This is what Simon Vassallo told us:
Did you enjoy yourself?
Yes it was a great experience and the best trip ever. I don’t think id ever forget the great times together with the team and also with the dutch.
Did you make new friends?
We all made great friends and would never forget them. Thank God 4 computers cos we can communicate with them and remain gd gd friends.
What was the welcome like from the host families?
They were very welcoming and really friendly, they really made me feel welcome and at home.
What was a single event that struck you?
The feynoord game and the fun park were the best, and Gabe making us all laugh all the trip !!!”hey gabe “ hey seb “ “ hows life in the bronx gabe “ “just rolling in the benjamins” seb “rolling in the benjamins” hehehehehe
What is a single thing you vividly remember?
Having fun with everyone in the snow and throwing snow balls at every thing and every one !!!!
What was the organisation like, from the Dutch and from the ones in charge of the contingent?
Its was all great and I thank all who helped; FUZZY and TED or as jack says “tedling”
What were your dislikes?
Nothing, except for losing to the dutch in waterpolo, but we also learnt from them and from Marco and Mathajs de Bruijn. Thanks again for making this amazing trip happen !!!!!!!! doei doei !!!!
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This is what Peter Galea told us:
Did you enjoy yourself?
Yes and how! it was really fun!
Did you make new friends?
Yes many
What was the welcome like from the host families?
excellent...they were really nice!
What was a single event that struck you?
The football match of feyenoord..it was amazing.
What is a single thing you vividly remember?
Walking in dat snowstorm!
What was the organisation like, from the Dutch and from the ones in charge of the contingent?
gr8...couldnt have been better!
What were your dislikes?
No dislikes...except 4 coming back 2 malta!
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This is what Gaby Galea told us:
Did you enjoy yourself?
Indeed i did...super super holiday. Word around the fishbowl is that fuzzy is going to organise another one for easter...
Did you make new friends?
ja!...quite a few - I especially enjoyed the football match. I felt we bonded very well there.
What was the welcome like from the host families?
ok...first I told them my name and then they told me their names. Then we ate sausages and chips, does it get better than that? No, I thought not either...
What was a single event that struck you?
hmm...its a close call...there was jack sucking on his thumb during the waterpolo match. Possibly the deep talks we had with Dowling, or maybe going on the same rollercoaster around ten times in a row with jack seb and daniel - it showed me how we truly have no life.
What is a single thing you vividly remember?
er...I quite honestly don't know; I'm tempted to say the new year's eve party but quite honestly I don't remember it very vividly...it was super though, and obviously one can't forget eating a hotdog and the feyenoord - willem match with a sausage that was made of horsemeat.
What was the organisation like, from the Dutch and from the ones in charge of the contingent?
Beautiful...sheer beauty. I mean there was never a dull moment. Now I cant say whether that was because fuzzy and ted organised it in such a way that there was never "Dull Moment" scheduled or because it was such fun being with the guys but I must say it was a stupendous holiday.
What were your dislikes?
Ooh this is a bone I had to pick with fuzzy. It was actually quite a big bone...maybe as big as a giraffe's neck bone i don't know. Well it was the depression I had on the plane back to Malta. I think we should've stayed there for much much longer...much longer. If it were up to me I'd still be in holland at this moment, however, i'm in malta and biology beckons. ajma jahasra...
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This is what Tom Paris told us:
Did you enjoy yourself?
The whole trip was a fantastic experience from beginning to end, the people were great the waterpolo was better.The program was filled with things we would have never dreamed of doing! the organisation was brilliant HATS OFF TO FUZZY !!
Did you make new friends?
We all made allot of friends with the Dutch boys, but when we got into the water it was very diff rent to say the least!! but they were all willing to go out of their way to please us and i hope that we can keep in contact.
What was the welcome like from the host families?
Well i think Peter and i got the right end of the stick on this one ! we got to bunk up with one of the best waterpolo players that ever graced the pools of Holland Mr.Marco Booji, also an olympiad (Sydney 2000)!!. We were instantly accepted by him and his wife Maria. i think it is safe to stay that Peter and myself never went hungry !
i think the phrase i heard most in the whole trip was "Tom EAT" coming out of the huge Dutchman.
What was a single event that struck you?
Funnily enough the thing that always leaps to mind is the way they made their sandwiches !!!
well, when you ask for a ham and cheese sandwich they give you one sandwich with ham and another with cheese!!! this quite frankly bewildered me!
What is a single thing you vividly remember?
without a doubt the snow will always be embedded in my mind. since it was my first time in the snow i felt like one of fuzzy's kids Michael and Mathew. i will never forget the snow-ball fights outside the club house. another "cool" event was when we were caught in the blizzard and Kurt proclaiming that the cold was ALL IN THE MIND!!
What was the organisation like, from the Dutch, and from the ones in charge of the contingent?
I
say again HATS OFF TO FUZZY and Ted. They where fantastic there was never a dull moment. Everything ran as smooth as silk plain sailing all the way. on the waterpolo side Kurt and Michael where incredible they organized a brilliant, harsh but brilliant, training program. we also got the chance to have a training session with Mathajs de Bruijn and Marco Booji. it was all great
What were your dislikes?
The only downside if any was not beating the under 17s. but on the other hand i am very proud of the boys in the under 15s they gave them a good run for their money.
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This is what Alan Borg Cole told us:
he must have mistook it to be a classroom essay!
Did you enjoy yourself?
I enjoyed myself a lot and wish it was much much longer and it was far my best holiday i ever had and probably will be like that for a long time unless we go abroad again..can we fuzz, can we?
Did you make new friends?
yes i made a lot of new ones since we met some already in summer when they came to malta, and i think we will remain friends for a long time to come since we could speak to them over internet..
What was the welcome like from the host families? i think it was amazing, they treated me like part of their own family from the first day we meet at the club house and i think everyone was.. i thank the Bommel family for the time i stayed with them..
What was a single event that struck you?
The event me which struck me was both football matches Feyenoord against Willem where Feyenoord scored several goals which ended up 6 1 for the home team. during this match us as a team managed to create a human wave twice which one of them managed to go around the stand five or six times and one which went around two or three times which was quite a spectacular thing made by a small group of maltese boys and also a few adults which where there with us and also during this match we sung a few maltese chants and also shouted a few dutch words which we did not know what they meant since a few dutch supporters told us to do and i don't think they were nice ones either..lol. an activity which also struck me was the football match were we played our dear friends to a game and where we won 6 1..i scored 4 which was also helped and "gabe i beat you and you have to say i played well" i cant forget fuzzy and mike who played with us who surely helped us during the game and thanks to kurt gixti who sort of arranged us with the subs..10xxxxxxxxxx
What is a single thing you vividly remember?
I have to say it is hard since i enjoyed and also laughed 10x to our dear friend and team mate gabe. but the single thing which struck me was i have to say was the first day in malta in the airport waiting to departing with all the excitement to come in the holiday and also on the plane going to our Destination Holland. it started with taking a photo with famous actress July of l-istrina where we had a few laughs also did she and then it went to the handing over the prezzz to seb which was a little of a joke from the whole team which was a magazine a gay one toooo. and then we discovered that the flight was delayed so we got impatient and took matters in our own hands and we start to play with a small which we were than stopped soo. as we wer all sitting down the was a man on the other row sleeping and kurt had to take a photo of him so he did and then woke up with the flash of the camera which he forgot to take off.. and also the santa claus sleeping and reading the news paper that was also funny (old man with a white beard and one hek of a tummy soo it adds up to looking like santa claus) and after that all we played bumping curs and no there weren't bumping cars we took a few trolleys and played while filming the whole thing.as we boarded we had to sing a few exiles songs driving the whole plane mad i guess but none of them complained so i have to thank them too 10x to the passengers of plane KM 398 on the 29 december we greatly appreciate you not complaing about the noise.. 10x
What was the organisation like, from the Dutch, and from the ones in charge of the contingent?
I have to say it was amazing organisation by our president FUZZY (Andrew Paris) and Ted the dutch couch which coached most of the teams at ZPB.10x but i there was a slight of a gap between it was surely taken up by Gabe who made us laugh and i honestly mean it that he made us laugh.. 10x to Fuzz Ted and also Gabe
What were your dislikes?
I
have to say my dislikes was when we went to Madurodam where we were unable to see most of it since it was covered by snow but we also had a few laughs with it. for example kurt grixti falling into the cold water since he taught it was safe and which was covered by snow over the ice..lol and then the dutch clearing the snow with there famous fireworks who where then kicked out for about an hour..., i have to say it was funny and then we had several snow fights which added up to the trip and simon finishing it off writing exiles in the snow covered roof..also which bugged me was people getting sick meli the worst with the chicken pocks and i also got a fever but surely did not ruin my fun...
Another dislike was the day when we went to the Efterling(amusement park) where me and several team mates purchased candy floss which was good and quite fun making our selves sticky also each other. Until it was rudely interrupted by a man who for sure came from the middle east or north africa which i noticed from his looks and characteristic (arab) (no offence to them) and took a piece of my candy floss and just walked away. all i did was look and stare with amazement and out of shock where as the others wer laughing the heads off and this probably was one of the worst dislikes.lol
I have to say a little note thanking everyone starting from Fuzzy and Ted for organisation and then Kurt Dowling and Mike Paris for coaching us.. and i also have to thank our dear friends and their families for the lifts and treating us well. and also to our team which made it more of a holiday then a training session lol.. but i can not forget our dear families who sponsored this trip, i say thanks also to the passengers of flight KM 398 who took patience with us also the dutch supporters who taught us a few dutch words which we still don't know what they mean 10xxx and also we thank exiles committee for giving us tops shorts t shirts and also zip ups..thank you and also for believing us that we our a good team from when we fist started playing and training when we were not that good...
An other small message to the team who will be all in green in summer (green swimsuits) "our team" "lets show what we learned in Holland and show it in our league in summer and especially to our rival and through enemy SLIEMA, lets beat them and also bring the FIRST Place Trophy HOME as a team"...." 1...2...3...EXILES...HEY" (gabe don't forget our team song "let me entertain you")
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This is what Jack Fenech told us:
Jack is more telegraphic!
Did you enjoy yourself?
i had a grate time,one of the best holidays.
Did you make new friends?
yes i made a lot of new friends especially with the dutch team.
What was the welcome like from the host families?
well the families were very kind. as soon as i arrived they gave me a oudiball and showed me up to my room.
What was a single event that struck you?
well,there was never a dull moment,i think every event that we had was grate.
What is a single thing you vividly remember?
i think it was when daniel and gabe went up to sing the do re mi song at the Efterling park and the many times we went on the rides.
What was the organisation like, from the Dutch, and from the ones in charge of the contingent?
i was amazed at how organised they were.
What were your dislikes?
my only dislike was that we were all far away from each other.
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This is what Daniel Micallef told us:
Did you enjoy yourself?
VERY MUCH
Did you make new friends?
YES, QUITE ALOT
What was the welcome like from the host families?
THEY WERE VERY NICE PEOPLE
What was a single event that struck you?
THE FUN PARK
What is a single thing you vividly remember?
THE PARTY ON NEW YEARS EVE
What was the organisation like, from the Dutch, and from the ones in charge of the contingent?
I THINK IT WAS PLANNED VERY WELL
What were your dislikes?
WE ALL WOULD HAVE PREFFERED PAYING A LITTLE BIT MORE AND STAYING IN A HOTEL ALL TOGETHER. BUT IT WAS FUN...
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This is what Kurt Griscti told us:
Did you enjoy yourself?
yes very much
Did you make new friends?
yes
What was the welcome like from the host families?
they made me feel like family
What was a single event that struck you?
how strong the dutch are in the water
What is a single thing you vividly remember?
the fact that the dutch are very nice people and easy to make friends with
What was the organisation like, from the Dutch, and from the ones in charge of the contingent?
they prepared very well
What were your dislikes? waking up so early and leaving after just 1 week
The trip to holland was an experience i will never forget. the people in holland were amazingly friendly and very easy to communicate with. we had many experiences during the holiday. some of the experiences were the football match of Feyenoord, the zoo, Madurodam, fun park and best of all waterpolo games which helped us gain quite a lot of experience and the snowball fights hehe. its a pity we had to leave so soon and hopefully we will go back some time soon.
Thank u very much fuzzy (mrs fuzzy and kids) kurt and michael.
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