This one is for you big Granger!

Well, after a scolding comment on my last blog from Granger sr. here I am.

A lot has happened since my last post two weeks ago! oops. Unfortunately most of what has happened has been academic so its kinda boring. I just finished my first block of classes on tuesday and had my final on thursday. After almost an entire week in the library I finished! And I think I passed, well, hopefully I passed. It is a little hard to be committed when the grades transfer back to the University of Denver as pass/fail. I start two new classes on monday, a Dutch Art History class as well as a Comparative Government class.

Heres my library set-up. Really interesting right?

Since my last post I have passed the halfway point of my trip! It feels like just yesterday that I was in Berlin for orientation! For this blog I am going to do a halfway reflection. So here we go:

What I have enjoyed (Uh... can I just say everything?): 

Going to the pub-- I really enjoy the pubs, especially the fact that going to the pub is an appropriate place to have a study session, go for a group meeting, or take a study break.

The people- I have really enjoyed most of the people I have come across. Most people seem to very genuine, something that I don't always get back home. As I have mentioned in a previous blog, people here are more intelligent and less ignorant than many Americans. Politics, culture, international relations and economics are common dialogs. 

School- It might sound a little nerdy, but I have loved the academics here. It is a lot more challenging than the University of Denver. It is more professional and the environment is more conducive to learning. I have loved the fact that there are 16 different accents in my classroom. The international feel of the school is awesome and I feel like I have grown as a person/student while studying here.

The Nightlife- There is so much to do and you can always find someone to party with you no matter what day of the week it is. (Don't worry Mom and Dad, I never go out).

The City- Maastricht is a beautiful city, there are so many little cafes and coffee shops.... You can always find something to do!

Sports- I have been getting really into football (soccer) while here. It is an amazing sport. I have also been trying to get into rugby, thats a work in process. 

I could go on and on on things I enjoy but I think you guys get the point.

What I dislike:

The American stereo-type- I understand why the people here feel the way they do about Americans, but it gets old and frustrating. I may be frustrated because for the most part, the stereo-types are true, but regardless I have grown tired of it.

School- I know I put school in the previous section. While I do love how challenging school is, it does take away from potential traveling that I could be doing. So its fits in both sections.

I think thats pretty good! Only two dislikes?

What I miss:

Family/Home- I think this goes without saying. Regardless of how much fun I am having being away from family is always hard. Regardless of how much I love Maastricht, San Francisco is the best city in the world and that will never change.

Friends- I will always miss the homies back home. Especially Julia Chambers!

Baseball- As many of you know I play ball back home and it is hard not taking the field a few times a week.

Overall I think it is pretty obvious that I love it here!

Since I got a special request in the comment section of my last post by Granger sr., stating that he "Wants more news about beer" here you go. Here is my collection of crates of beer (I get serious money for returning them to the store). This is just for the last month. Not too shabby eh Granger?

Additionally I got to video chat with two of my besties, Granger jr. and Julia last week and that was awesome. 

I don't know if anyone besides Granger sr. still reads my blog but if any of you guys have any questions/are curious about anything ask me in the comments and ill address it in the next blog. 

Well, it is 8:15pm on a saturday! Im off to the pub to catch the second half of the game! Ill talk to you guys soon, and remember to smile more! (Sorry for the type-o's)

Still DUing it

Hey guys!
After being scolded for an hour over skype yesterday by Mom and Dad for not doing a good job staying up to date with my blog, I realized it was time for another post. So here we go.

Ill start with school work. Since I left you last my group had to write a 5,000 word project proposal on the prevention of HIV/AIDS in a township in South Africa. Needless to say, it was a lot of work. However my group's proposal "won" the the funding and we received an 8.5 which, apparently, is a very good grade. (I still don't understand how these crazy Dutch grade things). Additionally my group also had a paper on land grabbing in Cambodia due last night. Because we spent a long time on the AIDS proposal we were a little rushed to get this weeks paper in. We had a cram-sesh on saturday to get it done.

What study session is complete without beer and Dominos?

Outside of my dedicated school work I managed to have some fun. On friday some friends and I went up to Amsterdam to watch the Dutch national team take on Hungary. It was a lot of fun! The Dutch won 8-1 so that was ridiculous.

View from my seats

The stadium

After 2 months of sitting on my butt I finally got a gym membership. It was pretty expensive, but I don't want to come back to the States with a beer belly! Additionally, I have been spending a lot of my free time exploring the different pubs in Maastricht. I found a really cool one that has over 2,000 beers. It is crazy because you don't order a beer, you tell the guy what flavors you like and he chooses the beer for you. It was closed the day I went, but I will certainly try and go again. It sounds fun! Ill keep you guys updated. I am entering the last week of classes for this block and I have my exam next week. Things are getting a little bit stressful and the library is getting crowded. Thats all I got for now.

Cheers,

Ben

Oktnotsosoberfest

Hey ya'll sorry for the late update on my trip over to Munich for Oktoberfest last weekend. It was one hell of a time. Granger and I stopped in Munich 4 times during our Europe trip a few years back. It is one of my all time favorite cities. Great food, great people and even better beer.

There is a student organization here called Way to Go, I think I have mentioned them before. Anyways they organize trips throughout the year and provide a cheap alternative for transportation and housing. It is really awesome, the "guides" are all in their mid-twenties and want to enjoy the trip just as much as we do.

We boarded the bus a 9pm and began our 10 hour drive to Munich. It not the most comfortable thing in the world but you do what you can to catch some Zs. At about 5 in the morning we pulled into a rest stop and changed into the appropriate clothing, got a red bull and signed a waiver that basically said if we died it wasn't Way to Go's fault.

  

Getting Pumped!

After a short stop it was off to Oktoberfest. We arrived at 8am and were dropped off right at the gate. It was a sight for sore eyes. Oktoberfest is a fair so in addition to the 11 beer tents there are rides, games, food and more! The tents are huge, some fitting up to 10,000 people. Each tent is for a spcific brewery and serves that beer.

The tents open at 9, but you have to get in line early to make sure you get a table. When 9 o'clock comes around it is a mad rush for table. Because we were in line early finding a table was not an issue. As soon as you sit down the waitresses slam down 10 1L beers on the table. Each one costs 10 Euros! Yeah, it was an expensive trip but how many times are you gonna make it to Oktoberfest! Once the beers came it was uninterrupted drinking for hours. The only interruption occurred when someone in the tent stands on their table. Doing so commits you to chugging your entire beer while rest of the tent cheers loudly. Success is met by fame, praise, cheers and bragging rights but failure is met by a chorus of boos and flying food. It was quite entertaining.

Beer

Obviously there is a lot of drinking going on here so here is a quick overview of my first day:

Beer 1

Beer 2

Beer 3

Beer 4

Beer 5

The first day we spent about 5 hours in the tent and then decided to stumble around outside and go on some rides. That turned out to be a bad idea for a few people with bellies full of beer. Not for me though! I had a great time.

Oktoberfest shuts down a 11pm, which may seem early, but remember the drinking starts at 9am. We had to take the train 45 minutes to our camp ground. They Way to Go trip had about 100 people on it. We all stayed in the same tent and were given a little cot and an sleeping bag. After a few more drinks by the fire it was straight to bed. 

We awoke at 5am the next morning to a nice breakfast and rode the bus back to Oktoberfest. We arrived at 7:45 and again waited in line. On this day, in addition to more drinking, I got food which was also served in the tents. I got a white sausage in the morning and a half chicken in the afternoon. They were both phenomonal.

The bus was leaving at 8pm, so we had 11 hours to spend in the tent. Drinking games were played, music was listened to, songs were sung and fun was had. During the 11 hours of drinking a few people "fell asleep" at the table.

After an entire day of drinking we had to get back on the bus and head back to Maastricht. A 10 hour bus ride is not the best things after 11 hours of drinking, but hey, had to deal with it. We arrived back at school at 6am-ish and the unlucky majority had to go to class while I went straight to bed because I don't have monday classes!

Here are some more pics from the weekend:

Like my outfit?

This trip was one of the best things I have ever done in my life. An unforgettable experience. I can only hope to make it back in the future. 

Thanks for reading and how is it living with no government?