Tanya Wright Wright is a member of the Nebraska women's soccer team and a Daily Nebraskan reporter.
A MAN whizzes by on his bike in Den Bosch, Holland. Bikes nearly outnumber cars in Holland and are the primary mode of transportation for most residents.
TANYA WRIGHT/DN
The typical University of Nebraska-Lincoln student jumps for joy when finals are over, and they can't wait to get out of Lincoln.
Nebraska soccer players are no different except maybe our definitions of "out of Lincoln" are a little more extreme than most.
The Saturday following finals week the soccer team, coaching staff and trainer headed to Holland and Germany on the trip of a lifetime.
The European adventure came to pass through numerous fundraising efforts and generous donations. The soccer team traveled to Kearney and Omaha putting on clinics to raise money to help offset the cost of the trip.
TOURISTS STOP and watch as a man pretends to conduct an imaginary orchestra outside Heidelberg Castle in Germany. The performer moved only when money was placed in the can in front of him.
TANYA WRIGHT/DN
Armed with passports, snacks and plenty of magazines we began our journey to the other side of the world. We were warned that things would be a little different than we were used to but somehow words just can't describe some of the differences we encountered. Upon landing and after rounding up stray players at the airport, we headed to our hotel. A short practice was in order and to our surprise the Spice Girls were in attendance. OK so maybe they weren't the Spice Girls, but they didn't exactly resemble your typical North American soccer enthusiast with their short skirts and high heels.
Following practice we headed to Breda to see a professional men's soccer match between the home team, NAC, and the visiting squad, Volendam. Shortly after arriving, the home team scored and the stadium erupted! It was like nothing we'd ever experienced before -- the dancing, singing and celebrating were almost deafening.
After the game in which NAC won 4-1, we remained in our seats but were not prepared for what happened next. NAC's goalkeeper started throwing "souvenirs" to the crowd, including his shoes and gloves. One glove was caught by a girl about 14 years old, who was immediately surrounded by 15-20 kids.
The group tried to rip the glove away from her, but she wasn't about to let go. It got so intense that a few punches were thrown and the girl's lip was bloodied. And we wonder how riots break out at soccer matches? I must add that as we were leaving the stadium we saw the girl being attended to by a paramedic and in her hand she still held the glove. Now there's a fighter!
On our way back to the bus we were fortunate to meet NAC player and U.S. National Team-member Ernie Stewart. He talked with us for a bit and graciously posed for pictures with the team.
It seemed surprises awaited us at every turn, from cold cuts for breakfast to unidentified meat for dinner.
The biggest surprise came on the day of our first game. We had three different people tell us three different times for how long it would take to get to the fields. Just to be safe, we left at 3 p.m. for a 7 p.m. game.
Although the trip was tremendously long and very uncomfortable without air conditioning, we survived and pulled out a 5-1 victory against the Dutch U-18 National Team. Kim Engesser and Isabelle Morneau each scored two amazing goals while Lauren Tatum added one. Not a bad way to begin the tour!
We all know that no one can visit Holland without taking a peak at Amsterdam's famous Red Light District and our team was no different. Shocked at what we saw but intrigued nonetheless, we briefly toured the narrow streets where scantily clad women openly stood in windows waiting for customers.
NEBRASKA SOCCER players Jackie Erdkamp (left) and Isabelle Morneau stop to watch as a man juggles a soccer ball in an alley in Amsterdam. The man was taking a break from his job at a nearby sporting goods store.
TANYA WRIGHT/DN
Satisfied that we could say we had seen the Red Light District, we moved on to scouring the streets of Amsterdam for souvenirs and spent some time analyzing statues to determine whether or not they were real or just a performer looking to make some extra cash.
We left Holland with the impression that people are generally willing to help you out and for the most part it's a pretty laid back way of life.
Next stop, Germany. It took us most of the day to get to Mannheim and we passed the time by reading, playing cards and sleeping. We were greeted by our tour guide Patrick, who to the delight of our entire team, was much younger and better looking than our previous guide.
We briefly toured downtown Mannheim but relaxed most of the day so as not to tire before our game against TuS Niederkirkchen. We had a little scare when we first arrived in Niederkirkchen as the only field visible from the parking lot had no grass, it was all dirt . We learned it was an all-weather field, quite common in Europe, and that we would b e playing around the back on a grass field.
Relieved, but still nervous, we took the field against one of the top teams in the German Bundesliga. We played hard but couldn't seem to adjust quick enough to how tight the referee called the match. It seemed we were being called for everything, including being too close to the opposing team.
TuS Niederkirkchen won the game 1-0 and our team left the field upset at how the game went but with a new understanding of what it takes to play in a different environment.
The night was not an entire loss as we spotted a McDonalds on our way home and were ecstatic that we could finally eat something familiar. What wasn't familiar was the menu. Not only could you get a vegetarian burger, but you could choose to super-size your meal with a beer if you so desired. When is this coming to America???
is a member of the 
