Study Abroad and Domestic Study Away

I've had the pleasure of studying International Relations at Webster University Leiden! Leiden is located 30 minutes outside of Amsterdam. This is my first time in Europe, so I've experienced a lot of great memories! One of my top memories abroad has been traveling around the Netherlands and seeing all the big/small cities! Another one of my favorite moments while abroad was my trip to Belgium. I spent the weekend in Bruges, located 20 minutes from the coastline of Belgium. This is a small medieval town, so I got to tour all the beautiful monuments from a boat on the canal. I also got to try fries with Belgian stew on top, and that was by far some of the best food I've had since been here!

One of my favorite parts of my program here at Webster would have to be the professors. I have had a lot of great professors who truly care about their students. They make sure you understand all the content being taught in class, take extra time to meet with you, and even engage with you outside of the classroom! I thankfully did not have a hard time adjusting to the culture here in the Netherlands. Everyone was very welcoming, which made it easier for me to adapt to my surroundings.

I believe that I have had a lot of personal growth since being in Leiden. I've become more comfortable spending time alone, traveling by myself, cooking for myself, and holding myself accountable. I think that spending a semester away from an environment that you are super familiar with is very beneficial. I am very excited to travel to Berlin to visit a friend from Lake Forest and possibly visit Albania for my birthday! I would like to thank Suzanne T. Hotchkiss for granting me the Foreign Travel grant. A lot of the activities and trips that I had planned would not have been possible without the support from this grant! 

Faith in City Center Bruges, Belgium