Finding U in Utrecht
There’s something quietly transformative about walking streets you’ve walked before. Only this time, with different people, at a different pace, and with a different intention. Today’s trip to Utrecht with our group of CIEE Summer Session students reminded me how even the most familiar paths can shimmer with newness when you choose to let some magic in.
As we stepped into Utrecht, we had a pretty short walking tour starting at the old canal (Oudegracht) with its split-level secrets felt like a living library of whispers and water. Where we hear there are certainly ghosts. St. Martin’s Cathedral, still strong despite the centuries and that infamous storm, reminded us that beauty persists even in brokenness. Pandhof Sinte Marie offered us a quiet breath — a garden still holding space for mystery, memory, and monks (or perhaps music students).
But the real magic wasn’t just in the stones and stories.
It was in the students.
Their willingness to explore, to ask deep questions, to engage with each other’s experiences — it was awe-inspiring. I saw new friendships form in spontaneous conversations, thoughtful gestures, shared snacks, and in the way one person’s curiosity sparked another’s discovery.
It reminded me that education is never just about content. It’s about connection. About moments when a shared glance, a question, or a joke on a city street becomes a thread in someone’s learning journey, or discovering journey, or just in the day they’ll remember when thinking back to “that spring in the Netherlands.”
To the students: thank you for your openness. For seeing with new eyes. For letting the city — and each other — surprise you.
To the CIEE team, thank you for giving me this opportunity to guide and learn alongside such brilliant souls. Every trip like this affirms the power of intercultural education — and the small sacred acts of presence, intention, and play.
And to Tuaca — thank you for being such a grounded and graceful presence throughout the day. Your ability to support, observe, and enrich the experience added a layer of quiet magic I’m deeply grateful for.
As the day closes, I hold onto this simple truth:
You don’t need to go far to feel awe.
You just need to slow down, soften your gaze, and walk beside people who remind you how wondrous the world can be.
