cestories
| February 2026
FROM MAASTRICHT, WITH LOVE
ABIGALE IRELAND
Washington University in St. Louis
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CAROLINE KINDSVATER
Appalachian State University
KATHRYN HUCALUK & JONATHAN ULICNY
Susquehanna University
HANNAH KHALIL
University of Southern California
LILY CRUIKSHANKS
Xavier University
SYDNEY WELCH & JOHN VIERRA
California State University, Chico
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A few words from our assistant director
We all know studying abroad is special for a million reasons: new cultures, unforgettable adventures, life-changing friendships, and the kind of memories that somehow make even missed trains or planes feel like part of the magic. And every once in a while, something even more unexpected happens and two people fall in love.
"(...) stepping outside your comfort zone can lead you to something even more special than you ever planned for."
Maybe it starts with a conversation in the Guesthouse kitchen, a night at Café Forum or Shamrock, or bonding over the fact that you are both just trying to make the most of your time abroad. It is remarkable how quickly a new place can start to feel familiar, and how stepping outside your comfort zone can lead you to something even more special than you ever planned for.
This Valentine’s Day, we are celebrating some of our favourite study abroad love stories: the sweet, the funny, and the totally unplanned bonds that took shape in Maastricht, from romantic relationships to friendships that became lifelong family. And for these CES alumni, the story did not end when their programme did, it simply found new chapters, new cities, and even new countries.
Laura Byrd
Assistant
director of the Center for European Studies (CES) and Maastricht Summer School (MSS)
Abigale Ireland
“Max and I’s first date was at a classic Maastricht spot Shamrock. I remember being terrified that my CES peers would catch me on a date with a boy there, yet Max was even more charming in person as he was over the silly dating app we matched on. I didn’t bother paying any attention to who else could be there. After that night of many pints and many lost games of pool, we would spend the rest of my semester abroad together.
"He was respectful, nurturing, and perfectly goofy, never allowing for a dull moment even when I was homesick."
He was respectful, nurturing, and perfectly goofy, never allowing for a dull moment even when I was homesick. He introduced me to his friends and family in Germany; they are just as great as him. He would cook me anything I was craving; his lasagna is the e would make sure to try to beat me at every game we played n try! Soon enough, between him and the friends I made, each city became more and more special. Monday night Jazz at Cafe , hours of studying in Tapijn, his tiny studio apartment, and of mrock.
y, we were official after a perfect trip to Italy with some great et, the day I had to go back to the U.S. was looming. Every gether counted. I feared the distance we would face, and for . That last morning spent hugging in my empty dorm, we were ones running out of the guesthouse as the airport shuttle started away.
I waved goodbye through the window as he stood with the biggest smile, somehow knowing that everything would be okay.
"I will patiently wait until we can visit the city of love again (and again, and again)!"
These moments made Maastricht one of the most special places in the world. To me, it became the city of love. Love for the CES friends I had, the freedom I felt, and especially for my Max. Almost two years later, I write this as he sits next to me in my post-grad apartment in the United States during our semiannual visit. I am so lucky.
Now, I will patiently wait until we can visit the city of love again (and again, and again)!”
Caroline Kindsvater
“Ben and I met while living at the UM Guesthouse in Maastricht, just a couple of doors down from each other. We quickly became friends, often running into one another in the shared kitchen and spending weekends traveling around Europe with our friends.
By the end of the semester, we decided to continue the adventure with a European summer together, and somewhere along the way we fell in love.
After a year of long-distance between the US and Australia finishing our studies, I moved to Melbourne, where we both now live.
We’ve since continued traveling, most recently through Asia, and are looking forward to reuniting with CES friends on a trip to New Zealand in January 2026.”
Kathryn Hucaluk & Jonathan Ulicny
“There are people who change your life without even trying. Jonathan is one of those people for me. We challenge each other academically, support one another in every activity we do, and push each other to become the best version of ourselves.
Fall2025
Jonathan and I met our first year at Susquehanna University through a program our school hosted before the year began. We very quickly became close friends, getting to know one another better as the year went on. We had classes together, shared some of the same interests, and by early May we began dating.
"We challenge each other academically, support one another in every activity we do, and push each other to become the best version of ourselves."
Our university has an initiative called the GO Program where students are able to adopt a global mindset and study abroad. We both had decided that this was something we were going to take part in for a full semester. When it came time to choose a location, we decided to choose separately. Neither of us wanted to influence the other, knowing that the idea of going abroad together would be too hard to pass up. We both wanted one another to love the place that we would individually pick, and when it came time to reveal our top three choices out of the programs we would be applying to, we had different second and third choices. We then shared our top choice with little belief that we would be going to the same place, and to both of our surprise, we had the same first choice:
Maastricht University.
At the beginning of our third year, we left for Maastricht, and now as I have completed my study abroad, I can say truly just how amazing it was, especially because I got to do it with Jonathan.
"Studying abroad allowed us to grow individually while also sharing something so meaningful together."
Studying abroad allowed us to grow individually while also sharing something so meaningful together Having a built-in support system while being far from family and friends made it even more special and is something I will always be so grateful for.
We were able to have such a unique experience together, and I would not have wanted to do it with anyone else. I got to travel the world with my best friend. What more could a girl ask for?
Thank you to CES and the Susquehanna GO program for helping to make it possible.”
Hannah Khalil
“I fell in love with Maastricht when I first studied abroad in the spring of 2024. Its cobblestone streets felt familiar and cozy while simultaneously offering new and exciting cultural experiences, such as Carnaval and King’s Day. This city became the backdrop for friendships that endure to this day.
The first time I traveled to Maastricht, I went with Kaili and Marlen, peers from my home university whom I had met for the very first time on that fateful flight from LAX. Little did we know that the next six months would be filled with sleepless nights of laughter,
dreaming about our next adventures, and traveling together throughout Europe.
"Arriving back in Maastricht truly felt like coming home "
When I returned to Los Angeles, Marlen and I lived together, with Kaili s nights with us as we tried to replicate the distinct charm of the UM Gue night, during our usual reminiscing, I spontaneously applied for the CES internship, not expecting to be selected.
Arriving back in Maastricht truly felt like coming home. I carried the confidence of knowing my way around the city, yet I was nervous to do so without the women who had experienced it with me the first time. My anxieties were quickly eased by the friendships and camaraderie formed in the office with the lovely CES staff, who inst made me feel like part of the team, as well as the incredible students I be in the CNU and SES programmes. Most importantly, however, I met Chr intern, friend, and eventual boyfriend.
Chris and I were in the same boat as the only American interns working in an international university office. From waking up at four in the morning to travel to Amsterdam for airport pickups, to giving city tours together, collaborating during office hours, and filming MaasTIPs, we spent countless hours side by side.
Somewhere along the way, we realized we enjoyed each other’s company enough to build a friendship beyond our required time together. We traveled together, made friends together, and lived in a city that had called us both back for a second time. Although the summer was full of constant transitions, saying goodbye to some friends while welcoming new ones, Chris and I were always there for each other. Our connection grew so naturally that it felt as though we had known each other far longer than a single summer.
"To say I found love in Maastricht would be an understatement."
y I found love in Maastricht would be an understatement As cliché as y sound, I found myself there my soul and heart can be traced back small city in the Netherlands. The invaluable friendships I formed may e begun in Maastricht, but they continue to thrive back home. To this , I remain extremely close with my study abroad friends, and I ntinue a romantic relationship with Chris.
aastricht will always feel like home. I am grateful for the friendships nd relationships I formed there, which continue to shape my life beyond my time abroad. My friendships with Marlen and Kaili, and my relationship with Chris, reflect the power of community and connection in creating some of the most meaningful experiences of my college years.”
Lily Cruikshanks
“Prior to going abroad, the last thing I was expecting was to come back with a boyfriend. While all the sights and food were great, he is by far the best souvenir. I say studying abroad tied me back to my boyfriend because we had met prior. A little over a year before studying abroad, we were both in the same class required by our university. The last time that class met, we just happened to be walking out at the same time and going the same way, because it turned out he lived in the same dorm as me. On the walk back, we had about a 30-second conversation, and that was that.
Fast forward to Maastricht, where our study abroad journey began, as well as our love story.
r
"While all the sights and food were great, he is by far the best souvenir."
y in Maastricht, me and some fellow students headed to Café Forum to ormance. That night, I eventually started talking to Frank. Throughout tion, we realized we had that one brief conversation over a year before. ntinued talking and ended up going for gelato together.
During our second week in Maastricht, he asked if I wanted to bike to class with him. From that day forward, we walked or biked together for the rest of our time abroad. By this point, we had spent a lot of time together, getting comfortable and getting to know h other.
eter’s Irish Pub, he pulled me aside and asked me to go on a real date.
We had a long weekend to travel and each went to a different country. However, we texted nonstop. When we got back from our trips, we laid out in the guesthouse eld watching a movie on his laptop, and he asked me to be his girlfriend. That st week abroad, we were officially dating. While it is crazy to me to think that it was only about three weeks between us first talking at Café Forum and him sking me to be his girlfriend, I really do believe, “when you know, you know.”
Before studying abroad, I had no idea what my life was missing, but now I can’t magine my life without him. From getting lost on our way to class, grocery tore trips together after class, talking in the bar while all our friends could tell we liked each other before we told each other, to running together in the rain o get to the bus stop, I owe all those experiences to CES. If there had been no study abroad trip, who is to say we would have found each other again?
"I think a story like this, and a love like ours, only comes once every few lifetimes (...)"
During our first week in Maastricht, we found out that the houses we had s leases for prior to the trip (for the upcoming school year) were across the s from each other. To think that we could have been living so close to each ot without ever connecting.
I am forever grateful for CES. We had all these micro strings tying us togeth but it was this experience that brought us together at the right time. In fact had the same person giving us tips and advice for the study abroad trip, yet didn’t know about each other. That’s why I love the song Invisible String by Taylor Swift. The lyrics “ one single thread of gold tied me to you” really resonates with me.
To me, this study abroad trip was the thread of gold that ultimately tied us, brought us together. I think a story like this, and a love like ours, only comes once every few lifetimes, and I’m lucky to have experienced it.”
Summer2019
Sydney Welch & John Vierra
“During the summer of 2019, I, Sydney, traveled from California State University Chico, to study abroad in Maastricht. John left the University of California, Santa Barbara for the summer to also study abroad in Maastricht. During this amazing adventure John and I began our CEStastic love story.
John studied abroad with friends, while I decided to embark on the experience on my own. On the first full day in Maastricht, the CES team took all the students on a city tour to explore the historical foundations of the city, including a visit to the caves beneath Mount Saint Peter.
"Over time, what started as a group of study abroad friends grew into a family."
On this tour, I met a girl named Ali who was also studying in Maastricht, and became friends instantly. Ironically, Ali and John went to high schoo and when John and Ali saw each other on the tour Ali introduced us. Tha a close-knit friend group began to form, and John and I spent the entire cave tour together. Over time, what started as a group of study abroad friends grew into a family. To this day, John and I still see our study abroad friends in California almost monthly!
John and I continued to spend time together as we made food in the sha kitchens, had picnics on the lawn beside the UM Guesthouse, explored t square, and spent time at Shamrock Irish Pub. John and I explored other countries
and cities together throughout our unforgettable study abroad experience.
On weekends, we traveled with friends. During these trips, our friendship continued to grow. What began as a simple friendship had grown into something more by the end of our study abroad journey.
Being abroad accelerated and deepened our connection as we learned how to travel together. Traveling with someone is a significant step in any relationship, and we were able to experience that much sooner. Being far from home also connects you with people faster than you might expect everyone is eager to make friends and create new experiences together.
"Not only did we fall in love with Maastricht, but we fell in love with each other."
Exploring Maastricht and other cities together turned everyday moments into memories that we will share forever. Not only did we fall in love with Maastricht, but we fell in love with each other. Studying abroad gave us more than memories - it gave us a partner for life. John and I have been together ever since, and we recently got engaged in December 2025, with a plan to get married in the summer of 2027!
Without a doubt, Maastricht will always hold a special place in our hearts."
cestories
For this edition:
Text & photography
Ideas & input Design & layout
Abigale Ireland, Caroline Kindsvater, Kathryn Hucaluk and Jonathan Ulicny, Hannah Khalil, Lily Cruikshanks, Sydney Welch and John Vierra
Naomi Nijssen Naomi Nijssen
CENTER FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES
Bonnefantenstraat 2, 6211 KL Maastricht +31 43 388 5282 | ces.info@maastrichtuniversity.nl
