Simon Schwesig

Starting in September 2020 I spent a year studying at Leiden University in the Netherlands. Leiden is a beautiful university city located between Den Haag and Amsterdam in the Dutch province of Zuid-Holland. While I was there I studied for a master´s degree in Public International Law, which I completed in August 2021, graduating with an LLM degree. The university is known around the world for its focus on international law. This focus attracts students and lecturers from all over the world to Leiden. At the same time, its proximity to Den Haag and the various international courts and organisations contributes to Leiden University’s reputation as a global centre for the study of international law.

All the lecturers on the course contribute experience from practising in a wide range of functions at the international courts and organisations or from having appeared before the courts as legal representatives of states. Thanks to their own experiences they were able to convey an exclusive insight into the practice of international law. At the same time, it also allowed them to bring current employees or even judges into the seminar room, which gave us a very direct and up-to-date insight into what is currently happening in the courts. For example, we had some guest lectures from serving judges from the International Criminal Court or from well-known lawyers who described their work to us. This enriched the study programme by combining theory and practice.

Privat

Alongside my studies I also had the chance to take a Dutch language course. From a German perspective, Dutch sounds like a mixture of German and English. Although as a German you can understand and read a lot of Dutch, speaking the language yourself is more challenging. I completed the course in May with a language proficiency test and can now speak Dutch to level A1. The language course was a great experience and a lot of fun. Now I can deal with everyday things in Dutch, such as going shopping at the weekly market, ordering in restaurants or asking someone for directions. That really is a great feeling. In my view, it is a sign of respect for people and their culture if you can communicate with them in their national language. Now I feel a bit more like a local if a real Dutch person does not notice at first that I am a foreigner.

Of course the Covid-19 pandemic affected my studies and the restrictions that were imposed changed the way teaching was delivered. That said, the Dutch government adopted a strategy of keeping educational institutions open for as long as possible, so we had lessons in person during the first semester in the autumn of 2020. The seminars were held in small groups, wearing masks and socially distanced. It functioned without any problems.

However, due to the worsening situation in the pandemic at the end of the year, the Netherlands went into its hardest lockdown yet before Christmas, with night-time curfews. This had an impact on my second semester, which took place entirely online. Nevertheless, the university had prepared excellently for this, with the consequence that there were no general restrictions on teaching. The library also remained open throughout, ensuring that important literature and materials could be accessed at all times.

Privat

Once the pandemic situation improved, short trips were possible again

From May onwards, though, the restrictions were gradually relaxed and that meant life returned to the city. All of a sudden the ‘grachts’ were full of people again and the city transformed back into a pulsating student city with many open-air cafés, restaurants and cultural activities. The weather warmed up again at last after a long winter, too. Now you could see students sitting outside their houses at long dining tables right in the middle of the alley during the evenings. It is a distinctive tradition for Dutch students in summer. The weather now permitted long excursions by bike with friends to the nearby beach or to the famous tulip fields. It was also fun to leave Leiden and explore other cities. For example, I visited and explored Den Haag, Amsterdam and Utrecht. At the same time, I could still meet small groups of friends outside throughout the whole second semester. This allowed me to deepen and consolidate the friendships I had made with classmates from Holland, Ireland and Spain during the first semester.

All this contributed to making my studies in the Netherlands at Leiden University a great pleasure. Despite the pandemic it was an interesting, enriching and successful year. It was also fantastic to experience daily life in the Netherlands. I was particularly taken with the cycling culture. For that reason I can only recommend my year abroad and my studies there to others.

Privat

Simon Schwesig with his master's certificate in front of the Academiegebouw

For myself, I am moving on to Scotland and a PhD at the University of St Andrews. My master's degree in Leiden has shown me that I would like to go on working in academia. It also showed that there is another question that I want to grapple with in the course of my doctoral studies. My PhD thesis will discuss the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters and therefore address questions from international law, international relations and terrorism. My academic contacts with Leiden will continue to be a great benefit to me.