Reconnecting in Leiden, 15 years after graduation

Published on 17 October 2024

During the first weekend of October, a group of fourteen Master of Arts in European Union Studies alumni returned to the place it all began, 15 years after graduating from Leiden University. The international group, representing the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia, Belgium and New Zealand spent the day in Leiden, catching up on the last 15 years and reminiscing about our carefree student days.

For many of the group it was the first time returning to Leiden in quite a few years. Although there had been several mini catch ups over the years - a smaller gathering in Leiden 10 years ago and some recent mini gatherings in Brussels where a number of alumni are based - the timing felt right to organise something on a bigger scale. So emails were sent, a Facebook group created and LinkedIn profiles were stalked to reach as many of the group as possible. After several months of planning the day arrived.

'That's Pieter, he was in our year!'

A sunny Saturday in Leiden

The day started off with lunch at Pannenkoekenhuis Oudt Leyden, where our programme leader Professor Griffiths had organised a Christmas celebration together back in 2008. It was so great to see so many people and begin catching up with everyone. After lunch we toured some of the key university buildings; the Academiegebouw where we spotted a photo of one of our former classmates now teaching at Leiden University, Lipsius Building which brought back memories of lectures and study groups and a few too many 50c vending machine coffees, and finally the beautiful law library where we discovered some of the class had never been before. It was crazy to see the places again and brought back so many memories, everyone’s memories the same but different.
We also toured some of the key tourist places in Leiden, like the Saturday market at Botermarkt where cheese and Stroop waffles were purchased, the Burcht, Hooglandse Kerk and Pieterskerk where we had toured on our first day in Leiden. The afternoon ended with a 'borrel' in the sun where we were joined by Professor Griffiths to catch up on the last 15 years followed by a group dinner.

The students on their first day, back in 2008

So what were our favourite memories of the time?

• 1 Euro beers at Prost post Tuesday economics classes, the Bonte Koe and Einsteins
• Celebrating Dutch traditions like Leidens Ontzet and Koninginnedag
• The many different social gatherings, student parties, dinners, Europe Day celebrations and a Potato party celebrating the UN Day of the Potato Day hosted at Professor Griffiths home
• The economics exam that we all thought we had failed but somehow all passed
• One of our law Professors that struggled to stay awake in class
• Cycling trips to the beach
• Opportunities for learning from some of the best lecturers in their field, and outside the programme through lecture series organised in the Hague on Fridays
• Visits to the Eerste and Tweede Kamer and trips to Brussels and Luxembourg to visit EU institutions
• And most importantly forming lasting friendships with classmates from all over the world

During the day we talked about some of the reasons that brought us to Leiden in the first place:

• The warm welcoming environment created by both the Programme Leaders and also the International Office with a lot of activities outside the classroom to get to know each other and help us integrate into the Dutch culture
• A high ranking University not only within the Netherlands but also in Europe
• Programmes taught in English with opportunities to learn Dutch
• A great mix of local Dutch students and a diverse range of international students from across Europe, North America, Asia and the Pacific in an environment where we were encouraged and supported to share our different points of view
• A safe, beautiful student town which was easy to get around but also located very close to major cities like the Hague, Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Utrecht.

And what are we doing now

It was super interesting to find out more about the career paths that everyone has taken which ranged from representing national governments abroad and at the EU level, academia, internal government departments, political parties, law, International organisations and NGO’s, just to name a few.

And what’s next?

Plans are afoot for more regular catch ups and an annual get-together in different locations across Europe. But one thing we agreed on is to not leave it another 15 years before the next gathering. 

By Anna Dekker, Alumna European Union Studies