I’m startin’ gettin’ excited about my going to Amsterdam so soon. Not only 1 week holiday, no … 2 years of master studies in the capital of the Netherlands. Gosh! Don’t know what it will be like. I mean, honestly, 1 year ago I was gettin’ excited because of my studies abroad in Japan. But at least, I knew what was awaiting me… many, many crazy things I’ve never dreamed about. So, this time, it is like, can there be so many new things so different from German manners? They have ‘Lidl’ and ‘Fielmann’ and also my beloved Japanese food, since the city is very international. But I’ve no idea how they’ll welcome me. My grandma tells stories, that I should rather speak English than German due to the Dutch attitudes towards Germans. Is that out of date? Maybe, in the meantime they are all fluent in German 
?
However, first, there is negative excitement. So many things have to be organized. Room. Give me a room, Amsterdam! Even the student housing is as expensive as private rooms and nearly as rare to get. Fortunately, I am an international student, who are especially supported with such student rooms. However, there are still 1500 students for 1000 rooms, approximately. For over one month now, I am searching for and replying to room advertisements in the Dutch speaking internet. Glad, to be able to read some of the Dutch stuff without problems (and giggering most of the time, *hem*). But there are so few people responding even with a ‘no, thanks, there are soooo many Dutch people in need of my offered room’, it’s kind of discouraging.
Moreover, the universities advises us to live ‘legal’ in Amsterdam and other voices who told me, so many students would live illegal there. What about the EU?? Why is it so difficult to live officially in a neighboring country? And I have no idea, what depends on being there officially? What about the study fees that I might defer -IF- I have a so-called citizen number? I’m already defined by so many numbers in the world.
The EU only helps me with my health insurance, it allows me to keep my own health insurance card and company. However, as soon as I wanna work in Amsterdam, which is really necessary, since I’ll have to pay the tripple price for rent than I do now, I’m obliged to take the Dutch insurance, which is much more costy. *sigh* too many things at once to think of (besides of my Bachelor’s thesis).
And then there is still one modul examination left and no summer holidays to get all that stuff mentioned done before moving to Amsterdam due to the early start of the Dutch universities.
Bye those two semesters with so much freedom. The end is coming too soon. 2 years will be nothin’. At least, I might be able to visit my family at Christmas.
