Carnivale: Where Anything Goes! 2/21-2/24 So, I guess I didn't know what to expect for Carnivale in Maastricht. Everyone described it as the Halloween of Catholic Europe. But, oh no! Multiply Halloween times ten and then add a keg of beer and then you get Carnivale! Carnivale was originally celebrated as the last Hoorah before Lent (kind of like Mardi Gras). People sing, dance, and drink before they begin fasting. Well, the original purpose has been lost a litt...

Barcelovin It! The Adventures of Barcelona February 15, 2009 Michelle and I embarked on our first big trip to Barcelona, Spain! Little did we know what a journey we would be in for! It all started at the Maastricht train station. Our train left 15 minutes late because of the drug police searching all of the cars for potential pot smuggling into Belgium. Add a crazy dude that didn't have a ticket that finally got off the train when a fellow passenger yelled at h...

When in Deutschland…Do What the Germans Do!!! 2/9/2009 After teaching a class for a week in Zurich, Switzerland, my Dad came to visit me for a long weekend! We decided to visit Germany (because neither of us had been and wanted to visit) and so we did a little research. Everyone I talked to said that we should visit Heidelberg....charming town with a really cool castle. Then Stuttgart was recommended for its interesting museums, beautiful castle, and of course...

Home Sweet Maastricht 2/4/2008 Goededag! (Good day in Dutch) So after two weeks of having no obligations but going on tours of the city and rolling out of bed to get on our study trip bus, we started class.... This block (a block here is 8 weeks) I am taking two classes (well its like 3 classes) Intercultural Communication/Dutch Language and Culture and Project Management. So I have to go to class 8 hours per week for 2 classes. It's pretty sweet. I love my...

Gym Day 1/29/2009 Yes, my friends...today was gym day. In order for them to try to convince to join the University gym which is a 20 min. BUS ride away from our dorm, they have us go and tour the facilities and play games. haha. Imagine walking into a sports complex and someone who looks just like one of camp counselors in the movie "Heavyweights" (I think his name was Lars) turning on aerobics music and making you hop on one foot across the gym. Hi...