless to find a taxi in this deserted country town so early on Easter Sunday. Miraculously we found a cafe that was closed but knocked on the door and a sweet Italian old man helped to call us a cab. The first cab service said no since it was Easter, but the second said yes and Madison and I made it to the gate 2 minutes before it closed, sweaty from sprinting through the huge airport, but we made it.  

I was never so happy to return to my small little box, here, in Nijmegen. So much money not refunded from hotels, and wasted on long taxis to incorrect places, and the very scary moments at the distressed train station make me worry that I am not cut out for budget traveling- I need things like an international phone plan and room for unforeseeable financial mishaps like these. 

On top of the Italy troubles, my temporary Visa expires on the day I planned to travel with Billy to Belgium and Italy.  I am not able to leave The Netherlands for 2 weeks, making me unable to travel to any of the places we had planned.  There was an unforeseeable issue with my Visa documents, preventing my new Visa from coming in the mail for 2 more weeks. I can not travel without the actual physical card....   more and more money I can not get back on hotels and plane tickets and trains.... it is really hard to not let things like this get me down about traveling, but it is really really hard!!  I only have one more trip out of the country planned, and then nothing anymore.  As of right now, I really want and plan to keep it that way.  I am done traveling and want to just focus on being here in The Netherlands until July 17. One day I may be cool enough to backpack Europe and really rough it, but as of now I am way to inexperienced to be staying in hostels and traveling without a working smart phone. Super lame sounding but this journal can’t be all about the best parts of being here. 

[rickyatradboud]

Barcelona <3

Barcelona was my far my favorite trip! I have never thought I wanted to go to Spain, and it was never on my radar, but I am so so so so so happy I agreed to the trip a few months ago.  

Barcelona was like european Florida! 

Walking around near the beach and docks was really nice, and we ate lunch at a huge indoor market where I tasted the best crab legs of my life. 

For my last meal, I had the most amazing sushi roll ever... and I don’t even like sushi! I also had lemon chicken that was to die for... the cream was sweet and thick like honey.. it was delicious.  

The mojitos are amazing in Spain... I can’t put my finger on why they are so horrible in the states but I made sure to drink my fill of fresh mint, brown sugar and sweet rum.  

Just like Paris, Spain also had amazing sandwiches that were simple; just ham and cheese.. but they were great. 

My tips for traveling to Barcelona are to be prepared to spend money on tourist attractions and to buy a 48 hour metro pass! 

The best part of the whole trip was spending the day at a horse farm up in the mountains of Barcelona.  We got to learn how to ride the ponies in the ring, then took a nice hour and a half trail ride through the nature, and ended by brushing out our ponies and putting them back into their stalls/returning them to the fields. Then we got free beer and chips to relax with while looking out at the fields of ponies and mountains.  Our guide even drove us to the bus station herself after we had finished with the horses! 

Barcelona was truly beautiful. 

[rickyatradboud]

ICELAND

My french friend Camille and I have pinky sworn that we will visit Iceland together! We are determined to find the hotels where you sleep in an igloo and the ceiling is all glass! Flights to Iceland are only about $50 for some random dates- so this is exciting! 

Right now, Cami and I are studying for exams, but my trip to Barcelona is right around the corner and I can’t wait to enjoy 60 degree weather for a few days. 

Madison and I are planning to go horseback riding on our last day in Barcelona, which is something I have always dreamt of doing! I’m excited to get a riding lesson and enjoy the trails to the beach! 

[rickyatradboud]

Another non-refundable plane ticket....

I have wasted $200 on plane tickets for incorrect dates or times.

Even after what seems like I have triple checked I still manage to mess up times or locations or dates one way or the other- all when I am in a rush either excited or letting other people rush me through the process. 

I vow to check my cart 10 times from now on. 

Ouch. 

[rickyatradboud]

Oh The Places I Could Go

Checklist:

The Netherlands: Amsterdam, Zaans Schans, Edam

Switzerland: Zurich, Lucerne, Rheinfalls

To Visit List: 

The Netherlands: Rotterdam, Delft, Eindhoven, The Hague

Spain: Barcelona, Ibiza 

Italy: Milan, Venice, Bologna, Cinque Terre (The 5 Cities) 

Belgium: Brussels, Antwerp 

Portugal: Lisbon

France: Paris

Germany: Berlin, Dusseldorf

Hungary: Budapest 

Czech Republic: Prauge, Cesky Krumlov

Austria: Vienna 

Iceland

Wish List:

Germany: Wurzburg, Fusen

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Norway

Scotland: Edinburgh

Greece: Athens 

Croatia: Split

[rickyatradboud]

Exam Week!

I’ve made it to the end of my first semester here (there are two mini semesters in each semester!)  

I took Buddhism, Intercultural Communication, Organization and Management, and Sociology of Religion.  If I can pass 3/4... I will be happy. The classes here are very, very hard; there is only one or two assignments (or sometimes none at all) in addition to the final exam. 

I took my first exam today and the structure was nothing like I have been used to- they have oral exams here...

I have 3 more exams and then a long weekend trip to Barcelona before the start of my next mini-semester.  Thankfully, next semester I am only enrolled in one class instead of 4, so I will be able to handle the workload. 4 classes has been a lot, and I think that 2 would have been fine. My classes often overlapped, meaning I could not be in two places at once.  This semester has been challenging and I am excited for the stress of school to be lifted. All in all, it is worth it for the experience and as long as I can come out of this passing 3 courses I will be proud- since most students only take a total of 3 courses here. This program is worth having to take a few summer courses next year and graduate in August instead of May- I feel that extra time spent in Ohio can be used to search for/interview at internships and jobs in the area, since my plan after graduation is to find a job in Ohio and take advantage of the cheap rent prices! 

Over the weekend, I took a study break to go on my school’s field trip to Zaanse Schans. This was a small village with many windmills and adorable sheep, goats, and ducks. There were canals throughout the village and the area was very lush and green.  I met up with my friend Meg and her friend from her study abroad program in Spain. Having two people in my room at one time was a tight squeeze but we made it work.  I was thankful to have my friend Madison sleepover, too.  Pictures to come! 

[rickyatradboud]

Swiss Cheese!!!

On Friday afternoon, Madison and I went to catch train to bus station and meet up with the two boys who go to UD, as well. They were talking to two girls, who they introduced us to! They are really nice and we ended up having a great time with them the whole trip!

The bus was long and there was no wifi or power outlets. In the future I want to take Flixbus which is cheap and has both of those options. I also hear there is more legroom...

The bus left around 8 and we arrived to our first destination at 8am.

I sat next to Madison and we tried to sleep but woke up early around 5am. Thankfully we arrived to Rheinfalls early at 730; it was beautiful! This was a great way to start the morning. It is a beautiful waterfall with steps that lead up and around it!   It is hard to describe but I took many pictures. There was ever a rainbow at the top of the falls :)

After 45 min we got back onto the bus and headed to Lucerne. The town was surrounded by mountains and had a lake- it was very beautiful!  There was the main strip of boardwalk on the lake and since it was a Saturday there was a market of fresh produce pasta olives bread and flowers! The shops looked so delicious but the group wanted breakfast at a sit down place  so we went inside a brewery for some breakfast. This brewery served beer with breakfast - it was included in the breakfast options! Switzerland was expensive with orange juice $5 and a hot dog for $7. I think the market and a picnic by the lake would have been nice! We walked around the town and stumbled upon a big unicorn drinking fountain!!!! I was so happy! There was also a chocolate shop with a chocolate fountain wall - Lindt a chocolate is from Switzerland! The views of the alps were so amazing to see from a small city setting. The swans in the lake were also so beautiful.  

After Lucerne, we got onto the bus to our last destination of Zurich. Zurich was  more of a city feel than Lucerne with very expensive shops lining the streets, although there was a large lake. We followed our tour guide to a church where the group wanted to climb to the top bell tower. On the way to the church we walked over a bridge and it was at the same time as a protest for women's rights. The women were yelling in other languages but some of the signs were in English and they said things like "make feminism a threat again". The women had black skin masks on and when someone tried to take a picture one of them said just signs no faces. Some were not as serious and were throwing pink glitter while yelling and skipping. Some had their young daughters, too!

Before entering the church there was a park with a nice lookout point of the city with all of the houses of the hillsides. At the park there was also life sized chess and men were playing with the large game pieces.  When we entered the church there was a small choir and orchestra practicing or preforming- I couldn't tell which but it was absolutely amazing. I sat and listened for a bit and then it was time for the group to go on a boat trip around the lake for some down time to relax. While waiting for the boat at the dock, there was a man with a Bernie Sanders shirt on who had a bucket and sticks to make huge bubbles. He was playing with it and letting children make bubbles and was giving them high fives for doing it! It was so sweet to watch the kids get excited that they were able to make such a huge bubble. The bubbles were ginormous and it was fun to see them float into the sky. On the banner behind him he hung "peace" on a rainbow flag.

On the boat it was nice to drink coffee while we saw the sights from our seats.  Even the cheapest coffee sets you back $6, but it did the trick! After the boat ride our group of 6 went in search of fondue. We knew it would be expensive but decided it was the thing to do in Switzerland. We found a place on the river with outdoor seating- it was a really sunny day and nice enough for a light jacket and scarf. We found out it was $50 per person for all you can eat cheese and potato fondue-  the cheese came out in two red bowls with the Swiss flag on them and two large bowls of bread and baby potatoes. It was amazingly delicious. We ordered two or three rounds of food and stuffed ourselves pretty full so that we didn't have any room left for chocolate fondue dessert (best for our wallets but writing this on the bus makes me hungry all over again!).

After dinner we had some more time to walk around the city- most of the shops were closed but we explored a bit and had time getting to know the other girls who also go to Radboud!

The bus ride home feels long already but all in all it was a fun trip!

[rickyatradboud]

MONEY ITS A CRIME

Ugh!!!!! 

I am so. so. so  privileged to be here. 

I am also so. so. so learning what it feels like to live off $50 a week. 

Grocery shopping has never been so stressful - I have a new found respect for my parents; it must have been a lot to provide so many groceries. Especially fruits and vegetables ... I really dislike how unhealthy food is SO much less expensive. 

I have never missed my GG so much- every meal my great grandmother ever made for me was amazing and balanced and perfect.  Pork chops and applesauce with some yummy green beans- now that is a meal. I remember how excited she was for me to travel to Europe and I wish I could call her to tell her all about my time here so far- and also to thank her for all of those delicious dinners. 

There is so much I want to do and almost nothing comes free- but I am here to experience Europe- not stress over money. 

Riding my bike around is a great way to save money, especially when one bus ride 5 minutes will cost you 2 euro.....

There are paid studies I can participate in at my University- they pay 5-20 euro each time, and you can participate twice a week! (Even 20 more euro a week would be a blessing on my grocery list)  My first study is tomorrow where I have been instructed to not eat at least 3 hours before and to wash and dry my hair before arrival.... seems very, very, VERY strange so I would like to document this incase some crazy Black Mirror type situation occurs... lol! 

This will be a semester of maturing - I want to work on budgeting myself better- what tips are worth it? What do I need to say no to so that I can say yes to something else? It’s really hard to draw these lines when EVERYTHING seems like it is calling for me to visit. A Philharmonic performance of Swan Lake, Mozartfest in Austria... things I have only ever dreamt about. No matter how scary all of it may seem piling up onto my credit card... I know that this will be a time I remember forever, and it is worth every penny. 

[rickyatradboud]

Drake Concert and Carnival Weekend!

Seeing Drake was great! Before the concert we visited the Banksy exhibition at the Moco Museum- IT WAS AMAZING!!!! I have never loved a museum more! The exhibition ends at the end of this month- I may go back for a second look if I find myself in Amsterdam again! 

  I regret the money spent on an air bnb in Amsterdam for two nights, but the concert was fun and it was an experience. It was fun to meet up with some other UD students who traveled to Amsterdam from Ireland. My high school friend and I split up after the concert- she wanted to go back home with her group of friends and my friend and I wanted to stay out longer, so we went out with the other UD students! Long story short, my high school friend ended up at the after party that Drake was at. Kendal Jenner was there with Gigi... so that is pretty cool.  I would love to say I got to be there, but apparently it was hard to get in and took over an hour of waiting in line. Still.... I am happy it was not an artist I am obsessed with or else that would really stink. 

Note to self- the after party is always at the most expensive hotel and there is a password to get in. 

Another note to self- no more spending the night in Amsterdam (way too expensive and not worth it with my own room being only an hour and a half away)

Last note to self- mind who you travel with. I had such a blast the whole day with Maddy at carnival as opposed to traveling with other people in the past. 

The past weekend was ‘Carnival’, which is a big celebration that involves pub crawls in costume, parades, music, singing and dancing! (Also, lots of confetti) 

The last day of Carnival was on Tuesday, and we had off from school because the holiday is Catholic! Maddy and I decided the night before that we wanted to celebrate together, after seeing everyone in costume having a fun time we worried we were missing out by not participating all weekend!  We woke up on Tuesday morning, dressed in the craziest clothes I could provide- my unicorn shirt for Maddy, and Billy’s Grateful Dead Tye Dye on me! We met with a girl from Facebook who had pub crawl tickets (they were all sold out online) and hopped on the train, ready to go! The pub crawl called for 12 beers and Madison and I made it to about 5 places before the rain came. We tried yummy fried fish balls, which tasted amazing, and decided to head back home.  While looking for the station we got lost and my phone would not work due to the rain... I looked around and saw a man who seemed to be a little older than us in a Robe walking on the other side of the street. I quickly asked Madison if she thought it was safe to ask him for directions and we decided to go for it and overlook the bathrobe at 5pm look.... in the spirit of Carnival ;)

We finally got to the station and back home safely, and ended the night with a sleepover :) Best Carnival ever! 

[rickyatradboud]

1 Month in Nijmegen

It has been about month since I have made Nijmegen my new home!

My room has finally come together- I ordered an inflatable couch that also folds out into a double air mattress for 2 so that I can have space for visitors overnight or just for the day on the couch.  $50 was a good investment in the couch- it seemed expensive at first but it has dramatically changed my room into a place where i can entertain!  

Cooking has been a challenge- I am not the best chef and the groceries are expensive! The dishes I have attempted so far....

Soft taco shells with sweet potatoes, shrimp, peppers, carrots, and garlic. 

Pasta with canned Alfredo sauce and shrimp

Sausage with peppers, sweet potato, and onion! 

Otherwise... it has been buttery pasta, buttery toast, and lots of lays potato chips. I miss the luxury of buying juice or chocolate milk at the store, but I have been trying to save money by drinking water. 

A nice breakfast or lunch will only cost up to ten euro, but it really adds up each week, so I have become more conscious of my (lack of) cooking skills.  The temptation of fluffy fries is very tempting with carts and shops all over selling these delicious piles of fresh fries with amazing sauces. Falafel Wraps and Kebobs are also big here and also making a small dent in my wallet, along with “FEBO”. FEBO is Dutch Mcdonalds (although, they have Mcdonalds here and it is always so packed). You put exact change into the slot on the wall and then you can open up a small heated window where your selection is! They have a whole wall of small windows filled with hamburgers, fries, and Dutch snacks like a “frikandel” (basically a fried hot dog... but it tastes. so. good) and also this type of delicious croissant like pastry with melted cheese inside- AMAZING. 

Making friends has been relatively easy despite the slight language barriers. My closest friend here happens to be from France- we had a sleepover over this past weekend after seeing a concert together and got a lovely breakfast together in the morning (Camille is my temptation to spend money on food!) She is such a great friend and I am thankful to have met her.  I also really like the other students from UD who came to Radboud (only 3- 1 girl and 2 boys) All 3 of them are wonderful, and I am so happy to return back to the states with new friends!!! 

I do miss my family and friends a lot during my time here, and I find myself wishing I could share this experience with them in person.  I am so excited for visitors!!! 

Since my last post, I have planned a few trips! 

This weekend, I will be going to Amsterdam with a friend I have made here.  Together, we are meeting up with my high school friend who is studying abroad in Madrid! She is bringing 4 other friends, so together we make 7! We have found an air bnb with the entire apartment to ourselves for only $30 per night in a great location! Saturday we will sightsee, and Sunday we will see DRAKE at the Ziggo Dome! It is my high school friends birthday, and Drake is her favorite artist!  On Monday, there is no school!! We have CARNIVAL Monday and Tuesday.. which I hear is basically halloween meets st pattys day!  A friend from Belgium may come visit me for Carnival, as well! 

Early March brings an overnight bus trip to Switzerland! I will visit Rheinfall, Luceren, and Zurich with the other 3 UD students! We will spend two nights on a bus... but for 60 euro it is a steal because Switzerland is notorious for being too expensive for a backpackers budget. I am excited to treat myself during the day while we are not on the bus! 

After that, Meg, a friend from UD (and my future housemate) will be coming from Madrid to visit me for St. Pattys Day! She is also bringing along a friend she has made, which is exciting because I love meeting new people:) I will meet them on St. Pattys day in Brussels, and we will sight see/celebrate until the last bus to Nijmegen as the sun is setting! I am excited to have two visitors sleepover for two nights! Thank god for my blow up couch/mattress!!!  :) 

Only two weeks later I will be getting on a plane to visit Meg in Barcelona! We have a nice apartment to ourselves for just slightly more than a hostel would have cost, thanks to air bnb! We plan to take advantage of the kitchen because Meg is a WAY better cook than I am... I am excited to learn new techniques. 

April will bring a trip to Milan, Bologna, and Venice with my new girlfriend from UD!!! There was a flash deal with roundtrip flights to Milan for 20 euro... we had to take advantage! Florence is not too far away and was my favorite city when I went to Italy a few years ago.  We will have 4 nights in Italy to explore!!! 

After Italy will bring BILLY!!!!!!!! My long lost Ohio boyfriend! It has only been a month but it really feels 3 times longer. I will be excited to spend ten whole days together while I have a break from classes.  While he is here, I am looking into possible mini-vacations to the coast of Italy (cinque terre?) or one of the islands off of Spain, such as Palma, Majorca! Flights can be cheap- 50 euro roundtrip.  Accommodation is where things may get pricey but if we can keep our vacation to 4 days and 3 nights I think we can make something happen! Or maybe just a good old fashion trip to Sienna and Florence;somewhere new and somewhere I have always wanted to return to.  KINGSDAY is April 27 and this is a HUGE day for The Netherlands with large festivals and parades and parties everywhere. I am excited to experience this with Billy! 

May-July will be a breeze with family visiting and Clare studying abroad in Berlin!  Also... A TRIP TO SCOTLAND IS IN THE WORKS!!!! I have made a great friend from the UK who makes me laugh and reminds me of my best friend Kelli.  One of her flatmates is from Scotland, and has invited me as well as Jo and a few other friends to visit her home for 6. entire. nights. My dreams of petting a furry cow are going to become a reality.... I really can’t believe it!!!! I fly to Dublin, Ireland for under 100 euro and stay for free in Edinburgh, Scotland!!!! 

I am so happy with my travel plans.  Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Ireland, and Scotland are ahead of me!!!! I never thought in 100000 years that I would be so blessed to have an experience like this one. When times become stressful, or I miss home, it is exciting trips like this that make it all worth it- every single penny.  I know that I will have these friends for the rest of my life; I am so thankful every morning and every night to be here. 

[rickyatradboud]

Nijmegen (N-eye-  may -  hen)

My lovely door! 

Have a small sink and closet area with a second door leading into the bedroom! 

My little home. 

5 minutes away from my apartment complex! Pass this almost everyday when I cycle into the city center. There is also a bike path I have discovered that goes even closer- meaning I can see the graffiti better! 

Streets to city center

This cat and I have become good friends over the past 3 weeks. 

Graffiti in town. 

My orientation group and our mentors taking a tour of Radboud Uni!

Town

Orientation party with our mentors!

View from Uni building! These are all classroom buildings and the cafe. 

Another Uni housing building! Very close to the city center and connected to the central Nijmegen train station! 

Police station is next to the city center housing- with cool lights! 

Park in the city of Nijmegen! 

Cool shop in the city

Another park in Nijmegen :) 

[rickyatradboud]

home away from home

I am almost always going somewhere.  When I am at school in Ohio I was constantly making little trips back and forth from my on campus activities- friends, clubs, classes- and my off-campus Billy. When I’m home in New Jersey, I’m going from North and South between one side of the family to the other, all the while stopping in the middle to visit my best friends in my old town.  I am not complaining- but I really am almost always on the go.  

Over the past few years I’ve started to become really anxious about how I am spending my time and who I am spending it with. Family time became much more important to me when I left for school; I took living in the same state for granted. I stress about the decisions I make and the plans I agree to. Sometimes it always feels like I’m letting someone down for not spending more time with them and I have come to figure out that the person I am letting down is me.  

I am the only one who is this hard on myself for what days I spend with whom.  For the next few months I want to try and completely break this habit.  

The expectation for one to travel to other countries to Europe is pretty high.. with all the promise of “cheap and fast trains to any country you like!”  This is pretty true- I am very close to the German boarder which makes busses to destinations such as Brussels and Munich cheap and popular day or one night trips.  There are round trip overnight busses to Paris and Berlin for about 50 euro, or you could go to Prague, Switzerland, Budapest or Austria for about 100. Then factor in all of the other transportation fees such as busses or the metro! 

Moving on to the promise of “Super cheap Hostels up to 10 euro a night!” —-ehhhhhhhhhh.  Questionable. I mean yes- these do exist in some cool places! There are even luxury hostels! This type of environment is good for groups, with options to fill up a room anywhere to 4 -8 people and upward! Or you can opt for the large shared rooms which are great if you want to wake up early and start your day… because you will not sleep in so great in with the noise of 16 other people in the same room, or at least I won’t! But that is the whole experience, and I do believe I should take advantage of the cheap option- I just have reservations about opting for a hostel when I am a lone traveler. (I could write back in a few weeks thinking I sounded ridiculous here, you never know!) 

Options like a private room can run from 60 euro a night, which I think is super reasonable if split between two! We’re talking your own private shower (that you don’t have to wear flip flops in) and some privacy/peace from noise along with a fluffy double bed (I am still getting used to my tiny twin).  

Hotels in the larger cities I would like to visit are about 70-100 per night, which is okay if split between 2 in a double bed or better yet 4 with two double beds…. but for two a private room in a hostel or the large shared rooms could be fine, too! Basically I am so grossed out by my shared (1) shower/ (1) toilet  with 16 other people that I dream of traveling to other places and staying in a nice fluffy bed and taking a warm, clean shower… but who am I to complain about a once in a lifetime experience on a college students budget?! 

Air BnB is an option that I am using for an upcoming trip to Amsterdam as well as Barcelona! Both trips have a full apartment to ourselves and will cost about 40 euro per night. I hope to cancel out the higher cost by utilizing the kitchen and cooking with friends! The groceries here are very fresh and delicious– I have to work on my cooking skills ASAP. 

I want to see the world- and for now I have too many destinations in mind… 

NExt up on the list is a trip back to Amsterdam for one night in our own appartment!!! It is a high school friend’s birthday and we are celebrating! Since we have so many people it will only be about 35 euro.  

Next up is a bus trip to Switzerland at the beginning of March.  For 65 euro I am going to see beautiful and amazing sights I have only seen in movies. The other 3 UD students are coming along as well, and we will leave Friday evening from Amsterdam on a 7 hour overnight bus to the Rheinfalls… to see a beautiful waterfall! Then to Lucern and an hour to Zurich where there will be lakes and mountains to explore! 

At the beginning of May, I will take a trip to Barcelona to visit my future housemate Meg!!!! We are staying in our own apartment through air bnb and it will cost about the same as Amsterdam.  I am excited to enjoy the architecture and soak up the sun! 

Then… Hopefully Billy will come visit during my break at the end of April! A whole ten days with no classes .. and a small room to escape…where to go?!?! 

… In no particular order (trust me- I’m trying to prioritize) ….

Wishlist: France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Hungary, Belgium, Chez Republic, Scotland and Norway. I am even interested in Romania…!! 

France may start in Paris (I NEED A CREPE RIGHT NOW) ugh the food is so amazing and I love it here.  I would also like to take a day trip to Loire Valley for wine tasting! 4 hours South takes you to Lyon- the french countryside! Close to Lyon is Alsace, too! (busses to paris can be 50 euro roundtrip) 

I actually hear that ROMANIA is “dirt cheap” costing about 30 US per day total and the crowds are not as high as many of the other popular cities I am interested in. From travel blogs I have read that Romania is home to many medieval towns as well as beautiful beaches/hiking! 

GERMANY is very close- and I have gathered a lot of advice/information about where to go! In the order of how close to  how far- reaching all the way from Nijmegen to the bottom of Germany, as well as a national park which boarders France! Wurzburg, Hohenlohe, Schwabish Hall and small historic towns around it such as Langenburg, Ohringen, Vellberg, Hopfach and Waldenburg! Imagine me saying that out loud!!!!! All of these towns have buildings preserved from the Middle Ages with castles and forests… or so I hope to see for myself! Then on to Munich (note that there is a Berchtesgaden National Parkand and Salzburg, Austria near this) and down to the town of Fusen! There is even a “Romantische” Road which takes you the four hours from Fusen to Wurzburg! There is also the “Black Forest” where one can hike for hundreds of miles through the pine trees (Backpacking Germany?!) (very affordable travel from Nijmegen to all of Germany) 

AUSTRIA: two hours from Salzburg brings you to Vienna….. SOUND OF MUSIC! <3 I am also considering checking out the Mozart festival in June for some classical wine and dinning.  (travel starting at 100 euro) 

In BELGIUM - Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent, and Brussles are ahead of me! (very affordable) 

ITALY: My dream of visiting the Italian coast may become a reality this semester- if I can find the right deals! Venice is the closest city to me, with Milan not too far away.  

On my way down to the coast brings you to Florence (MY FAVORITE) and Siena! Florence is somewhere I have always wanted to visit again for the street markets and restaurants. 

Sienna is also close by and everyone always says they looooovvveeeeeee Sienna! 

I hear that the the “Cinque Terre” is an amazing location on the West Coast of Italy with five villages on cliffs! Imagine a nice hike followed by fresh seafood and wine… oh man. 

7 hours further down the coast, near Naples, holds “Amalfi Coast” which apparently is Cinqueterre but less crowded! This is also close by to Sorrento in the South of Italy. Friends have told me to visit Ischia instead of Capri - both small islands that seem amazing. 

The islands are off of Naples! Pompeii for a day trip is an ancient city near Naples that intrigues me a lot. Here there are the islands of the Amalfi Coast, Capri, and Ischia (I should pick just one?)- beaches and castles… need I say more?  (travel in Italy is not cheap) 

PRAUGE and BUDAPEST: Ruin bars, castles, Hungarian Thermal Bathhouses… I am saving this trip to take with Clare! Berlin, as well! (100 euro travel) 

[rickyatradboud]

Amsterdam group trips

This is a pretty late reflection- but I wanted to document how the trip to Amsterdam went!

25 euro got me a twin bed that I shared with a girlfriend- thankfully I really really like Maddy!!! I would like to note that traveling with 16 people can be tough. Everything took forever and finding accommodation to seat us all was nearly impossible…

From this experience I have decided that 1. Accommodation close to the city center is important. Staying in a town a 30 min train ride away is not fun after a long day and also not accessible to regroup at. Anywhere that can be reached with your chip card on trams or the metro is fine…but 15 min is long enough. 20 tops or else going back to change / freshen up becomes an ordeal, especially with so many.

I have just went on a day trip today with 3 other girls and even that was a bit hard at times to have everyone agree on places like where to eat as well as what time we would like to leave or if everyone is hungry or if the pub can even fit 4 people together. We spent a lot of time walking around at night looking for pubs with open tables.

Eating in Amsterdam is not too expensive but a little more so than Nijmegen, of course. A meal will cost ten euro and a snack 2-4. There is usually not tap water and you must pay at least a euro for that, so it’s best to bring a water bottle in your purse or spend 50 more cents for some nice hot tea after walking in the cold!

I would still like to visit the Banksys exhibit (10 euro) as well as Van Gogh(17 euro) . There was also a scary haunted history walk-though exhibition that looks interesting! Of course the Anne Frank house is also on my list - plus a cat museum (5 euro) / cat cafe!!! When it gets warmer I would like to go on a boat tour of the canals - they are about 20 euro and with all of the cheese shops around selling little bottles of wine I’m sure that would be relaxing! I would like to spend an afternoon having a picnic in the park, and visit the tulips. There is also a small countryside town I would like to see that costs 8 euro total from Amsterdam!

Today the only money spent was 14 euro for the train and 40 for lunch dinner and all the yummy goodies in between!

I spent the day with my good friend Camille- she is from France and I absolutely love hanging out with her. I go to her flat and we drink wine and watch French music videos she's super cool and the 1% of English she doesn't know makes for hilarious conversations between the two of us mixing up what we are trying to say! Her accent is so romantic and she reads things to me in French a lot so I can swoon 😻 She brought along two friends - one from Greece and one from Russia! It was a very interesting time all together. The conversations I have here are always a bit more choppy even though everyone is great at English. I'm not sure how to really explain it but there are definitely a lot of phrases and words that get miscommunicated in every conversation at one point or another but that's all worth it for the experience of meeting new people and it's great to hear other cultures perspectives on things and just cool stuff in general! For example- the Russian girl was explaining her favorite food and she was describing perogies! But they call it something else starting with a PER. It took us a few minutes to agree that this was the same thing- it's fun!! Making friends from other countries also gives me great insight of where I want to visit and what places off the beaten path are worth seeing when they tell me about where they are from :-)

[rickyatradboud]

I took myself to Amsterdam last Saturday for the day. The train roundtrip is about 40 euro and takes an hour and a half to get from Nijmegen to Amsterdam Central. This is very similar to the trains I have taken to NYC for the day from Princeton Junction, NJ….. although these trains don’t smell and offer free wifi onboard!

I rode the train in with my friend Evan- who also came on this program from UD! Evan went to catch another train to meet his Dad, and I was off to explore Amsterdam all by myself!

I would describe the city of Amsterdam to be as if NYC and California had a love child in Europe. There are high end shops lining the streets, along with a very hipster feel and coffeeshops practically everywhere. Nijmegen is very similar to this- just smaller scale! I expected Amsterdam to be much bigger and crazier, but I was easily able to manage walking around the city and seeing the sights! NYC is about ten times more packed as Amsterdam was - the streets feel safer as there are hardly any cars or yellow taxis whipping by- and again may I mention the smell was by no means NYC.

I walked into the city center and browsed the shops, seeing really cool sneakers with beautiful artwork and some cute clog slippers! I spent about three hours just walking around the canals and city, stopping into practically every cheese shop my eyes landed on for some free samples (I had no idea this was a thing!). Time got away from me while exploring, and I didn’t make it into any museums, but I will be going back tomorrow!

This time I will be staying overnight and traveling with a group of 15! Some of us are sharing a hotel in the city center (yay for comfortable beds) while others are opting for a hostel just outside the city. Usually, I will penny pinch on things like this, but I am really looking forward to a nice soft bed and a clean shower after living in my apartment complex for the past two weeks…. with 18 weeks left of a shower which is 1. In a closet 2. The light is OUTSIDE the door. 3. Smells. I’m in no way saying this has made me not want to be here- but I will say that showering is absolutely not my favorite thing to do. I can’t wait for sleep tomorrow night! (Or should I say “tomorrow morning” since the Dutch really don’t sleep until 5am).

I am very excited to see what this weekend getaway has in store- 15 people will make for a very interesting group!

Updates to come :-)

PS I did not get this tattoo; although I do think it's very cool looking and am interested in what the design means- I think it is the Netherlands symbol behind the insect? I also hate insects so - again- this is not on my body.... but if it were a butterfly....... :-)

--- Pictures all from Amsterdam!

[rickyatradboud]

WoooooooAAAAAAhhhh

Dutch people like to party.... But where should I begin... I got to my dorm on Monday morning- I split a cab with a nice girl and her dad who came for the same program. They were from Kansas - super nice experience. It was comforting to meet someone so soon, and I was really thankful to have help with my luggage (no elevators in the hotel- or shall I say "lifts"? But we will get to that). Long story short- I had finally arrived. We said our goodbyes, and I was home! I began unpacking, and someone buzzed for my room! I'll quickly explain; there is a complex of about 20 buildings. Each has a floor of about 16 people. 16 rooms each, and 16 buzzers on the door for each floor! We share a kitchen on each floor which is a great place to all hangout and meet each other. There are parties every night in one of the kitchens on at least one floor.... until 5am. Not kidding. No drama. 5am... The girls who buzzed my room said they had been so excited for me to move in since I was American, which I thought was funny and super nice. They are from Spain, and they quickly introduced me to some other people before they had to keep studying for their exams, since they had been here since August. Before they went, I asked them where the nearest coffeeshop was... and I was off on my first adventure! I found the shop easily, bought 16 joints and 2 space cakes, and even pet a kitty on the walk back home! (PSA: all pre rolled joints are rolled with tobacco. If you want just weed, you can buy the weed and papers separately and roll yourself a "Green Piece". I was missing this key element until a girl from Hungary called what I wanted a Green Piece!! Before that, everyone just called me a crazy American for wanting to smoke so much weed in one joint.... and they all swear they are easier to roll and burn with the mix of tobacco. The heath movement on cigarettes is at an extreme low here). That night, I met with my orientation group and became friends with what I will now call our little squad. There are some Australians, and a girl I really like a lot who is from the U.K. Her name is Jo which is cool - I've always loved that name for girls! The three other people from UD who came on the trip are also so awesome and I couldn't have been placed with better people. I feel really lucky about that because I was feeling nervous about being able to make friends... but I think the lesson I really learned from all of this is just how to open and willing to stand alone for a second in between meetings others. It was so much of a better time for me to force myself to meet people rather than meet a few and then be on my phone when they weren't around (something I think I do too frequently). It was hard to communicate with some people, but that kind of made it more fun! It was a great night and I went to sleep at 5am. Maybe even 6..... the Dutch know how to party. Since the first night, we have continued to hangout as an orientation group during the day with planned activities, and at night all of the groups go out to drink eat and dance together. We went to a pub crawl on the second night. At the first bar there was karaoke and it was closed just for us! We competed boys against girls drinking a huge bucket of sangria (the boys won even though they had 1/3 of the girls..... very concerning. They sang we are the champions afterwards!!). Jo and I sang "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac. Not even on karaoke... just causally in the middle of our conversation we started humming it then it tuned into a nice two part with harmony.... it was basically everything I could ever ask out of a friend I can't describe how cool that was. Then she requested Come on Eileen!!! Queen came on and it was over- the whole room went insane. It was awesome. There's even a video my mentor took of us sillily sing screaming into one of the microphones. It's 4 minutes so I'll spare the internet. At the next pub we had too many free shots and a lot of dancing. It was so fun to have my whole orientation group jumping up and down together, lifting each other onto tables, and pushing each other into the middle of the dance circle. Our mentors party very hard in this respect ..... shoutout to UD and their lame RA system!!!!! Mentors should be relatable!!!!! And fun!!!!!! ;) One of the mentors from Italy got on the table when High School Musical's "Breaking Free" came on. Right as I was whispering to my friend that I wanted to do that for this song it was like he read my mind and pulled me up with him!!! We sang breaking free into our hands as fake microphones and I would hand mine to him or the crowd for Troys parts ... we super milked it and I loved every second of it. Surprisingly every single person in the bar was like going as insane as we were. We were joking we felt famous because of all the video lights from snapchats. I think it was my favorite and most fun moment so far. Everyone is so nice and friendly and I don't feel alone here. I'm so thankful to have this opportunity and if anyone is even still reading this- thank you for supporting me, I love you!!!!