During the past couple of days, the weather was very sunny and warm. However, today the weather was cloudy and windy. Apparently, this was the “typical Dutch weather.”

The other Benedict’s students and I visited Amsterdam. This was my second time being here during this stay; however, for many of the kids, this was their first time. This time in Amsterdam, we took a canal tour. We all went into a small, long boat, and it took us through most of the canals found in Amsterdam. During this tour, we learned more information about significant things that are found here.

After the canal tour, the students and I visited the Rijksmuseum. This is a Dutch museum dedicated to the arts and history in Amsterdam. Here, we got split into three separate groups and each group received a tour of the highlights of the museum. My group saw paintings that belonged to a famous painter, Rembrandt van Rijn. Most of his paintings were self portraits. However, his best work was found right in the center of a large hall: The Night Watch. The painting resembled one of Amsterdam’s local militia. To be more specific, it depicted the company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq and his lieutenant, Willem Van Ruytenburch, surrounded by 16 of their men. This picture was both colossal and beautifully painted.

After the tours of the Rijksmuseum were over, the students and I had some free time to wander around Amsterdam. A couple of kids and I decided to head down a long street filled with shops. We pretty much went “shopping.” We entered many different stores, even stores that are not heard of in the United States. It was very fun.

Once our free time was over, we all headed back home. At home, I tried a traditional Dutch meal known as Stamppot. This was pretty much mashed potatoes mixed with lettuce, steak, and bacon. As soon as I tried it, I knew that this was definitely one of my top favorite Dutch foods.

After dinner, my host, who is named Nikki, and I went to one of the Dutch kid’s homes to hang out. Here we played games, danced, and sang. We had such a great time. Throughout this small hangout, I started realizing that I had one more day left in the Netherlands. Although I was a little upset, I knew that I had to make the most out of the remaining time that was left. Therefore, I made sure to have a great time at the hangout.

Overall, today was, once again, a great day. I enjoyed the trip to Amsterdam and the small hangout that occurred at night. I can’t wait for what tomorrow has in store!