After finally finding the pick-up, ISN drove us to the main Guesthouse, where we paid our fees for the month, got our keys, and...waited around a while for the next shuttle. It proved a good opportunity to chat and get to know a few other exchange students. Eventually, of course, we made it to our guesthouses.
My room is a very, very large room with a sink, bed, some shelving, and a beautiful view of the street in front and an old church in the distance. The room is inside of a unit of four rooms with shared kitchen, shower and toilets.
After dropping my stuff off, and meeting a few of my flatmates, I headed out for a quick stop at the supermarket across the street. I'm sure I'll be doing a post about Dutch supermarkets (since going to the store and buying things I don't recognize is a favourite travel experience of mine), but to sum it up quickly, it was very small and basic. There was everything you need, of course, but none of the extra flashiness of a North American grocery store. I also really conspicuously felt my lack of Dutch here-maybe I'm just too Canadian, but I felt rude not knowing how to say please and thank you to the cashier.
I decided that I would join the Maastricht city tour, and so I dropped off my purchases and headed back to the main guesthouse,where I was able to jump on the end of the walking tour just in time. We went through a whole host of interesting sites, including old city walls used to keep people with the plague out, an old fashioned stone mill, and a lovely park. None of which I anticipate being able to find again any time soon. After the tour there was a dinner at a restaurant in town, followed by a party and then after party. I made friends with a few people at my table at dinner, and we went together to the bar-which was quite possibly the most crowded one I've ever seen-so we left and opted for drinks at a quieter place instead, before returning to the party once ISN had opened a second venue. Having travelled across Europe that same day, I decided not to stay too late, and soon went home.
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