Weekend of Adventures in Amsterdam - Student Take Over By Izzy Lewander and Clare Crawford

We began the weekend at Amsterdamse Bos Park, biking through the greenery. We took advantage of the opportunity by biking for 2 hours around the park. We sat before the lake for a break and reflected on our journals. This relaxing bike ride and a nice break under a shady tree started our weekend off on the right foot. After our adventures on the bikes, we got to know some of the kids from the other program (Inside World Governance). This consisted of a few icebreaker games and then some free time to chat! Clare, Atlas, Carolina, Ciara, Asha, some World Governance kids, and I all got to know each other better as we went to get a sweet treat, ice cream! Shortly after, our group had to return to the hostel, and we enjoyed some card games to bring our evening to a close.

On Sunday, we headed to Zaanse Schans, where we saw the old windmills and their functions. Many museums in the village had exhibitions showing the history of industrialization. My favorite was the chocolate and biscuits museum, where we saw how these sweet treats were made in mass amounts. There were interactive games where we could experience a little of the stress and expectations of the factory. We also got to taste some of the biscuits. After exploring the museums, we headed to some shops where there were a lot of handmade soaps, vintage items, souvenirs, and Miffy items. This day was one of the hottest days so far, so we had to eat a lot of ice cream to cool down. On our way home, we were surprised by the opportunity of swimming in the canal near the maritime museum. We got to jump from the docks and refresh ourselves in the cool water. After a day filled with fun, we played cards (per usual) and went to bed early to prepare for our classes the next day.

                 <3 Izzy & Clare!