University of North Carolina Athletics
Heels In Holland: Chapter 1
June 1, 2014 | Field Hockey
Our Holland adventure began Thursday (May 29). We flew from RDU to Atlanta, then from Atlanta we had a nine-hour flight to Amsterdam. Luckily, the great movie selection helped the time go faster. Unfortunately, the wailing baby near us did not. (Our associate head coach Grant Fulton's adorable son, Oliver, remained adorable and quiet, however.)
After a smooth landing in Amsterdam we were promptly met by our tour guides, Miquel and Jose, who showed us the way to Leiden. Once we unpacked our rooms, we decided to venture through the town. As we were walking around, we stuck out like sore thumbs with our American accents and different styles of dress. After we struggled to order and pay for our food, we headed back to the hotel for a much-needed two-hour nap.
After freshening up, we all walked to a nearby restaurant for a "Tar Heel Family Dinner," buffet-style food with local dishes such as butter fish and lamb sausage. After dinner there was still enough free time to continue our exploration of Leiden.
This ended the events of the first day in Holland. This being my first time in Europe, I've enjoyed an amazing opportunity to see such differences in culture: Drastic differences such as bicycles being the main form of transportation and Leiden having an open, village-like atmosphere, and also small differences such as light switches being pushed down to turn on. Now all of the differences give me a better understanding of what it's like to be an outsider. I'm looking forward to the rest of the trip by absorbing more hockey knowledge and supporting the U.S. team in the World Cup.
