Posts by Jenneke Bijpost
Jenneke Bijpost – University of Maryland, Post #3 , Home Sweet Home
After a trip of over five months in America, I came back home. At 7:15 am, I arrived at Schiphol Airport. It was a strange feeling to be truly back. Fortunately, I have a lot of good memories to look back on.
The American Thanksgiving is at the end of November and a friend invited me over to celebrate this American holiday with her family. It was a completely new day of celebration for me and it was a wonderful thing to experience. We travelled to a city near New York to meet the whole family. Everyone in the family brought something to eat, for example; turkey or stuffing or mashed potatoes. There was so much food!
After Thanksgiving it was almost exam week so I had to study a lot. After a long weekend in New York in the beginning of December to see the big Christmas tree and the Brooklyn Bridge, I had to work very hard until the last day.
I even had two exams the last day before winter break. Fortunately they all went pretty well and I can be content with my grades. That evening I had to say goodbye to all my friends. Hopefully I will see some again, since they want to visit Europe or already live in Europe.
During winter break I went to Florida for a road trip. Starting from Orlando in the East, to the South in Miami, to Tampa in the West.In Tampa I stayed with a friend for a week and spent New Years’ Eve with her and her family. This was the first time I saw the ball drop in Times Square on television.
I am so grateful for last semester. I would recommend studying abroad to anyone who has the chance. You’ll learn, see and do so much in just several months!
Jenneke Bijpost – University of Maryland, Post # 2 , So much to do!
Hi everyone,
Now, I am already over half way through my time here. The time is going so fast here! I barely know where to start when telling about my experiences. So I’ll start with the educational part.
In the last couple of weeks I did 4 exams, submitted a project, whilst working on two others and at the same time I had weekly mandatory homework for three courses. The courses I am taking are not very hard but do require a lot of time and work. Every lecture is in a different building soI am very happy I made the decision to rent a bike in the beginning of the semester. Although some people look at you like you’re crazy, it saves me a lot of time. In general the teachers are very nice and approachable. This Saturday one teacher even invited me over to have dinner with her and some other students.
Even though I have a lot of homework, I still have time to undertake some non- school related activities. For example going to a sport events (soccer, basketball or football). Sports, in general, are very big in America and people are very much involved. Two weeks ago the alumni came back to the university for a weekend, called Homecoming. This might be one of the most American events I have experienced. Several activities were organized culminating in the football game. Before the football game almost everybody attended one or more so called ‘Tailgates’, a meet-up of a group of people with a lot of fried food and beer.
A month ago I had my first proper Halloween celebration. Everybody is dressed up, some even during the day and people are already preparing their outfits weeks before. I also had the possibility to visit Philadelphia and Washington DC. With a Civil Engineering Event I had the possibility to go on the roof of the Capital in Washington and got a tour about the construction work. This weekend I am planning to see the famous Air and Space museum in Washington.
Although I am doing a lot, there is still much to do before I leave. Thanksgiving is next week and a friend invited me over to celebrate with her and her family. The first weekend of December I will visit New York and her majestic Christmas Tree. A lot to look forward to!
Jenneke
Jenneke Bijpost – University of Maryland, Post # 1 , The Beginning
Hi everyone!
In 2013 I started as a student at the Technical University of Delft, majoring in Systems Engineering, Policy Analysis and Management. Now, 2 years later, I am at the beginning of my minor. This Fall-semester, I will be at the University of Maryland, taking courses in Civil Engineering. My name is Jenneke Bijpost and over the next couple of months I will give you an insight into my life as an exchange student at the University of Maryland.
My adventure in the United States started at the end of July. I had an opportunity to work on a project in Holland, Michigan for 2 weeks and before I made a trip to San Francisco for a week. So when I came to the University at the end of August, I was already a bit used to a couple of things like American English, time difference, American opportunism, American food and suchlike. Nevertheless, my first week was a week full of experiences. I met my roommate (yes, I share a room), went to Washington DC and explored the city from a canoe, saw my first American Football game, found out the difference between a Dutch soccer game and an American one and a lot more! A couple of days ago I booked a flight to Chicago for next weekend with a group of students. To be short, the American life is full of opportunities.
Last week was my first week with classes. There are some really big differences between the Dutch school system and the American one. The classes here are a lot smaller (around 40 people per class) and you don’t have one test at the end of the semester but a lot of graded homework, pop-up quizzes and projects. Before you even can start thinking about your test, you already build up about 80% of your grade. Interaction with the teacher is really important and because of the size of the classes, the teacher recognizes you from the class before. In some courses your grade is even partially based on your appearance and energy in the class.
Over all, I am having an incredible time over here. The courses are really interesting and I am learning a variety of subjects at one time. There are so many opportunities for activities outside school! I am really looking forward to the next couple of weeks!!
Jenneke
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