Evan Velline, Alumni Ambassador

What's one story or important aspect you always tell people about your time abroad?
I always tell people how easy it was to find great friends abroad. Everyone in my program came into it without knowing anyone else, so we were all eager to make friends with each other. It made my time abroad so enjoyable being with other like minded students! Also CEA CAPA did a wonderful job organizing activities for us to get oriented to the city when we arrived and throughout the semester. I was really impressed with the onsite team in Amsterdam!

How did you engage with the local community while abroad?
In Amsterdam I rode my bike everywhere I went. The Dutch built a biking utopia with hundreds of kilometers of dedicated bike paths, and taking advantage of that made me feel like I got the most out of my time abroad. Commuting to class everyday with hundreds of other cyclists made me feel like I belonged in the city. Once the weather got warmer, I frequented music festivals in and around the city of Amsterdam which allowed me to meet and have fun with with the very warm and welcoming Dutch people. I also took advantage of some of the hundreds of museums that Amsterdam offers to further learn about the culture, art and history that is most important to Dutch people.