THE EUROMAST
It was a beautiful and wonderful experience of a life time. At first I thought it strange that it barely looked like a building. I was so thrilled to be told that we were going to have lunch on top of the Euromast building. It was a sweet treat from Jan Kooten.Seeing all the buildings, the land and everything from a top made me feel so happy, I felt like a bird flying without wings….the scene was so magnificent.
By Daisy.
HOSPITALITY OF DUTCH PEOPLE
It was a very wonderful journey whereby everyone after waiting for a long time just figuring how the place would be surprisingly what we saw was marvelous. The residents were home welcoming. They did open their warm hearts for us by providing their warm attire and all sorts of necessities.
Offering us with shelters to cover our tiresome beautiful bodies during the night and protect us from the cool weather which was cold, was the most vital aspect that they did unto us .They were so cooperative and generous to us .We therefore pour our gratitude and delights to those who helped us in everything and to other .We did not face any difficulties like harshness, cruelty in the country. All residents were equal to us.
By Linet
SHORT VOYAGE
I will never forget when Jan Kooten paid for us all and we had a very sweet short voyage in a water taxi .It was such a fascinating moment as the driver was moving it so fast and it was swaying from side to side heading to the cinema hall. Imaginations were running through my mind that when it happens that the water taxi was to capsize then I was to apply “slowly quick quick” technique I had learnt from the swimming lessons.Mmmh how wonderful, enjoyable and sweet it was!!!
By Matata
SEGBROEK COLLEGE
It was a cool and welcoming environment. The teachers are good in character and hardworking. The students were participating in class and they manage their time well. Unlike Kenyan system of education, the students in Holland do more practical work .This is like the music class where there are some instruments which enable their music live. It was so fascinating being in the music class singing together with the Dutch students. What a good thing to imagine being together with people of different races!!!
By Mariam
THE MOVING HOME
A house, a house, a house
A house which resembles a bus
Self contained house
Built of mirrors
House full of chairs and tables
Where people sit facing each other
Others moving in the opposite directions
House with a kitchen full of utensils
A toilet and a store
House with disposal bins
Where people damp their waste
House which can move very fast
Up the mountains, down the hills
Without break failure
“Oh the bus in Amsterdam; made our dreams come true”
By Asia
WONDERS
After my journey to Holland, I came to realize that one can live anywhere provided that he /she is happy, am saying that because I had never thought that people could live in water and van after seeing some houses boats, I could not believe if there were people inside but I was told that the people in those house boats didn’t take place to put up their houses, but I was told that such people live there for their own pleasure. Knowledge is power.
By Rebecca. .
MY 1ST EXPERIENCE IN THE SNOW
What a wonderful experience it was for me to see the snow. I have just been pronouncing ‘as white as snow’ but I had never seen it, so the first time I went to Holland I was eager to see it but there wasn’t much compared to Austria. It was amazing for me to see snow even on top of the roof and trees .It was so nice to walk along the street of Umhausen just on top of snow and playing with it .Another interesting view of people skating, I was wondering how people balanced themselves while skating . I also developed an interest of doing it but I was very afraid because I heard that it could cause serious accident so I decided to start with sledging, I really enjoyed .This is among the beautiful experience I had during my visit to Europe.
By Selina
SHOPPING &THE TRIP TO FLORA HOLLAND
During our visit to Holland, on reaching at the airport we were given a warm welcome by Marjolin & her husband Andrea, they also gave us some pocket money that we could spend there.
On Friday the 9th of January, they took us shopping. Amazingly, the shops were categorized depending on the amount of money you have in pocket, so we were taken to Zeeman shop where we did our shopping and we came back to their house.
Another thing that interested me was the trip to Flora Holland, I saw how people were busy especially the auction room. We were also taken to the green house where the flowers were being harvested, and packed. There was an interesting machine which would join boxes together. I really enjoyed myself.
By Florentina
THE LANDSCAPE
Holland is a small country but with a big population compared to its size. It is well situated and well managed. It has tall buildings and even some people constructed their houses in water so as to manage their precious piece of land God gave unto them. A large portion of land in Holland was created from water. Due to the shortage of land in Holland, they decided to construct tall buildings so as to create space for everyone.
It is composed of people from different races and languages. The most interesting thing with this piece of land is that it is blessed with people with big brains and big hearts.
By Chizi
STREET AND ROADS IN HOLLAND.
It was so interesting to see how the streets and roads were well developed, arranged and maintained in Amsterdam. The streets were defined and really confusing as one may loose her direction if not observant.
Amazingly the streets looked so alike and only the residents of Amsterdam can trace their way, but if you are a visitor you might end up lost.
The streets looked so beautiful with lights glowing from all directions, always filled with people, others shopping, strolling and bikes parked at every spot. There is cycling paths all over the paths, complete network of roads, flow of traffic lights, narrow bridges and no parking zones. When you want to park you should have a parking permit.
By Chibwara
THE FROZEN LAKE!
Amazing they were the lakes of Holland. Almost all of them were frozen except for a bigger one which had canals and canoes used to travel all around the place. We were once taken to another bigger one by Jan Verkaart; it was big but all frozen that we could even walk on top of it. I think we had turned out to be Jesus walking on water but this time round in another state. As we started walking along to the other side we heard something cracking, and alas! It was the lake cracking!
We all ran out as fast as we could to the dry land. It was a good exercise though daring! The other small frozen lake, people were skating; morning, afternoons and evenings passing their time. What a trip it was, heavens knows!
By Irene
THE WONDERS OF HOLLAND.
I was surprised to see and go through tunnels in Holland. At first I got scared thinking that we were going inside a cave, without hesitating I had to inquire the reason behind those funny and strange constructions. Only to find out that it was all about time management, the main principle of most of the European people. They see it as wastage of time to go around a mountain or a hill and this is why they had to solve this problem by constructing tunnels.
By Lugwe.
THE JOURNEY.
The long awaited day finally came to take its shape. Everyone had a happy smiling face but I was surprised that I had an alternating mood. I was happy when I thought of the trip and almost shed tears when I thought of the means of transport; air! We took a matatu from the centre to the airport where we waited for some time before the journey began. Rebecca one of the sweet 16 kissed the plane. As the journey started I was so scared, my only thought was; that was the end of my life especially when there were things like bumps in the air. I never slept at all. The services in the KLM plane were superb. Finally we arrived at Amsterdam and I was happy to get there safely. We then took a bus to Austria. I was amazed to see tables, a toilet and food stuffs in the bus! The journey was long 10 hours drive! Some of us were tired, nauseated and vomited but at long last we arrived at Austria where almost everything was white and covered by snow. It was a tiresome journey but very interesting that I will never forget in my life.
By Salama .
WHEN YOU GO TO ROME LIVE THE WAY ROMANS LIVE.
True to this saying, we all experienced different cultures from what we were used to. Our trip to Holland made us able to see and eat foods totally different from what we eat in Kenya, Africa. The first few days most of the sweet16 ate so little, although on my side I could eat well. It was funny because if we happened to be in a restaurant we could only order French fries and chicken since this was the only food that looked familiar to us. Finally we all could eat everything that was served, from apple pie, cheese just name it. Since we were in a Dutch land we ate, dined as the Dutch do. The foods were Lekker.
We all miss the Dutch foods.
By Musembi
WEATHER IN THE NETHERLANDS.
It’s so much interesting to have been to different places around the world. You get to know different kinds of climates. It’s so bad to get used to one kind of climate. In Kenya we are used to the sun always shining and warming the earth. This is different in the Netherlands, the sun is only seen for some hours and not hot since it was a winter season. One can be easily deceived at the sight of the sun, but the thing is it lacks warmth.
Despite it being winter and so cold, the Netherlands is a very nice place to be. I now wonder if it’s realistic for people in Kenya to complain of feeling cold. I can term this as a misuse of the word ‘COLD’
By Pauline
A SOCIOCULTURAL GAP BETWEEN EUROPEANS & AFRICANS.
I was so amazed when I saw two middle- aged couple seriously kissing in a motor boat! This was very queer for me to see a person kissing in public, as in African settings it shows how indiscipline you are and it’s a big shame. I almost collapsed when I saw them and couldn’t face them. But thinking of it, I sincerely think that it’s not a bad idea, to kiss one’s parents or a friend which in our society is a wonder. People should start thinking it in a positive way and will eventually adapt because I believe it’s not a crime to express your love to someone you care for.
By Siti
