Easter Holiday

Welcome to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

       Even though I have not blogged for a while, I have been rather busy the past few weeks.  The University of Manchester has a 3-week holiday (vacation) for Easter, during which time I flew back to the States.  After numerous failed attempts at finding a buddy to travel around continental Europe with, I was fortunate enough to be able to come back to Michigan and see family and friends.  Most international students had already made Easter vacation plans with family and friends from back home, or they were visiting and staying with their friends who are studying abroad in other countries.  This gave me the chance to surprise everyone from back home, and also gave me motivation to come back to Europe in the future to visit the places I didn’t get a chance to see.

     At first I will admit that I was a little disappointed that I would not be able to see the likes of Paris, Rome, and Barcelona, but after coming home, I realized something much more.  The reason places like France and Italy are special is because when you go there, you are able to visit different places with people that you enjoy being with.  Many people told me that I should have gone by myself, but I do not regret my decision at all.  Truth be told, I am glad I came home and didn’t travel around Europe.  I was able to spend quality time with the people I care about the most, and in the future I can go back to Europe and enjoy it with friends and family.  Even if I had gone alone, it wouldn’t have been the same without friends.  It is the people that truly make life experiences special, and travelling is no exception. 

     When I surprised my brothers at Sigma Chi, it was the most welcomed feeling I have ever had.  Seeing the pure shock and excitement when they saw me is an experience that can never be duplicated.  After many double-takes and convincing that it was actually me and not a ghost, it will go down as one of the best weekends in my entire life.  Like I did with my brothers at Sigma Chi, I also surprised my other friends, and they had no idea what “Mike” could possibly be calling them.

     On the flight from Detroit to Amsterdam, among the complimentary drinks were beer with options such as Heineken and Corona.  I took advantage of this opportunity, but the person sitting next to me took this advantage to a whole new level.  I had one, but he ended up having 6 or 7 beers and 2 glasses of wine.  He even went to the back of the plane and talked with the flight attendants, presumably in order to have a casual chat and another drink.  Smart man.

"Domestic" Heineken

     Since both of my flights there and back had 4 hour layovers in Amsterdam Schipol’s Airport, I had enough downtime to experience some local Amsterdam culture within the airport.  The person that says you cannot experience a splash of Dutch culture within the confines of the airport has obviously not tried a McKroket.  It is a Dutch sandwich at McDonald’s, based on the popular Dutch food, the croquette.  The best way I can describe the McKroket is a deep-fried roll containing minced meat and mashed potatoes.  At the halfway point I was almost gagging, and made it a personal challenge to finish it, which I did (barely).  I was also able to experience a “domestic Heineken” at the airport, both normal and “Super-chilled”.  I asked what the difference was, and the bartender simply replied, “It is the same thing just colder”.  For someone who has studied a semester abroad to experience a new culture, I was obliged to try both. 

Not so green?

Views of Greenland

     The last two cool parts about the way there and back was first; how travel-savvy I felt with my laptop plugged into an adapter and into a European outlet, and the amazing view of Greenland from my window seat.  We flew over Greenland for a bit, and the view was jaw-dropping.  A picture is worth a thousand words.

European Outlet

     From now until the end of the term, I will be studying for exams.  The education/grading system is very different from the States, with a much bigger emphasis on the final exam.  I will get more into that in my next blog post, along with more of the cultural differences I have been able to experience.

    Cheers!