Instagram

Missing this group and our Tuesday excursions a little extra today! #tbt #spice2016 #katiespiceurope #holland #studyabroad via Instagram http://ift.tt/1U6cO3r

Jet Lag

Jet leg... let me tell you it's a real thing that wakes you up at 2am, 4am, and 6am every day for a week straight! At 4am you body is certain that it's 10 in the morning but the clock says differently. Thankfully, I am now a few weeks out and the jet lag has subsided. However, I still try and pull that excuse to go to bed early or to take naps, but my friends are not buying it anymore; instead, they just look at me and say, "You've been home for 3 weeks now, get over it #siudwi (suck it up and deal with it)" Experts say that it takes one day for every hour difference. And that is true for sleep side of things. Each day got a little easier and by the end of the first week I was only waking up at 6am instead of 2am.

And then life starts to set in... My sleep schedule has returned to normal, but there are several things that remain "jet lagged." For example, I find American coins very strange; they are so light and frankly I don't use them as often as I used euro coins. Secondly, I can't just call up a friend and say I'm biking over to your place now. I can't bike to the store or the market. Other things include ordering, I have to remember that when I go to order something that I can actually use English.

I think the biggest thing that has been "jet lagged" is the fact that Tuesdays no longer revolve around which Dutch city we'll be visiting this week as a SPICE family. Lately, I miss them all especially more than usual because I am in transition. Transition is a word that I will most likely be using for the next few months as I try and find my place after study abroad and after graduation. I'm also transition from being surrounded by a group of students traveling Europe to being with family in one stationary spot. And then one more transition this week. I'm transition from being at home with family and few responsibilities to a camp where I am surrounded by friends that feel more like family and where my responsibilities seem overwhelming at times. In these times of transition, I find myself missing the spontaneity of my time with the SPICE group, I find myself homesick for a group that it took me 4159 miles and nearly 3 weeks to remind myself that we became bonded by our similar experiences and our need for connection.

So friends that I may encounter during these times of transition. Be patient with me if I talk incessantly about the Netherlands. Bear with me if Dutch words are the first out of my mouth or instead of using the English word, I want to learn the Dutch equivalent. Hug me extra tight if I come and my eyes are red, I may have just bawled my eyes out missing Europe. Push me forward (or off my chair) if I keep talking about de vliegende paard. Tell me to #siudwi if I blame things on jet lag because let's be real, jet lag ended about 3 weeks ago.

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#katiespiceurope
#studyabroad

Memories

I have put off writing a blog post as long as I can. I haven't been able to find the words that can describe the last few weeks let alone the last four months here in Zwolle. They have been emotional to say the least. There are times when I come home after everyone has gone off to bed and I find myself clinging to memories of the semester. I find myself in the chair after several moments of silence and realize that I have tears trailing down my cheeks. I have been trying to prepare myself for the moment that I say my final "see you later." Its not easy to leave a place where you have made four months of memories, but the thing about memories is that you can take them with you. So, here are my top 5 memories that I hope never to forget:

(1) Saturday night pancakes followed by Wie is de mol (in the first few months). In the words of Yoran "the best night!"

(2) The horse ride in the park. What a surprise adventure! You could hear our laughter across the field and see our smiles for miles and miles! Aniek and I even got to drive the horse duo.

(3) Laser gaming. Pitting family members against each other. Blue vs. Red who will win?

(4) Baking cookies and cake pops with the girls.

(5) Tea time. Even if everyone is on their phone or the girls have gone to bed already. I love this little ritual of a cup of tea to end the day.

So as I sit here on my last evening with the family de Boer, I am sad to leave, but I am immensely grateful for these memories that I have to take with me.

***Additional memories see dinner time post

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Heavenly Father, I stand in awe of you and the works that you have done. Thank you for placing me in such a loving home where memories are made and you name is honored. Bless this family for they have been a blessing to me

#katiespiceurope
#family

Instagram

"In memory of the VALOR and the SACRIFICES which hallow this soil" // we were able to reunite three generations today as we remembered Rudolf Olson ( my great great uncle) the day before the Netherlands #Liberationday // #katiespiceurope #omarmdevrijheid via Instagram http://ift.tt/1rUNrZu

Instagram

You're cute! Can I keep you? Welcome to the tulip fields parents!! #holland #katiespiceurope via Instagram http://ift.tt/1W0BqOy

katie_argo

Why do goodbyes have to be so hard?? // Because it means you really love the person(s)! #studyabroad #katiespiceurope

— Katie Argo (@katie_argo) April 29, 2016

from Twitter https://twitter.com/katie_argo

April 28, 2016 at 07:09PM
via IFTTT

When in Rome

Oh the places you'll go and the people you'll meet. When you travel with a group try not to fall on you feet. - Dr Seuss (edited by L.L. Cornstarch).

The travel craze lately has been focused on traveling alone. My own travels have emulated this trend as I've treaded through 7 countries with only myself by my side. I have loved the challenge of finding out who I am and stretching my comfort zones. Meeting new people came easy because I was forced to rely on strangers for a lot of my needs. However, I have had my share of group travels as well, including a most recent trip with a group of 30 students to Rome, Italy. Well it may be obvious that I prefer one way to travel over the other, it does not mean that one is necessarily better than the other - they are just different. Those differences are influenced by the group dynamic as well as the size of the group. Here are the main differences that I discovered:

(1) Spontaneity has a different meaning in a large group because everything is planned and there is a schedule and a route to the way the day moves. It's harder to veer off course and see a sight thats not on the schedule. It's harder to fully rest on your break when you know you have to keep walking in 10 min. However, everything is planned for you. Instead of me fumbling through the ticket line to get into museums or finding out which churches to see, things are already taken care of and I just follow the group where they lead me. I definitely saw more sites with a group than I did on my own. There were two different styles of learning. On my own it was all about about learning through experiencing the culture and walking around. With the group it was all about the sites and learning the history behind them.

(2) Other people's opinions matter. You have a other people to consider when you are with a group - their expectations, their tolerances, habits, likes and dislikes. For example, making choices for dinner. Instead of one opinion you get about a million. You also notice that more people are indecisive when it comes to a group because they want everyone included, and then you run across those people that take charge. Personalities really come to light in groups. When you travel alone it is up to you to fulfill all the group roles.

(3) So many people to talk to. You can just float around from person to person as you walk, making conversation as you go. You might get separated from you convo buddy for a block or two and you have a few choices find a new one, meet back up with them or walk by yourself. What makes a conversation work? Anything. Anything at all! Name you poison. What did you think of church number 7? Number 23? Number 370? Would you visit Rome again? Would you live in Rome? Where else have you travelled? What do you love most about the Netherlands? You name it and it goes, even if for one short convo.

Travel far enough, you meet yourself - Cloud Atlas

     Traveling is where I became confident in finding my way through the unknown. It all started with a single plane ride across the Atlantic (okay maybe two planes) where I met a family that was unknown to me at first, where I experienced a culture that was unfamiliar. I briefly tasted what it is like to travel and live out of your backpack for 3 days, 6 days, 12 days! I traveled by myself and with groups of people. I watched the sun rise and set in more than one country. I shared countless stories that may have caused a few people to be jealous. I hopefully shared a few that inspired at least one person to pursue their desire to travel (even if its a short trip across the pond).
 
     There it is, the end of my travel adventures. But, to say it is the final end would be a lie so let me re-phrase that to say: my travel adventures are wrapping up here in Europe and I'm keeping my eyes peeled for the next time a door like this opens up.

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Lord thank you for your continued protection as my travel adventures of the semester come to a close.

#katiespiceurope
#travel