Reality is slowly hitting me that I leave Leiden tomorrow. TOMORROW! There are so many mixed emotions right now! I never thought my last day would come so soon.
Sunday morning, Melissa and I went to cheer on Hillary and her mom because they were running in the Leiden Half Marathon. I made signs that said GO HILL! Sadly, Melissa and I never saw Hillary but I yelled her name every 10 seconds so then she knew we were there. My last church service at ICL (International Church in Leiden) was very said. When someone is leaving to go back home or to a new country, the church prays for that person(s). So some Central students and I went up front and they church prayed for us. My see you laters had to start that day. I am going to miss ICL very much!
That afternoon I studied for my Netherlands final oral exam. I got my suitcases down from the loft and laid some clothes inside. The packing process needed to be started. I skyped with Mom, Dad, and Nick for a while that night. I was making sure certain things were going to be done before I got home, like have a working cell phone and a bed to sleep on.
Monday morning at 9am I had my Netherlands oral exam. It went wonderfully. Dennis pulled a dirty move. He said, “This next question will be hard.” I told him to bring it on… I don’t remember what the question was because it was so hard. I told him I had no idea what the answer was. Dennis then told me he wasn’t expecting me to answer because the question was so hard. He wanted to trick me because he said I was doing so well. LAME! I worked on graphic design until my final photography class started. Everyone shared their final project. There were some really neat ones and really really funny ones! I have learned some new skills for my camera so I am looking forward to using them more often.
After class I started to pack my bags. I have no idea how I got here with only ONE bag. What was I thinking?!?!?! Good thing Mom left me another bag when she came here. A group of us went to Jacketz (the baked potato restaurant) for the last time. The owners know us pretty well now since we have been going every Monday night for a month now. Like always the potatoes were amazing! I am going to miss that restaurant. And for dessert like every Monday, ice cream from Australian. We hung outside the shop for a while and had some side splitting moments! Good times. I am going to miss our Monday supper tradition. 
Tuesday I studied for my Dutch Art final that took place at 2pm. I was nervous but not for it. Finally 2pm came and surprisingly I had fun taking my Dutch Art oral exam. Steef gave me about 15 postcards with different Dutch paintings. He then asked me to lay them out how I would have them displayed in a museum. Then we talked about each painting, their style, what was going on during the time they were painted, etc. It was fun and I also learned new things during the test too. Let’s just say I passed with flying colors on that test! 
On my way back to my dorm, I almost got hit by a car. It stopped 2 inches away from me! That was close! Please don’t worry, it’s all good.
Tuesday night was my last time to host Radiate. We had a potluck/goodbye night. I ate so much! I tried every dish and they were all amazing! I was scared how my stomach would react, but I was brave and tried everything. We hung out for a while and then played silent football. We have a blast playing that game! Sadly, it became time for people to leave. I had everyone write a message and their email for me in a book. One by one I had to say see you later. Everyone in this group means so much to me. It kills me that I just get to know everyone and then I have to say goodbye. SUCK! On a positive note, I have places to stay all over the world now. I have a lot of great memories with Radiate and I was truly blessed to be part of this great group.
My last full day in Leiden today… SAD! I had my last graphic design class and it went rather well. I was glad that I ended up taking this class rather than my internship because I learned a lot and it challenged me in my creative process. After class, Melissa and I met up with Emma to have one last coffee time together. Then Anna came for a bit as well. It was fun to talk. When I said goodbye to Emma and Anna, I surprisingly did not cry. The reality of me leaving Leiden has not hit me yet. I will miss them both very much! They are such great girls 
At 4pm the class had an option to go canoeing on some of the canals of Leiden. It was really fun! I was in the back and I felt like a white water rafting instructor because I had to guide the boat. But except from keeping the people in the boat away from rapids and rocks, I had to keep us away from the canal walls and other boats.
As a class we went out to eat at a Chinese restaurant. The food was good (yes for even being Chinese) and I had fun talking about the memories we have made here in Leiden. Once we were done eating, everyone went back to Central for some drinks. Sadly, the time to say goodbye came. My class was a great group and everyone got a long so well. I am going to miss not seeing them around campus next year.
My bags are packed and under weight (thankfully) and my room is bare and clean. I will say goodbye to Hugo (my dorm) at 7:40am tomorrow and goodbye to Leiden at 8:13am. Good times Leiden. Good times indeed!
Well the next time I will write I will be in Iowa! Here are my flight numbers and times.
Thursday, May 20
Amsterdam—Chicago KL0611
11:10am (4:10am Iowa time)—12:40pm 8hours 30minutes
Chicago—Des Moines United6334
4:27pm- 5:36pm
Please continue to pray for safe travels not only for me, but my fellow abroad friends. See all of you back in Iowa!
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