`Ameland was a very successful trip since it served two purposes: to integrate the international students and to show the aspects of why Dutch people are proud of their country,' said Andrea Sanchez Ramirez, a master's student from Bogota, Colombia.
In the small village of Hollum at a farm hostel, the students stayed in four big dormitories with bunk beds, a dining room and outside there was a football field, volleyball court and a picnic area.
Korrel Reti, an exchange student from Hungary, especially liked the lighthouse. Students participated in a range of activities from wadlopen (wading in the mud-flats) to visiting the `pirate theme' park in the forest. `For me it wasn't new,' said Clément Maisch, a French PhD student in the Faculty of Behavioral Sciences. `But there was a guide, and I was interested to learn about the ecological system and specificities of the island.'
On a night out to a local pub in the village, students planned to stay out all night to see the sun rise; however one student sat alone on the beach. `I lost all the people, but I went there and simply sat on the beach alone for a while. I tried to watch the sunrise in the morning on the sea. I come from the Alps and usually we can't see the sun rising in the morning.'
For Ramirez, this same night held special moments, `Alexjandro, a student from Mexico, had his birthday, so we prepared some songs to sing at midnight. We continued to sing until five in the morning. There was also a little concert with traditional Turkish songs and classic rock. The Indian students learned how to dance the salsa.'
`I came to know another side of Holland; people were very relaxed, friendly and environmentally concerned. The atmosphere was much less hectic than in all the towns of the mainland,'said Ramirez.
