For starters, I just want to say how much I've grown to love the city of Maastricht. Having another weekend here has given me more appreciation for not only the city itself but for the opportunity to study abroad. Especially in my position of being a collegiate athlete, it is extremely special to study abroad especially with eight of my best friends that are also on the team. Maastricht really is a special place and compared to all the cities we have been to. The relaxed environment and the structure and size of the city is really incredible. Reflecting on the city, I remembered a conversation I had with one of my close family friends, Sam, over the summer. Sam studied abroad in the Netherlands but did not get into the University of Maastricht, which I thought said a lot about the school and its prestige. He spent his time abroad traveling around the Netherlands, visiting almost every city which was an awesome way to really get to know the country. When I mentioned to him that I was studying in Maastricht, he instantly started to ramble about the city and how great it was. He said he visited Maastricht twice because he loved the city and how beautiful and peaceful it was. This weekend, I felt like I really began to understand what he felt and I certainly am not taking this experience for granted. From the cobblestone to the bridges and building structure I still am amazed after two months of living here.
This weekend, on Friday, we went to a Netherlands Soccer game versus Belarus. We paid forty-five Euro for the ticket and a bus ride to the stadium and back to the guesthouse, which wasn't a bad deal! Before this, I had never been to a professional soccer game in my life which is something I've always wanted to do. The stadium was in Rotterdam which was a little more than a two-hour drive. When we got there, we scrambled over to the entrance gates where there were vendors and trailer cars selling jerseys, shirts, and scarfs. Wanting to show my pride for the home team, I bought a scarf with the Netherlands soccer colors and logo on the front and the national flag on the back. The scarf was fifteen Euros which wasn't bad but the jersey, which is what I originally wanted to purchase was eighty euro. After we got our Netherlands apparel, Kevin and I walked over to a hamburger vendor since we had not eaten anything since leaving the guesthouse. I wasn't expecting much from the burger since it was from a vendor but it really did not sit well in my stomach which I wasn't too thrilled about. Anyways, after we ate our burger we walked over to the entrance, handed the security our tickets and walked into the stadium. To start out, I was quite surprised by the size of the stadium which in comparison made me think I was going to a professional game in America. I also didn't think our seat were going to be great since we didn't pay that much for the ticket but boy was I wrong. We sat in the fifth row right behind the benched of the teams and the atmosphere was incredible! Everyone in the stadium has so much passion and funny enough, did the wave around the stadium almost every couple minutes. The Netherlands won 4-1 and had a couple of really nice goals. After the game we had some time to spare so I bought another scarf for my little brother as a souvenir; he is coming to visit during thanksgiving with the rest of my family! After going to the soccer game and experiencing it made me realize the phenomena of soccer in Europe. Like football in America, soccer in Europe is extremely popular, and popular enough that a lot of Americans who live in America follow it religiously too. 
All in all, this weekend was another great couple of days. I was able to reflect on my time here so far and experience something that I will remember forever. As weekends approach, I can't wait to see what else is in store.
