Guten Tag!
The crisp weather is hitting Heidelberg, in the form of rain, rain, and more rain. Coming from the East Coast, I really feel the most at home when fresh droplets are landing on the rooftop, and I’m nestled under fluffy covers in a warm room. As we all finish our homework, the therapeutic sound and chimes of the Church bells down in town create a peaceful melody, which makes Moore Haus feel safe. We are all sheltered until we stroll to class in the dewy morning.
This relaxing night was just what we needed after a weekend of pure adventure. We embarked on our first official trip, which was to Amsterdam, at 4:30 a.m. on Friday morning. After successfully settling into our seats on the train and experiencing the great relief of getting our Eurorail passes approved, we were all ready for a four-hour nap. Little did we know that to Germans, a sunrise train trip called for merriment and celebration. Various parties of adults passed oversized boxes, containing slices of meat and cheese, across the aisles, and cheerfully popped beverages. We eventually decided that sleep was not going to happen, so all of us Pepperdine students converged into one train cart to share our excitement for our first overnight outing.
Upon arriving in Amsterdam’s station, we were taken aback by the architecture. It embodied styles of completely different time periods. Various canals divided the city, and the chilly air awakened us. After securing our hostel, enjoying a filling lunch, and checking in with our parents whenever we could get WiFi, we attended a concert. It was a mind-blowing performance featuring Macklemore, a rapper from Seattle, Washington. It was reassuring to hear English lyrics that we could proudly sing along to, amidst a crowd of Netherlanders. At this concert, we were reunited with Pepperdiners from Lausanne, and we all formed a giant block in the front of the music hall. We were so close to the performer that we could see droplets of sweat forming on his forehead. After the concert, we caught up with our friends from the Switzerland program at McDonalds (continuing the American theme).
The next day, we ventured to tourist hot spots, like the Van Gogh Museum, and took pictures on giant letter-sculptures spelling out Amsterdam. We climbed to the tops of the letters and took hundreds of photos. We finished the day at Anne Frank’s house, which was at the top of our “to-do” lists. We were among the last people to tour her home that day; it was dark at the time and quite eerie. The sadness that I felt as I climbed the creaky stairs and visualized her life in the annex shook me up a bit, but also reminded me of my extreme fortune in life.
Feeling so extremely blessed and also quite exhausted from the day, we decided to just have a low-key dinner. We found an Italian café that was emitting a mouth-watering scent. Halfway through our delectable meal, we were joined by a cat that hopped on our laps. As it proceeded to stalk our meals, the waitress just laughed. Strange situation, delicious food. We weren’t complaining
Our trip to Amsterdam was a total success; we became more experienced with the tram system, the process of booking hostels, and Amsterdam key-chain hunting. Most importantly, we learned that no matter what predicaments we encounter, we can have fun figuring out solutions. We realized that if we treasure the company of the people are with, evened flawed trips will be memorable and enjoyable.
