Yes, it has been almost an entire week without me blogging. I would apologize, but once you hear about all I accomplished this week, you will understand how very busy I have been. So pardon my lateness, but at least I'm blogging before taking off for spring break for 9 days.
Monday we had our first Dutch test. After finding out I failed the first quiz (which didn't actually count for anything), I was more nervous than before. I can't fail a class here. I can't fail a class ever! We reviewed for about 20 minutes and then she handed out the tests. I looked at it and thought to myself, "You have to be joking." It was so easy! I struggled with one section but the rest was a breeze. I handed my test in, the professor looked at it and then told me I did well. Now, what "well" means here could mean I just barely passed because that seems to be what everyone aims for here, but whatever. It's over and I feel great about it.
Tuesday rolled around and we had a very long day: 8:30am-3pm in the same classroom. Not only did we have a long day of classes, but Dordt reps were here so we had to put on happy, studious faces. And let me tell you, that is difficult to do when watching a 2 1/2 hour movie completely in Dutch with English subtitles. During our Dutch culture and society class we watched a movie about 2 twin sisters separated at a young age during WWII-- one grew up to marry a Nazi. One grew up to be in love with a Jew. It was an interesting and very touching movie; however I could have done without about 40 minutes.
Tuesday evening we booked our final place to stay for Spring Break: a cozy little apartment in the city center. The best part: 175 euros TOTAL for 3 nights divided by 6 girls. Yep, I'm the best travel agent ever. Call me if you're ever looking for cheap apartments around Europe because right now I am 3 for 3 on the bookings.
What else happens on Tuesday evenings? The Joffer, of course! But first, our older host brother who lives in town came over for dinner: fish, chicken, and potatoes. However, there were only 2 pieces of fish and a multitude of chicken. At first, the boys seemed like they didn't like fish, so I thought, "Well, I like fish so I'll take a piece." Then they questioned me, "Are you sure you want that? You don't have to have it." Ok... is that sarcasm, or do you actually want the fish, or what? Everyone keeps saying how brutally honest and blunt the Dutch people are, but my host family is just like my family at home: you just never know. Turns out the boys do kinda like fish... whoops. At dinner we talked about our backyard. Turns out we also have a pond I had failed to notice in my first month and a half living here. At first I thought they might be joking about that as well, but they told me we do indeed have a little pond that I could swim in. Then the boys came up with a brilliant idea: in a week or so they will give me a quiz about the environment of the backyard. If I fail, I swim in the pond solo. If I pass, I still swim in the pond, but my little brother goes with me. Why not, right?
Well, after dinner, LaRae and I ran to the grocery store and then proceeded to get ready for the Joffer night! We first went to a Dutch buddies and then headed to the city. What a great night. I'll just leave it at that.
Wednesday rolled around and I had absolutely nothing to do except cook for my host family. We had a few girls over to watch the Bachelor and then LaRae and I made upside-down pizza casserole: another successful meal cooked by the dynamic duo. I finished some homework over coffee with the family and some of the girls and then headed upstairs to get up early for my internship this morning.
Because our wonderful carpool date had fallen ill, Katrina and I were forced to use public transportation. So, I woke up at 5:35am, got on a 6:41 bus to get on a 7:17 train to walk to Gomarus and arrive at 8:35am. We then met with our mentor teacher to prepare our first big assignment. We got some guidelines from her and then spent the next 2 hours preparing a project about persecution of Christians around the world. During the 5th hour we presented the information to the 3rd year (14/15 year olds) students. They did not seem thrilled with the work load, but we assured them it would be well worth the time, effort, and we'd be there along the way to help and support them. It's a bit of a heavier load than I think they're used to, but I have full confidence in these kids, and they get a little taste of American teaching styles. Hopefully they like it!
Tonight we met the 6th and final host brother and his girlfriend. Yeah, I love my host family more and more. I've concluded that the more of them that are around, the funnier they get. Although, dad can be pretty hilarious on his own. I am now completely packed for spring break-- in one backpack... That's it! I have one class in the morning and then head off for a wonderful adventure (at least I hope so!). In Italy we will visit Venice, Naples, and Sorrento, and then we will end our spring break in Barcelona. Needless to say, I will not be able to blog during this trip, so until next time! Happy end of February to you all!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
We are Family.
Friday after I finished my internship. I packed up and took LaRae to Groningen-- the student-center, shopping, city of awesomeness. We got there, did some shopping, ate at my favorite pub (Drie GeZusters), and then met up with my cousin. Actually, let me back track a second. We spent 2 hours in the pub, eating, drinking, and being merry. We were also contemplating where we were going to chance to go out later that evening. We thought we were just going to meet up with my cousin in the city, so we needed somewhere to get ready, but where. They charge you for public bathrooms here, and there was no way we were spending 50 cents to fix our hair and change our clothes. Being the cheap and resourceful Friesan my dad raised me to be, we walked to the university, looked for an open building (known as the library by university students), walked in like we were hobos who owned the place, entered the bathroom for approximately 25 minutes, and came out looking like superstars. That is how it's done! I then received a phone call from my cousin telling us we should get on a bus to come to her place for awhile before we go out because no one goes out until 1 AM. Two things: 1) we changed in the university library's bathroom for nothing. 2) We have to stay up until 1 before we can go out? What is this place!?
So, we got on the bus, arrived at my cousin's, and hung out with her and her boyfriend for awhile. Around 12:45 we headed to the bus stop and went to the city. We walked into one pub and it was still kind of quiet. Insane. We entered another and decided (even though it still wasn't super busy) to stay and see if it got any busier. It did. And it was fun, but it was a late, late night!
Around 11:30 in the morning we departed for the train station to Leeuwarden-- the capital of Friesland-- the REAL motherland! My uncle and aunt picked us up and took us to their home in the very, very small village of Kubaard, where my dad grew up. We ate lunch (dinner) with them-- meatballs, potatoes, carrots, applesauce. Now that is what we were expecting from the typical dutch meal. And let me tell you, it was delicious! Then we went to a city on the coast to chase the ice mountains. Once all the cold weather wore off and the wind remained, the waves pushed all of the left over ice to the coastline, resulting in mountains of ice. We searched all along the coast, landing us in Hinderlopen, a town I remember visiting 6 years ago when I was visiting family here with my whole family. It was SO cold and windy there, but I'm glad we got to see it. After that, we went back home and had some coffee. Then we just relaxed with my aunt and uncle and found out a bit more about my family-- like the fact that my uncle competed in '86 in the big ice skating marathon and skated over 200 km!
A little later in the night my uncle, aunt, and I skyped my parents. Skyping my parents is always fun, but I don't think I've seen my dad smile so much over the webcam as when he saw me with his brother.
This morning we ate breakfast and then went to church in Kubaard. I didn't understand very much of the service, but it was still great to see and be in the church my dad went to. We went back home and had coffee with my cousin and his girlfriend and then got a tour of the dairy/house my dad lived in. However, it has recently been remodeled. To me, it looks great and very cozy, but I wonder what it's like for my dad and uncle to see the house they grew up in and hand all those memories in look so different. Maybe they don't/won't think any differently, but I can't imagine going back to the farm in Nevada seeing a completely different house. But of course, things get old and worn out and need a change. We then had dinner (soup, meatball, potatoes, veggies, and vla of course!). A little while later my other cousin came over with his family for some coffee. It was so great to see so much family in such a short time, and I can't wait to come back! Although, I did promise my little 12 and 8 year old cousins that I would speak more Dutch next time I came, so I have a ton of work to do in the next 3 weeks. And since I do have a Dutch test in 12 hours, I suppose there's no better time than the present to get started... So, until next time! Dag!
So, we got on the bus, arrived at my cousin's, and hung out with her and her boyfriend for awhile. Around 12:45 we headed to the bus stop and went to the city. We walked into one pub and it was still kind of quiet. Insane. We entered another and decided (even though it still wasn't super busy) to stay and see if it got any busier. It did. And it was fun, but it was a late, late night!
Around 11:30 in the morning we departed for the train station to Leeuwarden-- the capital of Friesland-- the REAL motherland! My uncle and aunt picked us up and took us to their home in the very, very small village of Kubaard, where my dad grew up. We ate lunch (dinner) with them-- meatballs, potatoes, carrots, applesauce. Now that is what we were expecting from the typical dutch meal. And let me tell you, it was delicious! Then we went to a city on the coast to chase the ice mountains. Once all the cold weather wore off and the wind remained, the waves pushed all of the left over ice to the coastline, resulting in mountains of ice. We searched all along the coast, landing us in Hinderlopen, a town I remember visiting 6 years ago when I was visiting family here with my whole family. It was SO cold and windy there, but I'm glad we got to see it. After that, we went back home and had some coffee. Then we just relaxed with my aunt and uncle and found out a bit more about my family-- like the fact that my uncle competed in '86 in the big ice skating marathon and skated over 200 km!
A little later in the night my uncle, aunt, and I skyped my parents. Skyping my parents is always fun, but I don't think I've seen my dad smile so much over the webcam as when he saw me with his brother.
This morning we ate breakfast and then went to church in Kubaard. I didn't understand very much of the service, but it was still great to see and be in the church my dad went to. We went back home and had coffee with my cousin and his girlfriend and then got a tour of the dairy/house my dad lived in. However, it has recently been remodeled. To me, it looks great and very cozy, but I wonder what it's like for my dad and uncle to see the house they grew up in and hand all those memories in look so different. Maybe they don't/won't think any differently, but I can't imagine going back to the farm in Nevada seeing a completely different house. But of course, things get old and worn out and need a change. We then had dinner (soup, meatball, potatoes, veggies, and vla of course!). A little while later my other cousin came over with his family for some coffee. It was so great to see so much family in such a short time, and I can't wait to come back! Although, I did promise my little 12 and 8 year old cousins that I would speak more Dutch next time I came, so I have a ton of work to do in the next 3 weeks. And since I do have a Dutch test in 12 hours, I suppose there's no better time than the present to get started... So, until next time! Dag!
Utrecht and Van Der Capellen
A brief update about Thursday (all day) and Friday (morning):
Thursday we had a field trip to Utrecht. If you remember anything about our first field trip adventure, we all said a lot of prayers before getting on the train. The last thing we wanted was to spend 8 hours of our day in a train again, especially knowing that we had to be back in Zwolle at 7:30 for a gathering with the other foreign exchange students studying at colleges in Zwolle. Luckily we had no trouble with the trains and arrived at Utrecht Centraal, the largest train station in the Netherlands (complete with shopping mall and starbucks) right on time. We began by looking at what used to be an old Roman Catholic church but is now a bar. We took a look inside and it was incredible, quite shocking, but incredible. I'm not sure how I feel about the whole using what used to be a place of worship as a place of drunken festivities, but to each their own. The strangest part is that the priest had to come and de-holy the place before it could be used for another purpose. That's not something us Reformed folk do...right? We then ventured to the Dom, the highest church tower in the Netherlands-- 430 or so steps to the top, 95 meters high! It took us about an hour to climb to look out over the entire city. It was really neat, but like one of the other SPICE students said, that cathedral in Cologne kind of ruined other churches for us. Yeah, it's cool to climb the highest tower in the Netherlands. And yeah, it's got a unique history with half of the church being destroyed in a rare tsunami, but the beauty and history of that one cathedral is incomparable. After that, we had a cup of coffee and then ventured to a few different museums. One was a house built by a famous carpenter who made thousands of chairs but only one house with 2 goals in mind: space-saving and "the future." We then went to the Miffy museum: the old-school, original Hello Kitty. After that, it was time to go home. Unfortunately on the walk back to the train station the group was separated by a red light (not the kind in Amsterdam). Our professor told us to head down to the train (that would be departing in 3 minutes), but when the conductor blew his whistle and Kees wasn't back, we didn't get on the train. About 30 seconds too late, Kees came back and said to get on the train because the rest of the group got on a different train. However, we were too late and had to go get Starbucks instead... all on our professor. Missing trains is really a bummer... not!
After Utrecht we had a social with the other exchange students and played a little Dutch culture game. Katrina was one of the final 3 standing and received a gift certificate to somewhere. Afterwards some girl dressed in "Dutch" clothes was wandering around with a tray full of Dutch delicacies offering for students to try them: cheese, stroopwaffles, haring, and a Heineken. Well, there was only one thing on the tray I hadn't tried yet, and so I went for it: the haring. Mmm lekker! Alright, it wasn't delicious but for the sake of pictures and bragging rights, it was worth it for sure.
Friday morning at 9:15am I reported for my first day at Van Der Capellen, the public school Katrina and I are observing in Zwolle. The first class we went to was a literature class for 17-18 year old students in the bilingual track. The teacher had decent English but it was a bit broken. That wasn't the worst part: the students hardly had the chance to participate or process MacBeth by themselves. She told them exactly what was happening, why, and even gave them spoilers. When a student asked an in-depth question, she pretty much shut him down and kept up with the rapid pace she was teaching at. I understand being on a time crunch, but for goodness sake, these kids aren't in the bilingual track to get spoon-fed their education. They're looking for an extra challenge.
We then looked at a 7th grade classroom. These students were very, very vocal...mostly in the unproductive way. I whispered to Katrina, "I can't wait to work with these students and demand some respect," but then Katrina reminded me: I can't just do that here. They're not used to it and I'll lose all chance of respect. Crap. That's going to take some extreme getting used to. I'm used to silence in the classroom. Tap your pencil and I'm giving you a detention. You have something to say? I dare you to speak out of turn. Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but you get my point. Students here are so vocal all the time. Students in the states are not. How do you channel all that chatting and movement and noise into something productive? That's going to be a challenge for us.
I then biked home and prepared for a weekend with family accompanied by LaRae, but that's a different story. In other words: see my next blog.
Thursday we had a field trip to Utrecht. If you remember anything about our first field trip adventure, we all said a lot of prayers before getting on the train. The last thing we wanted was to spend 8 hours of our day in a train again, especially knowing that we had to be back in Zwolle at 7:30 for a gathering with the other foreign exchange students studying at colleges in Zwolle. Luckily we had no trouble with the trains and arrived at Utrecht Centraal, the largest train station in the Netherlands (complete with shopping mall and starbucks) right on time. We began by looking at what used to be an old Roman Catholic church but is now a bar. We took a look inside and it was incredible, quite shocking, but incredible. I'm not sure how I feel about the whole using what used to be a place of worship as a place of drunken festivities, but to each their own. The strangest part is that the priest had to come and de-holy the place before it could be used for another purpose. That's not something us Reformed folk do...right? We then ventured to the Dom, the highest church tower in the Netherlands-- 430 or so steps to the top, 95 meters high! It took us about an hour to climb to look out over the entire city. It was really neat, but like one of the other SPICE students said, that cathedral in Cologne kind of ruined other churches for us. Yeah, it's cool to climb the highest tower in the Netherlands. And yeah, it's got a unique history with half of the church being destroyed in a rare tsunami, but the beauty and history of that one cathedral is incomparable. After that, we had a cup of coffee and then ventured to a few different museums. One was a house built by a famous carpenter who made thousands of chairs but only one house with 2 goals in mind: space-saving and "the future." We then went to the Miffy museum: the old-school, original Hello Kitty. After that, it was time to go home. Unfortunately on the walk back to the train station the group was separated by a red light (not the kind in Amsterdam). Our professor told us to head down to the train (that would be departing in 3 minutes), but when the conductor blew his whistle and Kees wasn't back, we didn't get on the train. About 30 seconds too late, Kees came back and said to get on the train because the rest of the group got on a different train. However, we were too late and had to go get Starbucks instead... all on our professor. Missing trains is really a bummer... not!
After Utrecht we had a social with the other exchange students and played a little Dutch culture game. Katrina was one of the final 3 standing and received a gift certificate to somewhere. Afterwards some girl dressed in "Dutch" clothes was wandering around with a tray full of Dutch delicacies offering for students to try them: cheese, stroopwaffles, haring, and a Heineken. Well, there was only one thing on the tray I hadn't tried yet, and so I went for it: the haring. Mmm lekker! Alright, it wasn't delicious but for the sake of pictures and bragging rights, it was worth it for sure.
Friday morning at 9:15am I reported for my first day at Van Der Capellen, the public school Katrina and I are observing in Zwolle. The first class we went to was a literature class for 17-18 year old students in the bilingual track. The teacher had decent English but it was a bit broken. That wasn't the worst part: the students hardly had the chance to participate or process MacBeth by themselves. She told them exactly what was happening, why, and even gave them spoilers. When a student asked an in-depth question, she pretty much shut him down and kept up with the rapid pace she was teaching at. I understand being on a time crunch, but for goodness sake, these kids aren't in the bilingual track to get spoon-fed their education. They're looking for an extra challenge.
We then looked at a 7th grade classroom. These students were very, very vocal...mostly in the unproductive way. I whispered to Katrina, "I can't wait to work with these students and demand some respect," but then Katrina reminded me: I can't just do that here. They're not used to it and I'll lose all chance of respect. Crap. That's going to take some extreme getting used to. I'm used to silence in the classroom. Tap your pencil and I'm giving you a detention. You have something to say? I dare you to speak out of turn. Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but you get my point. Students here are so vocal all the time. Students in the states are not. How do you channel all that chatting and movement and noise into something productive? That's going to be a challenge for us.
I then biked home and prepared for a weekend with family accompanied by LaRae, but that's a different story. In other words: see my next blog.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Finally! Real, live students!
Slacking off on blogging has been way too easy lately. I apologize.
Monday, that seems so long ago! Well, I had Dutch class, and that's about it. We have our first test in our next lesson... yikes! Learning a new language is seriously so hard. My children are all going to be bilingual the second they start talking. I can kind of translate written Dutch, but the second a real, live Dutch person starts talking to me, I freeze up and forget that I even know any words in their language. So the test should be pretty interesting... other than Dutch class, not a lot happens on Mondays. Oh, but I did manage to almost get hit by a car. It would be funny if a block later I hadn't seen a man in the middle of the street, out cold, surrounded by passing people and police officers because he had been hit by a car on his bike. That got me thinking: does this happen a lot? Also, the fact that people weren't moving for the ambulance and police vehicles was shocking and horrible. Every time I see a car coming towards me now, my heart skips a few beats and I assume the worst. Things I miss about America: the assurance that I will not get struck by a vehicle while I'm biking... because I never bike.
Yesterday (Tuesday), Katrina and I did our internship. Evidently field trips get cancelled for Valentine's Day in this country and get rescheduled to days of other students' internships. Luckily the people at Gomarus love Katrina and I so much they were more than willing to let us come on Tuesday instead of Thursday so we could attend the field trip as well. I was picked up by my carpool date, picked up Katrina at the train station, and made our way to Groningen.
We arrived at Gomarus only to find out that our mentor teacher was sick. Again, because they love us so much there, they were flexible enough to make room for us elsewhere around the school. And lucky for us, this involved real, live students-- not just watching them, but interacting with them! Tuesday was the preliminary round of a junior speaking contest for the ESL (TTO) students in grades 2 and 3 (8th and 9th). The topic for the speeches was the future. The students could choose to do whatever they wanted with this topic, but many of them focused on what the future will be like-- technology, not worrying about the future, etc. However, a few had different ideas. One boy has dreams to travel the world and save the animals-- one of the most passionate speeches I have ever heard. Another girl dreams to get rid of using paper all the way around. Katrina and I spent our day helping students with their diction, grammar, and practicing their speeches. It was so much fun! At first the students didn't want a thing to do with us. They would ask any one in the room besides us for help, but by the time lunch rolled around, students were coming to us for everything. It was a great way to see some of the students' personalities, interests, and also the variety of English-speaking skills. Some of them are excellent English speakers. Others, not so much. Some of them had great English-writing, but their speaking ability was lacking. It was really quite interesting but also inspirational. These kids are so motivated to excel in the same programs, and yet they are so diverse in their interests and abilities.
I have already picked favorites, sadly: purple shirt kid. He was quite the charmer and the crack up. His personality just screamed This got Katrina and me thinking: what if we suggested a one act? We could incorporate it into the English class, and we think this would be a great way for students to practice their English in a different, less stressful (and boring) environment. Ideas like this get me so excited about this opportunity and the opportunities I'll have in the future. I can't wait to have a classroom of my own and enact stuff like this on my own.
Today was a pretty chill day-- watched the Bachelor, cooked dinner for the family (baked lemon pasta with chicken), went to Dutch Culture and Society class, ate dinner with the family, finished scholarship applications, and now I'm blogging before bed. And now I'm done with that, so off to bed I go!
Monday, that seems so long ago! Well, I had Dutch class, and that's about it. We have our first test in our next lesson... yikes! Learning a new language is seriously so hard. My children are all going to be bilingual the second they start talking. I can kind of translate written Dutch, but the second a real, live Dutch person starts talking to me, I freeze up and forget that I even know any words in their language. So the test should be pretty interesting... other than Dutch class, not a lot happens on Mondays. Oh, but I did manage to almost get hit by a car. It would be funny if a block later I hadn't seen a man in the middle of the street, out cold, surrounded by passing people and police officers because he had been hit by a car on his bike. That got me thinking: does this happen a lot? Also, the fact that people weren't moving for the ambulance and police vehicles was shocking and horrible. Every time I see a car coming towards me now, my heart skips a few beats and I assume the worst. Things I miss about America: the assurance that I will not get struck by a vehicle while I'm biking... because I never bike.
Yesterday (Tuesday), Katrina and I did our internship. Evidently field trips get cancelled for Valentine's Day in this country and get rescheduled to days of other students' internships. Luckily the people at Gomarus love Katrina and I so much they were more than willing to let us come on Tuesday instead of Thursday so we could attend the field trip as well. I was picked up by my carpool date, picked up Katrina at the train station, and made our way to Groningen.
We arrived at Gomarus only to find out that our mentor teacher was sick. Again, because they love us so much there, they were flexible enough to make room for us elsewhere around the school. And lucky for us, this involved real, live students-- not just watching them, but interacting with them! Tuesday was the preliminary round of a junior speaking contest for the ESL (TTO) students in grades 2 and 3 (8th and 9th). The topic for the speeches was the future. The students could choose to do whatever they wanted with this topic, but many of them focused on what the future will be like-- technology, not worrying about the future, etc. However, a few had different ideas. One boy has dreams to travel the world and save the animals-- one of the most passionate speeches I have ever heard. Another girl dreams to get rid of using paper all the way around. Katrina and I spent our day helping students with their diction, grammar, and practicing their speeches. It was so much fun! At first the students didn't want a thing to do with us. They would ask any one in the room besides us for help, but by the time lunch rolled around, students were coming to us for everything. It was a great way to see some of the students' personalities, interests, and also the variety of English-speaking skills. Some of them are excellent English speakers. Others, not so much. Some of them had great English-writing, but their speaking ability was lacking. It was really quite interesting but also inspirational. These kids are so motivated to excel in the same programs, and yet they are so diverse in their interests and abilities.
I have already picked favorites, sadly: purple shirt kid. He was quite the charmer and the crack up. His personality just screamed This got Katrina and me thinking: what if we suggested a one act? We could incorporate it into the English class, and we think this would be a great way for students to practice their English in a different, less stressful (and boring) environment. Ideas like this get me so excited about this opportunity and the opportunities I'll have in the future. I can't wait to have a classroom of my own and enact stuff like this on my own.
Today was a pretty chill day-- watched the Bachelor, cooked dinner for the family (baked lemon pasta with chicken), went to Dutch Culture and Society class, ate dinner with the family, finished scholarship applications, and now I'm blogging before bed. And now I'm done with that, so off to bed I go!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Belgie
Saturday morning at 7:48am 9 SPICE participants departed the Zwolle train station. Final destination: Antwerp, Belgium. They spent 3 hours train hopping through the Netherlands until they reached Antwerp at 11:00am. They stepped off the train into one of the most beautiful train stations in Europe. The architecture was phenomenal! From there, they set off to find their hotel: Rubenshof Hotel (which used to be the house of a very prestigious/wealthy man). But first, the group followed their self-elected leader through the Turkish neighborhood (You have NO idea how terrified I was that I booked the hotel in the sketchiest ghetto area in Antwerp). After about a mile of wandering, they hopped on a tram and found their hotel (located a few kilometers from the city center but still a nice area). From there, the group decided to walk back into town, slowly but surely, and look around, seeing A LOT along the way. There were several museums, government(ish) buildings, and a ton of statues around the city. Because it was such a large group, there was a lot of wandering, picture taking, etc, but not a lot of lingering/information gathering-- something I kind of regret.
Traveling with a group of 9 is a bit more difficult than I anticipated. Just imagine every aspect of a human being times 9 trying to navigate their way through a foreign city. That's 9 different interests, 9 different styles of touring, 9 different opinions, 9 different appetites, 9 different paces of walking, and 9 of everything else that has to do with human beings. As much as I love the group I traveled with, I wouldn't recommend traveling in large groups. It's just difficult to really enjoy and take in the city. I would have appreciated visiting a few museums, a few more waffles, and a few more hours in the city, but of course I can't always do everything I want. I am just thankful that I did everything Belgium is about: waffles, fries, chocolate, and souvenirs representing all of the countries near Belgium (and none of their own, except for beer openers with the little peeing boy).
On the train ride back I asked the guys if they thought we saw what a true Belgian city should be like. It's weird: Belgium seems to be a mush-pot of a bunch of different cultures. I did not talk to more than 3 people who were from Belgium, but I saw tons of Turkish people and Dutch people. The shops were filled with cop-out delft and other typical souvenirs from other countries. Besides food, I'm honestly not sure what "Belgian culture" really looks like. See, Belgium used to not be a country, I guess. Supposedly half was France and half was Holland, but then Belgium was born. So they don't have their own language, and they don't have a whole lot of other really distinguishable cultural traditions. Maybe I'm being bias, basing this off of the one city I've seen. So correct me if I am wrong.
All in all, it was a great weekend. I love the traveling, the public transportation, the food, and the opportunities to see so many different cities. Even if I'm left wondering what I actually saw, I love being able to say that I've been to Belgium. The most important thing to remember is this: I'm only here once and don't want to regret a single thing. And honestly, the only thing I can imagine regretting while in Europe is not seeing as much as I possibly can. So whether or not Belgium is culturally authentic, I know that the trip was worth it. AND my life has indeed been changed by authentic Belgian waffles. :)
Friday, February 10, 2012
Curve Ball
I had every intention of blogging about my day yesterday at Gomarus (another excellent one, mind you), but I just received an e-mail that has thrown me for quite the loop.
I have a very difficult decision to make in the next month or so. At the beginning of the semester I had to apply for student teaching. On the application we have to give some sort of indication where we want to student teach: local, not local (a state other than Iowa, basically), or international. Originally I figured I would do the first half of my student teaching in a bigger city involved in a large public school, and the second half I would complete in Sioux Center so that I could finish my career at Dordt with my friends. Well, the second half of this e-mail informed me that to receive my TESL endorsement I have to student teach internationally. I wasn't completely aware of this, but this obviously makes a lot of sense to me.
Originally I had planned for this semester and my internship at Gomarus to be an indication to me as to whether or not teaching internationally was something I really wanted, but evidently I have to decide whether or not it's something I really want before the end of March... pressure on. Today in our portfolio group we talked about stress and putting things in the hands of God. I opened the session with 1 Peter 5:6-7, a verse about just that. We then talked about different things we stress about. One of the members of my group mentioned how he really only stresses over life decisions: college, career, etc. I, on the other hand, have never had to stress about life decisions because I make them so far in advance. I chose Dordt as a junior in high school, chose my career path early, etc. Usually I stress little things like scholarships, assignments, people's opinions, etc. But of course, the time has come when I have to make a life decision quite rapidly. I don't have all sorts of time to think through everything. The choice is this: do I take the route I've been intending all along and ditch the TESL international, or do I go after something I think I really want but forfeit my last semester with my friends, family, etc and risk finding out that international teaching isn't for me? yeah, that's a lot more stress than I really want to deal with right now. But I suppose I have to take my own advice. It's in God's hands, Jennifer. Do what you must and take it one step at a time, pray, consult those who know you best and who want the best for you, weigh all your options, and did I mention pray?
So, right before Belgium I get this e-mail that stresses me out in a few different ways, but I'm choosing to put it on the back burner for a few days. It'll all work out. I have over a month. Yes, only a month, but still it is time enough. I have all these wonderful things going on around me right now that I'm going to appreciate, and I will just take it one step at a time and trust it's all going to work out.
On a lighter note, Gomarus yesterday was wonderful and Katrina and I explored Groningen a bit more as well: beautiful. Today I met with the principal and a bilingual teacher at the public school in Zwolle and that went wonderfully. All these awesome opportunities are opening up for me and I love it! After that meeting, LaRae and I went skating with our host mom and brother. I still stink at skating even in Europe, but it was really fun. A couple of the SPICE buddies showed up, too. All in all a good week, despite that scary e-mail, and now I get to enjoy a weekend in Belgium with some great people. So, again, no update for a few days. Sorry!
I have a very difficult decision to make in the next month or so. At the beginning of the semester I had to apply for student teaching. On the application we have to give some sort of indication where we want to student teach: local, not local (a state other than Iowa, basically), or international. Originally I figured I would do the first half of my student teaching in a bigger city involved in a large public school, and the second half I would complete in Sioux Center so that I could finish my career at Dordt with my friends. Well, the second half of this e-mail informed me that to receive my TESL endorsement I have to student teach internationally. I wasn't completely aware of this, but this obviously makes a lot of sense to me.
Originally I had planned for this semester and my internship at Gomarus to be an indication to me as to whether or not teaching internationally was something I really wanted, but evidently I have to decide whether or not it's something I really want before the end of March... pressure on. Today in our portfolio group we talked about stress and putting things in the hands of God. I opened the session with 1 Peter 5:6-7, a verse about just that. We then talked about different things we stress about. One of the members of my group mentioned how he really only stresses over life decisions: college, career, etc. I, on the other hand, have never had to stress about life decisions because I make them so far in advance. I chose Dordt as a junior in high school, chose my career path early, etc. Usually I stress little things like scholarships, assignments, people's opinions, etc. But of course, the time has come when I have to make a life decision quite rapidly. I don't have all sorts of time to think through everything. The choice is this: do I take the route I've been intending all along and ditch the TESL international, or do I go after something I think I really want but forfeit my last semester with my friends, family, etc and risk finding out that international teaching isn't for me? yeah, that's a lot more stress than I really want to deal with right now. But I suppose I have to take my own advice. It's in God's hands, Jennifer. Do what you must and take it one step at a time, pray, consult those who know you best and who want the best for you, weigh all your options, and did I mention pray?
So, right before Belgium I get this e-mail that stresses me out in a few different ways, but I'm choosing to put it on the back burner for a few days. It'll all work out. I have over a month. Yes, only a month, but still it is time enough. I have all these wonderful things going on around me right now that I'm going to appreciate, and I will just take it one step at a time and trust it's all going to work out.
On a lighter note, Gomarus yesterday was wonderful and Katrina and I explored Groningen a bit more as well: beautiful. Today I met with the principal and a bilingual teacher at the public school in Zwolle and that went wonderfully. All these awesome opportunities are opening up for me and I love it! After that meeting, LaRae and I went skating with our host mom and brother. I still stink at skating even in Europe, but it was really fun. A couple of the SPICE buddies showed up, too. All in all a good week, despite that scary e-mail, and now I get to enjoy a weekend in Belgium with some great people. So, again, no update for a few days. Sorry!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
This education system rocks... maybe... sometimes?
On Tuesday afternoon we took a little field trip to a local Christian "high school" in Zwolle. In case you weren't aware of this already, their education system is a lot different than ours. Or is it? There are three levels: primary school, high school, then college (similar to ours). The main difference is the way it is split up. When students are in high school they are split into tracks, and these tracks are geared toward their abilities/interests as learners. In the states, we have similar things, but not every school is able to cater to each students interests and abilities. Here, since all schools, public and private, are funded by the government, they can. This sounds nice, right?
Well, not when you hear it from a narrow-minded old-school Canadian English teacher who only focuses on the negatives of the education systems he is not a part of. Dutch schools, according to this man, are superior to all other educational institutes because (I quote) ALL Dutch students love school. OK, sir, generalizations are ALWAYS wrong (haha). Had he stopped at this statement, I would have been fine. Obviously he didn't. He continued to tell us exactly why these students are so happy: because their learning needs are being met by the schools pushing them to do the track that is "right for them." Regardless if a student desires to be a mechanic or not, if the school sees that as the best fit, that's where they will go. Sure, they can try to be a teacher or engineer, but ultimately, they will fail in that and end up in the mechanic branch anyways. This is sparing them from failure, teachers from frustration, and other students from being held back/frustrated as well.
OK, that's not called education. First of all, it is the teacher's responsibility to help students discover what they're good at/career paths, NOT force them into one. Secondly, teaching shouldn't be about convenience for the teacher. If you have students who are bored and not learning, you don't just kick them out of that class or level; you work with them. You differentiate your teaching. What a horrible philosophy about teaching. Nothing is more frustrating than to hear someone who is respected and noted as a "great" educator say things that are so ridiculous, ignorant, and quite frankly irresponsible as a teacher. Maybe that's a bit harsh, but he really, really rubbed me the wrong way. I'm not a fan of taking the easy way out in anything, especially in teaching. If I wanted an easy job in life, I'd sign up for something else. Teaching is not going to be easy. I'm going to be frustrated with students who don't understand or who don't apply themselves, but I can't just pass the blame on them or the responsibility on another teacher. It's part of the job description, and if you don't like it, go be a plummer or something.
Alright, I might be being a tad bit bias, but this man really put my guard up and got me thinking: is this really a system I could see myself teaching in? They say they are all about the individual, but this dictating what track students are "capable" of doesn't sound like enhancing the individual or advancing the education of students at all. To me it sounds like hog wash and like schools are all about what's most convenient for the teachers. I don't like it. No thanks; send me back to good old 'Merica, please!
Today (Wednesday) I asked a few of the Dutch buddies who are education majors at the GH to talk with me about their education track to become teachers/the education system in general. After much deliberation and bribing (a cup of coffee/hot chocolate and the threat of a muffin being thrown at them if they refuse to meet with me), the gentlemen agreed to educate me on their education. So I asked a few general questions: Why do you want to teach? What do you want to teach? What are your life ambitions? How many credits do you have? Do you like how much internship you do? And so on and so forth.
You'd think the answer to the first question would be pretty easy, but they seemed shocked that I asked them. Maybe they didn't think I was being serious, but alas, they did answer me. They agreed they both liked the idea of interacting with students and that it's different every day. Not a bad reason, but isn't there more to teaching? Yes. Yes, there is.
I then told the guys what I had gathered from the teacher on Tuesday afternoon. They said, "no, he is not being completely fair to the system." According to them, the teachers, parents, students, and some sort of entrance test to indicate the student's level together decide what track the student will enter. So, if a student doesn't score very high but the teachers and parents think the student can achieve at the next level, they can enter that level. They are given a few chances (not sure the specifics here), but if they can't keep up, they meet with the student and discuss different options. This is more acceptable.
Here's something interesting. Earlier I had a discussion with one of the host dads about special education, something very dear to my heart after working at Hope Haven and with my favorite 7th grader. Here they have special schools for students with disabilities. As of right now, schools are able to turn down students with disabilities. However, some schools are working on integrating special needs into their schools. Ultimately the goal is to have this in every school, so that students/teachers can choose if they want their students to be in whichever school they see most fitting for their students needs. I asked the guys what they thought of this-- not the hugest fans. They said something along the lines of this being a lot of work for teachers and that the teachers in the special schools are trained specifically to help these students, and ultimately this is better for them. I disagree. 1) Life doesn't ship disabled people to a different country, and education should give students-- ALL students-- opportunities that give them skills they'll need in the real world. 2) Teaching is not about "ease." It's about teaching, regardless of the situation or the students. I agree, special ed teachers have the resources and skills that are most fitting, but in the states, that is why we have resource rooms, etc.
Because I need to get to bed to get some sleep before my internship in the morning, I'll summarize. At the end of my little interview session I came to this conclusion: they have a good system here, but like everywhere, it could use some work. The idea of helping students prepare for their career choice earlier is a wonderful idea and probably extremely helpful. The idea of separate tracks for varied learning abilities is amazing and I wish my high school would have had the funds for that. The idea of separating special needs students from the rest of the learners still irks me, but I am glad they are working to incorporate special education into every school. Really, it's a blessing guys. Working with people with disabilities will change your life. Yeah, it's frustrating at times, but the rewards are so worth it. I love that these guys get so much time in the classroom as part of their education program; I'm jealous of that. All in all, I think I am a fan of this system, but it's something that will take a lot of getting used to, and something that I still have a lot of questions about. I'm not as willing to say theirs is far better than American schools, but I will give them this: I think they have more of the right idea than us. Can I change that? No. Does this mean I never want to teach in American schools? No. I'm all for the challenge. Who knows, maybe I can bring some of the Dutch school system back with me and show the American teachers exactly what we're missing. One can only dream.
(Side note-- if you have more questions about the Dutch system/think I misunderstood it, please don't reprimand me. I am learning here still. Consult either Anne-Geert, Tom, or Gerald. :))
DAG!
Well, not when you hear it from a narrow-minded old-school Canadian English teacher who only focuses on the negatives of the education systems he is not a part of. Dutch schools, according to this man, are superior to all other educational institutes because (I quote) ALL Dutch students love school. OK, sir, generalizations are ALWAYS wrong (haha). Had he stopped at this statement, I would have been fine. Obviously he didn't. He continued to tell us exactly why these students are so happy: because their learning needs are being met by the schools pushing them to do the track that is "right for them." Regardless if a student desires to be a mechanic or not, if the school sees that as the best fit, that's where they will go. Sure, they can try to be a teacher or engineer, but ultimately, they will fail in that and end up in the mechanic branch anyways. This is sparing them from failure, teachers from frustration, and other students from being held back/frustrated as well.
OK, that's not called education. First of all, it is the teacher's responsibility to help students discover what they're good at/career paths, NOT force them into one. Secondly, teaching shouldn't be about convenience for the teacher. If you have students who are bored and not learning, you don't just kick them out of that class or level; you work with them. You differentiate your teaching. What a horrible philosophy about teaching. Nothing is more frustrating than to hear someone who is respected and noted as a "great" educator say things that are so ridiculous, ignorant, and quite frankly irresponsible as a teacher. Maybe that's a bit harsh, but he really, really rubbed me the wrong way. I'm not a fan of taking the easy way out in anything, especially in teaching. If I wanted an easy job in life, I'd sign up for something else. Teaching is not going to be easy. I'm going to be frustrated with students who don't understand or who don't apply themselves, but I can't just pass the blame on them or the responsibility on another teacher. It's part of the job description, and if you don't like it, go be a plummer or something.
Alright, I might be being a tad bit bias, but this man really put my guard up and got me thinking: is this really a system I could see myself teaching in? They say they are all about the individual, but this dictating what track students are "capable" of doesn't sound like enhancing the individual or advancing the education of students at all. To me it sounds like hog wash and like schools are all about what's most convenient for the teachers. I don't like it. No thanks; send me back to good old 'Merica, please!
Today (Wednesday) I asked a few of the Dutch buddies who are education majors at the GH to talk with me about their education track to become teachers/the education system in general. After much deliberation and bribing (a cup of coffee/hot chocolate and the threat of a muffin being thrown at them if they refuse to meet with me), the gentlemen agreed to educate me on their education. So I asked a few general questions: Why do you want to teach? What do you want to teach? What are your life ambitions? How many credits do you have? Do you like how much internship you do? And so on and so forth.
You'd think the answer to the first question would be pretty easy, but they seemed shocked that I asked them. Maybe they didn't think I was being serious, but alas, they did answer me. They agreed they both liked the idea of interacting with students and that it's different every day. Not a bad reason, but isn't there more to teaching? Yes. Yes, there is.
I then told the guys what I had gathered from the teacher on Tuesday afternoon. They said, "no, he is not being completely fair to the system." According to them, the teachers, parents, students, and some sort of entrance test to indicate the student's level together decide what track the student will enter. So, if a student doesn't score very high but the teachers and parents think the student can achieve at the next level, they can enter that level. They are given a few chances (not sure the specifics here), but if they can't keep up, they meet with the student and discuss different options. This is more acceptable.
Here's something interesting. Earlier I had a discussion with one of the host dads about special education, something very dear to my heart after working at Hope Haven and with my favorite 7th grader. Here they have special schools for students with disabilities. As of right now, schools are able to turn down students with disabilities. However, some schools are working on integrating special needs into their schools. Ultimately the goal is to have this in every school, so that students/teachers can choose if they want their students to be in whichever school they see most fitting for their students needs. I asked the guys what they thought of this-- not the hugest fans. They said something along the lines of this being a lot of work for teachers and that the teachers in the special schools are trained specifically to help these students, and ultimately this is better for them. I disagree. 1) Life doesn't ship disabled people to a different country, and education should give students-- ALL students-- opportunities that give them skills they'll need in the real world. 2) Teaching is not about "ease." It's about teaching, regardless of the situation or the students. I agree, special ed teachers have the resources and skills that are most fitting, but in the states, that is why we have resource rooms, etc.
Because I need to get to bed to get some sleep before my internship in the morning, I'll summarize. At the end of my little interview session I came to this conclusion: they have a good system here, but like everywhere, it could use some work. The idea of helping students prepare for their career choice earlier is a wonderful idea and probably extremely helpful. The idea of separate tracks for varied learning abilities is amazing and I wish my high school would have had the funds for that. The idea of separating special needs students from the rest of the learners still irks me, but I am glad they are working to incorporate special education into every school. Really, it's a blessing guys. Working with people with disabilities will change your life. Yeah, it's frustrating at times, but the rewards are so worth it. I love that these guys get so much time in the classroom as part of their education program; I'm jealous of that. All in all, I think I am a fan of this system, but it's something that will take a lot of getting used to, and something that I still have a lot of questions about. I'm not as willing to say theirs is far better than American schools, but I will give them this: I think they have more of the right idea than us. Can I change that? No. Does this mean I never want to teach in American schools? No. I'm all for the challenge. Who knows, maybe I can bring some of the Dutch school system back with me and show the American teachers exactly what we're missing. One can only dream.
(Side note-- if you have more questions about the Dutch system/think I misunderstood it, please don't reprimand me. I am learning here still. Consult either Anne-Geert, Tom, or Gerald. :))
DAG!
Monday, February 6, 2012
Photos All Around!
Because nothing exciting is happening today besides trying to decide whether the word "vaak" means what we all think it means in Dutch class, I decided now would be a good time to post a few pictures. If you are friends with me on Facebook, you've already seen them. If you aren't... well, get on that!
Zwolle from the Pepper Box
Zwolle City Center
Amsterdam!
Night Watch by Rembrandt
De Bakker en Gouda
City Hall en Gouda
Halfway up a windmill in Gouda
Delft wooden shoe
Bridge in Delft
The cathedral in Cologne, Germany
Weekend #3
This weekend has been a bit different than what I intend most weekends to be like. That is, I spent a majority of my time in the house, relaxing, and eating. I don't have a problem with that, but generally speaking, I assumed most weekends I'd be taking on Europe, one country at a time. This weekend pretty much the whole group decided to stay in the Zwolle area. Saturday a bunch of girls got together to watch the Harry Potter movies. It seemed like a great idea to try to watch them all, but alas, we only made it through about 2 and a half. Here's the deal: we intended to start at 10am, but didn't get to Lauren's until a bit after 10, and then waited for Katrina to show up with the movies. We waited, and waited, and waited. We called Katrina, and she said she was on her way, about a kilometer away. So we waited, and waited...
and still waited. Apparently Katrina's kilometers are a lot further away than the average person's.
Finally, we called her again, got the name of the street she was on, and after over an hour of waiting, Katrina arrived to Lauren's with the assistance of Lauren's host dad coming to rescue her. The plan was to watch the movies, eat some pizza, and chill in sweatpants (bright yellow, mind you). That all went down the tubes as we impatiently tried to change the language to English, realized we had the "kill yourself extended version" of the movies, and that pizza places didn't deliver, or even open, until after 4pm. Most people would just accept their pizza-less fate and make a sandwich. Not us. No, LaRae and I decided it was worth the 5 minute bike ride in the snow in our slippers and sweats to find pizza at the grocery store. Let me tell you, nothing screams American like bright yellow slippers and sweats frantically searching the grocery store for frozen pizzas.
But alas, we achieved our goal, watched some Harry Potter, ate some pizza, and chilled all day. Then we decided to take on the grocery store again to get ingredients for dinner and puppy chow. Apparently people don't eat chex mix, chocolate chips, powdered sugar, or more than 5 chicken nuggets here, because we couldn't find anything we needed. Maybe it was just the grocery store, but seriously-- no powdered sugar or chocolate chips!? We decided on making brownies with oreos in them and had fries and fish sticks for dinner. We then proceeded to go out on the town. You quickly learn that socializing trumps cold bike rides, that is, when you have a close bike ride. For some, even a slow clap, bribery, and peer pressure are not enough... sadly.
Sunday arrived and after a week-long battle, my immune system gave in and the cold virus took control of my body. After church, all I wanted to do was sleep, but of course I wanted coffee time, too. So, I sat and had coffee and appletaart with the family, and suddenly the door opened and in walked my oldest host brother, his wife, and their adorable baby. All sickness, tiredness, and bad mood left instantly as I watched the precious baby interact with the rest of the family. After some socializing and broodjes, I went upstairs and took a nap until dinner time.
At 12:29am (yes, midnight thirty) our time the Superbowl would be online and available to watch (that was what we had made the brownies for), but I arrived to the conclusion that socializing was not enough for me to bike 30 minutes at that time of morning and then back again afterwards. So instead, I wrote some more, drank some coffee, ate a brownie, let my roommate cut my hair, and went to bed.
That is not a typical weekend-- for American travelers or Dutch folk, but still, it was a good one.
and still waited. Apparently Katrina's kilometers are a lot further away than the average person's.
Finally, we called her again, got the name of the street she was on, and after over an hour of waiting, Katrina arrived to Lauren's with the assistance of Lauren's host dad coming to rescue her. The plan was to watch the movies, eat some pizza, and chill in sweatpants (bright yellow, mind you). That all went down the tubes as we impatiently tried to change the language to English, realized we had the "kill yourself extended version" of the movies, and that pizza places didn't deliver, or even open, until after 4pm. Most people would just accept their pizza-less fate and make a sandwich. Not us. No, LaRae and I decided it was worth the 5 minute bike ride in the snow in our slippers and sweats to find pizza at the grocery store. Let me tell you, nothing screams American like bright yellow slippers and sweats frantically searching the grocery store for frozen pizzas.
But alas, we achieved our goal, watched some Harry Potter, ate some pizza, and chilled all day. Then we decided to take on the grocery store again to get ingredients for dinner and puppy chow. Apparently people don't eat chex mix, chocolate chips, powdered sugar, or more than 5 chicken nuggets here, because we couldn't find anything we needed. Maybe it was just the grocery store, but seriously-- no powdered sugar or chocolate chips!? We decided on making brownies with oreos in them and had fries and fish sticks for dinner. We then proceeded to go out on the town. You quickly learn that socializing trumps cold bike rides, that is, when you have a close bike ride. For some, even a slow clap, bribery, and peer pressure are not enough... sadly.
Sunday arrived and after a week-long battle, my immune system gave in and the cold virus took control of my body. After church, all I wanted to do was sleep, but of course I wanted coffee time, too. So, I sat and had coffee and appletaart with the family, and suddenly the door opened and in walked my oldest host brother, his wife, and their adorable baby. All sickness, tiredness, and bad mood left instantly as I watched the precious baby interact with the rest of the family. After some socializing and broodjes, I went upstairs and took a nap until dinner time.
At 12:29am (yes, midnight thirty) our time the Superbowl would be online and available to watch (that was what we had made the brownies for), but I arrived to the conclusion that socializing was not enough for me to bike 30 minutes at that time of morning and then back again afterwards. So instead, I wrote some more, drank some coffee, ate a brownie, let my roommate cut my hair, and went to bed.
That is not a typical weekend-- for American travelers or Dutch folk, but still, it was a good one.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
Because I have been so busy with my internship, trying to convince my body to sleep in, shopping, and eating giant hamburgers that have ham on them, I have no been blogging this week, and I apologize. However, I have been writing every day, in my defense, just not blogging.
On Wednesday, LaRae and I went shopping with one of the other girls on SPICE, so that was fun. I seriously love the way people dress here, especially the guys. After a bit of shopping we biked back home and then my uncle and aunt came to visit. Because I have been having a bit of trouble with my American credit card/bank account (AKA getting charged an arm and a leg to exchange euros), they brought me a Dutch debit card! So that's sweet. We had coffee together, talked a bit, and then they headed back to Friesland to feed their horses. Soon I plan to visit them there, but it was nice to get in touch with them a little bit already.
Wednesday night Katrina spent the night because we had to get to the bus station to meet our carpool date at 7:10 in the morning. What is carpool date? Well, Katrina and I figured out that it was going to be extremely expensive to travel by train every week, so we consulted our host parents to see what options were. Carpooling seemed like a great option, but where would we find someone to carpool with? Carpooldate.com, of course! Sounds a bit sketch, right? Imagine 2 girls sitting at a bus stop at 7:10am, a car pulling up and asking, "Are you Jennifer? I am here to pick you up," and then continuing on to Gronigen. The man was actually very nice and the ride wasn't awkward at all, at least not to me. Maybe he thought it was.
So Thursday Katrina and I hopped around the Gomarus school following the bilingual students, grades 7 and 8 (2 and 3 here), through History, Biology, and English grammar classes. I am so in love with this already. In history they were learning about the De Witt brothers. It's interesting to learn about another country's history because I have no idea, no bias, about anything going on. Another interesting thing we saw in history was the way the kids think words are spelled in English. For example, "revenge" was spelled "revanche." Interesting, right?
Perhaps I should explain what exactly is going on in this school. These students are taking all of their classes in English. So, they are not only learning new subjects but in a different language. I can't imagine trying to learn about my own country's history in a different language. Generally speaking, these students are the most brilliant and motivated students because they choose (or their parents choose for them) to be in this program. Usually I am not a huge fan of middle school students, but I already find myself growing quite fond of certain students.
After our day of observing, Katrina and I went shopping and then met up with some of the Dutch buddies for dinner in Gronigen before they presented something for the GH. We had a hamburger...and there really was ham on it! So strange, but so delicious. Then we got on a train and came back. When I got home I booked my Easter trip tickets-- Ireland and London-- and then LaRae and I met a few of the Dutch buddies and went out for drinks.
Friday I, again, did not have class so I slept in, and surprise-- there was snow! And not just a little bit of snow, no, it was snowing a lot of very large snowflakes. It was so pretty, but so scary to bike in. I bundled up, grabbed my bags, and headed off to school to fill out scholarship apps and check out books for my internship. After a little while, I met a few girls for coffee and Coffee United, the new place to hang out and do "homework." We then biked to the far side of town for Katrina's birthday party and finally, around 1AM, I arrived back home.
So, as you can see, I've been very, very busy the past few days, and am looking forward to a nice, relaxing weekend of Harry Potter, pizza, and friends.
On Wednesday, LaRae and I went shopping with one of the other girls on SPICE, so that was fun. I seriously love the way people dress here, especially the guys. After a bit of shopping we biked back home and then my uncle and aunt came to visit. Because I have been having a bit of trouble with my American credit card/bank account (AKA getting charged an arm and a leg to exchange euros), they brought me a Dutch debit card! So that's sweet. We had coffee together, talked a bit, and then they headed back to Friesland to feed their horses. Soon I plan to visit them there, but it was nice to get in touch with them a little bit already.
Wednesday night Katrina spent the night because we had to get to the bus station to meet our carpool date at 7:10 in the morning. What is carpool date? Well, Katrina and I figured out that it was going to be extremely expensive to travel by train every week, so we consulted our host parents to see what options were. Carpooling seemed like a great option, but where would we find someone to carpool with? Carpooldate.com, of course! Sounds a bit sketch, right? Imagine 2 girls sitting at a bus stop at 7:10am, a car pulling up and asking, "Are you Jennifer? I am here to pick you up," and then continuing on to Gronigen. The man was actually very nice and the ride wasn't awkward at all, at least not to me. Maybe he thought it was.
So Thursday Katrina and I hopped around the Gomarus school following the bilingual students, grades 7 and 8 (2 and 3 here), through History, Biology, and English grammar classes. I am so in love with this already. In history they were learning about the De Witt brothers. It's interesting to learn about another country's history because I have no idea, no bias, about anything going on. Another interesting thing we saw in history was the way the kids think words are spelled in English. For example, "revenge" was spelled "revanche." Interesting, right?
Perhaps I should explain what exactly is going on in this school. These students are taking all of their classes in English. So, they are not only learning new subjects but in a different language. I can't imagine trying to learn about my own country's history in a different language. Generally speaking, these students are the most brilliant and motivated students because they choose (or their parents choose for them) to be in this program. Usually I am not a huge fan of middle school students, but I already find myself growing quite fond of certain students.
After our day of observing, Katrina and I went shopping and then met up with some of the Dutch buddies for dinner in Gronigen before they presented something for the GH. We had a hamburger...and there really was ham on it! So strange, but so delicious. Then we got on a train and came back. When I got home I booked my Easter trip tickets-- Ireland and London-- and then LaRae and I met a few of the Dutch buddies and went out for drinks.
Friday I, again, did not have class so I slept in, and surprise-- there was snow! And not just a little bit of snow, no, it was snowing a lot of very large snowflakes. It was so pretty, but so scary to bike in. I bundled up, grabbed my bags, and headed off to school to fill out scholarship apps and check out books for my internship. After a little while, I met a few girls for coffee and Coffee United, the new place to hang out and do "homework." We then biked to the far side of town for Katrina's birthday party and finally, around 1AM, I arrived back home.
So, as you can see, I've been very, very busy the past few days, and am looking forward to a nice, relaxing weekend of Harry Potter, pizza, and friends.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Ticket to Amsterdam
Well, today we left at 9:15 for Amsterdam. We were supposed to arrive around 10:45, but for some reason the train in front of us was not working, causing us to be delayed for over an hour. So, around noon we arrived in Amsterdam and toured the city. First stop: red light district. The last time I was here we went there as well, and surprisingly this time was a bit less appalling than the first time. Still, where are these women's dignity? Jokingly I told my roommate these women get up, "get dressed," and head to work where they sell themselves, and I am going to get up, get dressed, and go teach children. I just don't see how both can be considered jobs or how any human being could think that is an OK decision. It's really, really sad that we live in a world that not only accepts but also encourages this. Sickening to my soul.
After the culture shock of that we drank some hot cocoa, took a canal tour of the city, went to the Rieks Museum, and then to the Anne Frank house. You think I am just giving a very brief description of this, but in reality, this was not the highlight of our day. No, the highlight was the train ride back.
6:24pm, 5 girls go sprinting through the Amsterdam Centraal station, burgers and fries in hand, trying to make a 6:26pm train. They get on the train and then much to our surprise, we get about 20 minutes from Zwolle and find out that a person had jumped in front of another train and that we would, again be delayed, but this time for over 3 hours. So, what do you do with 17 Americans, 3 Dutch college students, and 1 professor while waiting for/on a few trains after a day full of walking and train rides already? You play Mafia, sing "Don't Stop Believing," and listen for the whistle.
10:15pm we arrive back in Zwolle after a total of 5 hours in Amsterdam and about 8 hours on a train. Now what? Well, we go to the Joffer, of course! We biked home, got ready, then headed back downtown for a night out. What a great night... until I fell off my bike, scraped my knee, broke my chain, and got to double bike with LaRae, and then went to bed. Long but good day.
The End.
After the culture shock of that we drank some hot cocoa, took a canal tour of the city, went to the Rieks Museum, and then to the Anne Frank house. You think I am just giving a very brief description of this, but in reality, this was not the highlight of our day. No, the highlight was the train ride back.
6:24pm, 5 girls go sprinting through the Amsterdam Centraal station, burgers and fries in hand, trying to make a 6:26pm train. They get on the train and then much to our surprise, we get about 20 minutes from Zwolle and find out that a person had jumped in front of another train and that we would, again be delayed, but this time for over 3 hours. So, what do you do with 17 Americans, 3 Dutch college students, and 1 professor while waiting for/on a few trains after a day full of walking and train rides already? You play Mafia, sing "Don't Stop Believing," and listen for the whistle.
10:15pm we arrive back in Zwolle after a total of 5 hours in Amsterdam and about 8 hours on a train. Now what? Well, we go to the Joffer, of course! We biked home, got ready, then headed back downtown for a night out. What a great night... until I fell off my bike, scraped my knee, broke my chain, and got to double bike with LaRae, and then went to bed. Long but good day.
The End.
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