Guest article by Madlen: Vriendelijke groeten from Leeuwarden, the capital of Friesland in the Netherlands. My name is Madlen and I'm spending my semester abroad here on the culture and management course. A lot has happened since I arrived here more than 3 ½ months ago.[caption id="attachment_238" align="alignright" width="300"] My hall of residence in Leeuwarden[/caption]In the first week, I was the very first resident to move into my apartment in the student hall of residence, as the building was only newly built this year. The house is in a great location, as there is a pond and a large park all around and I have a direct view of the university from my window. You can often afford to get up just before it's too late in the morning. The first few weeks here were very exciting as I met lots of new people. Leeuwarden is very international, because most of the courses at Stenden Hoogeschool are in English and there are many exchange students every year, as well as many Germans. It's strange that my family and friends had never heard of the city of Leeuwarden before, but Leeuwarden is a good comparison with Görlitz, because it's small and manageable and yet has a lot of culture to offer. I have already traveled to several places during my time here. In summer, I went on several bike tours on the well-developed cycle paths. (You only really feel like you belong here if you have a bike, but unfortunately my rusty bike has now been stolen.)[caption id="attachment_236" align="alignnone" width="800"] Giethoorn-The Venice of the North[/caption]A boat trip around the cute town of Sneek, a trip to the Frisian island of Ameland, a day trip to the Venice of the North, Giethoorn and of course city tours to Amsterdam and The Hague were already on my itinerary. Now it's raining and storming almost every day, so there's hardly anything left to do and I'm glad I used the summer so intensively.[caption id="attachment_237" align="alignright" width="225"] In the Heineken Experience in Amsterdam[/caption]But I've also been doing a good job with my studies all week. I'm studying Media & Entertainment Management here and was actually faced with a bit of a culture shock in the first few weeks, as the study system is different to the one in Görlitz. Twice a week, you meet in a group of 10 students and a tutor for Cased Based Learning, where you discuss a case related to the module topic and set yourself learning objectives. These are then worked on by each student until the second meeting and are handed in like a short academic paper. Every week there is another lecture on this case and you have to do a lot of work on the topic yourself. You don't spend much time at university because you need the time to solve the weekly assignment and also work on homework and lots of short academic papers. The many hours you spend alone at your desk with your PC every day make you very lonely, but that's how it is for all exchange students here. That's why we often form study groups. All in all, the university is very well organized and you always have someone to talk to if you have any problems, and I also took a Dutch course in the first few weeks and, as a German, it was easy to learn the language. Classes at the university are held in English and the Dutch people speak it very well, so you improve quickly. In conclusion, I can say that my time here has been a great enrichment for me, even if I have experienced a few lows in motivation. But traveling and spending time with friends helps. Tot ziens and see you soon! Supported by: