Kerim Onur Aksel (Kerim Onur)

Hello! My name is Kerim Onur Aksel (you can call me by any of them) and I’m an exchange student. I was born and raised in Izmir/Turkey. I'm a Physiotherapy student.

Firstly, even though my practical and theoretical lessons are formidable, I love my department so much. Before I joined the Erasmus programme, I was regularly drinking coffee at the library and improving my knowledge for my job. Afterwards, I was chosen for Erasmus and I found myself over here (I'm so overjoyed). I was always thinking that being an Erasmus student is great way to get more knowledge about different cultures and develop language skills but after I came here, I’ve observed that it’s much more than this. Now, I’m enjoying my every moment, except when I dropped €100 out of my pocket when biking and my phone also stopped working at the same time!

Amsterdam has incredibly awesome opportunities for all interests. Everybody can boost their hobbies or explore their curiosities. For me: I like travelling by bike. I didn't have the chance in Turkey to travel everywhere by bike. Before I came here most of my friends told me that there are so many bike roads in Amsterdam, you can easily go everywhere by bike. I didn't believe it until I came here. I thought it was over-rated. Now, I totally agree with all I heard. I am discovering new things around every single corner and losing myself in rural areas (sometimes outside of Amsterdam) exploring lakes, rivers, parks, in the middle of the cows and sheep by bike. Also our school has special Crossfit gym for students and I've met some new friends. We’ve working out together there every week which is totally entertaining.