21 June 2026 | Category: Student life

Exchange Student Reunion in the Netherlands

By Zlatoslava

During my study exchange last semester, I met a lot of new people. In the end, when leaving, we all said “Let’s meet in the future, let’s plan another trip”..and while this was all uncertain and for the future to decide, we are all still hoping it happens one day.
Well, it kind of did!

One of my exchange friends that I met while in Japan, lives in Germany, and it turns out it is quite close by – actually only 2 hours away from Wageningen! We both have very busy schedules and have every weekend planned out, but we managed to find a free spot, and so, it was all set!
She came to the Netherlands, and we enjoyed our time together doing all kinds of things, which I’m going to tell you all about.

Day 1: Talks and chill time

When she came, right from the door, she started with the gifts. In Japan, you can collect stamps from various train stations and locations. With her, this was our thing. We were always so enthusiastic, hunting for stamps with our stamp books, haha. During our last weeks there, we went to Shinjuku Gyoen and wanted to get the stamp as well. However, the desk was closed and we didn’t manage to do so.

Now, when she came, she pulled out this exact stamp and said, “for you”..my heart melted. This brought back so many memories. She stayed a bit longer in Japan and said she went there again.🥹

We were both pretty tired, so we decided to catch up, cook dinner and chill. We made very tasty spring rolls and afterwards relaxed by watching Howl’s Moving Castle..on theme😄.

Day 2: Time for a day trip

New day, new activityyy!

Even though we both have been to Utrecht before, we decided to go there again, it is just such a pretty city.
It was Saturday, which means Utrecht had its Saturday market, so we headed right into it. I don’t know for you, but I’m a regular at the cheese stands. Always have to try them🫣. After eating a lot of cheese from the multiple stands, we decided to walk it off and stroll around. We checked out some shops and canals..aaand came back to the market, haha. By a friend’s recommendation, we tried the stroopwafels, and that was it for “lunch”.

Next, we went to a thrift store nearby, which had some really nice pieces which we couldn’t say “no” to.
After a lot of walking and sun, it was late afternoon and we started to get tired and hungry. So, what better way to deal with that, than to sit somewhere around nature, eat and relax? That is exactly what we did. Went to Albert Hijn and bought a baguette, mozzarella, tomatoes and a spread. There was a really nice park close to us, so we sat there and made yummy sandwiches. After devouring, we just laid down for an undetermined time. It felt so nice not to think about anything and just enjoy the quietness. 🌱

We had some great plans to go partying in Amsterdam afterwards, but our energy wasn’t enough, so we came back to Wageningen and went out with friends instead. There was a music gathering, which we checked out and then headed to one of the pubs in town. We chatted, played some games, and finished it off with a couple of pool rounds🎱.

Day 3: Say 𝘤̶𝘩̶𝘦̶𝘦̶𝘴̶𝘦̶ Wageningen

Last day in the Netherlands for my friend, it was about time to show her around Wageningen!

The rule is: “If you come to Wageningen, you go to the Rhine.” I could not miss showing her that, together with our beloved cows there.😀We prepared some lunch and fresh mango, which we took with us to enjoy.