Netherlands

Bente Baekers, a Cal field hockey transfer from the Netherlands, had accomplished almost everything a player could dream of before arriving at Berkeley and winning its first conference title since 2006. Previously at Northwestern, she was a perennial All-American and won a NCAA Division I National Championship. Her playing career has spanned oceans and experiences she wouldn’t trade for anything.

This year, FIFA welcomed eight new countries to participate on the biggest stage in soccer. The Women’s World Cup has never seen a larger participant pool, with 32 teams at the starting line this year.

Even when living in what I think is the most beautiful city in the world – Utrecht – during my time abroad, the school year or just day-to-day life can get stressful. When that happens, I like to focus on the little things that bring me joy and remind me that the world around me isn’t just about stress.

Even though showing up on-time to class may feel like a burden, I’m glad that I’m finally learning to perfect punctuality – even if being on-time may be five minutes earlier than planned.

The ability to head anywhere on my bike, as opposed to having to wait for the bus or take an Uber, is liberating like nothing else.

On Monday morning, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake and subsequent aftershocks struck southern Turkey and Syria. 

After months of preparation and jittery nervousness, I’m heading to the Netherlands for my exchange program.

We started our day trip to Amsterdam with an arguably late start. After having arrived in Rotterdam the previous day, we spent all night catching up.

I found myself bonding myself to the other Californians over our joint unfamiliarity with snow and the experience of being from the same, glorious state.

“Nothing bad happens here, it’s completely safe,” my friends and I say as we complain about our home country. But, on Monday about 10:35 a.m., something unbelievable happened.