Goodbye's

The time has come to say good-bye! I am quite sure it was only a very short time ago that Val and I stepped off the plane, looked at eachother with eyes that said, "how on earth did this happen? What do we do now?!" Our eyes have slowly adjusted to the brilliance of the light in Rotterdam (okay, that's a pretty horrible metaphor but I haven't taken English classes for 5 months now!) From sitting in a strange church with a strange language and hundreds of strangers to a church full of smiling welcoming faces, we have seen not only a change in the smiles but also in ourselves. Or at least, in myself. As jetlag is really calling these now partially closed eyes to bed, I will cheat a little bit and give you a quick summary that I also submitted recently to a scholarship. 

I am a History exchange student from Canada, studying for five months at Erasmus University, Rotterdam. As the semester has come to a close the time of reflection and suitcase packing has begun. This past semester has taught me, not only history lessons, but how to communicate effectively with friends from so many cultures, as I got to know and travel with many other exchange students. Living in a culture slightly different than my own also gave me the opportunity to reflect and challenge some of my previous thoughts and ideas. At least the Dutch language with all it’s guttural ‘g’ sounds is not quite as revolting as I always thought! Biking to and from school 8 kms turned out to be a pretty great form of exercise. Much interaction with Dutch people has shown me the pro’s and con’s of being stubborn, direct and honest. And of course the thing I respect most- drops! Along with challenging my thoughts, ideas and character, this experience also showed me the vibrant colored shoes of the traveller. I found these shoes to fit very well. Exploring behind the touristy areas of many cities around Europe holds so many good memories. After packing all these memories in my suitcase I am very reluctant to zip it shut. But life keeps moving, and I must move along with it. So I head back to Canada with one of the best experience’s in my life behind me. 

Here's some pictures from a good-bye party we had on my last night in Rotterdam. These people are truly wonderful! 

There's some pretty special people in this shot!

And of course Val-pal!

A friend's Mom who I kind of adopted :)

While at the airport on Monday I was so overwhelmed that I didn't know whether to cry or to be happy I was coming back. So I just talked to some Americans in the line-up who had a very strong drawl :) 

But although I really miss some really great people, at the same time it is so nice to be under the shadow of the Hudson Bay Mountains once again! 

I hope you enjoyed reading my blog. Either you were a little bored or you care about me, either way I thank you for reading!

Blessings,

Kim