Once in a Lifetime | Dutch Diaries Week Seven
The Weekend | Het Weekend
When I first told people that I would be studying abroad during the fall semester in Maastricht, most conversations followed a similar trajectory. First was the question everyone was a little hesitant to ask, worrying that the answer would be obvious and expose their lack of geographical knowledge: “Where the heck is Maastricht?” This was then followed by the question that everybody seemed beyond eager to ask: “Are you going to Oktoberfest? You have to go to Oktoberfest!”
Yes, I would be going to Oktoberfest.
Last weekend, I hopped on the train to Munich, and did just that. Beer was consumed by the liter, pretzels and bratwursts were eaten, tables were danced on, carnival rides were ridden, and dirndls were worn. I now know why everyone insisted on it being a once in a lifetime event. I didn’t stop smiling until the bus ride home.
That being said, for me, Oktoberfest in Munich really will be a once in a lifetime kind of thing. While it was more fun than I’d ever imagined, the whole event took on a kind of Disneyland feel (that’s not necessarily a bad thing— Disneyland is the happiest place on Earth, after all). Maybe it was the tent we were in, but I only met two people who weren’t American… and they were Canadian. I didn’t really even feel like we were in Germany until we explored Munich the following morning.
On the train back to Maastricht, I found myself wishing we had spent a little more time in the city of Munich and a little less time in a tent with beer steins in our hands. It turns out that the highlight of Oktoberfest wasn’t Oktoberfest at all. I loved dressing up in my dirndl and the festival was unforgettable, but wandering the city streets, watching local surfers ride waves created by the river rapids (I’m adding this to my bucket list), and enjoying the city’s biggest park were all much more my speed. What little of the city we were able to see, with its mix of medieval architecture and Bavarian charm, had me wishing I could spend more time there.
Monday | Maandag
Unfortunately, my weekday life in Maastricht awaited, and on Monday, that weekday life was full of rigorous studying and aggressive self care (we’re talking a face mask and four cups of tea) to make up for the weekend's shenanigans. With the end of my first of two blocks of classes looming, I had multiple large assignments to complete my next weekend of adventure, so a friend and I decided to head to the next cafe on the quest to find Maastricht’s best study spot and get to work.
Preps cafe marks the fifth cafe we’ve tried out, and with my collection of buy-ten-get-one-free punch cards continuing to grow, I’m not sure we will ever be able to narrow it down to just one favorite study spot. I mean, how could you ever say no to these pancakes?
Tuesday and Wednesday | Dinsdag en Woensdag
Tuesday and Wednesday played out similarly to most other midweek days in the past six weeks, full of class, studying, turning in assignments, trip planning, and trying to figure out my post-grad plans. The last part of that equation, the job-search part, proved a little bit more stressful than usual, even prompting me to enroll in an online course to enhance some professional skills. Apparently, even though studying abroad may not feel like real life, I still have to prepare for real life, and while I’ve successfully gotten away from all of those “what are you doing after graduation?” questions, I still have to figure out what the h*ck I actually am doing after graduation (so, if you happen to be hiring…).
Thursday | Donderdag
Even though the stress that is inherent in being a college senior on the hunt of career opportunities doesn’t magically disappear when you’re studying abroad, being away from my home university does give me the opportunity to take a break from the constant pressure to figure out what’s next. Leaving my computer, my resume, and half-completed job applications behind for a few days, I decided to escape that pressure the best way I know how: on a plane, headed to the coast.
