First city I went to was Enschede. That's where I spent 2 years before moving to Deventer, because the major I chose was in that department.
You have no idea how excited I was to go to the Netherlands.
I made my arrangements in Oman, and traveled all by myself.
It was a very cold winter, I arrived in Feb. I remember how the air smelled, and what it felt like being there.
in Enschede, I had 3 Omani friends 'Al', 'Mati' and 'Yaqi'. Who were very kind and welcoming.
I was not used to the foreign traditions but they were kind enough to teach me everything.
I was doing English course in Deventer, because it was either stay in Oman until sept or do English course, so I said yea why not, therefore my journey in the trains began then already.
In my English course, all students were Chinese, and it made me feel strange and lonely because they'd speak Chinese most of time, and I felt unwelcome. Later, with days we've become very good friends. We went to trips, parks, and di stuff together. I once went to their house we cooked together and made them eat rice with their hands the Omani style.
There was a funny guy 'David', he'd turn any normal word into a pervered word, and we'd all just laugh a lot because that guy was truly hilarious.
Then there was 'James' who'd yell "someboodyyyy" in the class suddenly because in that time the song 'somebody I used to know' was famous. I actually laughed while writing this.
Then there were Rita, Lily and Queenie, such cute girls with cute accents who kept me company. I really miss those guys.
When I started school in Sept it was back in Enschede and I was glad I didn't have to take a 45 minutes train ride to Deventer. The whole atmosphere was so strange once more. I remember what it felt like walking to uni, all the strange feelings, the smell of the place, and the people.
Then again I was the one who sat quite in the class.
This girl approaches me, sits next to me, and starts talking ALOT!!
In the beginning I thought why is she talking too much? She doesn't even know me that well. But I'm so so happy and glad she did talk to me. My beautiful homie 'Moni', that was.
Oh there was another Omani girl 'Asia' who kept me company too, most of time I'd be kinda lost without her, I don't know, but it feels nice sometimes knowing that there is another person there with you, especially if you [ME] are very quite and don't talk much and are always shy kinda.
So yeah, there was Moni whom I clicked with, and we became very very very good friends. She'd come over so many times, I went to hers maybe once or twice, she lived a little far from the center.
There were also Lebanese girls 'fatima' and 'Jaso' and an Iraqi girl who lived in Germany, Gronau (15 mins train ride to Enschede). They were so lovely and kind, I went to visit them in Gronau a few times!)
In Feb I changed my major from International finance, to international business, so I went back to Deventer.
I was so very not interested in anyone, or in making friends, therefore my daily routine was taking a train from Enschede to Deventer, going to class, take train back home.
I did not talk to anyone, made no friends. Was in my own world.
One day, after two months of joining [I joined in February, we were the Feb students who joined 2nd semester of the 1st year, there were those who started from Sept already and knew each other] so in April Kira was too kind to host a barbecue party in which she invited everyone generally, and for some reason I don't even know why I decided to join, knowing that I'd be alone coz I don't know anyone.
So in the evening I take a train from Enschede to Deventer, pass by Starbucks that was by the station, and a bus to Kira's.
I enter the house and it was already so very crowded [I think I brought my own hotdogs and burgers because Halal food, you know!]. My memory is not being so very helpful right now, but I think I went and stood outside with them while some of the guys barbecued (there were lots of people just coming and going). Then I went inside the kitchen (where most of other people just sat or talked, that was the hangout area) in a corner, just observing people.
So probably for 2 hours I'm just standing there by myself either texting or just lost in my thoughts. Meanwhile, 'Kaspers' comes to say hi and we just have a very tiny small talk in which I give very short answers and no indication that I want to chat, he goes away. He comes back a few minutes later, again tries to have a conversation but my awkwardass gives no proper reply, so he goes away again.
Third time when he comes, he starts talking loud and fast
Kaspers: "Look, this is the third time I'm approaching you, you have to talk to me right now" which made me laugh
Lamya: "I hate people.."
Kaspers grabs Fatma: "she hates people too"
Lamya: "Hi"
Fatma: "Hi" *she has this adorable gangster glance*
Lamya: "I hate people"
Fatma: "yeah me too"
and guys, I swear we clicked. We both stood by the wall judging people and laughing at them. Suddenly, other classmates come around to chat and now they finally know me. So many did say that they did not even notice me in the class, that's how much of a ninja I was.
Fatma and Kaspers became the closest friends to me during my stay in the Netherlands.
Some time later during the party, some old foreign people came, it got funny coz everyone was drunk and they started acting weirdly.
Fatma, Kaspers, 3 other random people who I don't remember their names *IM SO SORRY IF YOU'RE READING THIS, perhaps you're not* decided to go to "***".
I won't explain further, or continue on what happened because... what happens in Holland stays in Holland.
Later they all dropped me at the station, and that, guys was how I made my first friends in Deventer, and believe me the friendship got stronger, they were my family.
ahh, such good days!
Later on, when we 'Feb' students, had to do 1st year 1st semester (because we started 2nd semester 1st year in Feb) we met that year's Sept students.
It was mandatory for us to go to introduction camp. I didn't like the idea in the beginning because I'm not so good in sharing room and bathroom. Luckily, I had 'Nayda' with me, and shes a mom! She promised me everything would be okay and no one would misbehave and do pranks, and she was right no one did. Thanks to this camp, i got to know my other classmates (only who shared the room) a little better. They had parties and such at night but since I don't drink and not interested in people most of time, I didn't join them, I preferred sleeping. During the activities on 2nd day because we had to be teams and such, I got to know other people slightly. Now on the way back from the camp, there was this super annoying guy 'Eren' who would not stop talking. I thought he was friendly in the beginning but then I was too sure he's annoying and we'd remain friends forever. There was 'Luca' also, with super red cheeks, I adore the guy, hes so so so so funny.
You see, I've come to know everyone, and they knew me, but it took really some long time till I actually allowed myself in getting involved in anything.
Some other friends like 'Nick' I've made in the class, I don't know how, but it was coz we played League of legends.
Then there is 'Sheb', my super TBF. It was because of Fatma we got to know each other. My TBF did not speak English properly, but later on she could speak so very well because there was no other way to communicate since I didn't speak Dutch or Turkish.
Sheb & Fatma were literally my family. We did a lot together. They'd stay in my place for hours, come anytime, go anytime, grocery, shopping, trips. We did so much together.
Later I had to change my major again due to certain complications that the supervisor 'forgot' to tell me about since I'm not a European student, so I chose 'international tourism', by then I was already living in Deventer, coz I knew I would not go back to Enschede after forming my own family in here. My classmates were all German, and some bits and pieces from other countries. Inthe beginning I was annoyed again because the majority were German and they'd just speak their language (unintentionally off course, still annoying) and kept missing my old friends, also I hated the process of having to start all over again with people because most of time I do really feel awkward. Thankgod our homeroom teacher Esther was a sweetheart, she kinda made the whole process of getting to know each other easier, as she'd talk to us, arrange out of class activities from time to time. Soon those Germans were so very close my heart, where we'd visit each other, have meals together and do lots of activities together. They succeeded in making me leave home since most of time I preferred gaming, they made me go places with them or they'd just come over. 'Christin' without e, 'Marlyn', and 'Wanja' actually came to Oman too, but it was during the time we lived in Amerat so I couldn't show them a lot, circumstances were different. The there is 'Luisa' and 'caro', 'jurina' and 'marieke'.
My other dear friend 'Bryan' who went with me through the Russia trip thing (check earlier posts for the story) who lived also nearby and had a cute dog 'Athena'.
These people actually played huge roles in my life, and I feel so grateful to have known them honestly. Though we're so far away from each other, I still cherish the memories and feel so happy that I got the opportunity to meet all these great souls.
Hoping we'd meet again, either they visit me in Oman, or I go back to the Netherlands for a quick visit.
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