First Day of School (kinda like kindergarten)

School has finally started! While the rest of my friends are rounding off week 2 we are just beginning. Today was one of my dutch classes and the other was my baylor class. Dutch class: cute old man but his voice is a little too soothing a.k.a I'm going to need coffee. My human rights and dissidence class though is going to be wonderful. I am so excited about learning and discussing things I have a passion for learning. Otherwise, the random train ride to liege to try and buy paris tickets for this weekend (unnecessary) but what a great experience and it gave us an excuse to buy chips and salsa. Surprising that we found good salsa, i know but we did it. Then we made ridiculous videos and it was a highlight of my day. check out nicole's wall-the two and a half minute video so worth it. now it's crepe time and chilling after our first day of studies. It was intense but I keep having to tell myself I am here for school.

80's is my jam

gotta love that 80's music for all but a good 6hours of the day. That is what rach, lauren and I were all about this morning as we sat at a cafe and just read, talked, and people watched our sunday away. At first we convened outside an asian cafe (do those really exist and yes they do that's confirmed) and just read our Bibles together, discussed life love and other mysteries and really took in the beauty of the city. We even saw a street-side parade equipped with tubas, a 5 year old assistant director in an adorable red coat and renaissance style attire and headdress. It was a day for enjoying the scenery. However, the weather is unpredictable and we decided to take things indoors when it got colder which meant moving about 100 meters to one of about 10 cafes located right next to each other and sat inside. We sipped some tea and read for our first day of classes tomorrow almost in vain as a blaring 80's soundtrack was our trusty companion the entire time we sat in the restaurant. Amusing? yes, helpful or productive? not so much. But now we are back in the dorm waiting for dinner and I am just giving thanks to God for the people I know and the blessed day He is giving.

This is my life yo

((dutch tour guide))
we are settled! yesterday was our last day of group-time and orientations so we are now on our own living in the city. We took a boat trip and then explored some caves which were pretty much just dark and damp but what made the whole thing worth it was our dutch tour guide who had no idea he was so funny but kept making dry humor comments the whole time. quote: wanna know what's better than walls? (click on the flashlight to the ceiling) an arrow. and he points to a small arrow carved on the wall with such a straight face and we just lost it. After that was girl's night out with the hummus (we think) that we bought at the cool market that happens every wednesday and fridays and some bread and wine and celebrated drew and rachel's one year anniversary with her since he is in the states. And while everyone else skiddaddled on down to belgium for some chocolate, some of us who stayed just sauntered around the city and were complete tourists for the day. i bought some red wooden clogs and my life is complete. Everywhere I look I am hit with the realization that I am in Europe-how did this happen and why am I so lucky that I get to wake up in a city that is filled with rich culture and a history. So blessed. But let's talk about the fact that the Lord has been constantly blessing me. Everywhere I turn I'm bombarded with little sweet nothings of emails or great skype dates or notes from my friends back home or countless other moments of Jesus filling my soul back up again. Yesterday morning a steady rain began to fall on us as we were browsing the market and of course I had no umbrella or rainjacket but it was just a cleansing experience to walk in the rain and be soaked but He was filling my cup which earlier that morning I had been reading about the Lord turning bitter water sweet and that was my surprise for the day. THIS IS MY LIFE. what could i possibly have to complain about?

Town Time

Today was orientation day 1 which consisted of us being guided around the town and different university centers by a dutch student and that was nice to know the town a little. However, everything is really far apart and therefore getting from one class to the next could be a 25 minute walk. Enter mr. bike, the only thing with riding a bike is that it is an intense activity. There are specified roads and about 80 percent of the population rides around so there's "bike traffic". I on the other hand don't even remember hand signals let alone using them and riding with one hand. but it is going to be an experience which is what this whole semester is going to be about. This weekend is apparently a festival type event so I think most of us plan to stay and explore. The town is much bigger than I expected. There are cobblestone streets and cafe's on every corner, its incredible. I am living in a dream, definitely in the honeymoon phase. We've already started planning for our weekend trips and it's all a buzz. I just want to soak as much of it in as I can. This is my home for the next three months and these people are my family. Adventures here I come! (was that a bit Indiana Jones like-yes but that's ok I like it)

Maastricht- We Are Here

We finally arrived after a super long day of travel and bus rides and the early flight but the town is really cool (from the 10 minutes I've seen of it outside my dorm) and the dorms are really nice. Our rooms are huge compared to baylor dorms and we're all close so that makes it nice to have that close community. It hasn't really hit me yet that we are here for 3 months and that we are studying here everyday. I'm still in tourist mode but as of today I am an international student?! who knew this would ever actually happen and now it is! It's going to be an adjustment getting acclimated to the new school and schedule but that just comes with time, like all things in life I'm slowly learning. Orientation starts tomorrow so more to come but for now I made it!

The Animals

These last days in Iceland have been jammed packed with long days of sight-seeing. In the morning we took a 3 HOUR whale watching boat trip which sounds really awesome but o wait, it was just a big sick fest. It was super choppy and windy and the waves were incredibly rough and although we got sweet body suits to wear, so many poor souls were just green. Thankfully after that excursion we got to relax at the blue lagoon which was super cool and chill. It was like a spa treatment and just really surreal to be able to experience things people dream of doing. At night its great because just a group of girls will go to a restaurant together or coffee bar and enjoy the time in the city talking and eating the best apple crumble I've ever had. But today was absolutely beyond words. It was majestic. We saw two huge i mean 60 ft drop waterfalls that were breathtaking and a black sand beach which of course is an the arctic water or something so it was freezing and starting pouring on us but no big deal we just ran to the nearest cave of course. only in iceland. But i soaked up every minute of it. There was a full rainbow while we were driving so we just had to stop and see it. And it was incredible because I had just been reading about the ark and the rainbow as a sign of restoration and I just couldn't believe the blessings God keeps offering to me. I just have no words but only facial expressions of my joy at the wonders He has created. Today was just a good day. Our dinner was at this awesome icelandic bar and we just laughed the whole meal. I haven't laughed til I've cried in such a while and it was refreshing to my soul. I don't want to take those small things for granted and I have hope that this is just a beginning to a crazy crazy adventure. I am ready to be in Maastricht though and just be settled which we finally get to do tomorrow at 4:30 in the a.m so yay for no sleep.

ICELAND

So, not really sure how this whole blogging thing is going to go but here's a try (this is for you mom). We are ending day two of Iceland-so random but ridiculously awesome. This country has been blessed with the most incredible natural wonders you will ever get to experience. We've spent the past two days exploring Reykjavik-every thing is this long and complicated its great- and just seeing the beauty of the earth. The bus tour today was really long with a random side trip to see an electric plant-my number one sight seeing stop-but it was a good journey. We've seen gushing geysers which were really phenomenal and the landscape is just such an interesting terrain. Everything has a mountain backdrop but with water and short shrubs and a sky that changes every few seconds from being mysterious and dark to clear blue with perfect white puffy clouds. It is a constant reminder of the magnificence of the Lord. Who is man that we are mindful of him? kept ringing in my head the whole day. But besides the incredible women that are on this trip with me who have opened up with such honesty about what they desire from this trip while we sip blush wine at the quaintest romantic restaurant in downtown, the most amazing thing I've experienced so far is the waterfall. My first waterfall and i was in the words of lauren on cloud 15 if that is possible and it was such a beautiful thing. The pictures don't begin to do it justice. It was so wonderful to feel the rushing wind (and there was such crazy wind going on all day) and to know that God is in control and is powerful without a doubt. And that is comforting and scary and awe-inspiring because when I hold on to life so tight He is there to remind me that He is God. period. And it was powerful but gentle because it was mine and mine alone. It has been such a dream of mine to see a waterfall and I tear up even as I'm talking about it because although 40 + students and other tourists were right there with me snapping thousands of pictures from every angle possible, it was just me and God and He was blessing me. Why is it so hard to receive sometimes? Well, so much more to see and I can't wait to explore the rest of Iceland/Europe. Love and miss you all dearly if you're reading :)