Final Reflections

I cannot express how positive of an experience this class was. This was an incredible opportunity that was provided for all of us and I am so happy I did what I needed to make ends meet so I could go on this trip. I had the fortunate ability to go with people and friends I already new, and I was then able to meet so many new people and became friends with everyone. 

All of the experiences in the Netherlands were incredible. From miles and miles of biking in beautiful cities, canal paths, and country side, to amazing food and wonderful people. Every step (or peddle) along the way was worth any stress of sorting out what I need and needed to do to get there in the first place. The amazing food and drinks alone made the stress of travel worth it.

For the academic side, some things are impossible to learn in a class room. Hands on experiences in undergrad research assistances will allow you to learn at a much deeper level, the subject matter. This class is very similar in that regard. Learning about Netherland bike infrastructure, reading books, watching videos, listening to lecture, is no where near as deep as going there and experiencing it yourself for an appreciable amount of time. Coming from a "not-a-biking-kinda-guy", I now feel I just don't like American biking infrastructure, not the act of biking itself. I now have a newly kindled passion for implementing livable designs that include bike and pedestrian priority over private car. An implementation of what I experienced in the Netherlands, in Oregon, would be a dramatic quality-of-life increase that we are in desperate need for. Efforts need to be made, not only in engineering design, but also in political and social spheres, to begin building a world in the US that is even half as livable as the wonderful city of Delft is.