Today, I guess I should say yesterday, we started the long and heavily anticipated trip to The Netherlands. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I have never flown abroad before but it was definitely an experience to remember. As we took off from Pittsburgh, we were on the smallest airplane I had ever been on. That was a quick and easy flight to start our journey. However, what was killer was the five-hour layover we had in Philadelphia. Once we finally got on the airplane, I was amazed at how big it was. It was a long flight and my legs were definitely cramping up but the closer we got to landing, the more excited I was to start my journey.

Although I had researched and learned so much about Amsterdam prior to the start of the trip, I still experienced a massive culture shock. I didn’t realize how big a role biking played in Dutch culture. There are bicycles EVERYWHERE. We even learned that there are more bicycles than people in Amsterdam which is just crazy to think about. Not only was I surprised about the amount of bicycles I saw on the road but I was shocked by how the bikers behaved. They knew where they were going and how to get there and everyone has to stay out of their way, which is different from what I have experienced back home in the U.S.

Something I was shocked to learn about was the gentrification of Amsterdam and how the city is changing from an older, diverse, and immigrant-friendly place to a hipster hangout. Our guide Sophia even pointed out where you can see this happening in the different shops as one cafe that happened to be newer was much more upscale than the older and pre-existing cafes in the same area. This showed me that gentrification is a real thing and it can happen anywhere in the world, it just depends on what triggers it.

Overall, I’m tired yet very excited to be here and learn even more about Dutch history and culture, and I am ready to take advantage of every opportunity that The Netherlands has to offer.