Waegeningen Day 1: Sam

Waegeningen: 5/17/07

Sam:

What did you experience during your travel that you found especially interesting? Why was it interesting?

Throughout our travels and finally making it to Waegeningen, I found it really amazing how overly helpful people were as we were on our way. We hardly ever even had to ask for help because people would willingly approach us, likely due to the complete lost looks on our faces. I found this interesting because when I think back to anytime I’ve been lost in the U.S., whether it be Chicago, New York City, etc, I have had the hardest time finding help from anyone, even when I ask, even when it’s a police officer. Therefore, this came as a very nice and relieving surprise as many different peoples’ help finally got us here.

- What did you experience during your travel that you found especially negative? Why was it negative?

Picking up our keys for our rooms, when we got to Waegeningen, was not the best experience. There was a lot of confusion of where to go, who to get our keys from and whether we were actually going to be able to get into our rooms for the night. Had we known that our contact person, Rene, had, had the keys all along, then I doubt this would have been a problem. Yet I think this also just seemed exhausting, since we hauled our luggage all the way to where we were staying, then ran around to a few different buildings trying to locate our keys. Meanwhile, we had not had the chance to eat since our first flight very early that morning (about 3am), it had become quite cold but we were in a rush, so there had been no time to grab warm clothing. We were in a rush because most places close at 4 or 5 in this town and everything would be closed the next day because we learned that it was a holiday.

- What are your initial impressions of the country you are visiting, the town you are living in, your accommodations, the people you are interacting with, or any other initial impressions that you would like to share?

My initial impressions of our living accommodations and the people here are very positive. We were fortunate enough to happen to run into a guy from our wing, who showed us all the way to our building and wing when we arrived. Our rooms are huge and very nice. The rest of the people in our wing are very friendly and from countries all over the world, I’ve really enjoyed talking to them so far, learning where everyone is from has been amazing. The town has come as a bit of a radical change for me. It is a very small town, which I am not used to at all. Most places on campus close by 5, including the grocery store and restaurants. This is something that will take getting used to. Yet, I do see it being a truly valuable experience that I will learn a lot from.

-What are you most excited about in looking forward to the next several weeks? Why are you excited about that?

I am very excited to continue meeting people. Everyone I have met so far has been beyond welcoming and very friendly. It is really neat to be meeting people from so many different countries. I am also looking forward to meeting some of the Waegeningen University staff that we will be working with in the coming weeks. Rene has us meeting with many of the people that we listed as interested in working with. I am looking forward to getting a better feel of the layout of this small town, getting a bike tomorrow and seeing what their school is like here.

- Is there anything knowledge that you have from your travel that you can contribute to our program's Survival Handbook for that country.

Coordinate with your contact person before you leave of where to go when you get in town. Beyond that, I do not have much to contribute now to the handbook, however I feel that I definitely may when I have been here a bit longer and know more. [see http://classes.ansci.uiuc.edu/ansc293/students/handbook.cfm ]

- Are there any other observations or reflections or concerns that you would like to share?

It’s cold here! Hoping it gets warmer soon!