Amsterdam

At around 10 PM on a Thursday, I get a call from two of my friends telling me to put on a comfy outfit cause we’re biking to a bar. My mind automatically said no because I had a lot of work to do, but my heart said, “When have you ever biked to a bar and 10 PM on a Thursday before? Just live a little tonight.” And so I did. Oh and not to mention that I have a complete irrational fear of bikes, and I’m studying abroad for a whole semester in Amsterdam, a city known to have more bikes than people. So I thought, I ought to learn to get over my fear sometime, might as well just be tonight.

It is officially week 6 of being abroad and I can safely say that I never want to leave Amsterdam, and I’m pretty sure I can get a lot of “Hell yeahs” on this statement. My journey to the Netherlands wasn’t the way I expected it to be. I arrived a whole day later than the rest of my group and was so scared on missing out on the initial hours of bonding with my group members. Fast forward 6 weeks later and I’m elated about the people I’ve met and the friends that I can’t go more than a few hours without seeing. Amsterdam has been an absolute dream. The beautiful canals where you can take the most aesthetic Instagram flicks, the cafes that you can spend hours in either working or hanging out with your friends and where the food will keep your palettes fully satisfied, and the food/grocery delivery sites that charge you a ridiculously small fee. I mean, it can’t get better than that. Every hour or two I’m taking pictures to send my family and friends back home so I can show them that life in Amsterdam is unreal, hoping that it’ll tempt them to come visit. So far, they have lived vicariously through my pictures, but I really do hope they choose to experience what life is like here.

There are still moments even after being here for more than a month when I’ll be walking down the street or exploring new places with my friends and it will randomly hit me that I am in freaking Amsterdam, and it all just feels surreal. Coming into a new country always triggers a certain level of anxiety because of the foreign language and culture but it’s been so pleasant to see how friendly and welcoming everyone is in Amsterdam. People will come speak to you in Dutch because they assume you’ll know the language but when you tell them you don’t understand it, there is never a moment of frustration or mockery for being a tourist, as I have experienced in some countries. They will instantly start speaking to you in English or even if they don’t know how to speak fluent English, they will try hard to explain what they just said and it’s all friendly. Delicious food, kind people, stunning sights and an exciting nightlife, that’s all it took for me to fall in love with Amsterdam and I can say without hesitation that it would be hard to find anyone who disagrees. It has been my best decision so far and I wouldn’t change it for the world. So if you’ve been on the fence about Amsterdam, I say there are far too many reasons to be here than not to be.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, I think I’ve gone through the hassles of packing, unpacking and moving about 10 times, crazy right? So I guess it’s safe to say that I’m a professional packer now. Well that’s a stretch, but I do want to share some packing tips that I’ve learned along the way, mostly the harder way because I tend to over-pack. (I know I’m not alone on that one.) 

You really don’t need as many clothes as you think you do 

I repeat, YOU DON’T NEED AS MANY CLOTHES AS YOU THINK YOU DO. When you’re surrounded by piles of your clothing items, some that have lasted for years and you’re too attached to let it go, some that you found at a ridiculously reasonable price that you’re obsessed with and some that are just too gorgeous to leave behind, you feel like you need all of them. But we all know that once we’re at our destination, our bag 5 pounds overweight and we’re struggling to get that suitcase to our room, we’ll maybe use around half of the things we packed. So be mindful of those pieces of clothing that you think you’ll need, but there’s that little voice in the back of your mind telling you that you won’t wear them. Listen to that voice.

Plan your outfits

This packing tip was a game changer for me personally. Before, I used to throw in individual clothing items in my luggage thinking “Oh yeah I’ll definitely wear this” til I ended up with like 5 skirts that I didn’t wear at the end because they didn’t really match the tops that I had brought. The solution to this problem, if any of you face it, is to plan your outfits. Try on that skirt you like with that cute top and see if they go well together. If they don’t, you will know then and there and you’ll save yourself from the extras.

Pack versatile clothes  

I’ve come to realize that my most valuable clothes are the ones that are versatile and I can pair with many things. That means you can have one pair of pants that go with 4-5 different tops and that’s going to save you so much space. So when you’re out shopping or when you’re packing, be on the lookout for those bad boys.

A little bit obvious, but something that will help you: do not stress out 

It’s just packing. They are just clothes. Even if it breaks your heart to leave your valuable items behind, remember that they’ll be right where you left them when you get back. I’m just a few hours away from embarking on this journey, but I can already say that studying abroad is a phenomenal experience and what you’re going to enjoy the most when you go to a new environment are first and foremost the people, the culture, the architecture. I’m not saying that it’s wrong to prioritize fashion, I’m all for that, but don’t make it a priority in a way that takes away the fun of preparing for an experience like this.