Good by London...hello Paris!

Well, our time in Holland is officially over, but it has been a blast! 

We were able to head to Tilburg for the largest carnival in Europe for our last night in Oisterwijk and had a blast…it was pretty big and as grotesque as we expected. As you can imagine, it was a busy night and a nice way to end our time in such an incredible place.

We are on the road again….headed to Amsterdam first. Got to roam a little here and there, went to a few museums and to the Anne Frank house which was an experience. I highly recommend it, and it really put life under the Nazis in perspective.

Upon entering The Hague, we hit the ground running. We went to the famous Dutch DELFT factory that produces the blue and white porcelain which was wild. It was really neat to see and a huge part of Dutch history. Lunch in Leiden was pretty nice and the diamond polishing plant was something else to see….watch out ladies…we bought no diamonds. J

Monday we headed to Aalsmeer, the largest flower auction in the world. I have never seen so many flowers in a day (13 million). The building itself was something else, and really an experience. Ronny our coach driver headed all over the area to show us a little more of Holland before we left. Windmills, cheese and wooden shoes filled our minds and photo cards. Today was our day to visit Ahold Corp…owner of Giant and many other grocery businesses….one of the largest in the world. I was even able to catch up and have dinner with Bote, an old friend and exchange student of Randy’s from about 5 years ago which was great…plus we got to see China town of The Hague.

It is hard to believe we only have 9 days left…IBI has been an incredible experience, but all good things must come to an end. Tomorrow we head off to Paris and then to London before returning home, so there is more to come, but I am sure some busy busy days that will fly by!

Unbelievable time in Utrecht

Every other year, a group of Dutch students comes from CHE (Christeluke Hogeschool Ede) during our J-term to be on campus, experience American culture and to be a part of a partnership Messiah has had with this school in past years. We had the incredible opportunity to visit the school during our time here in Holland and it was an absolute blast. The leadership there prepared workshops for us on doing business with the Dutch; we got to interact with some Dutch business students and friends who visited us in previous years. The visit was incredible and CHE happens to be the only Christian University in the Netherlands and one of few in all of Europe, which was neat.

After our visit, we had got to go and explore downtown Utrecht, which I later find out is the home of one of my closet friend Randy’s grandmother…pretty neat. Utrecht was the Venice of Holland….old cobble streets weaving around canals and lined with eateries and shops. I must say, it was rather incredible and an extremely romantic city. Crepes for dinner and a walk around town made for a lovely evening. Life is pretty good here in the Netherlands!

The Dutch are Alive!

Being here in Holland, Netherlands, Nederland, land of the Dutch…who knows….has been incredible. The world cup has been an integral part of our experience here. We have been going down town to watch all the games and be a part of all the action, as you can see from all my pictures below…The Dutch are really proud of their country, especially when it comes to football.

On Saturday we mounted on our bikes and biked across Europe. From the Netherlands to Belgium only took us a little over 1.25 hrs to get there….About 32 miles round trip for a waffle. Crazy? I think not….We had an absolutely blast. About 15 of us headed out on a journey through the rain that didn’t seem promising. Needless to say, Chris and I kept our group biking south and we made it to a land of milk shakes and waffles. It is one of those things you just need to check of the bucket list.

Oisterwijk has been really fun so far. This weekend a carnival is coming to town which should be pretty cool. Last week they had a neat beer tasting, but we weren’t able to be a part of it. I am sure it was a blast. The hotel even had a nice set up for the 4^th which was nice since we are so far from home. How can you beat burgers and hotdogs without buns…especially when you usually have buns with lunch every day here….gotta love it.

And don't forget our bike rides to Tilberg (10k) almost everyday and underground parking. THIS IS HOLLAND!

To Holland we go!

I realize I have not written in awhile, and I have no excuses for that. I could tell you how busy I have been in Holland now for two weeks, taking classes, biking to Belgium and day trips here and there, but you will find it all hard to believe….well don’t. At this point in IBI, we take a little different schedule. We put much of the travel aside and buckle down for about 3 weeks in Oisterwijk, Holland for some academics.

Home of only 19,000 people, it is almost as if we are in the smallest town of Europe, but we are having a blast….there are less residents here than students at most state institutions to put it in perspective. The town itself reminds me of downtown Doylestown, quaintly outlined with boutiques and cafes, Oisterwijk has a charm to offer us relaxation and concentration for the 3 weeks we spend here. On top of that, IBI charters the Hotel Boschoord for the entire time for just our use. We all have our own single room, eating facilities and conference rooms situated in the woods surrounded by bike trails, running paths and tons of lakes. Better yet, the Hotel had been recently purchased and revamped completely, so it is rather comfortable for us to use…and we are given our own bike to roam here, there and everywhere!

At first, I was not really too excited to put all the excitement on hold for 3 weeks. I love being on the move and in a new country every 6 days. Speaking of this, next year, IBI will not be returning to the Netherlands and will instead go to India and China for the 3 weeks usually spent here. At first, I was a bit disappointed with feelings of missing out, however, 1.5 weeks into our stay here (plus already having been in China) I would not trade this time in for anything. If you don’t know better, India and China in the program will be a blast and smart for the strategic future, but knowing what Holland is like….I love having the break…. Plus Holland in the World Cup has made it even more interesting!

Our time in Boschoord is busy with class for most of the day, meals and some fun exploration of the areas around….all of which I love to talk about!