Last January, I was chosen as a campus representative in the student exchange program between Sanata Dharma University and HAN University of Applied Science, Netherlands. I am very grateful to be able to join this program. I was accepted into the Faculty of Education in International Perspectives. I joined this program for two months.

     January 28^th, 2020, I departed from Adi Sucipto International Airport at 15.50 to Soekarno Hatta International Airport, Jakarta. I had to wait 5 hours before I finally left for Istanbul International Airport and then transfer my plane to Amsterdam Schipol Airport. January 29^th, 2020 morning, I landed at Amsterdam Schipol International Airport. Then, I continued my journey to Nijmegen by train.

    On January 30 and 31, I joined the Welcome Days. The Welcome Days took place on 30-31 January 2020. The purpose of this activity was to welcome international students who would take part in the 2020 Spring Program. The first day was filled with presentations around the campus and Nijmegen. All international students were divided into four groups, and two HAN students accompanied each group. Their task was to introduce the campus surroundings to us. Also, they invited us to the city center to get to know the city of Nijmegen. On the second day, I attended an event organized by ESN Nijmegen. ESN Nijmegen is an association of Erasmus students who are studying in Nijmegen. By joining this event, I was able to get to know more friends from other countries.

    Learning activities at HAN University began on February 5, 2020. Previously, there was a faculty level briefing activity aimed at getting to know friends from the same faculty and lecturers who would teach for the next two to three months. I am thrilled because I made new friends from other countries, such as Turkey, UK, Belgian, Norway, Ireland, Greece, Spain, Italy, Finland, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. School weeks run from Wednesday to Friday and start at 9:00 to 15:00. There is lunchtime for 1 hour from 12:00 to 13:00. Besides actively participating in learning activities on campus, I also often participate in activities carried out by ESN Nijmegen. Every Friday, they hold an event for international students.

    Unfortunately, I had to end my staying in the Netherlands faster because of the spread of the coronavirus in the Netherlands. Campuses in the Netherlands are also temporarily closed, and learning activities continued online. Even so, this experience was an extraordinary experience for me. I am grateful for everything that I went through while in the Netherlands.

Writer: Hanna Angelina