Charlotte Thornton
My experience started rather nervously, as I was the last person to arrive in the host family however everyone was very welcoming and very lovely. Also the Dutch speak incredible English so that was a huge help. My host family was a nice lady called Karin and there was another exchange student with me called Maiken. We became really good friends throughout the weeks and I miss her the most. We also met up with another host family who were also really nice and welcoming. There were also some host sisters who I made really good friends with.
The activities were very different but always fun. eg. athletics, cycling next to canals, sailing, an evening BBQ, country-based potluck (where I made a rather miserable beef Wellington) and going to a city beach.
We also went to Amsterdam and Rotterdam which was very nice. It also made me realise I should have brought some more spending money.
The camp was at a very rural location which we grew to love (despite all the mosquitos). Everyone in the camp was also lovely and I made some great friends. The sweltering weather meant that some of the activities were modified so that we could swim in the canals and swimming pools which I didn’t mind. The activities overall were very nice and very Dutch. The camp staff were also so friendly and it felt like they were one of us by the end of 10 days. Despite this, they did maintain control.
It was very difficult to say goodbye to everyone at the end which implies that my visit was not just an exchange it was an unforgettable experience which I’m so grateful to have had the chance to go on. I’m also grateful to all the Lions involved, so thank you so much.
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