My Stenden Journey of a Thousand Miles - by Wadzanayi Chitambo (part 2)

Are you wondering where you will be staying when you go to The Netherlands for one year? Our blogger from Stenden University Bali, Wadzi, is currently studying there and explains all about her new house in Leeuwarden, a home away from home, again illustrated with lovely pictures from Andras. 

My humble abode in NL 

The student accommodation where I am staying

Oftentimes I wondered, where will I stay during my one year of study in the Netherlands? This was something that I couldn’t get off my mind during my preparations for my stay in Leeuwarden. Although Stenden had provided a website by which we could seek accommodation, it is indeed much harder to rely on just pictures as opposed to something you have seen first-hand, which was my main difficulty of finalising my accommodation. Some say looks can be deceiving but I am here to tell you that that is not always the case. 

Selfie time!

 Hereby, I present you a glimpse of what you can expect from the accommodation in Leeuwarden. As you can see in the picture, we are all smiles in a selfie taken from my neighbour’s bathroom. Currently we are living in a brand new building across the Stenden campus which is developed in close cooperation with Stenden to facilitate the international student community. It is in a very convenient location as it is no more than a minute walk from the campus as well as the gym and the campus café which are also located across the Stenden building. Being 50 metres away from the gym gives one no excuse to not work out and keep fit, and being so close to the campus café is great for meeting up with friends for a nice coffee as well as a cosy place to discuss group module assignments.

A gorgeous sunrise - a sight to wake up every day

Not only is this student accommodation located near the campus, thus making it easier for you to attend those early morning lectures, but it is also just a 15 minute walk to the city centre as well as a 5 minute walk from the local supermarket Albert Heijn. This being very convenient as you can always squeeze in a little grocery shopping before or after classes. Waking up early for an 8 am class is not always ideal but there is almost always a perk to those early morning classes as you get to experience this spectacular view of the sun rising from your window. This is one of the most beautiful views I have experienced during my time here as the colours that come before the sun breaks through the clouds are astonishing.

Peaceful canal and park just a few steps away from the campus

In addition to the great location of this student accommodation, there is also a park just next to the building where you could go for a picnic on a nice sunny day, a walk or even to read a book. It is a great place to clear your mind and there are also many ducks that swim in the canal nearby as well as the ponds that are in the park. As rare as it is there are also two very beautiful black swans that are always swimming in the canal beside the student building.



There is a wide range of accommodations available in Leeuwarden, but it is the general opinion that our place is the best start up accommodation for all the newcomers in Leeuwarden as it is so close to all the places you may find yourself visiting in the first few months of your stay. More so, 6 of the Bali students are currently living in this building as well as other students from the Stenden Qatar and Thailand campus sites who are also doing their 60 EC programme (which means that they need 60 European credits in the Netherlands to get their Dutch BBA). There are also many other nationalities that live in the building such as Finish, Hungarian, British, Romanian and many more as it is an international student housing which will make it easier for you to make many more friends and adapt to the multicultural environment.

The bike shed

As biking is one of the biggest trends in the Netherlands there is a bike shed in the building where by you can park your bikes. There are also other modes of transport that you can use in Leeuwarden such as the bus or trains to travel to the other towns. However, the bicycle is always handy for when you want to pop into the city centre or visit a friend’s place. There are also a few bikes that they rent out to the inhabitants of this building.

High tech in-house laundry room

Even though doing your laundry is in general not the most fun thing to do, it can still be very entertaining at this student building as they not only provide a well equipped laundry room, that has more than enough washing machines, dryers, irons and ironing boards available for your use, but also a television set for your entertainment whilst you do your chores, thus making it more fun and enjoyable.


Additionally the room that I live in at the moment is a furnished studio apartment which has an en-suite bathroom and a private kitchen, all set in safe environment. This building is also paying attention to sustainability – it’s one of the most sustainable student accommodations in The Netherlands – by using solar panels as well as vacuum toilets like the ones onboard in aircrafts which do not use as much water. Furthermore you can also rent a television if you wish to as well as some equipment for your room such as cutlery, pots, plates towels and all the other necessities you will need during your stay. I am truly happy that I have found a nice home away from home where I can spend my year in the Netherlands comfortably and secure close to my fellow Bali students and international student community.

My gorgeous studio

For more information on the accommodation feel free to email klantenservice@woonbemiddeling.nl or visit the accommodation website www.kamerbemiddeling.nl. I will now enjoy a week of holiday, till next time!


Photography credit to Andras Szemes (Follow him on Instagram for more amazing pictures like these @szemesa)