Utrecht. My first encounter with this word was on University Avenue in Berkeley. There is an art supplies store called Utrecht, and each time I passed by, I would stare at the name and wonder where it came from and what it meant. But of course, as with many other little things that catch our attention for a moment, I would always forget to research it afterwards. Thus, it remained just a foreign word to me – until last summer, when I met a Dutch exchange student at my university. When I asked him where in the Netherlands he was from, he said: “Utrecht.” The name had a very familiar ring to it, but it was only much later, when I was once again passing by the art supplies store, that I made the connection. Now that I am in Utrecht, I like to think of the name of that store as a sign – as if I was meant to come to Utrecht some day, and that therefore that name had always caught my attention back in Berkeley.

It is hard to sum up my life in Utrecht in a few paragraphs, but looking back at the past three months, certain days stand out. I think that only by telling you about those days will I be able to get at least somewhat close to capturing what my experience in Utrecht has been like.

It was in mid-January when we went to climb the Dom Tower. A cold gloomy day, yet we all felt warm and fuzzy inside – as is always the case when you are in good company. Our tour guide led us up the steep stairs of the tower, offering interesting historical tidbits all along the way. As we reached the very top of the tower, the scenic cityscape unfolded before us: the Dom church, the canals, the cute little rooftops, and the horizon, blurred by the thick moist fog. We stood there, a group of smiley faces gazing down and admiring the beautiful view stretching before us.