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Monday, March 30, 2009

United flight 8039 touched down in St. Louis just shortly after 5 pm and that brought the trip to its end point. I think it is safe to safe to say that most of arrived very tired, but very satisfied with the trip. A lifetime of memories accompanied each of us as we departed and met up with our families and stories were told right away and will continue to be told for awhile. The trip was not without a glitches, mostly on the part of the airlines and luggage. Many of us arrived hoem to find our luggage was still in Chicago. Hopefuly,that will be resolved very soon.

The final days of the trip saw most of the players spending time in the guest homes of the guest families, getting an up close and personal look at the Dutch living experience. All of the players seemed to be very satisfied with their guest family setup and seemed to adjust rather quickly to the new surroundings. For those that stayed behind,most of them spent the final day in Amsterdam, taking a train from Nijmegen. Saturday night on TV we watched the Dutch Naional team beat Scotland 3-0 in the Amsterdam Arena.

The trip was very well planned, fast- paced and interesting as we managed to see many different places and to do many different activities. Rain became a constant companion. Outside of the first 2 days, we had rain everyday, and usually for most of the day, and it was usually a cold rain with a strong wind.Never did it seem to bother the people on their bicylces as they went about their business as usual.

Special thanks to Jan for his planning and to Harry and Theo for their coaching and time spent with us, and especially for their historical stories aling the way. We also thank Astrid for her great meals at the Hostel Uitzicht and the staff at the de Oude Molen for their service and hospitality.

All in all, the trip delivered as promised. It was a life - enriching series of moments that will long be remembered by everyone on the trip. The soccer experiences were especially memorable - the stadium tours, the training sessions, the professional games, our own games, the way they play in Holland and the amount and design of the many soccer complexes that we saw where-ever we went. It was a great experience and one that hopefully will improve us in mnayt ways -- not just as soccer players and coaches, but as people with a global experience.

My thanks to everyone on the trip for their cooperation throughout the time in Holland. I hope that everyone, in their own way, realized all that had hoped the trip would be. We will release the dates for the Spring Trip 2010 shortly.
Applications for CBC Dutchtouch International Camp are now available on the website -www.cbcdutchtouch.com - don't wait too late as the interest in the camp is high and enrollment is limited -- don't be left out !!