After one day at the Castle, I felt like I had lived here for a month. Now it’s been a few weeks, and Boston is a distant memory. Everything about this place feels like a fairytale, and why I ever doubted participating in Emerson’s Semester Abroad Program in Well, The Netherlands, is beyond me.
Many upperclassmen told me I was making a mistake and should stay in Boston to further my career. Well, we may be across an ocean, but the other students and I are still Emersonians, and you better believe we are working it. Because of this program, I have the opportunity to work as a producer for an international travel show, which is more than most 20-year-olds can say. The professors here are European and brilliant, and they have no qualms about ripping up your film ideas in front of your peers or assigning an entire novel to be read in one night. And I wouldn’t even think about skipping school—we aren’t allowed any free absences.
Although challenging, I’ve never felt more comfortable or compelled to participate in class. This is probably due to the fact that everyone at the Castle bonded so quickly, thanks to our lack of phones and stable Internet, which forced us to be social. To kick off our travel weekends, the program director took us on an academic excursion to Amsterdam. The architecture was astounding—so clean and modern—and I spent hours drooling over the art in the Van Gogh Museum and the fashion exhibit at the Amsterdam Historical Museum. Finally getting to walk through the secret annex in The Anne Frank House after learning about it for years, however, was deeply moving and a very intense experience for all of us.
Our education certainly didn’t end after our required excursions. The whole culture is so different from anything I’ve experienced. Imagine walking into a coffee shop, ordering a Venti Marijuana, and it’s completely normal. And the lingerie-clad women dancing in the windows of the Red Light District bring a whole new meaning to “window shopping.” Prostitution is accepted and treated as a business, with taxes and all. Before I came here, I couldn’t grasp why they would condone these activities. Now I know these things happen behind closed doors everywhere, but because Amsterdam keeps them out in the open, the government is able to keep everything under control and reduce risks.
My favorite thing about Amsterdam is how open they are to diversity. They even have a monument celebrating homosexuality, which made me want to kiss the ground I was walking on. When the weekend was over, we had to find our way back to the Castle by train and bus. Thankfully, I made it back to my home sweet Castle without a hitch. I can’t imagine how much fun I’ll have on trips to come, but I’ll be sure to keep you all updated with my adventures for the next few months to come.