Last weekend was probably the most eventful one of my life. I fear I’m about to write a lot lol. We started on Friday at 1:30 in the morning in preparation for a completely delirious 2 am bus ride to the airport. By 6 the rest of the group, about 10 others, showed up for our group trip to Amsterdam. After sleeping on the quick plane, we took a bus to the city center and headed for the hotel. Right away we were greeted by canals and the picturesque architecture notorious for the Netherlands. It was only at this point that I finally grasped the reality of the trip itself and I was totally excited. We ate breakfast at a cafe and unsurprisingly had a great meal. After a quick round of shopping (thank you Cassidy for the suggestion) we headed to the Heineken Museum. The enthusiastic tour guides helped to revive our group, and we finished up at the rooftop bar to have some drinks. We then made an underwhelming stroopwafel purchase which we thought was overpriced but a must-try nonetheless. Quickly we stopped by the room to recharge and then Max found an AMAZING Korean spot where I had probably the best wings I’ve had. Later on we had the canal tour which was great, led by a guide that was our age which brought a cool perspective. The next day we went out to another cafe where Cassidy, Jenna, Bennett and I all enjoyed the same sandwich before heading to Zaanse Schans. The ride was only about an hour, until we were met by windmills and classic buildings in the countryside. The town itself was quaint and the weather was perfectly in the 70s and sunny. Although it was definitely touristy, it was for sure worth the trip. Once back in Amsterdam we hung out in the AC by invading Max and Bennett’s hotel. After walking to the ferry we went to probably one of my favorite activities of this entire abroad experience: a pancake boat!!! This was quite literally out of a dream. With sufficient and thoughtfully chosen toppings that made for some great flavor combinations, this was super fun. Red sauce and cheese make for a pizza pancake in case you’re wondering, and this turned out to be a group favorite. That night we jumped around to different spots throughout the city, and listened to music I didn’t know the language of. After a restful hour of sleep the group absolutely rallied for our day trip to Brussels, all impressively making the train. I crashed immediately and woke up in Belgium. Right away we booked it to the first waffle shop that opened, with pairings of Nutella and strawberries and an extremely American interaction that screamed language barrier and confused tourists. We then found ourselves in a park and slowly gathered that that day, July 21st, was Belgium’s Independence Day! We had no idea but pieced things together with the crowds, flags and nationalism we felt. Next we went into the Parliament building which was historic and very impressive, and most importantly free. After getting food we went to Brew Dog which we’ve seen scattered around Europe, and all fell asleep collectively at the table since we hit a 3pm slump. Later on we ate Palestinean food which was perfect, got some chocolate and went to church in the late afternoon. Regardless of the fact that I didn’t understand a word, it was a cool experience being able to compare their service to American ones. We arrived back in Amsterdam at midnight. The next day Madelyn Jenna and I ate brunch then went to the Rijksmuseum which was huge and with Van Gogh, Monet etc. After sitting outside next to the canals we started our highly anticipated meal of the trip. At Szechuan I got more so a ramen dish, though the table got dumplings, soup and different chicken, beef dishes. So spicy and on par if not better than the Ramen Bar dare I say. We grabbed our bags and headed north to the airport again on train for a seamless flight and a long-awaited bus ride at midnight. I look back on this weekend similarly to our entire trip with nostalgia and some of my best memories, lots of laughs and friendships formed. This summer has without a doubt been the best and I thank everyone I met for making it so difficult and bittersweet to leave. I don’t think I’ve ever made a better decision to sign up, entering in barely knowing anybody and leaving with lifelong relationships and more stories than I could count. I wanted to make the most out the experience, going out and saying yes to as much as I could and I’m sure I’ve more than completed that haha. I leave a more confident, sociable, professionally prepared and enthusiastic person which I’m so happy to say. I’m staying a few extra days here then head to London with my mom and grandma for a little bit more of a Euro Summer! (This’ll help me adjust back to reality)