Abroad in the Netherlands

Olivia Braiker
Global Engagement Center
2017 Fall Semester

Project Summary From My Journal

One of the funniest parts was explaining American
culture, as my friends had gotten such a strange
For my EDGE project I attended a year abroad in the
Netherlands. I traveled to Tilburg, Netherlands to perception of it from watching TV. On Halloween we
study visual arts at Fontys University of Applied carved pumpkins, which everyone thought was one
Sciences for the duration of the 2016-17 fall and of those mythic practices not real outside of High
spring semester. School Musical. A more heart breaking one was
when I had to break the news to a 26-year-old Italian
This experience has allowed me to reexamine my man that everyones Prom experience wasnt like in
worldview by working, living, and learning alongside
those with opinions and ideals rooted in a rich the movies. He was devastated.
cultural history different than my own. Having to
navigate a completely new environment, while
learning new ways of communicating and acting has
given me the opportunity to grow as an individual,
more understanding of others cultures beliefs and
empathetic toward the challenges of others. I have
built lasting friendships with students from the
Netherlands and around the world, and advanced my
own degree, gaining new perspectives on the study of
art and illustration.

Project Highlights
I made so many friends from all around the
My friends and I on our first visit to the Rijksmuseum in
world. We would have cultural dinner nights
where we would all share food and movies from Amsterdam.
our own countries, one of my favorite nights was
Korean fire noodles and revenge thrillers.
This project has introduced me to the larger
world of art. Through visiting world famous
museums to strange, new ways of learning art I
wouldnt have gotten otherwise. Like when I
learned how to sculpt heads on the site of the
ruins of a 14th century mansion, surrounded by
goats, or when I practiced performance art by
rubbing paint on my face in front of a classroom
of people. I have gained new and unique insights
that have furthered my studies as well as my
personal growth as an artist, making me Sketch of the Tower Bridge I did while visiting London.
competitive against other applicants whove not
had these experiences.