Finally, after learning about the Netherlands for a whole semester, I am on my way to the airport! I have never went through the process of going through an airport by myself. I’ve either been with my family or my school. I felt very overwhelmed and the airport was very crowded! I was glad that I went to the airport early. After all that, I went to the terminal where there was the other Rutgers students, the chaperones, and the Delaware Valley students. My professor handed me a folder with a map of the Netherlands, the itinerary, and information about Rutgers and DelVal. I was very excited to read about the places we were going to go to on each day throughout the trip. The flight took off around 5 pm and we would land about 7 am! I knew I would have to get some sleep on the flight so I would not be tired throughout Tuesday aka the first day in the Netherlands. After watching one movie, eating, and sleeping, I finally arrived! I cannot wait to see all the places I will go to in the Netherlands! Stay tuned for my upcoming posts about the farms and sites I will be seeing and all of the memories I will be making. 
Pre-Departure: from America to the Netherlands
Hi all!
As I get ready for my departure, I figured I would sit down and share some of my thoughts and feelings. Preparing for this trip was easy. I am luck to be well traveled so packing in and of itself is easy. I have learned that layering is key. In our Ag Leadership class we were told that the Netherlands’ weather has a tendency to be chilly and rainy. However, when looking at the weather ahead on my weather bug app, I saw that sun and temperatures in the seventies were expected. So I packed a bunch of T shirts and two jackets and a sweater. We are allowed one checked back and two carry on bags but I was able to fit all of my weeks clothes in my brand new suitcase. My great friend Susan gave it to me for my birthday. It is a Montana West bag with a stunning Native American horse on the front. It is safe to say that this bag will not blend in at the baggage claim! I just hope that I have enough room to bring back gifts! Preparing my phone for this trip was surprisingly easy. Apparently Verizon Wireless offers $10 travel passes so that you can use your phones regular data when traveling. All I had to do was to call Verizon and let them know where I was traveling and they added it to my plan! Getting Euros was tricky. My bank (PNC) charged me an enormous fee to convert the United States into Euros. I truly hope that I have enough money. However, I do have my debit and credit card if I run into any financial troubles. I am normally not nervous when it comes to flying but when I fly it is normally not over an ocean. I don’t know why but the idea of something going wrong over the water makes me nervous. Well, it is time to depart to Newark! I have a bit of a drive from my small town in South Jersey! Talk soon 🙂
Off to Netherlands!
Hello and welcome to my blog page! My name is Katie Scurato and I am a rising senior majoring in Dietetics and minoring in Biological Sciences. I am so excited to be spending a week in the Netherlands! I have only been to Europe once so I cannot wait to go back to this continent. I am thankful for this opportunity for this SEBS Scholarship because now that I am writing about my adventures, I will be able to remember more of my trip and you can follow along on my journey too, as if you were there with me!
As I am writing this post, I cannot help but to get even more excited about this program because this feels surreal to me. I love to travel, so I wanted to go to another country during my college experience. Everyone I know who has went to another country during their college experience has always recommended going. And now I am one of those people who has this wonderful opportunity to go explore another country and its culture.
I have always had a huge interest in both leadership and agriculture, so with my program of Practical Leadership Applications in Agriculture Science I am able to experience both of these passions of mine thought this program. My peers and I have been learning about the culture, government, and environment about the Netherlands throughout this Spring Semester. I cannot wait to take what I have been learning about in a classroom and actually be experiencing that in the country itself. On this leadership side of this program, throughout the trip, everyone will be having a role; whether that is making sure everyone is on the bus, or debriefing at night to discuss what went on throughout the day, or having to introduce a speaker. I am a bit nervous about public speaking but I know my skills will only get better by practicing them. On the agriculture side of this program, my group and I will be exploring farms and flower auctions and a rooftop garden! I keep reading the itinerary about all the cool places we will be going to and I cannot wait to write about my experiences for you to read so you can get more insight about the Netherlands. Stay tune for my upcoming posts about my journey!
