Every so often you look around the school at some students and think to yourself that infamous line from Mean Girls, “hmm… Does she even go here?” Of course, it’s hard to know for sure. When there are over 3,000 kids at our school, you aren’t expected to know everyone. Well, the first week back from break, I can assure you, there will be some more students you don’t recognize. That’s because the Dutch are coming!

Because of the International Studies program at MHS, there are always students from other nations coming to our school, or our own students traveling to visit sister schools. The Minnetonka students in the India program are in India right now! On March 31st, the Dutch will arrive at the airport to their host families. Then in June, the Minnetonka students will return the visit and travel to The Hague, near Amsterdam.

The Dutch are already more than excited to visit the as of late snow-covered Minnesota. My partner messages me daily with updates on his excitement level. For me, it is hard to understand how appealing Minnesota can seem compared to anywhere in Europe. He was just informing me on his causal vacation to Italy the other day and the only thing I could hold in comparison was my visit to Wisconsin. One of these two trips is definitely lacking in excitement, in my opinion.

We have packed a scheduled full of events for their 10 day visit. The Dutch will be going roller skating, playing American football, attending classes with us, and visiting Minneapolis.

So, don’t be surprised if you see a wandering Dutch student in the halls after break, because the Dutch are coming!

Fun Fact: The Dutch are from the Netherlands. They speak Dutch (along with excellent English). The confusion with Holland comes in to play because there are two provinces called North Holland and South Holland. They are the most populated with cities like Amsterdam. It’d be like America being called Dakota after North and South Dakota.