Arrival and First Impressions

Friday, October 17th

I arrived in the Netherlands one week ago, and I have already experienced so much here. My host family met me at the airport and showed me the countryside as we drove to the house from the airport. There was a lot to take in when I arrived, but it was less overwhelming than I anticipated. My host family has made the transition comfortable and the school has eased me into observations as I begin the student teaching rotation.

One key part of Dutch life here is the bicycle. It is how many people commute to work or school; fietspad (bike paths) seem to connect all neighborhoods, businesses, and towns. I've enjoyed the routine of riding my bicycle to the train station before school and back each afternoon. I am amazed by the amount of riders that are out during commutes as well as how many children can fit on a bike! It is a very healthy lifestyle and helps me slow down to and from school.

That's one thing I've noticed about life here. It's only been a week, but I feel that there is a slowness to it. Rather than running from one thing to the next, it seems that people keep their schedules relatively simple and family oriented. After spending a few years in college, going from one activity to another, the simplicity is refreshing. Part of this is the fact that I am new here and have different goals than I did while taking classes. I don't know a lot of people yet, so I haven't gotten involved in activities outside of school. However, this simplicity is something I am going to embrace while I'm here. Just enjoying the time that I have to see new places, think, read, and pray.

Starting in the school, I was surprised by the differences I saw in the operations of it all. It seems that the school operates more like a college than what I know of high school. Students can freely enter and exit the school all day, arriving for their classes and leaving to rest or grab food from a local shop. Teachers also may work on a part time basis here. This means that their schedules are different from day-to-day, operating on a five day schedule.

The relationship between student and teacher is quite different as well. The teacher still offers instruction based on the format I am used to seeing, but students' voices seem to have more weight in the classroom. I have learned that students are taught to voice their opinions and speak up in class. I've seen that students will occasionally challenge the teacher which is respected rather than seen as disrespect by the teacher. This can lead to more of a dialogue between student and teacher during the lesson.

Although there is so much newness to being here, I am beginning to settle in and embrace the different pace of things. I look forward to getting to know the students and teachers in the coming weeks as well as seeing more of this beautiful country!

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