Hello again everyone! First of all I want to say that if you have been trying to get ahold of me the past few weeks and have found yourself unsuccessful, I am truly sorry! I like to consider myself decent at staying in touch with friends and family on the norm, and it seems logical that in the first month of my summer break I would have all the time in the world; however, nothing is further from the truth! Allow me to elaborate in an effort to earn your forgiveness…
After our final exams and a wonderful group farewell dinner, I said goodbye to all of my friends in Vilnius and Charlie and I hustled our lives back to The Netherlands. I stayed my last night in Lithuania at Miriam’s house where we made the last (for now anyway!) of many many meals together and chatted about our studies and lives so far since we met in August. I was very sad to leave her the next morning, but lucky for me, she will be only a short train ride away in the coming months. Miri will be writing her thesis in Germany and I in The Netherlands this winter and look forward to visiting her in Cologne!!
Much to my pleasure, upon arrival in Groningen I was met at the train station by a very pleased and very dismayed boyfriend…please that Charlie Pants and I had returned and dismayed by my large suitcases…I guess I don’t travel as light as I thought!!
Currently, Gerben rents a room in a three-bedroom “bovenwoning” or elevated flat shared with two of his close friends. Our plan was that I would stay with him through June and after some rearranging and space making, all of my things found a home. Luckily he has a loft bed under which we made what is lovingly referred to as “the Madi corner”. Yes, I literally live under my boyfriend’s bed, and it’s awesome! We also made a trip to thrift store for some old patio furniture and Gerben even let me plant a few flower in a windowsill box outside to spruce things up. I am very pleased with the result. ;) 
The first weekend back in Holland I participated in the Drenthe Festival half-marathon, which may have been literally the worst idea I think I’ve ever had…Gerben and Charlie faithfully cheered me on, and to be honest I would have perished without them! The head wind was so strong I felt like a turtle stampeding through peanut butter, combined with not enough sleep and finding myself starving by kilometer 12 the whole thing was fit for disaster. By the time I finished I was so exhausted I thought I would vomit or pass out or both at the same time. I slept the whole bus ride home after which Gerben pumped me full of water and hot potato soup. What a long yucky day! Thanks Geb for pulling me through!! Xoxo :D 
The following Monday I began my Dutch language courses. For the last three weeks I spent 3.5 hours/day in the company of thirteen other foreigners as we struggled through 15 chapters of a “beginners” Dutch book, to arrive at the end wondering if we would ever actually be able to speak well. Our class consisted of students from Romania, Italy, Korea, UK, Syria, Germany, Brazil and even a fellow American. The course was really tough and we all got our fair-share of frustrated, but I think we all got a basic feel for the language and personally found it SUPER fun most of the time!! The homework load was heavy to say the least, but about halfway through the course our Syrian classmates invited us to one of their homes for a big pre-Ramadan dinner! I supplied the dessert and Mohammed prepared us a feast to be remembered! Oh my was it tasty, and there were even plenty of vegetarian options for me to choose from! We all had a great night listening to Arabic music, eating, attempting to dance, eating, chatting, eating, discussing and eating some more. Thanks boys for sharing some of your food and culture with us! Lets do it again soon! :D
Meanwhile I spent most of my precious free time reconnecting with my Groningen friends, picnicking in the park with Charlie and Gerben, taking a day trip to Hoornse Meer (a nice lake near the city), attending a skate competition with Gerben and even visiting his parents in Delfzil on his Mom’s birthday. Also I was able to rendezvous with some visiting family in Amsterdam for a day! It was so wonderful to see Carter, Jenny, Jack and Robbie after nearly a year and got me super amped to see everyone else soon!! Yes, I will be at the ranch for the 4th of July Extravaganza and cannot wait to hug all of you Mac-People!!
Anyway, we were busy having so much fun the days flew by and before I knew it was time for the Dutch course to end and for me (yet again) to board plane, this time bound for Iceland and then USA here I come!!! Charlie will stay in Holland with Gerben sadly, but I know he is in good hands! Like two peas in a pod they are!
I hope I have somewhat redeemed myself for being so unavailable the past few weeks and promise to redeem myself upon arrival! Hugs and kisses to everyone and I hope to see you all in a week!! :D
On a final note, Franzi and I will be running again in Iceland to raise funds for Sharanam Center for Girls. We would like to raise as much as possible before the end of the summer and are still looking for sponsors, so if you are interested in more information please click HERE!!! to see the website, description and donating guidelines :) Thanks and take care! xoxo
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