Summary of the Week

As I'm hours away from leaving for the weekend, wanted to get a blog post in before I left. Thought I could do a brief little summary about each of the last few days and the eventful things that occured:

Friday (19th): Cantus! What is this you may ask? It's a traditional beer drinking and singing event, and apparently there are other areas in Europe that have Cantus as well, so it's not solely a Dutch thing. It was one of the highlights of my trip so far, hands down. Picture a room of 50 people, singing LOUDLY to songs like Piano Man and Wonderwall (and if you didn't sing, you were punished)...while consuming beer. Also - there are multiple rules about how your beer must be consume, and any rules that are broken also require a punishment. Punishments usually entail being called up to the front and having to consume beer in a strange way or perhaps with other ingredients mixed in. I followed the rules, no worries! There is another Cantus in May, and all my friends and I are already excited to go back! It was a great time!

Saturday (20th): My new roommate and I had a fun, lazy day. I made us pototo salad (Mom's recipe) for dinner, and we both hung out in our jammies all day. It was wonderful! We both got a little studying in, but it was mainly about just relaxation. (sigh)

Sunday (21st): My Canadian friend Ben was on a skiing trip in the Swiss Alps all weekend, and unfortunately broke a bone in his hand. His trip was cut short, and his dad (who had been on this trip with him) came back to Maastricht to get his hand looked at. His dad wasn't planning on coming to Maastricht at all, so it was kind of a silver lining for Ben. But - his dad took Carolyn, Ryan (the other Canadian) and I out for dinner! We went to an Indonesian restaurant and had rijsttafel. This is a Dutch word for 'rice table'. The whole table shares many small dishes of spiced meat, spiced vegetables, different sauces and different kinds of rice. You can make whatever concoction you want out of the different options. It was one of the best meals I've ever had, in my 21 years. So filling, and had so many wonderful flavors...from curry to the spicy peanut sauce, to coconut on the chicken...oh MAN! So good! It was a wonderful night and we were all extremely thankful to Ben's dad for his generosity.

Monday (22nd): Monday was mainly school focused, as I've been trying to study as much in advance for my accounting final (on April 1st) because I'll be gone this whole weekend. I got quite a few chapters looked through on Monday. I also was finally able to stock up at the grocery store! Stores here are closed on Sundays, and they don't open on Monday's until noon. I just had a little misc food left, so bringing home new food from the grocery store was a good feeling. Plus - I enjoy grocery shopping. :)

Tuesday (23rd): Tuesday didn't start off that great, but did end on a good note. I had forgotten about a load of laundry I had put in the washer the night before, and remembered moments before I had to walk out the door that morning. Had to hurry and lay everything out to try to get the wrinkles out. But - my coat had been in this load, so walking to class in it was a bit damp and uncomfortable.

Gave a presentation that day, which went well. But, in my Consumer Behavior class we got back a group paper from our tutor. He basically had ripped it apart, and told us that we could redo it. He did allow other groups to redo theirs as well, but his issues with our paper were so nit-picky. Also, a few of the words we had used, he misinterpreted to mean other things. I was frustrated, because as English is my native and ONLY language, the way a word is used in the paper is true to how it's used normally. BUT - there are many words that are used differently in 'European English' and we had to struggle to figure out how to change the words in our paper. The rest of the afternoon I was in the library on campus, studying Accounting.

Afterward, Carolyn and I stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few ingredients to make bruschetta! Some friends of ours, who all live on the same corridor, take turns cooking every night. We had been invited, for the second time, to eat with this hallway. We felt like we should bring something along, and bruschetta it was! Theresia came to help us cook it...and if I do say so myself, it was amazing! :) Dinner that night was a creamy pasta dish with chicken and mushrooms, cooked by our new friend Chris (who is from Manchester, England). Delicious!

Wednesday (24th): Looking back, a lot happened yesterday. First, started off the BEAUTIFUL DAY (close to 70 degrees here) by going shopping down in the market square area with Carolyn and Theresia. I was in need of some flats, as the ones I had brought give me bloody heels. I was successful! I found some cheap but comfortable knock-off boat shoes at HM. WIN! I'm wearing them on the trip today in fact! After shopping, we sat outside one of the many restaurants surrounding the Vrijhof Square, sipping Fanta and sharing a big ice cream between the three of us. It was lovely to just sit and feel the sun on you (no coat or fleece required) and taste the ice cream on your tongue. It was wonderful!

We split up from there, and I headed to go pick up my residence visa. This little plastic card required so much stress and money. There was a huge amount of paperwork that was required to be sent in last Fall, and I've never been more excited to see a little plastic card in my life. I've also never had my passport inspected as thoroughly as it was before they gave me the little plastic card. What a relief! In the same building, there's also the University gift shop. I'd been eying one of the sweatshirts since the day I got here...and gave in finally. I bought a greenish/turquoise one and am also wearing that today on my trip. With my new red shoes. :)

The rest of the afternoon was spent either working on the group paper for Consumer Behavior - which is 98.2% completed at this point, or working on Accounting. Then, last night I hosted the dinner club (Ben, Ryan and Carolyn), but it was just for dessert. We ate a tasty tiramisu-like cake with jam inside. This we did purchase at the store...can't take credit for making it. But, it was delicious and the perfect size (a half-cake) to share between the four of us! Then, back to studying Accounting for a bit - and then time to pack!!

So today, Thursday (25th): I'm headed to Dublin, Ireland!!! I'm SO excited, not only to see this beautiful country, which has been at the top of my list of must-see's...but my parents are meeting me there! I know I've already mentioned this fact, but I'm SO excited to see them. Even with being an hour and a half away from them normally at the U, I still see them at least every month. This is the longest I've ever gone without seeing them, and although Skype helps, it'll be wonderful to actually see them in person. I leave today in about two hours, take a bus to the Maastricht train station, the a train to Eindhoven, then a bus to the Eindhoven airport, then a plane to Dublin, and then a bus to my hostel in Dublin! Shall be a crazy day of travel!! I'll be in Ireland all by myself tonight, staying at a hostel, and then will meet up with Mom and Dad tomorrow morning. Their flight gets in around 8:30 AM, so I'm going to simply meet them at their hotel, only a short walk from my hostel. Then, the three of us will explore Dublin for the next two days!! I fly home on Sunday around 4:30, and will get back to Maastricht around 9 probably, with all the trains and buses required. I've been looking forward to this trip since Christmas...when the trip was announced. YAY!!

I'll write up a FULL report about the awesome-ness that is Ireland. I'm sure you'll see multiple pictures as well. :) Hope everyone is enjoying the Spring weather, wherever you may be! I'll be back people...Sunday night!

Life and Times around Maastricht

I've been just blogging about my trips lately, and figured I should touch on the cool stuff we've been doing here in Maastricht the last two weeks!

Last week was a LOT of homework and projects etc., but we did make time for some fun. Last Tuesday, the 9th, was my Dad's 50th birthday!! We had planned out ahead of time to skype for birthday cake, which we indeed did! It was fun to still feel like I was there, celebrating etc. Doug even called while the Mankato crew was skyping me, so all five of us were kind of 'there' at the same time. That was cool!!

That same night, I was invited, last minute, to an International Dinner. It was hosted by an organization at the University that's for International students, and different from the Exchange Student Network (ESN) that puts on most events we've attended as exchange students. We were able to eat food from Africa, Argentina, Turkey and more! It was ALL delicious!!! We each took a little of everything, and it was much more filling than I anticipated. Afterward, we did a wine tasting, of five different wines from five different countries. We learned how to rate the color, smell and taste of the wine. As anyone that's ever done a wine tasting or is already wine connoisseur knows - you must swirl the wine to get the effect. Well, I found out I'm a bit too enthusiastic of a swirler, and spilled multiple times to the entertainment of my friends. My score sheet for the wines was a masterpiece by the end of the evening with red and purple dried splotches. I kept it! :) We met a lot of fun people that night!!

This week, the homework load has been extremely light, so I've been more social at night than usual! :) Every week on Tuesday, the ESN (mentioned above) hosts a themed party at a local student bar, the Twee Herren. This Tuesday, which I THOUGHT would have been about St. Patrick's Day, was a 'Pirate' themed party. Only about 10% of people dress up, so it's always humorous to see what people end up wearing. We were in the other 90% that evening. But we had a great night dancing, as they finally were playing American music more than European disco/techno. American music is just a bit more exciting to dance too, and everyone in Europe knows the lyrics just like we do! Very fun.

Tonight I'm going to a big dinner cooked by a friend of ours, Brandon, who's from Purdue. His hallway rotates who cooks for everyone, and tonight he's doing the cooking and invited us to join! Should be fun!

Thinking of all the U of M'ers who are on Spring Break right now...been seeing their comments or status on Facebook about what fun location they're enjoying for the week. It's getting me excited for my next two big trips upcoming...

The weekend of March 26th-29th, I'll be in Ireland! And not with the usual group - I will be meeting up with my parents!!!!! It was Dad's Christmas present to Mom, and they'll be enjoying an entire week in Dublin and other small towns close by. I'm joining them for the first few days of their trip. Getting VERY excited, as Ireland was at the VERY top of my list of places to see, and I also get to see Mom and Dad!! :) More details to come about that trip as it gets closer.

And - for OUR Spring Break, we're going to Spain!!! We JUST booked the trip this week, and will be gone from April 2-April 10. We'll be flying to Barcelona first, then taking the train/bus to Valencia, then again to Seville, and finally to Malaga. We'll then fly home from Malaga. Our group is going to be Carolyn, Theresia, me and then our Canadian friend, Ryan. It'll be fun to have a boy on our trips again, as James made things fun back on the Paris trip. Keeps all the estrogen in check. :) As THAT trip gets closer, more details will come. It's RIGHT after exams end, so we'll all be free from homework/exam stress and can really enjoy the trip. The weather is supposed to be about 60 degrees and I can't wait to be sitting outside in the sunshine!!

That's all the fun tidbits for now! Hope everyone is enjoying the Spring weather back home! I'll be updating Shutterfly with ALL of the Luxembourg pictures tonight. So feel free to take a look through them!! :)

Maastricht Sunshine!

As promised, this is a quick summery of my week. Nothing special really happened, other than school. I had my first presentation on Friday for my Consumer Behavior class, and we present for the entire 2 hour class period! (We even went a tad over! Didn't see that coming...) Felt a LOT better after that was over. Our group presents one more time in two weeks...at least now we know it's not too bad! Management Accounting is my other class, and is a bit of a tough one for me. I'm going to need to take a lot more time studying for that class - as a lot of it is over my head. I miss having lectures to explain things...but I guess I'll have to adapt and learn to teach myself for the semester. It'll be a good challenge I think!

We were lucky enough to have some great weather this week...and only a bit of rain. Walking to class was actually pleasant and I usually ended up with my scarf off and coat unbuttoned. I probably look ridiculous to the Dutch, but when it's 45 degrees I get warm walking with a winter coat!

On that note, this Saturday Carolyn and I headed out to walk around downtown Maastricht. The sun was out which meant we had just fleeces on and of course, our shades! (First time ALL trip!) We did a little shopping and of course, pastry eating. The pastry of choice this time is called Oliebollen. It's a deep fried pastry with a pudding-like filling in the middle. We had our first one during Carnaval, and as soon as we spotted the sign, Carolyn and I looked at each other and laughed. Of course we'll have one!! It's nice when others are on the same pastry wavelength. :)

We enjoyed the view by the river and soaked up as many rays as we could. Hungry we wandered home. I made my Mom's potato salad last night - which was DELICIOUS! I must say, I've tried a few recipes since arriving, and this was the one that turned out the best. Thanks Mom!

Getting into the Olympic and hockey spirit as I watched Miracle, Mighty Ducks and even Cool Runnings within the last few days, in anticipation for tonight's BIG GAME! We'll be watching with Carolyn and our other Canadian friend James (from the Paris trip) and it should be fun! WOOHOO!!! Go U-S-A! (Sporting my new USA Olympic shirt on the left!)

That's about all from me for this week...mainly was catching up with school and then getting in a lot of me-time after the trip. No idea what the next trip will be, but I'll keep you posted! It'll probably be a 2-day trip to somewhere close, like Brussels, Liege or even Cologne. We'll have to see what happens! :)

Carnaval!!

Carnaval...the time of year when you don't work, you don't go to school...but you do dress up as anything you can think of (NOTHING was off limits) and your age doesn't matter. From infants to the elderly, everyone is decked out! We went to the parade on Sunday and also the the traditional raising of the Mooswief. The Mooswief is a tradition in Maastricht, and is a woman who sells vegetables on the Vrijthof Square...a large representation of this woman is raised up a pole to signify the official start to Carnaval! (It was kind of anti-climatic, but oh well...). We saw hilarious costumes...my favorite was someone dressed as a shower curtain! They were inside, and the shower curtain went all the way around them...to get another beverage etc, they'd simple slide open their curtain and then close it again. Bah ha ha...I found that to be quite amusing. (Pictures are up on Shutterfly!)

We dressed up as traditional looking Dutch girls...mainly because they were cheap costumes! I've become rather fond of my hat...and have forgotten to take it off when I'm in my room. It is also quite the nice shield from the snow!!

I leave here in about a half hour for the Maastricht train station! We're taking the train to the airport Charleroi (right outside of Brussels) where we'll be flying to Budapest! The plan is the same as my last post, so I won't repeat...but I'll be getting back around dinner time or a little later (MY TIME) on Monday! Look for pictures and a new blog post sometime on Tuesday...as Monday night I'll be catching up on homework!

Hope everyone had a good Valentine's Day (no one here celebrates it...guess it's an American thing?) and has an enjoyable week! I'll be back, blogging away, before you know it!

Cheers!

Fortification and Exploration!

Today I took a tour of the fortifications (tunnels) that surround Maastricht. The city was a great location to cross the Maas river, so enemies tried to invade the city frequently. We toured the tunnels and got a bit of a neat history lesson. The tunnels were built as far back as the Roman empire...and have been expanded on for centuries as the city grew. We toured the tunnels that were built more recently - in the 17th and 18th centuries. They were even used during the World Wars, as safe havens during air raids. They were also used during the Cold War as bunkers to hide in from chemical weapons etc. Was very neat! The tunnels were about 5'5" high, so everyone was ducking - haha, except me! Yay for being short!! I've included a picture from the tour.

Then, my friend Carolyn and I (she goes to school with me at the U) decided to explore Maastricht a bit more. We wandered around, glancing at the map only once. We went in lots of the little shops, including a pastry shop. She got a delicious waffle that's covered in powdered sugar, and I got a round puffy pastry with chocolate on top. As I bit in for my first bite, I discovered it was FILLED with cream, as it basically exploded. Had cream and chocolate from my chin to the bridge of my nose. Haha, not hard to picture. I'm sure to all the other customers I must be quite the amateur. There has got to be an easier and less messy way to consume a cream filled pastry. I just laughed and continued to eat, having to stop frequently to wipe the cream and chocolate from my face. But it was worth it.

We explored a bit more, looking into some shoe shops, some floral shops, and a cheese shop. We asked for a tasty Dutch cheese and got a few slices to take with us. We also stopped in a bread shop and got a roll for each of us - to eat with our newly purchased cheese. We walked around a bit more, but as it had started snowing (and we were pretty chilled), we headed home.

We met some more exchange students in the lobby of our dorm building where we'd hoped to eat our little dinner. We ended up learning how to play euchre - which was quite fun. We lost, but I feel it may be the first of many games to come. It's very similar to pfeffer or hearts, with two teams of two who sit across with one another. I then headed back to my room to relax for a bit. [Still no roommate.]

The plan is head out to a pub later tonight for a few drinks with some other exchange students...but as many people have been out for the past few nights, tonight should be pretty relaxed. More to come tomorrow - as I'm attending a traditional Dutch buffet dinner. I'm sure I'll have lots to report about the food, and pictures of it possibly too.

**Sending birthday wishes to a Miss Marcy Koch back in Mankato, all the way from Holland! :)

Successful Errands!

Today I had a lot I wanted to accomplish, as I didn't get as much done yesterday. I wanted to go back to the grocery store and purchase more food (this time I brought my backpack! DAH HA!) and I needed to get a cell phone that would work with my free SIM card. The SIM card is what makes the phone work, and then all you do is put 10 euros worth of minutes on at a time. They call this, "topping up". I have yet to figure out exactly how to 'top up' but will ask my friends here who already have phones. It's so nice to know that I have a phone on me as I'm walking around. :) I also had to get my photo taken for my resident visa card. I found the little photo shop, and they directed me to the photo-taking area. I was in and out in about 5 minutes. Nice!

So after my success with the phone and photo, I felt I deserved a little treat before heading to the grocery store. I stopped at a little bakery across the street from the Guesthouse. I asked what they recommend and the girl who helped said I HAD to try this particular pastry. It was DELICIOUS!!! It was a flaky puffed pastry crust that was covered entirely on the outside with cream, which had also been covered in little nuts. On the top was meringue with sprinkles. Inside was a different cream surrounding fruit! And the fruit was not what you'd expect, it was a large purple grape, a large green grape, banana slices, an orange slice and a slice of melon. OH MAN! So good. SOO good. I may become a regular customer! I've included a picture above so you can see it!

So - off to the grocery store. I still couldn't figure out how to weigh the veggies and fruits, the little weighing computer was all in Dutch, so I figured I'll wait and go with my friends later this week and we can all figure it out together. I bought more bread, some Brie cheese, some meat that looked like ground beef (I guess we'll see when I cook it later!), more noodles and spaghetti sauce, some yogurt, some milk (though I'm not sure what kind of milk it is, so I got a little one to taste test it out), cereal, more applesauce and some spices. Should be good for the next few days! The grocery store is attached to a mall, so today I wandered around more than I did yesterday. I found a store that sells candles - so I bought some to make my room a little more cozy. (A trick I learned from my new Finnish friends!) I then found a store where I could buy pens and paper - as up until now I haven't had anything to write with!!! I also got some towels to use in the kitchen area. And then - I headed home. SUCCESS!!!

I've heard my top ten fun facts went over well last time, so here's a new one:

1) If you don't like clowns, Carnaval is NOT for you! It's in about two weeks, and all the shops decorate with pictures of clowns. It's a celebration of fools, so clowns are the go-to picture I guess. Everywhere are clowns dancing, singing, jumping, pointing at you...I don't mind clowns, but was getting mildly weirded out.

2) In January you may wonder why Holland stores are selling Halloween costumes. They're not for Halloween, but for Carnaval! Everyone dresses up, in costume, with feather boas, with beads, with face paint, with ANYTHING apparently.

3) If you can pay with coins, DO! There are $1 and $2 coins, and whenever possible, the shop clerks will ask if you have coins. I'll have to get quicker at pulling them out and sorting through them.

4) When you get your picture taken for an official document, in Holland you don't smile. I sat for my Visa picture, and smiled (like normal) and was told, 'close your mouth.' (I was thinking, what the heck?!?! Fine!!) And then was told, 'you can smile a little, but no teeth.' How boring.

5) Holland does not believe in sheets. You have the bottom sheet that goes around the mattress, and then a duvet. There is no middle sheet. Trust me - I've looked.

6) At night - the goal of these bars is to get as many students in them as possible. For instance, at the pub we were at last night - Tequila shots were 1 euro. Students love their discounts! As soon as we walked in, you could tell the international students were taking advantage of that special.

7) Holland doesn't think males and females should have their own shower rooms. We all share one room - though each shower stall firmly locks and you can't see into them. Still - that was a little strange.

8) Escalators in the mall are set at about a 30 degree angle and are flat. This way, you can push your cart up and down the escalators. Way cool. I may push around a cart just for the fun of using it on the escalators.

9) When you see a shop labeled Brasserie, no Mom - it's not for bras, but for eating. It's a little restaurant.

10) When you say, ' have to go to the bathroom', here they say, 'I have to go the toilet'. I prefer our way, but hey, maybe my verbage will change.

That's all for now! I'm going to cook something up for dinner now...not sure what, as I actually have CHOICES of food in my kitchen now. How exciting! I have posted pictures on facebook, for those who are a part of that, and will post more pictures on an online photo site soon so the non-facebookers can see. Once I do that - I'll make sure to provide the link so you can see pictures.

Tot ziens

Grocery Shopping

Well today I figured I should probably go buy some food - as we must cook for ourselves! Didn't think much more than getting myself to the store. Once I arrived, remembered, DUH - EVERYTHING IS IN DUTCH! Like really, no English on ANYTHING. So...that was fun. Picked out things that I knew were obvious, like bananas, bread, spaghetti noodles, jam, eggs, etc. Pretty basic stuff. And pretty cheap too! It was all under 10 euros! I had one minor glitch...I didn't realize that they don't have scales at the checkout, so I needed to weigh the bananas and then get a sticker before I checked out. I just said I wouldn't get them, as there was a LARGE line behind me at the checkout. And they don't really have bags at the checkout either - surprise!. What they do have were flimsy tiny bags that I could barely fit three items in. So I was trying to quickly bag my stuff, put my money away, and meanwhile, the whole line of people are watching/waiting. Haha...oh well. I then am carrying my groceries (in my arms because the bags would break if I carried them normally) and spotted the store with sheets etc. [We had to bring our own sheets/towels, or buy them here. I chose to buy them here. So...last night was pretty amusing with no sheets! Thanks to Lauren - my sleep-sack was what I slept in!] So found towels, a duvet and duvet cover...not TOO expensive. Success! But - hauling it all back the three blocks with the groceries was a workout!!! I'll need to buy things that aren't in cans...or if they are...bring my backpack!

So tonight for dinner - I cooked (on my hot plate) myself grilled cheese, scrambled eggs and ate it with applesauce!! YAY!! I finally get to shower today (I know I know...gross) and then I'll be heading out with my new friends from Finland to a pub close by! Should be a fun evening. More to come tonight/tomorrow!!

Hallo Maastricht!

Wow. That's all I can think when I look back at the last day and a half. Although it's only 2 PM back home, I FEEL like's it's the 9 PM it is here. Due to the need for SLEEP. So...synopsis of the travel day: flights all went well, were on time, and no strange people sitting next to me. In fact, I never had anyone next to me. That was very nice - so I just spread out over all the seats! Once I arrived in Brussels, I was expecting a long wait at customs...and even longer to get bags. I had my bag within 15 minutes of getting off the plane. Unexpected - but wonderful! Next up - the train. I have never been on a legit train before - as in, not the light-rail in Mpls, but an actual train. I found out, the train is literally exactly like the light-rail. Who knew? ANYWAY...so picture me, small and looking a little frazzled, hauling one rather large and heavy suitcase and a decent size carry-on...DOWN STAIRS. That was me at the train station. I had lots of people offer to help, but I was too afraid they'd take my bags...finally this old man, as in a bit fragile looking, helped me carry my suitcase down the last four-five steps. Didn't I feel weak. Haha. Then the matter of what train to get on...as I was way early for the one I had planned on taking. I finally picked up some English being spoken down the platform...wheeled my crap in that direction...and met some lovely girls my age who were going to studying abroad in Italy. They helped me out with which car to get on, and which train to get on, and which stop to get off at. This all repeated itself at the next train transition - minus the girls, but lots of me rolling my bags around trying to read the signs looking lost. Humorous I'm sure to someone watching. Made it successfully on the train to Maastricht, and successfully off at the right time. Found my ride to the place I'm staying at okay too, which was a relief. I had some struggles with the ATM and with my Internet today, but figured it out! With no tears! I even learned a bit about the city, as I had to walk to the school building for Internet help. SO...all in all...here are 10 fun facts about my first day:

1) Everyone here refers to the Netherlands as Holland, not the Netherlands.
2) Electric converters don't need to be used with a laptop...the plastic melts off the converter...found that out the hard way.
3) Pubs in the Netherlands play the exact same music as bars back home. Example: Come On Eileen.
4) Hong Kong students love the Netherlands. I am the only non-Hong Kong student on my floor thus far.
5) I CAN drink the tap water. Which is good, because water is NOT free at restaurants. Bummer.
6) All the streets are cobblestone. All of them. (In Maastricht at least.)
7) When people ask, "so where are you from?"...they don't mean what college, or what city, or even what state. The country is all that really matters. U-S-A!!!
8) Maastricht believes in traffic circles. Lots of them. Everywhere.
9) Cars don't run over pedestrians like in Mpls, they stop at crosswalks and wave you across. How lovely. :)
10) They don't eat a lot of ketchup. At McDonalds you pay EXTRA for ketchup. I was told this, no worries people, I did not already go to a McDonalds.

....that's all for now. Going to see if anyone is on Skype...read a bit...then sleep until I wake up. Tomorrow brings grocery shopping, bedding shopping, getting my cell plan set up, and getting a picture taken for my visa. Should be an eventful day! "Tot vegende tijd..."

***Above pictures are from the train station. I caught the train to Maastricht from the Brussels-Nord station...and the picture on the right - that was when I FINALLY saw I was waiting for the right train. Yay!

Attempt to Add Pics...

One of favorite things to do currently is to 'Google Image' Maastricht, and see what sort of wonderful places come up. Thought I'd attempt to add a few pics that I've found. As I'm a new blogger though, and my tech skills are low, I'm hoping that adding these pictures will be a success. Cross your fingers!

Inaugeral Post!

As promised, I'm attempting a blog to document my semester adventure abroad in the Netherlands. I don't leave until January 24th, and as that's obviously still weeks away, my beginning posts will be mainly about preparation. Boring, yes. But I need to start getting into the routine of writing regularly, as I know this is not a strong skill of mine.

For those who don't know my exact plans - I'll be studying at Maastricht University (ironically abbreviated as UM) in the Netherlands for the duration of Spring semester. I'll be flying out January 24th, and returning (as of now) on June 5th. I'll be living in international student housing (dorm-style) in what they call The Guesthouse. It's a set of housing facilities all closely grouped together. I'll be in a double that's set up as a mini apartment - with space to do my own cooking included. I can't wait to discover the grocery stores there! I'll be taking classes - 4 total - in 'blocks'. I'll be taking two 'blocks' with two classes taken in each. More about those later.

Right now, all my preparation is learning about the place I'll eventually be calling home. I was excited to learn that Maastricht is known for not only the great University, but as the oldest city in the Netherlands. Full of neat restaurants/pubs, beautiful landscapes, and genuinely kind individuals, I can't wait to see it all with my own eyes.

I plan on traveling as much as my schedule and wallet allow, so if anyone has suggestions of places, hostels or means of travel - I'd love to hear them!

Let the blogging begin!