Hi! My name is Nikola and I just recently moved to Amsterdam to start my dream path and study fashion. So if you happen to be wondering, how does someone who spent their whole life in California randomly decide to go to school in the Netherlands? Honestly, I'm not really sure how I landed here, however I strongly felt like my intuition was guiding me here. My parents are from Germany and i was born there too so i had quite a few trips to europe over the years and when it came time to apply to universities i was searching for fashion schools all over the globe and it came down to either New York or Amsterdam. Pretty drastic difference. My decision on Amsterdam was pretty much because at the time i had a massive craving to be in Europe, felt like i missed my home that was never really my home. Then I visited in February and fell in love with the city. Flash forward to August, mid pandemic and i just moved into my student living mini apartment. I've been here for about two weeks and just now it's finally starting to feel real. My experiences so far have been nothing but dreamy and I feel more and more confident in my choice to move here despite not knowing a single soul. When I first arrived it was nice and sunny and not all that different from the weather I left behind in California. And then the first week passed, the second week began with immediate rain and thunder and cold and wind and i didnt even own a rain jacket. Rain jacket is probably the most important thing to have here right next to a bike and a bike lock, you're pretty much set with that.
As i'm continuing this, I've been here about a month now and honestly it just gets better and better every day. I live in Noord which is 5 mins by metro to the center but also 5 mins by bike to open farmland and… sunflowers!! Which if you know me is like a dream come true. I've been asked quite a bit what my favorite part about living here is so far, i usually think of all the old architecture and how breathtaking the city is in general, but honestly it's the people i've met that make life here so beautiful.
Some of favorite experiences i've had so far are include (in no particular order):
Sitting by the canals in the evening with good chinese food and good company
Visiting a massive flea market and of course finding a new mini bag
Walking in VondelPark in the city for the first time
A bike ride through Noord and discovering a little town and seeing loads of farm animals, ending with sunset at the sunflower hill
A trip to the beach and running around the water at sunset
Going to my first party with a new friend
Cooking in the kitchen with my Dem lot which is like a British slang term for a group of friends, I'm pretty sure at least.
Learning lots of British slang from my pal Kieran
Starting fashion school and meeting people with the same drive as me
Honestly, that doesn't even really begin to paint an image of how much love and excitement i've felt since moving here.
I started fashion school this week, obviously it's a little abnormal with corona and all that and this week was considered an ‘intro week’ so it's just about getting to know the program and so on. I met my group in the park and met two really cool girls that i'll definitely be friends with and so far the projects are super fun. Today I worked on ‘Me and My Bag’ which is like a visual representation and explanation. The next little project is to “Create a visual / object (2D or 3D or a mix) that represents your personality, what you love and what you value in life.” and it's in any medium, so we’ll see what i come up with for that. Probably lots of hearts and flowers.
I've been gone a month now, which I would say is kind of a long time to be away from home and everything I’ve ever known, but it's really gone by so fast. And I guess that's part of how I know I'm in the right place. So if you're looking for a sign to move to a new country and begin a totally new life. This is it! Until next time, love always, Nikola Schmitt