humpty dumpty sat on a wall. watch the wall fall. humpty and all.. ... . ?

I just got back this morning at 7.30 from our class trip to Prague, Terezin, and Berlin. I could tell all about it, but that will just get so long no one will read it. So instead, I'll just name some high and lowlights.

lowlights:

• Staying at what Peter called a five star hotel that just lost four of its stars.
• the rain we had almost all week
• our monotonous over-informational Prague tour guide who did have an umbrella and thus didn't shorten her speeches for the sake of those who didn't, making us stand in the rain looking at buildings and bridges while she explained things in her thick accent we could hardly understand.
• this clock tower our tour guide hyped up saying it did something special at 3... then after waiting in anticipation, finding out nobody comes out of the clock with a hammer smashing something coming from the other side. Instead some little figures of the apostles or saints or something spin slowly past two little windows at the top of the clock. They don't even come out!
• The photo-nazi women who wouldn't let us take pictures in the castle we visited.
• The castle itself, which was pretty unimpressive.
• someone taking a shit in the bus bathroom and stinking the whole bus up!
  

highlights:

• our awesome bus driver named Peter.
• the hotel rooms with balconies (which we could only get onto through the window because they sealed the doors) that were close to the balcony of the room next door so you could climb from balcony to balcony if you dared.
• The "love room".
  
• the palace guards in Prague who stood absolutely still. We took our pictures next to them and when two of our girls posed like they were going to kiss one of them, the guard slammed his long gun on the ground, scaring the crap out of them!

• 
  
• The wine tasting at 10am in the castle basement.
• The Theatre Image in Prague - I don't care if no one else liked it. It was trippy in a fun way.
• visiting a former concentration camp in Terezin... or perhaps this is a gutter?
• BERLIN!! I loved it!
• Seeing the difference between East and West Berlin.
  
• Seeing the small remaining portion of the Berlin wall with all the colors and paintings - now called the East Side Gallery.

• eating a crepe with nuttella and baileys in front of the TV Tower.
• getting on a train at the last minute while half our group didn't make it. Then being accidentally reunited because the train line was under construction so the train only went halfway to our destination and then went back where it came from - all the while we had no idea what was going on.
• Seeing Marcus eat it in front of the Reichstag building and later hear him try to explain his muddy clothes with some crazy story about saving a baby...

• The long 'lekker' nap I took when I got home!
  

THE END

a few pictures

Here are some more photos for your viewing pleasure.

This is the bunch of our group who went to Pieterburen for the weekend for Carnaval. We're on a dike and behind us is the North Sea that was disappointingly very far away.

Bikes everywhere! These are at the Groningen train station. And is way smaller than the bike parking-garage I saw in Amsterdam.

This is the red light district. Or part of it.

Amanda and I in Zoetermeer

But before I go...

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.