Since beginning my adventure as a study abroad student in the Netherlands, I’ve had the chance to visit a number of other beautiful countries, including Germany, Brussels, and Spain. It was in Spain that I had the opportunity to spend time with my best friend, David Tejeda, another Le Moyne undergrad spending a semester abroad. He was a lovely tour guide to my friends Tatiana, Senja and me in Granada. When he decided to pay a visit to the Netherlands, I knew that it was my time to shine! I seized the opportunity to show him all of the beauty the Netherlands has to offer by exploring it with him.
Tatiana and I picked David up at the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. To make his arrival a little more fun, we decided to use our phones as placards with his full name displayed across them, just like professional chauffeurs. There were lots of people departing the airport that day, so it took us about 30 minutes to finally find him, but when we did, we rejoiced with happiness! Within a few minutes of arriving in the Netherlands, David began describing his views from the plane and his amazement at how modern the country is. He clearly already loved it and we were just getting started! It was late, though, so we decided to take the train back to our home away from home and to begin the serious work of sight-seeing in the morning.
My plan the next day was to take David sightseeing around the Hague. We joined up with Senja, ready to visit a famous tulip field, but after talking to some locals, we discovered that it was about an hour away. Instead of being disappointed we decided to improvise. We headed to Chinatown in the Hague, where were enjoyed delicious chicken-fried noodles. Then we headed to the city center. It was bright, beautiful day, perfect for exploring and taking photos. Later that evening, Tatiana, Davis and I went to the movies to see Dr. Strange: The Multiverse of Madness – on its opening night – and we geeked out over our shared love of the Marvel universe. Afterward David had the chance to meet my friends in the Netherlands who have made my experience worthwhile.
The next day we were off to Amsterdam. The capital city is always a lot of fun. Every time I go there, I am reminded of my home in New York City, which is always a thrill. On this particular outing, we decided to visit the Moco Museum, featuring modern works of art by people like Banksy, Keith Haring and The Kid. This museum captures the true beauty of this generation of artists, whose work that addresses topics like race, justice, love and dreams. We each to photos to commemorate our visit. Afterward, we decided to go for a bike ride along a nearby canal, the sound of the water soothing us. We concluded the day with dinner in a café, the light of the city surrounding us.
Sadly, David’s time in the Netherlands was nearing its end. We decided to meet up with David’s friend Amber, who is from the Netherlands and who studied abroad at Le Moyne in 2019. It was a nice opportunity for the two of them to catch up and for Amber and me to forge a new friendship. We spent the morning touring the Hague again with her, and she and I promised to catch up again before my study abroad journey ends in July. After saying farewell to Amber, David and I headed over to meet Tatiana, and Senja to visit what is known as Keuken Field, a majesty of roses, carnations, irises, snowdrops, lavender and tulips. We spent three hours there, soaking it all in and at times separating from one another and getting lost in our own thoughts. We capped off the day by going to the Scheveningen Beach to watch the sun set. I love it here and love sharing it with others.
Hasina Foye ’23 is an aspiring journalist from Bronx, N.Y., who is studying English literature and communications at Le Moyne. Hasina is spending the spring semester of 2022 at Hague University in the Netherlands and will be sharing her reflections on life abroad. Please continue to follow her journey here.