Enschede, The Peaceful City

If you are enrolled as student of SDMP or CMGT for your Double Degree in Saxion, you will be placed in Enschede. Enschede is one of the city in the East part of Netherlands, which is actually closer to Germany rather than Amsterdam or other big cities in The Netherlands Area. 

In the beginning, I thought living in Enschede would be no fun at all, since it is very far away from the big and crowd city. But then after living for months, I realized that I prefer living in cities like Enschede compared to Amsterdam. Let me point out the best things you could experienced in Enschede!

   

1. It is not crowded, so you can just wait for a few moment and take great pictures!
Since Enschede is not as crowded as other bigger cities in The Netherlands, it is very probable to take great pictures and you don't have to worry if people will cross by. They are very friendly and they don't mind to stop for a while so you could take pictures too!

      

2. Home to good foods!

Even though Enschede is not a big city compared to Amsterdam and else, but it is enough to have great restaurants, cafes, and many more. Based on my preferences (and my friends), we agreed on several dishes in Enschede. For fries (or friets in Dutch), La Bamba is the best! For ice cream, Van der Poel Ijssalon! For Chinese cuisine, Fushion Wok! For pizza and Italian cuisine, Happy Italy! For fishes, Puur Vis and Zo! For Burger, Ji-Nos! These are some of our recommendations that you need to try and of course, it is not expensive and still in the student-budget-wise.

     

3. Good facilities of campus.

Here are some pictures of Saxion's facilities in the IBS Wing and the canteen. The facilities of the campus are accommodating the needs of the students. There are student lounges where people could discuss in groups, either big or small. In addition, there are also some personal spaces if students would like to take some break and rest before another classes start. Also, some computers if the students would like to access journals and else. 

Pictures by @steven_limandjaja (on instagram)

4. Close to the city center, church, gemeente and station.

The location of Saxion itself is very close to the station and only around 10 minutes walking to the city center. Don't worry about the distances, you can find anything within the walking distance. Even though it is quite far from the theater, but you still can reach it by train which cost you €1.69 for a trip. But that is not important since you will not go for a movie everyday, the most important part is the city center where you could purchase your daily needs, groceries, fashion shopping, foods hunting, and many more. It is only by walking distance and close by. So, worry not!

4. Lots of Parks!

There are a lot of parks in Enschede. If you go to cities such as Amsterdam or Rotterdam, you might not find many parks (or even finding one is hard enough!) So, as a nature type of people, I am so grateful that Enschede has lots of parks, and I am so thankful that two of the parks are within my walking distances! So I do not need to worry to bring my bike and left it in somewhere I could not find. For hints: we have Volkspark (or known as Jaargetijden) just besides Saxion! and a park in Hogelandsingel (just right in front of Ijssalon De Singel). Having some refreshment in the parks are very necessary for me, since we can just chill, have some snacks, and play around during our break time before we go back to our routine. 

5. Lots of activities!

Even though Enschede is not that big, but you can do a lot of things in Enschede. During the seasons, there will be several events that you could join and it is varies throughout the ages. There are some activities that are suitable for the adults, children, and teenagers. One of the event is iceskating during the winter season!

So, here are some reasons why Enschede is a good city to live and enjoy Enschede while you are there! Because the peace ambiance is the most precious things that I always cherish, especially when I am moving to the more crowded city for my internship. 

Enjoy the Nature of Giethoorn

View in Giethoorn.

Giethoorn is known for its beauty of the nature. So the best time to visit Giethoorn is during Summer or early Autumn. The breezes of the trees and wind make you really want to stay there longer and enjoy your relax time. It is very nice there, especially after a busy work in the entire week or month. Also, during this period of time, you still can really feel the nature, it will not be too cold and everything is still blue and green. It is just perfect and just right.

In order to reach Giethoorn, all you need is an OV-Chipkaart with some balance of amount in it. You can check it through NS and 9292 how much it will cost you from your area. Also, if you live faraway, you can try the day card or day return ticket, it will cost you €19 the most. Try to save as much as possible for the transportation fees so you can enjoy more with the foods! You will need to stop in Zwolle Centraal Station and take bus directly to Giethoorn. It's quite easy since it is a touristic place. 

The Bridge and Boats.

In Giethoorn, all you can see is people on boat, walking, or cycling. Since everything is still very natural and quite. Everything is in peace. Most of the time, you will see the bridges to cross the paths, since there is no bigger streets. In addition, this place is also complemented with museums that you can go in to see the history of Netherlands, as well as the stones that are available in The Netherlands. You need to pay to come in to the Museums, but it is worth if you really want to know!

The Dutch Female Outfit.

Inside the Museum, you can try on the traditional shirt and shoes of The Netherlands, and I give it a try! It is very unique since I tried the very old version of it, but later on, you can see and check the other outfits of the Dutch each centuries. They are very unique and different! For the stone museum, I decided not to come inside since I am not really interested in stones, but I visited the stores. In the stores, you can take a look the different kind of stones and you can also purchase if you are interested!

Houses in the middle of river.

Last but not least, when you walk around Giethoorn, you will find the playground for kids (or considered as kids lol) and play around there! They have swings and some sort of boat slides. So basically they have some mini outbound activities for free in the shape of boat. It's very interesting to try! Especially the perks of being Asian, you are small and tiny (at least smaller than the Dutch!) so you are still categorized as the size of children here, and you can play around! In addition, when you walk a bit further from the playground, you will see many houses there that people will stay there for vacations. In the end of the lines of houses, you will see a river with people on boats, ducks, and even swans! It is very worth to go there!

Swings in the Playground.

Tips and Tricks for the First Timer in Netherlands

As a first timer in Netherlands or Europe, you might find some problems to deal with. You might get confused and afraid in the beginning, but don't worry, I am indeed! So here I am, sharing some tips and tricks for you!

First of all, scan all your important documents and save it in your drive! Making copies of the documents is one way to solve problems, but what if you need to send the digital version? Trying to find places that have scanners might be costly here, so it is necessary to do so, because when you are away from home, you might need your important documents in unpredictable time, and rather than complicating your family members, it would be nice if you have the documents scanned!

Secondly, ensure that your personal needs are being brought with you rather than buying! Sometimes buying might be the easiest choice, but it might not be the one if it deals with your personal care, such as skin care, shampoo, and many other sensitive parts of yourself. You are the one who understand what you need and what your body is being sensitive of. Sometimes it is more convenience to be able to use your own belongings first once you arrived here, so you could directly tidy up yourself before you clean out the entire room and check out the environment. Also, it saves up some of your money!

Third, download these applications to help you to travel around Netherlands! There are several applications that really help for your travel buddy, such as: 9292 and Reisplanner. 9292 helps with bus, while Reisplanner helps with the train. But before then, ensure that you have OV-Chipkaart. The Netherlands does not accept cash payments in bus or trains, so all you need is the card that has been topped up to do the transactions, or else, you will need to pay using your credit or debit cards, and the price will be doubled! You would not want that happen, right?

Forth, bring along umbrella and raincoat with you! The weather here is kind of troublesome, so it will be best to bring a strong umbrella that could defend the winds that blow pretty hard, or have some coat that it waterproof will be way better and more convenience in usage.

Fifth, buy your own bicycle if you don't want to walk or spend too much money on bus. This is necessary because you will travel a lot, especially if you need to buy groceries and else. In addition, it is important to ensure that your bike is completed with the lights or else, you will get fined by the government. Also, make sure that you buy a good quality bike so it will not be easily broken.

Sixth, have fun! Since you'll be living abroad and away from home, you should really enjoy your time in Netherlands as well as studying hard, so your families and friends will be proud of you. But remember, don't have 'too much fun' or else, you'll forget about your main responsibility. Remember your first reason why you come here.