Rhythm is a dancer

Posted at: 27 Nov 2018 | Student Affairs

How to find your rhythm in Amsterdam - somewhere between lectures, nightlife and the gym.

In my first weeks in Amsterdam people often asked me who I am. I told them, I talked about my course of study, from which country I am and what I have done before my university life. And sometimes people ask me what I am interested in: I love to dance.

Back home I took dance lessons several times a week. Now I have been here for the first weeks and can not think of hitting the gym. The life here rushes in a hurry and I try to join every party, every lecture and every event my new friends are inviting me to. The rhythm of a student abroad is so much faster than I am used to.

Besides the normal semester, I tried to get to know Amsterdam, to get many new friends from different countries and to enjoy my life. I remember that I haven’t watched Netflix the first three weeks in Amsterdam, because I have just seen my dorm to sleep. At one point I felt exhausted. And then I remembered what gave me energy back home: my dance lessons!

At first the idea of taking dance lessons in Amsterdam felt like making my schedule even fuller and not better, but then I realised how good it felt to have a stable appointment during the week, beside the lectures.

Luckily a friend of mine told me that the USC- Sports Universum has open sessions during the week, where I could try any sport I like for free. This is the main sport centre from the AUAS and UvA, which every student can join. The courses are all in English and you will marvel at how many different sports you can try there! I have been lucky to be on time, because there is a deadline for signing up.

Another good option is CREA . It is not just a good bar offering many events on Friday evenings, they offer many courses as well! There you can join a choir, learn how to write songs, play in a theater or even develop your photography skills. Many courses are in English there as well, but some are in Dutch. Just ask before signing up.

Having my dance lessons here made me feel like being at home in Amsterdam. My schedule has some stable points now, my rhythm here is getting clearer. And if someone from back home asks me what I am interested in, I can tell them that I have tried pole dancing last semester and that I am thinking about continuing it.

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