On Saturday we had the day off from class. The weather in Amsterdam was beautiful. Some of the class decided to take advantage of the weather and head to Brussels; what they did not know was that the train ride would take 3 hours. Even though they did not have a ton of time to look around, their spirits were not defeated; they returned with plenty of energy for the evening. Although Brussels sounded seraphic, I felt the need to stay in Amsterdam and have a normal day.
I first went to do some laundry at the Wash Cycle. I began talking to the owner who was from Pakistan. Since I had done my issue paper on the recent Muslim immigration in the Netherlands, I thought I would ask him how welcome he felt as a Muslim in Amsterdam. He reported that he felt very welcome in the city. He said that he knew a lot of Dutch people are wary of Muslim people, but that it doesn't show in their actions. Overall, washing my clothes was quite enlightening.
After that I spent the evening watching soccer at a native Dutch residence; they were a bunch of college students at the University of Amsterdam. It was wonderful because I felt like I was at home. Turns out that we are all quite similar. Saturday was bittersweet; it was the last real day here in Amsterdam. But I am looking forward to changes I will implement into my life from this trip when I get home. Asalam Alaikum!!!
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