Life - Full Throttle!

Since the 18th of March, when I left my beloved Europe, my life can be described as nothing short of heading full throttle into life after University.

Stepping off the plane onto U.S. soil was, as per usual, a mix of emotions for me. This time this was accompanied by a degree of uncertainty. For once in my life - I do not have all the steps ahead planned out and strategized. My story after the end of July is unwritten right now, which is both exciting and a bit nerve racking.

Opting For See You Soon!

A weakness of mine - I cannot say 'Goodbye'. I am a firm believer that there is never a moment for actual Goodbyes, but rather that there are periods of separation in life. These periods are the reason why moments together must always be cherished. I believe that everyone in my life means something, that every person I encounter aids me in my life journey, making me who I am. It is the people in my life that create beautiful memories. While I thoroughly enjoy and appreciate beautiful places, it is the people that make that place special.

I have been thoroughly blessed with the people in my life - my time in Maastricht was no exception to this. To come to such a beautiful city, not knowing a soul, and to leave with friends I regard as family is something I will cherish all my life. I have grown as a person here, pushing beyond the familiar into a territory which forced me to discover more about who I am. Everyone here, from my housemates to my classmates to all my other friends, I will miss dearly. But as I said before - it is not goodbye - it is a 'See You Soon'.

Want to get to know my academic inclinations?

Typically, this blog is used to display my various travels and explorations of culture. Rarely do I discuss the countless hours pouring over legal documents or my other academic pursuits. I like to keep this blog about travel and cultural explorations, so I will not be changing that in the slightest. However, I do want to provide you all with access to my academic interests.

Carnival

Carnival in Maastricht is simply one of those things that you must experience to fully grasp the utter madness. Every direction you turn there are decorations, entire families decked out in the most elaborate costumes ever seen and smiles all around. I am incredibly glad that I stayed in Maastricht during Carnival and that I was out every day to witness the shenanigans. I will never forget the creatures that came into being for those days in Maastricht. The time, and money that people put into the creation of their carnival costumes is something that Halloween in the states will simply never be able to touch. I will never forget chatting to this demon with horns, a crow feather cape and grotesque black claws, only to look into their eyes to see nothing but demonic black. The creativity in what people 'became' for those days was, quite simply, boundless.

Sight of Winter in Copenhagen

The final week of my trip to Copenhagen I was lucky enough to have one of my best friends from Maastricht join me, and therefore I had an excuse to see all the landmarks once again. Even though I have been to many of these places numerous times, it never 'gets old' and I still am full of wonder as I walk through Dyrehavn, see the Lille Havfrue (Little Mermaid), or stroll through the baroque gardens of Frederiksborg Slot (castle). Since most of these places have been covered before in my blog I shall instead show you some pictures of these Copenhagen treasures in the wintertime. 

One of my favorite places in Copenhagen in the wintertime is Tivoli, which turns into, quite simply, a winter wonderland. 

Tivoli

To My Danish Home for Christmas

I realize fully that I am an extremely lucky individual. For my academic opportunities, for my traveling opportunities, for the fantastic friends I have made, and for my truly amazing family. Studying in the Netherlands for my Masters makes it quite difficult to go to my hometown in Florida for Christmas. Thankfully, I have family quite close who I was able to spent yet another amazing Christmas with. When I first started blogging in the summer of 2010, I don't think I would have predicted how studying abroad in Denmark would truly change my life forever. And I suppose it wouldn't have changed my life as much without two very important people opting to be my hostfamily. I knew by the end of my year abroad in Denmark that I truly had expanded my family. Now I am so lucky that I have not one place where I feel at Home and with family but two, one being in Sarasota Florida, and the other being Copenhagen Denmark.

Christmas Market

When near Germany around Christmas time it is a definite necessity to visit a Christmas Market. They are hard to miss in German towns, with their stalls, lights, and amazing smells which seem to take over many a Germany city square.

Maastricht, though in the Netherlands, hosts a small Christmas Market in the center of town. Yet when in Maastricht, to truly experience the German Christmas Market one should hop on the bus for the short ride to Aachen. This nearby German city has a fantastic Christmas market, and it is so close that one can go in the afternoon, enjoy the market, and come back that evening.

Thanksgiving 2012

There are certain times of the year, and certain days where it is very hard to be away from one's family as an American. One of those days is Thanksgiving. It is hard to describe to my loved ones in the United States, but it is hard to wake up on Thanksgiving in the holiday mindset, wanting to watch the Macy's day parade when it is simply just another day of the week for everyone around you. Instead of finishing up Thanksgiving baking whilst watching the parade streaming live on the TV, I got to spend the entirety of the day at the University, restraining myself from blurting out Happy Thanksgiving to everyone that passed my way.

This year my housemate Johanna and I decided that we would hold a Thanksgiving dinner at our house on the Saturday following the Thursday of Thanksgiving. So while I didn't get to have my Thanksgiving day full of traditions and family, that Saturday was full of great food and some of our closest friends. Everything was made from scratch and we had all the traditional foods including cornbread, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, assorted vegetables, stuffing, turkey, and of course four different types of pie.

 

I am so thankful to my friends who helped me celebrate, and of course to Johanna, who was utterly essential to the success of our dinner. With only two Americans in the house, it was exciting to explain some of our traditions and of course to eat great food. The purpose of Thanksgiving is to share with others, so in a way this Thanksgiving was more of a True Thanksgiving than before, though I did still miss the family banter around the table.  I am greatly thankful for all the people in my life, the relatives and friends, both near and far. Happy Thanksgiving!

 

SinterKlaas Arrives to Maastricht

On Saturday the 17th of November at 11 a.m., there was a very important arrival at the docks of 'Rederij Stiphout'. This is none other than the arrival of SinterKlaas to Maastricht. After having heard about this traditional Dutch event from a friend, I naturally got incredibly excited and made plans to attend.

Upon arriving at the location along the river one could tell that this was a very special event. With costumes, bands, and hundreds eagerly looking down the river for the first sign of Sinterklaas, the feeling of Christmas cheer was overwhelming.