We added a new form of transportation to our collection today, along with a new tour guide, and of course some new experiences around the city. Our group hopped on a ferry just after 10am and headed over to IJ Hallen, the largest vintage market in Europe. Because we had the early morning open to ourselves prior to this, I was able to explore a bit and find a local coffee shop for breakfast. The beautiful spring weather made my ten minute walk feel like one straight out of a movie scene, with the sun shining above and the occasional bike passing alongside me. I enjoyed my chai latte and chocolate croissant at the cafe’s outdoor seating area before heading back to meet up with the group and embark on the day’s adventures. 

A clear path to the massive outdoor market was marked by beautiful street art, bringing instant color and cheer to those who wandered in hoping to emerge with some good finds. A mix of locals and tourists gathered around vendors selling everything from grandpa sweaters and vinyl records to creepy dolls and matchbox cars. I emerged with a few shirts for myself as well as some novelties and souvenirs to bring back for close friends and family. I even found a Philadelphia sweatshirt, a little piece of home thousands of miles away. Although the market was intended as a bit of fun, structured free time rather than for any particular academic focus, I found it once again playing into the theme of sustainability that has been so prevalent here in the Netherlands. The culture of making the most out of what is already made seems to permeate through every aspect of life here. 

All twenty five of us gathered after two hours of shopping and met Max once again in the street art covered alley. A mini show and tell of our purchases ensued before we headed back across the water to our second event of the day. Stop number two was an artsy little restaurant where we had the opportunity to network with some University of Pittsburgh alumni now living in the Netherlands. The beautiful weather meant the restaurant’s outdoor seating was packed full of families gathering together for a nice mother’s day brunch. We headed inside instead and enjoyed a variety of seemingly never ending Dutch snacks, forming valuable connections between bites of delicious food. I had the opportunity to personally talk with four Pitt graduates, each of whom had a unique background, but echoed a common message. Each of their stories clearly communicated the value in diversifying one’s experiences, whether that be through travel or studies, and embracing the unpredictable turns that life will inevitably take along the way. Half of the individuals I spoke with began their career in social science related fields and ended up working careers heavily reliant upon business and engineering studies. It is comforting to know as a relatively inexperienced college student and hopeful engineer that it does, in fact, all work out in the end. Who knows? Maybe someday I will be living in the Netherlands and sharing this same sentiment with future Pitt students.

P.S. Happy Mother’s Day <3