As the semester at Concordia Texas is coming to an end, I have a lot to look back on. It has been a rollercoaster filled with some disappointments, great experiences, and stressful exams. Let’s start with the most important part. Thanksgiving… This holiday may not even exist back in the Netherlands, but in the States it is one of the biggest of the year. Americans may have a whole meaning for Thanksgiving, but for me it means TURKEY – and lots of it. I was lucky enough to have a full week off before Thanksgiving, right before the end of the semester. I was happy to be invited to my girlfriend’s house who lives in the suburbs of Houston, and she and her family showed me a great time.
Before going to Houston however, we had a little Saint Francis reunion (my first university) going on, as some SFU tennis players came to visit Austin with some more SFU students. It was great to see them again and it brought back a lot of memories. Anyways, moving on to the turkey. Thanksgiving is on Thursdays, and so we had a family (plus me as a random foreigner) dinner which was delicious. I have celebrated a couple Tanksgivings in the States before, but never ever, have eaten fried turkey, and oh my it was delicious. The parents also took my girlfriend, two of her brothers, and me to an NBA game to see the Houston Rockets defeat the Miami Heat. To finish up the amazing week, we went to the beach house near Corpus Christi where we took out the boat and JetSki, which was truly amazing.
After Thanksgiving I had to take a reality check, as it was time to get to studying for finals and many assignments that I had yet to finish before the end of the semester. I had finished most of my classes with a final paper, which eventually did not leave me with much to study besides for one big final in Business Law, which was a lot of material. On top of studying, I was, and still am, very busy trying to figure out what to do with my life after I graduate. Yeah yeah I know that sounds dramatic, but it is a serious question that I have yet to be able to answer. I am looking into options to stay in Austin, Texas, and hopefully at Concordia, to pursue a masters degree after finishing my undergrad.
Now that finals are done and I have completed all the studying, it is time to go home. I will be able to enjoy a short but much needed little break of three weeks before going into the spring season. The season is going to be tough, as not only my hips are still bothering me, but also my ankle. In the summer I twisted my ankle and figured it would just get better after the X-Ray did not show any signs of damage, but it only got a little worse. I went to get an MRI and it is now a more serious issue. I do not know exactly what way I will choose to handle this injury, but it is going to be a tough decision. I would obviously love to have a good season, but right now I need to find a way to be able to play first. Maybe the break will help. Whether it will or not, I am happy to be on break and to be able to see my family and friends before heading back to the States in January!
