Greetings from Amsterdam!

If you're reading this, I did make it safe and sound to Norway, but that's a post for another time. For now, greetings from Amsterdam!

Whether it be a Facebook post, a promise of mine from months ago, or a stroke of luck that brought you here, welcome! My name is Julia Radtke, and I hail from the city of Northfield, MN, USA. I’m a Rotary Youth Exchange student about to embark on a 10 month exchange in Trondheim, Norway. I am looking forward to what will inevitably be the most interesting, most difficult, and most meaningful year of my life thus far. Stay tuned for riveting stories, my most profound epiphanies in my epic journey of self-discovery, language progress reports, photos, and whatever else I deem necessary to share with my fans at home!

For now, however, let me briefly describe my current condition. 

I recently arrived in Amsterdam for a 6 hour layover after a quick flight across the North Atlantic. My clock says it is 10:24 am, but my body says otherwise (it’s 3:24 am CST). To my left sits a strong coffee, indicating my feeble attempt to stay awake and dodge the beast that is jet lag. To my right, I’m witnessing a more vibrant and robust airport scene than I have ever seen. AMS is massive—nothing short of a couple shopping malls—and the energy of hundreds of busy travelers is very prevalent. To my fellow people-watching enthusiasts—be sure to add the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to your bucket list. 

Maybe it’s a result of the fact that I’ve slept a total of four hours in the last 36 (packing was hard), but I have no real grasp on my reality quite yet. I’m suspended in a strange sort of dream, but at the same time, my long-awaited year has never felt more real. However, I think the best piece of advice I received—and trust me, I received more than enough—was to begin with no expectations. To expect the best is doing nothing but a disservice to yourself, and to expect the worst dampens every experience, interaction, and opportunity to learn and grow.  Therefore, though my year in Norway is as imminent as it has ever been, I’m ready to walk through the gates with nothing but an open mind and 130 pounds of luggage. 

I have a plane to catch, so goodbye for now! Lots more to come!

Julia