Kelsey's Travel Blog!
I travel not to escape life, but to be sure that life will not escape me! Come join me!
Maastricht, The Netherlands
Finally, the time has come for me to return to a place that I hold very near and dear to my heart. A place that introduced me to the world of international travel, languages, inspired me to study International Business, and, without it, this ‘round-the-world tour would never have happened. This place, my friends and family, is the old country, the place of our ancestors; this place is the beautiful continent of Europe!
Although I have found my way to many countries on the continent of Europe, there are still a few rocks that have yet to be turned over. I arrived into the Frankfurt International Airport only to be met by a bit of home, Mr. Pavel Mraz, Czech extraordinaire. As an exchange student from my high school during my Junior year, Pavel has been one of my closest friends for 4 years now, and was kind enough to drive all of the way from Prague to pick me up from Frankfurt and play host for me for the past few days! Although I have enjoyed traveling on my own, it is nice to finally see a familiar face. We spent the night in Frankfurt and the following morning we hopped in his little white Opal car and headed towards one of those rocks I had not yet turned over: The Netherlands. Normally, Pavel studies at Charles University in Prague, the oldest university in Europe north of the Alps, but he is currently in Maastricht, the Netherlands studying at the University of Maastricht with a program called Erasmus. Erasmus is a European-Exchange Program that is financed by the European Union that enables Europeans to go for a semester or a year to another university in Europe. Given that the University of Maastricht is one of the best in Europe for International Diplomacy, it was only logical for Pavel to study there, and it was only logical, of course, for me to come and visit.
We arrived and I helped Pavel settle into his new flat. As the wonderful overachiever that he is, we walked to city and I learned more historical facts about the city than I needed to. They have two beautiful squares in the city, the Markt and the Vrijhoft (pronounced fry-hoft). The Vrijhoft even has a church built in the 9th century, which to us Americans is impossible to comprehend. There are cafes and bars lining the cobblestone streets along with all of my favorite European shops that you can’t find in the United States.
Maastricht is a BEAUTIFUL city. As a part of the Netherlands that is nestled between Belgium and Germany, it is incredibly international not only in its languages and cultures, but in the people that it captivates from all over Europe. It is a university town, full of young people, which means it has a great night life, lots of shops and student discounts (which we love). Nearly everyone speaks flawless English, and the first question asked when you meet someone new is almost always, “where are you from?” since there are so many international residences.
For 8 Days, I have gotten a taste as to what it is like to be and international student at an international school, and I am not going to lie, Hamburg, Germany already has huge shoes to fill. I met some wonderful new friends as well that I look forward to visiting again when I return to Maastricht at the end of February. While Pavel finished his schoolwork that he needed to do and said goodbye to his close friends who were leaving Maastricht, I had the pleasure of hanging out with two wonderful Scots, Chris and Adele, who had also just arrived to Maastricht around the same time that I did. I cannot even begin to explain how much fun I have when I am with these two, not to mention they are two of the nicest people I have come across in my travels. As Pavel was off saying goodbye to his friends that were leaving form the previous semester, I attached myself to them like a ball and chain. We got to go on a university-sponsored Pubcrawl where we met a number of other international students, for example Bjorn and Renee, two lovely Swedes that we spent most of the night hanging out with. It was such a pleasure meeting these wonderful people, and I can only hope that my semester in Germany will be as incredible as my few days as an International student in Maastricht has been.
Although I had the urge to stay in Maastricht and live the life as an international student there until Hamburg calls, as a traveler, we must always continue forward towards the next adventure. So, with the Netherlands temporarily in my rear-view mirror, I reflect on how truly wonderful it is to be back in Europe. I have so many travel plans for the next 6 months while I am here. I will be spending 4 days in Prague and then head to Trondheim, Norway to visit one of my best friends, Kristine, from Up With People, and then I will return to Mainz to celebrate my 21st birthday and my Big Sister’s 22nd birthday, along with Rotemontag, Karnival.
Naturally, I will keep everyone updated as to my travel plans, but no reason to fret; I am in my element here. I swear I must have been European in a former life.
And now, after two years of my love for Europe lying dormant in my heart, I am back, and it feels oh so good.
