Dynamic European Adventure 2011

Here I sit in the dining room of my relatives’ home in Holland just hours before takeoff. I’ll be heading back to Canada after an unforgettable trip. It’s natural, I suppose, to now be reflecting back on all of the memories and friendships I made as well as the many lessons I learnt.

I remember on my way to Amsterdam back in June, the flight attendants were updating the passengers on the ongoing scores of a Stanley Cup finals game – and later, while watching a Dutch news broadcast in Rotterdam, I saw the post Canucks loss riots and chaos on the streets of Vancouver. Throughout the past two months touring around Europe, when telling others that I am Canadian, I often heard comments such as: “Oh your Canadian ‘eh?’ and from Vancouver area? Well don’t worry you`re safe here, there won`t be any sports riots…”

The power of sports and their ability to form an unparalleled sense of community seems to be universal. In Manchester one of the easiest ways to spark up conversation seemed to be to simply mention Manchester United or Manchester City ‘football’ (Canadian translation: soccer) teams. It was the same case in Barcelona and of course in London as well; talks about the upcoming Olympics or of course Wimbledon always triggered conversation.

This similarity in the ability for sports to create mutual respect amongst diverse groups of people provides a transition into some other comparisons between my home country and those countries I visited while in Europe. While remembering what some of these comparisons are, I decided to count out all of the different cities and countries I’ve been to… not bad for just seven weeks:

CITIES:
1. Amsterdam
2. Hendrik Ido Ambacht
3. Rotterdam
4. Den Haag
5. Beekse Bergen
6. Arnhem
7. Dilburg
8. Manchester
9. Edinburgh
10. Prague
11. Mlada Boleslav
12. Barcelona
13. Nimes
14. Grenoble
15. Avignon
16. Lyon
17. Paris
While in Paris, France I reported live for 100.7 Giant FM (www.giantfm.ca) click here for the full raw interview!
18. London
19. Dublin
20. Wolverhampton
21. Coventry

COUNTRIES:
1. Holland
2. England
3. Scotland
4. Czech Republic
5. Spain
6. France
7. Ireland

In Holland, I love that just about everything including large corporate buildings, roads, houses and much more is made of brick. Having a bike and riding it whether you’re in a dress and heels or sweats and sneakers is as common as driving a car is in Canada.

In England, they call french fries: chips, they call chips: crisps, they call soccer: football, they call popsicles: ice lolli’s and they say “You alright? (British Accent Emphasis)” instead of “How’s it going?”

In Scotland, the men wear the skirts and the women wear the trousers!

In the Czech Republic, which was a communist state about twenty years ago, good customer service has yet to become priority, or for that matter, common. You also have to pay for your water and bread (both complimentary in Canada) when eating out, careful!

In Spain, the renowned architect, Antoni Gaudi designed just about everything!

In France, at least TRY to speak in French, even if you only know a little, just try = ) Also, expect more than half of the menu at any restaurant you go to, to consist of wine.

In Ireland, their definitely known for their beer and drinking. So, if you’re like me and don’t drink, well… you’re not in the right place! Just kidding. There are beautiful sights to see in Dublin and a lot of interesting history to learn about. The Irish accent is awesome too, very unique!

I studied abroad and learnt all about the History of Europe including that of the European Union, the Eurozone and relating it to current events and tying all of that in with business. I listened to lectures taught by British, Czech, Spanish and French professors. I got to enjoy many educational and eye opening company visits such as: Skoda Car Factory and Museum in Prague, Mango Headoffice in Barcelona, Xerox in Grenoble, OECD in Paris and more! I visited family, some of which I hadn`t ever met before, and of course, I met amazing people from around the world and made lasting friendships.

Well Europe, this was my first time visiting you, but definitely not the last. I won`t say goodbye though, because in just a few hours it is not the end of this dynamic European adventure… rather, it is the beginning of a brand new one.