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| Christmas Decorations in Maastricht |
Today I am celebrating the conclusion of Fall. As tomorrow is the first of December and the weather forecast is starting to finally look like winter, I am appreciating what my be (brace yourself) the last blue skies I see for some time.
I began this sunny day by waking up early (okay, 9AM) and cycling into the city, with several items on the agenda. A gorgeous, cool day with no classes at all - LEUK! I first went to the UM Business Faculty. Maastricht is renown for their business faculty. Seriously, it is top-notch. Although I have passed by it before in the city, I had never stepped foot inside or really been there during normal class hours. I felt like a real student (shocker - I am a real student!) as I was directed by the bike parking director (yes, in the city, they have someone directing bicycle parking) and navigated my way through the courtyard into one of the business buildings.
Why was I there? Oh yeah, forgot to mention! I was participating in a business experiment at the BEE-Lab. There is a website where you can register for various experiments to receive course credit or payment. Unfortunately, this is a recent discovery for me, but fortunately, I have already registered for two experiments! I thought this would be a harmless, easy way to make some cash for final expenses here in the Netherlands (i.e. traveling and Christmas gifts). I kind of feel like I am selling my organs or something, but I guess not ;)
For this experiment, there were about 30 students who participated in a computer decision-making task in which we had to allot money to ourselves from a "private" and "group" fund. Although the experiment was a bit dull, I made 15 euros from it! Success!
Next, I navigated the backroads of the city until I reached Tafelstraat, where I met Petra and wrote a text (Psalm 4:8) on several of the window panes of the Tafelstraat building. This is part of her December project, in which different texts are written each day on these window panes and the whole thing is filmed. Eventually she will consolidate it into one time-capsulated video.
After talking briefly with Petra, I headed into the city for some shopping. I can't say too much about where I went and what I purchased, but it was a successful shopping trip! After my shopping, I rode the escalators up to the fourth floor of the V&D (Dutch department store) where there is a nice cafe in which you can have a sandwich, koffie, wine, or pizza. I chose a cranberry (and something else) smoothie and took it up to the top floor of the cafe. From there, you have a gorgeous view of the city - you can see the churches and the rooftops. So nice. I enjoyed my smoothie and read an article for class. When I was finished, I made my way downstairs and retrieved my bike.
Cycling back across the river, I began to think how nice life is here in Maastricht and how I could really make a nice life here for myself. While this is not my intention now or anytime in the near future, I just had a moment of reflection and contemplation on this beautiful city. How spoiled have I been to have such gorgeous weather for three whole months - in the Netherlands! How lucky have I been to have found such a gezellig (cozy) place to live with such nice housemates. How nice is it to be studying the very thing I am interested in and want to do in the future? How great is it to have made some awesome friends who I have been able to travel with? How amazing has this experience been?
I am thankful for the three months I have had so far in Maastricht. With one month left in Europe, there are still so many things to do and see. So much I could do. So much I want to do. Time has really flown. While there have been days that are tough, days that I have missed home, days that I have wondered, why did I come here, it has all been worth it. It was definitely not the easiest option to come to Europe for my Masters, but I am thankful that I chose this experience. I am thankful for those I have met, those who have been so hospitable to me, those who have worked with me on class projects, those who have patiently explained things to me about Dutch culture.I plan to make the most of my last days here in Maastricht - only about two more weeks - and my travels at the end of my time here. I am looking forward to a visit this weekend with a friend, a visitor next weekend, and going to a German Christmas market. I am looking forward to Spain, Slovenia, Budapest and Prague. So much to squeeze into the last month here!
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