Photo Assignment #2

 


Aerial view of advisory bike lane facilities in Delft, the Netherlands.

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First Impressions

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Bicycle parking near the Delft train station, underneath The Social Hub. The 2023 Netherlands study abroad pod arrived in Delft the morning of June 21, and by that evening had biked on rented bikes all the way to the coast. When I could think something other than, THIS IS SO COOL, I thought, this is the community I want to live in. First, I noticed the lack of cars. Then, how the number of bicyclists significantly exceeded the number of cars. I noticed how, even though vehicle access was provided everywhere, less vehicles meant more space could be dedicated to bicyclists or other uses, and that these communities felt more walkable and more comfortable simply for the lack of vehicles to worry about. More gradually, I noticed the lack of exhaust fumes and car noise. I noticed the greenery integrated into the transportation network, and a greater sense of peace, and ease. These were my initial impressions of the Netherlands. If there's one picture I keep coming back to to sum up my in...
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"How was it?!" It's the easiest hardest most ubiquitous question to answer after an adventure like study abroad. Easy, because "It was great!" is the quick summative and socially normative, often eventually true response people want to hear. An awkward pause follows. A quick, mental swear word. Of course, the asker expects to hear more. You didn't prepare. What do they want to hear about? How do I support my claim? You choose a couple key takeaways, maybe show a picture or two. But no matter what you choose to describe, or how you describe it, it feels flat. You can't do justice to the experience in two sentences, and anyways, you're still processing it yourself.  My overarching reaction to this study abroad experience is 1) that I feel incredibly lucky to have had this opportunity, and 2) the last time a class impacted me so much, it was when I learned (from high school physics) that magic (electricity and magnetism) exists. I couldn't believe t...
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