Okay, so what I thought was Buffalo, was actually Baflo. But they say it so similar... Anyway, carnaval was fun. It was actually in Pieterburen. Eleven from our group went and we slept in a barn on Joel Prins' aunt and uncle's farm. It was pretty nice. Very warm. Sunday the more ambitious went to church while the rest of us stayed home to "watch church on tv" with our eyes half shut... Then we went to see the north sea. We had to climb a dike and for some dumb reason we all expected the water to be right on the other side splashing against the dike, but as it turns out, it was so far away we couldn't even see waves at all. We also went to see some seals and a windmill.
I went back to Groningen for the rest of the weekend. I played settlers of catan again and though Amanda and Dane left halfway through the game, I stayed back to keep playing. It was kind of nice to be able to stay and play with Luuk and his friends without Amanda needing to be there. At 9.40pm Luuk brought me to the train station on his bike so I wouldn't miss the 10pm train. I forgot to call my host mom to tell her I was coming and I had no cell phone, so my poor Mama-Lita had no idea where I was. I got to Zwolle at 11pm and since I had been driven downtown by my hosts when I went to Groningen on Friday, I had no bike waiting for me, so I walked home. Got home at midnight and knocked on Mama-lita's door to let her know I was back. She mumbled some kind of "okay". Next morning I sure heard it from her though! "Carmela, you should have called me, I was worried, how'd you get home? you walked? Why didn't you go to Gerjan's? Or take a bus or a taxi home?..." After apologies on my part and explaining that I love walking, it was nice out when I got home anyway, and I now finally have my phone chip for my cell so she can get a hold of me, she is happy again. She wasn't really that upset, just worried and I think a bit annoyed. And I really am terrible at calling people!
Random: In theology we keep talking about Luther and Calvin and the church, and today it just struck me that this church we're talking about is the Catholic church. As rediculous as it is, I tend to group Catholics with others like Mormans, Jehova's witnesses, Muslims, etc... only more Christian... However today I was reminded that the Reformed church actually came out of the Catholic church. The church body or denomination that I grew up in, that I come from, was once upon a time Catholic.
Nap time.
20 February 2007
14 February 2007
slowly going the way of the buffalo
Word of advice - don't ever make bets, no matter how sure you are that you are right. You might not be. Especially if you've had 7 beers and 2 shots... And then you might lose ten euros over it. (don't ask)
Today we went to a high school to learn about the different education system here. I liked what I saw. The strange thing, however, was I saw seventh graders operating huge drills and such. In the US teachers freak out when kids run with scissors, but here they've got the kids making tables and chairs in carpentry class, messing with electric wires and stuff for an electrician class, and learning how to use big heavy factory machines with knives, drills, presses and such. Anyway, I thought it looked like fun though! And these kids graduate from the high school trade section at the age of 16 with a full diploma of their trade. They can be hired straight from school then to be electricians or carpenters or whatever.
Tomorrow and Friday I have no class. Hooray! I'm going to Groningen again this weekend, but saturday I'm going even further to Buffalo to celebrate carnival with several other nspicers.
I feel like I'm always hungry.
I have some pictures I will try to post. It didn't work just now, but maybe later it will.
Today we went to a high school to learn about the different education system here. I liked what I saw. The strange thing, however, was I saw seventh graders operating huge drills and such. In the US teachers freak out when kids run with scissors, but here they've got the kids making tables and chairs in carpentry class, messing with electric wires and stuff for an electrician class, and learning how to use big heavy factory machines with knives, drills, presses and such. Anyway, I thought it looked like fun though! And these kids graduate from the high school trade section at the age of 16 with a full diploma of their trade. They can be hired straight from school then to be electricians or carpenters or whatever.
Tomorrow and Friday I have no class. Hooray! I'm going to Groningen again this weekend, but saturday I'm going even further to Buffalo to celebrate carnival with several other nspicers.
I feel like I'm always hungry.
I have some pictures I will try to post. It didn't work just now, but maybe later it will.
09 February 2007
lot of people walking around out there
The street signs here only face one way, so if you come from the opposite direction they're facing, you cannot see what street is which until after you're past it. This is slightly troublesome to those of use who are not from here and do not know where every street is.
One more week finished. This weekend I'm going to Utrecht to see Liesbeth, finally, and from there I'm going with Amanda and Luuk to Zoetemeer (?) to stay at Luuk's family's house for the weekend.
I have to exchange more money because I've completely run out!! My bank card expired on my this month and I still have not gotten the new one. The bank wouldn't send the new one until the old expired, but since it is coming from the US, I have to wait extra long to get it... So for now I have to rely on the bit of cash I have left. That shouldn't be too much of a problem, but I'm just a bit nervous about the whole situation.
It snowed last night, but this morning it was mostly gone, and now it is entirely gone.
Time to go.
One more week finished. This weekend I'm going to Utrecht to see Liesbeth, finally, and from there I'm going with Amanda and Luuk to Zoetemeer (?) to stay at Luuk's family's house for the weekend.
I have to exchange more money because I've completely run out!! My bank card expired on my this month and I still have not gotten the new one. The bank wouldn't send the new one until the old expired, but since it is coming from the US, I have to wait extra long to get it... So for now I have to rely on the bit of cash I have left. That shouldn't be too much of a problem, but I'm just a bit nervous about the whole situation.
It snowed last night, but this morning it was mostly gone, and now it is entirely gone.
Time to go.
08 February 2007
faniculi
I have yet to see a paved sidewalk. Every sidewalk I've seen here is made of brick or stone.
Today I biked to class with Karyn's bike. I gave her the key at school and I walked home. It was very very cold! It's supposed to snow today. It takes me around 20 minutes to bike to and from school (sometimes more) so I was surprised to make home in under an hour walking. However, a nice lady passed me on her moped and stopped to ask if I wanted a ride. She took me a little way until our paths separated. She spoke no english, but we still managed to communicate. I love how that works!
I was supposed to do homework last night. It's due sometime today by email.
I feel like I'm always hungry here!
Today I biked to class with Karyn's bike. I gave her the key at school and I walked home. It was very very cold! It's supposed to snow today. It takes me around 20 minutes to bike to and from school (sometimes more) so I was surprised to make home in under an hour walking. However, a nice lady passed me on her moped and stopped to ask if I wanted a ride. She took me a little way until our paths separated. She spoke no english, but we still managed to communicate. I love how that works!
I was supposed to do homework last night. It's due sometime today by email.
I feel like I'm always hungry here!
04 February 2007
blazing away
Last night I was getting ready for bed at 11.30 or midnight and Jeanine (my host sister) came in my room and said she was going to town to hang out at her favorite bar, the flying horse, with some friends of hers. She said I should come with. I said I was going to bed. She said "no, you're coming with." So I said "fine". And I went. I had fun. I'm glad I went. The guys all bought rounds, so by the time we left I was just feeling great and I hadn't spent any money! But we came home around 2.30am (?) and then I got up to go to church this morning. I'm tired now. It's only 7.30pm.
I have class tomorrow from 9.15am to 3.45pm. Oh boy.
a few more observations I left out.
ppl here are very good hosts, constantly asking if I want more to drink and always bringing out snacks and stuff.
Whoever said dutch food isn't good is a liar. - The pastries are especially delicious, and the cheese = LEKKER!!!
They don't card much at bars.
They do weird things to trees here.
I found out there's a canal behind my house. I didn't know because there's a "hill" that hides it, but the hill is actually like a dike? or something.
Guys always escort the ladies home at night. (almost)
ALL the girls wear boots! (almost)
guys here actually care about their hair.
In Amsterdam they fish out about 1000 bikes from the canal every week or so. I think.
My host mom likes to watch a soap every night. I watched it with her once and found it slightly humorous. Dramatic music, dramatic voices, dramatic expressions, dramatic pauses... and gibberish. Reminds me of comedy league with Elliot De Wit.
I have class tomorrow from 9.15am to 3.45pm. Oh boy.
a few more observations I left out.
ppl here are very good hosts, constantly asking if I want more to drink and always bringing out snacks and stuff.
Whoever said dutch food isn't good is a liar. - The pastries are especially delicious, and the cheese = LEKKER!!!
They don't card much at bars.
They do weird things to trees here.
I found out there's a canal behind my house. I didn't know because there's a "hill" that hides it, but the hill is actually like a dike? or something.
Guys always escort the ladies home at night. (almost)
ALL the girls wear boots! (almost)
guys here actually care about their hair.
In Amsterdam they fish out about 1000 bikes from the canal every week or so. I think.
My host mom likes to watch a soap every night. I watched it with her once and found it slightly humorous. Dramatic music, dramatic voices, dramatic expressions, dramatic pauses... and gibberish. Reminds me of comedy league with Elliot De Wit.
03 February 2007
overdue
A few observations I've made so far.
1. everything here is small.
2. coffee cups are about half the size of American mugs.
3. I've seen bigger restroom stalls than half the bathrooms here!
4. bath-towel, dish-towel... same size. (almost)
5. did I mention everything is small here?
6. BIKES EVERYWHERE!!
Everyone knows that in the Netherlands everyone uses bikes, right? I mean, I knew before coming here, but I guess I never thought about it much. So when I got here I was still a bit struck by the way cities and towns here are set up to revolve around the bikes... There are bike racks everywhere, bike paths everywhere, bike paths even cross into the street for a turn lane, and bikers always have the right of way. On our tour of Amsterdam we saw a multilevel parking garage - not for cars, but for bikes! Only in the Netherlands!
Yesterday most of the group went to Jolene's to play games. She lives way north and a bit west of the center. I live way south and a wee bit east of the center. It took me nearly an hour to get home. But luckily I was entertained. I noticed the moon was very full! And there were a few whispy clouds in front of it sometimes and it was really fun to bike fast and just look up at the moon because I was biking in the same direction as the clouds so it looked like the clouds and I were standing still and the moon was moving. Fascinating! As was the way it looked so spooky when I biked under a tree with its bare branches in front of the moon. Just before I got home I realized why I was so in love with the sky all night - I think that was one of the first times I've seen the moon and stars since I've been here! It is cloudy so much of the time here, but last night was so clear the stars were out.
Then today was nice and sunny, which was very nice because I went on a tour of zwolle again. Amanda gave me some booklet thing she had that has a map in it and a "trail" marked out to follow and it explains about everything as you go. Turns out it's much like the tour NSPICE gave us. Who knew? Ah well. My host sister (who's my age and who I like more the longer I'm here) went with me. Then we shopped a bit in the market, which is set up every saturday.
1. everything here is small.
2. coffee cups are about half the size of American mugs.
3. I've seen bigger restroom stalls than half the bathrooms here!
4. bath-towel, dish-towel... same size. (almost)
5. did I mention everything is small here?
6. BIKES EVERYWHERE!!
Everyone knows that in the Netherlands everyone uses bikes, right? I mean, I knew before coming here, but I guess I never thought about it much. So when I got here I was still a bit struck by the way cities and towns here are set up to revolve around the bikes... There are bike racks everywhere, bike paths everywhere, bike paths even cross into the street for a turn lane, and bikers always have the right of way. On our tour of Amsterdam we saw a multilevel parking garage - not for cars, but for bikes! Only in the Netherlands!
Yesterday most of the group went to Jolene's to play games. She lives way north and a bit west of the center. I live way south and a wee bit east of the center. It took me nearly an hour to get home. But luckily I was entertained. I noticed the moon was very full! And there were a few whispy clouds in front of it sometimes and it was really fun to bike fast and just look up at the moon because I was biking in the same direction as the clouds so it looked like the clouds and I were standing still and the moon was moving. Fascinating! As was the way it looked so spooky when I biked under a tree with its bare branches in front of the moon. Just before I got home I realized why I was so in love with the sky all night - I think that was one of the first times I've seen the moon and stars since I've been here! It is cloudy so much of the time here, but last night was so clear the stars were out.
Then today was nice and sunny, which was very nice because I went on a tour of zwolle again. Amanda gave me some booklet thing she had that has a map in it and a "trail" marked out to follow and it explains about everything as you go. Turns out it's much like the tour NSPICE gave us. Who knew? Ah well. My host sister (who's my age and who I like more the longer I'm here) went with me. Then we shopped a bit in the market, which is set up every saturday.
21 January 2007
Heads up
I spent three moons at Amanda's current residency. Now I am with my host family, the Huls - a very nice couple about my parents age, with four kids - age 25, 22, 21, and 11. But only the two youngest still live at home. All speak english fairly well, except the youngest, but with him we (Karyn and I) don't need to speak much because we mostly just play darts or skip bo or chess. (He kicked my ass at chess!) They are pretty easy going and easy to talk to. I think I like them. They have hosted 5 or 6 other times - last year Audrey and Bekah were here. :)
Yesterday we NSPICEers got a tour of Zwolle. We climbed the Peperbus, which is a huge tower of a church. It goes up and up and up for about 65 meters! 236 steps! I had no idea when I started climbing and probably after the first 50 stairs I made some comment about how it seemed like it never ended... Little did I know there were still another 186 steps to go.
Today I went to church with them and had a hard time staying awake because I understood nothing. But after church we met up with 6 other NSPICEers and their host families for coffee, cheesecake, snacks, more coffee, juice, soup, buns, more snacks, more juice, wine, and desert (yogurt). I was stuffed! Then we got home and Lita (Mrs. Huls) asked if we wanted tea!
I'm tired now and it is only quarter to nine. I have to be up at 8am to get to school by 9am for orientation or something. Hopefully I don't get lost. Good thing I don't live alone.
Sometimes I keep thinking to myself that though everything is different here - the toilets flush different, the doors are different, the bikes are different, the food is different, and obviously the culture is different - in some ways it seems very much the same. There is still food, three main meals, there is still a toilet, there are still dogs and cats and doors and bikes and cars, and traffic rules... you know? Though it is different, I think adjusting to living here might not be that bad. I guess we'll see if I still think so after four months. I could see the language thing getting a bit annoying though.
There are three girls on NSPICE this year from Romania, but they are actually Hungarian. They speak Romanian, but not completely fluently, though they study in Romanian. I feel a bit bad for them because they don't speak Dutch and their English is a bit limited as well. They get tired of trying to speak English, but since they don't speak Dutch they can only talk to the people here in English. So when I start to get frustrated, I'll just remember I have it better than some...
Good night to some. Good day to others.
Yesterday we NSPICEers got a tour of Zwolle. We climbed the Peperbus, which is a huge tower of a church. It goes up and up and up for about 65 meters! 236 steps! I had no idea when I started climbing and probably after the first 50 stairs I made some comment about how it seemed like it never ended... Little did I know there were still another 186 steps to go.
Today I went to church with them and had a hard time staying awake because I understood nothing. But after church we met up with 6 other NSPICEers and their host families for coffee, cheesecake, snacks, more coffee, juice, soup, buns, more snacks, more juice, wine, and desert (yogurt). I was stuffed! Then we got home and Lita (Mrs. Huls) asked if we wanted tea!
I'm tired now and it is only quarter to nine. I have to be up at 8am to get to school by 9am for orientation or something. Hopefully I don't get lost. Good thing I don't live alone.
Sometimes I keep thinking to myself that though everything is different here - the toilets flush different, the doors are different, the bikes are different, the food is different, and obviously the culture is different - in some ways it seems very much the same. There is still food, three main meals, there is still a toilet, there are still dogs and cats and doors and bikes and cars, and traffic rules... you know? Though it is different, I think adjusting to living here might not be that bad. I guess we'll see if I still think so after four months. I could see the language thing getting a bit annoying though.
There are three girls on NSPICE this year from Romania, but they are actually Hungarian. They speak Romanian, but not completely fluently, though they study in Romanian. I feel a bit bad for them because they don't speak Dutch and their English is a bit limited as well. They get tired of trying to speak English, but since they don't speak Dutch they can only talk to the people here in English. So when I start to get frustrated, I'll just remember I have it better than some...
Good night to some. Good day to others.
17 January 2007
another travelling song
The whole time I was in Mexico I heard Iowa had 30 degree weather or so. The day I got back from Mexico, the temperature was about -4 degrees or so. Or +4? Either way, freaking cold! We got to Minneapolis at about 10, got out of the airport at about 11, found the car and actually left at 12 as in midnight... Got to Sioux Center at about 4am? Got up the next day (sat.) at 10:30am to get to the post office and bank before closing. Did laundry and packed. Went to the bar that night and went to bed around 2:30am. Got up the next
day around 11.
Packed some more. Went to Steph's for supper. Then hung out with Smickers. Went to bed at 2:30am. Got up at 5:30am. Left Sioux Center for Omaha at 6am.
After 27 long hours of travel, I'm finally in Woerdense Verlaat. Hooray! And for anyone ever coming out this way - take British Airways. It's pretty darn good. I didn't have too bad of jet-lag when I got here because I slept quite a bit on the airplanes and in the airports. I had three layovers, one for over 5 hrs. And every flight I was on was a bit delayed, but I still made it on time because there was a strong wind blowing east so my 8hr flight turned into 6hrs.
It's weird seeing Amanda here because she has a whole different life here. She's like a little mom, picking up and dropping off kids, speaking in dutch really fast, cooking, making tea, going to bed early... :) It's good to see her though. I missed her!
Now I miss other people.
Tomorrow I go shopping. Friday I go to my host family's house. I can't wait to unpack. I've been living out of a suitcase
for over three weeks.
To all Dordters, happy studies! I don't know when I start school. Probably monday? Anyway, have a great semester.
day around 11.
Packed some more. Went to Steph's for supper. Then hung out with Smickers. Went to bed at 2:30am. Got up at 5:30am. Left Sioux Center for Omaha at 6am.
After 27 long hours of travel, I'm finally in Woerdense Verlaat. Hooray! And for anyone ever coming out this way - take British Airways. It's pretty darn good. I didn't have too bad of jet-lag when I got here because I slept quite a bit on the airplanes and in the airports. I had three layovers, one for over 5 hrs. And every flight I was on was a bit delayed, but I still made it on time because there was a strong wind blowing east so my 8hr flight turned into 6hrs.
It's weird seeing Amanda here because she has a whole different life here. She's like a little mom, picking up and dropping off kids, speaking in dutch really fast, cooking, making tea, going to bed early... :) It's good to see her though. I missed her!
Now I miss other people.
Tomorrow I go shopping. Friday I go to my host family's house. I can't wait to unpack. I've been living out of a suitcase
for over three weeks.
To all Dordters, happy studies! I don't know when I start school. Probably monday? Anyway, have a great semester.
03 January 2007
chiquitita
I just went to the mall by my old house and in one of the music stores I heard a song that, with different lyrics, sounded like it was a complete knock off of a song by jack johnson. (can't remember the title.)
Tonight Cal is going to play futbol with the guys. I might watch. Or I might stay "home" and watch Friends. To be honest, I'm getting bored here. All my friends have either moved away, or gotten married, or are working all the time. 23 days is a long time to visit. Especially with no car when the busses stop at 10 or 11pm but the parties are just getting started at 10 or 11pm. All complaints aside, though, I am enjoying my time here and the little bits of time I get to spend with old friends and in my old neighborhood and in my old city.
Tonight Cal is going to play futbol with the guys. I might watch. Or I might stay "home" and watch Friends. To be honest, I'm getting bored here. All my friends have either moved away, or gotten married, or are working all the time. 23 days is a long time to visit. Especially with no car when the busses stop at 10 or 11pm but the parties are just getting started at 10 or 11pm. All complaints aside, though, I am enjoying my time here and the little bits of time I get to spend with old friends and in my old neighborhood and in my old city.
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