To Maastricht with love

The months of apprehension before going,

From secretly wishing to not make the selection,

To hoping to come down with a disease very infectious,

And then finally saying yes to the unknowing.

Landing to outside temperatures of five degree,

Wondering how the experience in a new country would be,

The one month of absolute joy and fun,

The unforgettable journey had now begun.

Not knowing the local language Dutch,

Was not that big of a problem much,

The people always so ready to help,

The fear of being lost was never felt.

Never before had the skies and the water looked more blue,

Never before was going to work so much looked forward to,

No task big or small ever looked cumbersome,

The residents being oh, so handsome.

The world is a small place, we shall meet again, I was told,

Hoping life offers another chance, and doesn't in a single meeting fold,

The bonds we forged here,

The life unadulterated with stress and worry experienced here,

No place like this high up in the sky or 100 feet below,

To sum it up in a borrowed (mis)quote from Shakespeare,

The best decision I ever made - to go or not to go.