So, Spring Semester has begun, and with it all the responsibilities of a full semester and lots of events and activities to attend. As I settle in on my first week, I can’t help and look back at J-term, our 3 week course-intensive class that we take during the month of January. I had the privilege to host a student from the Netherlands, and I can honestly say that it was an amazing experience. I hosted Anneke, a student at a Dutch Christian University in the Netherlands. Although I don’t speak Dutch, she spoke English quite well, and I tried to pick up some Dutch phrases. We took her and other Dutch students to see the Hershey Bears Hockey game, introduced her to friends on campus and visited Washington D.C. together. It was great to talk about all the differences in her culture as compared to mine-it opened my mind a bit more to her culture and lifestyle. What was even greater, however, was to talk about all the things that we had in common. It’s amazing to think that even though our culture, language and countries differ so much, we can find a common ground on Messiah’s campus as Christian sisters in Christ. We connected in a real, intentional way, and I feel so blessed to have met her for those two weeks…I’m already planning a trip to the Netherlands to visit!