Kailey Fandl, a junior on the women's lacrosse team, is studying abroad this fall at Maastricht University in Maastricht, the Netherlands. She is a business administration major with a concentration in marketing who plans on minoring in English when she returns to Muhlenberg. 

She sent us this report on how her time abroad has been so far. This is the first "Postcard from Abroad," and throughout the semester other athletes will be sending us their experiences as they travel the world.

I have had amazing opportunities to travel upon my arrival to Maastricht and have already been to Berlin, Amsterdam, Prague and Vienna. I absolutely loved both Prague and Vienna; they both had beautiful architecture and were surprisingly really clean cities (and I didn't hate the food which is a win).

My semester here is split into two semesters of classes so I am currently taking Business and Politics in Europe and Cultural Dimensions of Global Business. They're both very different classes; the first is a UM class with all international students and the second a class taught by John, a teacher from Muhlenberg with all Muhlenberg students. Business and Politics has turned out to be a pretty difficult class considering I have no background knowledge of European politics, but the other students are very helpful.

Going abroad is something I've dreamt of my whole life. I've been lucky enough to travel in the summer with my family and it's one of my favorite things to do, so how could I pass up an opportunity to live in a foreign country for four months with the rest of Europe at my fingertips?

It's definitely difficult to prepare for the upcoming lacrosse season while living abroad. I don't have the same resources or teammate motivators abroad as back at school but there is a gym a close bike ride away that has everything I need to stay in (relatively) decent shape.

To my team back home I miss you all so much, but don't worry I'll be back before you know cause I know you all miss me even more ;) ily all!

Pictured at top, Fandl with friends at the John Lennon Wall in Prague