I have really enjoyed my time in Leiden. This marks the first time I’ve studied abroad and it is also the first time I’ve been living on my own. The freedom I experienced from getting to decide what to eat and when to eat it was refreshing, and all the daily chores that need doing are a whole lot less annoying to do when you decide yourself to do them. Likewise, I had the good fortune to get sliding workhours, so I could start and stop when I wanted to. Which means that for once I wasn’t a sleep deprived zombie the first couple hours of the day, and I could be productive instead of trying and failing not to nod off to sleep at my desk. Leiden itself is of course a city where a lot of students (both native to the Netherlands, and from around the world) gather, so you will never be starved for parties or other activities. The International student network of Leiden organizes a party every Wednesday at the Einstein pub, so if you don’t know where to go, go there. If you’re not one for parties, there are also a lot of museums to visit, with my personal recommendation being the Museum Volkenkunde (the museum of ethnology). When I was there, they had a collection of gorgeous Japanese armors and other recognizable objects. Leiden also has a lot of parks to walk through and sit in, and while most are not very large, they certainly are beautiful. Personal recommendations are the Van der Werfpark and the Wondertuin. So yeah, I have had a wonderful time here in Leiden, so I’d encourage everyone who’s considering a traineeship abroad to pick Leiden.

Link to blog: https://operasmusinleiden.blogspot.com/