Where do I go from here?

Whoa, you are all probably thinking, "you just blogged last night. What more could you possibly have come up with to say in the past 12 hours that is remotely important or interesting?" Well, in case you have forgotten, this blog is not just a place for me to brag about my experiences in Europe while you're all stuck in America, but it's also a place for me to get out my frustrations, hash out my conflicting thoughts, express my ideas and interests, and perhaps receive some feedback. So, here goes nothing.

For those of you who attempt to keep up with my thousands of Facebook posts, you deserve some sort of award. Not only do you deserve an award, but you are also probably aware of something rather exceptional going on in my life right now: the potential of being published in a journal. Last year I wrote a paper for a colloquium in Boston, MA and was accepted to present it last March. After submitting it, I received feedback from one of the  professors that observed my presentation that encouraged me to submit my paper elsewhere as well. Well, I didn't really know where else to put this. It wasn't exactly the most professional thing I've ever written and I didn't know of any other colloquiums to submit it to. So, there my paper on Canadian English/American English dialects sat, collecting dust and wasting away as I soon enough moved on from the idea. It had served it's purpose: I expressed my opinion, got to present it on a Dordt-sponsored weekend in Boston, and even got scholarship money from it. What more could I ask for from this?

Well, over Christmas break I was going through my computer, deleting old documents I didn't need anymore. That's when I stumbled upon it and read it again. I then looked through my e-mails to see if I still had the one from that professor. Deep beneath the spam mail, Dordt library over-due notices, and flight confirmations for the next year of travel, I found it. It was then that I decided to brush up my piece a bit and figure out what more I could possibly do with this. I submitted it to a few different journals, expecting none of them to respond. Low and behold, 2 months later, I received an R&R response (revise and re-submit) from one of the journals.

And that's where I am right now, frantically trying to figure out what needs revision before re-submitting. And that's where you all come in handy. Below I have included the abstract for my paper. If it all interests you, I am looking for some feedback on what could be improved. So, if you find the abstract even slightly interesting, please let me know so I can send you a copy of the real deal and you can help me in this process. Thanks!

Abstract

            In my English Grammar course last semester (Fall 2010), we had to do two “Show and tell” essays. The first of which I chose to do a short, grammar rant on the usage of the words “good” and “well.” For my second one, I decided to write about the use of the serial comma and whether it is correct or not. After concluding that it is not a matter of being correct but rather a clarification issue, I decided to take a personal approach on it: I always use the serial comma. As I began peer editing for friends, both from Canada and America, I began to notice a trend: Canadians tend to not use the serial comma. After discovering this colloquium from two different professors, I decided to venture further into this subject. This soon resulted in my desire to discuss more of the Canadian dialect tendencies I have noticed in my time here at Dordt College. As mentioned in this paper, I do not intend to criticize nor change the dialect of my fellow students, but rather clarify some of the ambiguous tendencies frequently noticed. These concepts, however, are not only applicable to Canadian English speakers and writers, but to all people, of all times, and of all dialects.  

My Birthday Week: One to Remember

After weeks of having visitors in and out of our host home, it was nice to have things back to normal. Except this week was not exactly normal; it was my birthday week-- the big 2-1.
To start off the week, Dutch class was cancelled on Monday! So I had a completely free day, resulting in doing some homework in the sun, convincing my little brother to go with me for a leisure bike ride, finding the Zwolle lake and golf course, and getting a tan. PERFECT. LaRae was busy sleeping off the horrors of night trains, so I had some quality bonding time with my little brother. Now that I've discovered the golf course, I think I may give it a try. It's been almost 6 months since I've broke out the golf skills, but what better place to let them shine than Europe? Also, I had always heard about European beaches, the special ones (if you know what I mean), and I found that as well! Lucky me and my eyes...

That night we celebrated my older host brother's birthday with ALL the brothers-- the first time all 8 of the siblings have been together! They are so much fun to be around. I love having brothers. I always knew I wanted an older brother; who would have thought having 7 brothers could be so fun?

On Tuesday we had an excursion to camp Westerbork, a concentration camp about 45 minutes from Zwolle. It wasn't a death camp, but rather a place they held Jews before transporting them off to their doomed fates at death camps. At this camp, they convinced the Jews that they were not going to be killed. They gave them everything-- hospitals, soccer fields, play grounds, food, beds, "jobs." Why would they give them so much if they were just going to kill them? That would be dumb. Those Nazis were pretty smart people... it's disgusting. Walking around the camp put a feeling in me I've only felt once before and I never want to feel again. How could these people be so naive to believe the Nazis would keep them alive when they were forced to come here and knew that Jews all over were being betrayed, brutally treated, and killed? It makes me sick to think about. As much as it means to me to be able to visit a concentration camp, I don't think emotionally I would be able to handle a death camp. Perhaps someday I will be able to, but for now, this was enough. Good to see, but I don't need to return anytime soon.

After that, some of the girls went shopping and then Kaitlyn came over and had dinner with our family. I then went upstairs and finished some lesson planning. When I returned downstairs for coffee time, a delightful smell met my nose: brownies. Surprise! LaRae and Kaitlyn baked me birthday brownies before we went out! What good friends I have. Unfortunately, I already knew there was some baked good coming, but I never turn down baked goods, especially when they literally have my name all over them.

Tuesday night was a very special night. Not only was it a Joffer night, but it was also my birthday! As we biked to the city, LaRae and Kaitlyn realized they forgot something and  had to turn around. Nervous about what this could be, I continued biking with the rest of the group. I was greeted by some of the guys and joined shortly after by LaRae, Kaitlyn, and the best party  hat I have ever seen. Not only did it put a smile on my face but also helped me stick out in the crowd: just in case anyone forgot it was my birthday, they could just look for the party hat and be instantly reminded.

Birthdays are fun, but let me say this: after a very long double bike ride and an attempt to walk on water, I'm relatively glad birthdays only roll around once a year. One good thing I will never get too much of, however, is friends, and I sure do have some good ones. I couldn't have asked for any better. It was a great celebration and a wonderful way to start a "new year" of life, especially waking up to stroopwaffles, chocolate, a letter from my roommate, and a festively decorated dining room. My family and friends are the best, and I'm so thankful for every person who helped make sure my birthday went as well as it possibly could. I really couldn't have asked to spend my birthday any better way. So, to those of you who joined the celebration: thanks again.

Wednesday was another day of celebration, but first a lesson at my internship in Zwolle. This did not go quite as planned. I underestimated my children: they already knew was a limerick was, leaving me about 15-20 minutes ahead of time and not much energy to think on my feet. So, we practiced reading in front of groups. I'm sure the students loved that activity... but at least the rest of the lesson was a hit with the kids.

Wednesday night I went for pizza with some of my family and then we had the SPICE students and my host brothers over for another little celebration. For my birthday I received a cookbook and a spekulaas cookie cutter (both of which can be used in the kitchen, generously pointed out by Jeremy), and a gift card to one of my favorite stores to supply to my shopping addiction. Again, another great way to celebrate my birthday.

Today we had an excursion to Den Haag. We visited Parliament, a museum, and the beach. It was a pretty relaxing day, but unfortunately the weather was not completely beach appropriate. Regardless, we enjoyed it with some Kees-provided beverages and picture-snapping. When we got back in Zwolle LaRae and I decided to enjoy the Pancake Ship. Another delicious Dutch meal.

And now, I am mentally and physically drained, but fully prepared for a weekend filled with cave exploring, mountain climbing, lake walking (perhaps I can practice my walking on water there), swiss cheese, and maybe some yodeling if I'm lucky.

Let the traveling re-begin!

Tour-Guide Jennifer

Normally on Tuesdays I have a very full day of classes. This Tuesday, however, was very full of other activities, very time-worthy activities, mind you. Tour-guide Jennifer took Elizabeth and Nathan on a tour de Amsterdam! We had a very full day ahead of us, especially since we decided to walk the entire day. So, at 9:11am we departed Zwolle, landing us in Amsterdam shortly before 11am. From there, we walked to this new public library that has multiple stories, each serving a different purpose, including a restaurant level. It was a beautiful library, but we were ready to see some old buildings and one very special museum. So, onward we walked.

We walked through an older part of the city, putting us in one of the most popular parts of the city: the Red light District. I know I said I never needed to go back, and I never do again, but because it's such a huge part of the "Amsterdam experience," we had to show our Netherlands rookie. After our mini tour (which, by the way, I managed to find the exact street Kees had taken us down, impressive I know.), we went to grab a cup of coffee (also at the same place we went for coffee on our school excursion). After a cappuccino and very delicious piece of apple pie, I continued showing my tourist family through the city. I surprised myself by figuring out all the things to say and how to get there so quickly. I guess I remembered more than I thought; either that or Amsterdam is really not that difficult. We saw the Royal Palace, I Amsterdam sign, toured the Heineken brewery, and ended the day in Anne Frank's house. It was a great day with beautiful weather. I shall be back for sure!

What always happens on Tuesdays? The Joffer! This week was very special because we were joined by THREE of my favorite people. Karl's cousin who is currently living in Den Haag also came to visit-- a great night, again. It's  hard to imagine a less than enjoyable Tuesday (knock on wood).

Wednesday my sister and Nate wandered by themselves, and I went to my internship-- my first solo teaching experience here. The lesson was on a unit from Story Telling, and I chose to teach on descriptive story telling. How many of you know of the game "Telephone Pictionary" or the phone version "Dram something?" Well, I used that as my intro. While the kids loved the game, it did not go quite as planned, but in the end the understood the point: the more detail, the better. I then asked the kids why they thought details were so important in story-telling. Of course they don't know what description/detail is so we had to talk about that. I figured I'll just ask them what adjectives and adverbs are. They said they all knew, so I asked for a volunteer to tell me what it was... none. So I asked, "All of you know what an adjective is, but none of you can tell me?" Then, one of the girls raised her hand and said, "If you tell me what it is, I will remember." Nice try, seventh grade Dutchie, but I am a bit smarter than that. So instead, I told them what an adjective was and asked for examples-- success. Then I asked what an adverb was. After a few minutes of prying, an example, and a few simple hints, they got it right. We then moved on to using adjectives and adverbs in our own writing. I had all the students write about their dream vacation in 4-7 sentences, using as many adjectives and adverbs possible. The kids loved this activity, and it was so fun to hear about their travel dreams. One girl showed me a 3/4 page and I asked if she was done and she said, "yes, but I only have 3 sentences." Only 3 sentences?!? I said. She responded by saying, "Well, you said to use as many adjectives and adverbs as we could." I love these kids and their responses. After the lesson, the teacher asked me how I felt it went and then assured me that it went well, the kids enjoyed it, and he would love for me to return next Wednesday with another lesson. So, another lesson plan it is!

The rest of the afternoon I spent enjoying the beautiful sunshine-- laying out and going for a run.

Wednesday night we had a pannekoeken feast with all the SPICE participants, buddies, and host families. LEKKER! Probably the best Dutch food I've  had here.

Thursday was a full day at our internship in Groningen-- 4 lessons! I can't imagine what a full day of teaching my own class will be like, but if it's anything like this, I can't wait! Busy, busy, but the best job I could possibly ask for. Can you tell that I'm excited to teach? 

As you can see, I didn't spend a whole lot of time with my sister. I do have a life here outside of traveling, you know. So, Friday I joined them and my host parents for a tour of Northern Holland to see windmills, eat fish, and all that Dutch jazz. It was a great day, again with great weather. Elizabeth and Nate seriously lucked out-- 60plus weather, sunshine, and hardly any rain!

Saturday we did a mini boat tour in Giethorn and then traveled to Buitenpost for our Uncle's birthday. We traveled by train there and arrived just in time for soup, harring, bread, quiche, coffee, and orangekoek. After wishing everyone "Gefeliciteerd," we headed to Kubaard to prepare Elizabeth and Nate for their trip back to the US. On the way back, we had a little incident involve a Turk, a black car (now complete with a missing headlight), and a nice reminder from my aunt that "Tomorrow is Sunday!" so there would be no call to the insurance company.

A birthday phone call to my dad, change of the clocks, and a schlookie or two later, we headed to bed and brought my family to the airport bright and early. After my very short visit to Schipol for the first time since January I decided I really don't ever want to return there. Going back in May is going to be miserable! Already dreading it... but, I will think of that later, and for now, I will spend my weekends traveling or enjoying the sunny Dutch weather with bike rides, runs, and writing in the city center, or just soaking up the sun in the backyard with my host family.

Another great week with great company, but on to something new: Switzerland in 5 days!

Taste of America

How good it feels, to be reunited! If only for a few moments it is tangible, the memories will last a lifetime.

My best friend and sister has indeed arrived in the Netherlands (accompanied by her other best friend: her husband)! What a great day Thursday was-- great weather, great company, and I successfully surprised her by arriving at our uncle's a day earlier than she thought. Let me tell you, keeping that a secret and keeping my composure at Gomarus last Thursday was a huge struggle. Being someone who hates surprises myself, it was so difficult to keep it from her, but the look on her face when I arrived was totally worth it.

Before arriving at my uncle's I had my internship, gave a lesson on me and Miss Ryder's expectations for the persecution project, did a little shopping, ate dinner at my aunt's, and then, finally, I was with my sister again. Friday morning we woke up, ate breakfast, had coffee time, and then set out for a walk. Unfortunately the weather was not nearly as nice as it was Thursday, resulting in a very brisk walk through the village of Wommels. Little did we know, our luck was about to change. As we neared the main road to Kubaard, we saw a very strange bird rapidly approaching us. As it got closer, we tried to figure out what it was-- bright white, long and flat tail. It resembled a peacock, but we thought there was no way this was possible. When we got back, my aunt informed us otherwise. Not only was this a peacock, but also a sign of good luck! Perfect.

The rest of Friday included dinner (big meal at noon, not evening meal) with my aunt, uncle, and cousin, a visit to an ijs museum in Warkom, visiting the church where my Pake and Beppe are buried, and coffee along a canal. After lunch (small meal in the evening, not at noon), we visited my other uncle and aunt and cousins in Joure for coffee and oranjekook (spelling?), a shlookie (again, spelling?), and some good laughs. My family is so much funnier now that I'm old enough to understand what they are saying...in English. Unfortunately, I did not meet their expectations of my comprehension of the Dutch language. Hopefully that will change soon, but for now, I will laugh at their Dutch laughs and jokes in English.

On Saturday we visited the town where my brother-in-law's family is from and received a tour(ish) from my uncle's cousin, followed by nothing less than coffee time. We then returned to Zwolle. My uncle kindly offered to drive us all the way there, but I am sure he regrets that now. Note to self: never assume that you know directions via car when your main form of transportation is bike. Cars cannot, I repeat can NOT, travel every where bikes can. I had to learn that the hard way-- with family around to mock me. But alas, we arrived in Zwolle, just in time for the french fry feast with the Kenyan pastors. What a great meal to share with so many different cultures! After that, we headed to the city to celebrate St. Patty's Day (something they don't REALLY celebrate here, but we're American and do what we want, and there were some very enthusiastic Dutch participants). 

Sunday included breakfast, church service with lots of English, and a tour de Zwolle via bikes. When LaRae's family arrived, she and her sister conquered double biking right away. Thinking Elizabeth and I could do the same, my host dad suggested we try it on the way to my brother's house to pick up the 5th bike. Well, he was wrong. Elizabeth and I made it about 2 feet before I told her to get off. I handed over my wonderful GH bike and hopped on the back of my dad's bike for the first little section of our tour and then continued all around Zwolle. We saw EVERYTHING, even some rain. 

Sunday night included a lot of homework as I prepared to spend the rest of the week touring the Netherlands some more and showing my sister a great time here. 

Today in Dutch class I thought I could easily impress my professor by telling her that I had been practicing my Dutch by texting Dutch people in Dutch and having them correct me, but she seemed almost annoyed by my efforts and continued with her lessons about things she should have taught us the first week (what time does the train leave? What time does the train arrive?). Reciprocating the love she shared for my attempts of using the Dutch language, I asked her why we were learning this now. She said, "Because it is helpful." My response: it is also helpful to say "Ik sprek Engels," (she really should not have taught me that phrase) and continue with a conversation in English... if I fail my next test, I assume that response may have something to do with it. 

What Anna really should be teaching us is how to say breakfast sausage, parsley, lasagna noodles, cottage cheese, and salad dressing in Dutch. That would have saved me about 45 minutes and one very annoyed sales associate in the grocery store. But alas, I arrived home, prepared "The best lasagna ever" from Pioneer Woman (along with su chef LaRae) and enjoyed a feast with the family after my sister arrived home from Utrecht. And now, here I am, lying in bed, blogging and finishing homework before a big day in Amsterdam tomorrow! What it has in store for us: a lot more than we have time for, but we shall do our best.

2 months in and still winning

This week has been flying by. It's already Wednesday and tomorrow my sister arrives! It seems like the next 24 hours cannot go fast enough, yet I have SO much to do. Today marks the halfway point: 2 months in, 2 months left. Well, that's crazy. However, have no fear Europe: I will be back soon and very soon (if all goes as planned). 

What this week has contained thus far:
Monday-- 3 hours of Dutch class, learning how to make an appointment to buy a house. I'm sorry, but I really am never going to do that. Teach me how to make small talk further than "Ik komt uit de U.S." Teach me how to say I am on a diet and cannot have seconds. We did a little mini-evaluation and our teacher said something about noticing that I do not learn very well from books and more so from discussion. Truthful.Yes, I get frustrated when I don't understand people and they continue talking to me in Dutch, but really, that's how I'm going to learn. And if I'm going to return next spring, I really do need to learn more of the language-- can't pull the dumb American card forever. Lucky for me, I have found a new means of learning Dutch. Perhaps I will also be more willing to learn from my new teacher... perhaps.

After Dutch class, Katrina and I planned a rubric for our persecution project. I figured it would take at least 2 hours to complete, but because we are such a good team, we whipped up a very thorough rubric in about an hour. These stubborn, opinionated Dutch children will have no way of finding loop-holes through our rubric (or so I hope).  Monday night I was an only child at dinner-- just me and the host parentals. It was kinda nice to be an only child and get to know a bit more about them and their extended family. After dinner, I tried to motivate myself to do some homework, but... no success. It's so hard to be motivated here. Our professors hardly take classes seriously (ditching out on classes themselves, never checking homework, etc), so it's especially difficult for me to overcome the lack of motivation I have acquired overseas.

Tuesday we ventured to Rotterdam with the whole SPICE group, accompanied by LaRae's entire family. Upon our arrival, we rented some feits to explore the city on. As I first attempted to mount my bike, I realized that it was too tall for me (another reason I need a nice Dutch boy, so my children can be tall). Unfortunately, I (and Karl as well) couldn't figure out how to lower my seat, so I spent the first portion of the day walking my bike across streets and tip-toeing on my pedals. After giving my presentation on Piet Blom's cube houses in the city, Dan man-handled my bike seat and made it much easier for me to ride around the city, but my bike wasn't through with making my day incredibly uncomfortable; namely the seat now had a mind of its own and remained crooked for the rest of my travels around Rotterdam, resulting in a very sore tailbone by the end of the day. 

Summary of the rest of Rotterdam: boat tour through the harbor, biking (multiple times) up and down a bridge, delicious hot chocolate, and a tour of a Turkish Mosque by an Islam who converted from Protestant faith (how that happens, I have no idea). Long story short about the mosque: strange to see, glad I had the opportunity, but I never need to go back.

Last night we returned around 7:30pm and I had some dinner and then prepared for my favorite night of the week: another night at the Joffer. This week we had LaRae's sister and brother join us: Dykstra (times 3) = perfect. 

Today Katrina and I observed 2 classes at our school in Zwolle: one English and one biology. The biology teacher was in his first year of teaching, and it was interesting to see him demand things from his students most of his co-teachers didn't demand in their classroom. He pulled the whole, "Don't smile 'til after Christmas," thing we hear in America-- a concept we don't really see here very much, but we think that's because he's new and still trying to earn their respect. 

We also found out the brilliant student who only speaks English isn't brilliant in everything. He's actually struggling in his Dutch class. Because he grew up in Egypt and in bi-lingual schools, we assume he speaks English at home, and he is not fluent in Dutch. So that's why he speaks only English: got it. 

After my internship, Katrina gave me directions to Stadshagen, mainly via landmarks. Well, I am extremely directional challenged and realized the second she started throwing in round abouts, turns, and stop lights, I was royally doomed: over-shot my destination by about 15-20 minutes. I stopped and asked for directions and eventually found my way to Katie's house to watch the Bachelor finale. We enjoyed brownies, strawberries, and chocolate: the perfect afternoon for any girl. And since I spontaneously obtained an extra 35 minute bike ride work out (in addition to the hour bike ride I had anticipated for the whole day) I feel no guilt (and still believe I am going to win the biggest loser). 

Now I am home and ready to enjoy "a big ass hamburger" (in the words of my host brother) prepared by LaRae and her mom. 

Tomorrow my sister arrives, which means my internship is going to be EXTREMELY long, knowing that my sister is in the country and I won't be able to see her until Friday. But, soon enough, I suppose. I can't wait to show her what this country has been offering me the past 2 months. I think she and Nathan will enjoy. In fact, I will make sure they will. 

Weekend in the Homeland

After breaking bank on Spring Break, I decided the wisest decision was to stick around the homeland this weekend. I contacted some family I haven't seen yet and asked if I could visit them on Saturday, and then planned on spending the rest of the weekend with the family in Zwolle. 

On Friday, LaRae's entire family arrived from America. We had planned to go out with her sister on Friday night, but because jet lag set in, I ended up hanging out with my host brother and his friends. I had such a great time with them-- a very lively bunch, that's for sure. We talked about America, compared things like drivers' licenses, food, etc. We then made our way to the city. Evidently Friday nights is youngens night, so I felt really REALLY old, but I made a few new friends. Being the lone American isn't so bad, especially in a culture that caters to their foreigners (namely, they speak my language). 

Saturday around 11:30 I departed for the town of Buitenpost to visit my dad's sister and her family. I spent the afternoon drinking coffee, going for a walk with my aunt and her dog, eating delicious foods, and catching up with my family. My aunt spoke to me in Dutch a lot, which was a challenge but what better way to learn. And, since I plan to be back here next spring for 7 or 8 weeks to student teach, I figure I have to learn quite a bit of Dutch, right? What better way to learn than being forced to translate (although, she and her family did help me out a lot). 

I returned to Zwolle in the evening to show LaRae's sister what the night life of Zwolle was like-- another enjoyable evening. Then on Sunday, we all went to church and were joined by the rest of the host brothers that live in Zwolle for coffee time. It was a very crowded home at the Van Der Krieke residency, but it was so much fun. For dinner we had fries, frikendel (spelling?), and MORE FRIES, followed by ice cream. mmm mmm mmm! Because I ran that afternoon, I figured I could semi-justify my eating habits, but we did come to a very logical conclusion: I need to marry a dutchman so that the skinny genes can be inherited by my children and they don't have to feel guilty about what they eat. My kids will thank me someday for marrying a man with a strange accent. 

All in all, it was a great weekend in the homeland with beautiful weather. Hopefully it keeps up when my sister and brother-in-law arrive later this week!

Longest Week Yet

After our return from spring break, I was expecting a very easy week. The business students (10 out of the 17 of us on SPICE) were leaving Wednesday morning for the rest of the week to go to Berlin. What this meant for the rest of SPICE? NO CLASSES! Assuming that meant the rest of the week would be really easy, I let my brain and body go into recovery/lazy mode. This week was going to be a breeze.

There's a saying that goes, "Don't count your chickens until the eggs hatch." I definitely should not have counted on an easy week. I had this beautiful image of sleeping in, no homework, no stress, and lots of alone time. Turns out I got none of that. This was by far the longest, least relaxing week of the semester, and I can blame nobody but myself. However, for how long it was, I must also say it was one of the most exciting and encouraging weeks of thus far as well.

Monday was brutal, as Mondays should be. It was 6 1/2 hours of classes, and my two least favorite: Dutch and Portfolio. Dutch was long and boring, and portfolio was once again extremely frustrating. It seems like nothing I do in that class is ever right, except for when I'm quiet. I'm sorry, but I'm not a quiet person. If I disagree with you, I'll tell you my opinion. And if in the end we still disagree, that's fine, but at least leave things open for discussion. After all, I thought part of this class was about discussing. Development and discussion, that's what I expected from this class. What's it doing for me so far? Developing some very strong, hostile emotions toward this class and giving me some great discussions about my strong dislike for it. Normally, I'm not the type to "hate" on classes, but this one has a special place in my heart that I wish did not exist. It's just not a class I believe is as worth-while as we're told it should be. Perhaps my personal portfolio project will change my mind a bit, but as of late, I'm ready to scrap this class and just talk about the differences with my host family and roommate.

Tuesday was supposed to be a short day because I only had Dutch practice class, but then our portfolio group volunteered at an elementary school in a nearby village. Let me tell you, if you're ever having a bad day, spend a few hours with 5 year olds who don't speak your language. It'll lift your spirits more than anything else possibly could. Sitting in the teachers' lounge, the kids outside peered in the windows like we were zoo animals. They wanted to spend time with us SO bad. So, we entered their class and a few of them introduced themselves to us, sang songs in Dutch and then in English, and of course dances were involved. The kids clung to us like it was their birth right. It was so precious. We visited a few of the older classrooms, too, but they didn't find us nearly as fascinating (except Jordan, because he is huge and plays American football). Even though it was another long day, it was well spent in the presence of such precious children.

Wednesday led Katrina and I to another afternoon at our internship here in Zwolle. Our first impression of classrooms/students/teachers was very stereotypical for public education. Wednesday, however, we experienced something completely different. We saw "North American" classroom management, and we saw very motivated, very intelligent children. One of the teachers offered for us to teach some lessons in his class (what I'm supposed to be working on right now), and we discussed the Celebration Week. I think I've mentioned it before, but basically we will have 12 groups, each with a diff country, and dedicate a week to learning about that country and presenting something celebratory about that country at the end of the week. I cannot wait for that! My group will be doing a dance, maybe even cooking something, too.

Thursday we had another internship day at Gomarus. I spent the morning with our carpool date because Katrina's alarm clock decided to be nice and let her sleep in an hour later than planned. We spent our morning working on our one lesson for later that afternoon. Together (and by together, I mean with 4 teachers in total), we worked on our persecution project with the religion class. It was good, but for only having one lesson and 4 teachers, I'm feeling a little bored. I'm definitely emotionally ready for my own classroom. I know I'm not actually prepared enough for it yet, but I just don't like this sharing thing (some things never change, right mom?). But alas, patience must be practiced and I will bide my time. After a "tips and tops" time with our mentor teacher, I realized we have a lot more work ahead of us on this project, and it made me excited for what else we have planned. Getting excited about teaching = greatest feeling.

Today is Friday and the first day I even had the option to sleep in since... before spring break. What happens? Of course I'm awake before 8. I forced my body to stay in bed and fall back asleep, but only til a little after 9. I then woke up, got ready, and started being productive. LaRae's entire family has arrived and will be here for about a week, until MY family comes! This weekend I'm traveling to Buitenpost to see my dad's sister and her family... so much family: I LOVE IT!

Uno Mas Destination en Paradise: Barcelona Pt 2

Barcelona, Spain-- the city that never sleeps.

In Spain, people don't eat dinner until about 9:30 at night and nothing opens until about 10:30 in the morning. It's expected that people will be 15-20 minutes late to everything, and the fountains don't turn on until about noon. Conclusion: I want to live here.

We had no idea when we woke up at 7am that the city would be dead when we set out to discover what Barcelona had to offer. The night before, we mapped out everything we wanted to see. We had to be selective because we only had about 4-5 hours to see it all (we wanted to leave optimal time to get our tans on in the afternoon). However, 7 days of traveling before was wearing on my fellow travelers, and our reliance on public transportation made us even lazier about sight-seeing. Recognizing that I would probably only see Barcelona once, I wanted to soak up as much as I could. This included the olympic stadium, the Barcelona arena, the city center, one of the large cathedrals, the famous arc, the main park, and the beach. Yes, we missed the never-ending construction cathedral, but to me, that's not the biggest deal. I've embraced the life of Barcelonians as much as humanly possible. 

Why the rush? Well, we had beaches to see, tan lines to get! What girl goes on Spring Break without attempting to tan? We laid out on the best beaches in Barcelona-- this time they were legit "American style" beaches (AKA they had sand, not pebbles). The water was still freezing, but unlike all the other water we came across, this was actually the Med. Sea so I had to get in it. As we got our tans on, we were approached by various locals attempting to sell us beer and massages. Annoyed by their persistence, we decided we had to come up with a better strategy than just saying "No," over and over again. Then it hit us: they speak English. They won't understand Dutch though. So, thank you, Anna, for teaching us how to say "no" in Dutch. Finally, Survival Dutch comes in handy!

For dinner, we met up with a few other SPICE girls and enjoyed an elegant 3 course meal, complete with wine, private dining, and an ocean-front view. After dinner, we returned to our apartment for a little while and then decided we better check out Barcelona's nightlife. This is when everything about their culture started to make sense. They don't go out until 1am, and small children are running and skating around until then as well. These people are psychos. Lovely, but insane.

The next morning we "slept in" (still only about 6 1/2 hours for me), and dedicated the rest of the day to the beaches of Sitges. We enjoyed a Spanish beer on a Spanish beach in the Spanish sunshine. What a great way to spend our final day! We returned to our apartment and got ready for dinner-- second round of our fine dining. Unfortunately for the other girls, it wasn't quite as good as the first time. My dinner, however, was excellent: mussels, almond crusted tuna, brownie, and white wine. DELICIOUS! We topped off the night with gelato and one last visit to the beautiful fountains, all lit up by the city lights.

We woke up early on Sunday to catch a bus to the airport and head back home. Worn out from our travels, we all agreed it was about time to head back to our rainy homeland. Realizing how very fortunate we were with our successful travels, we counted ourselves blessed. We made it through spring break without any travel hindrances (minus being one man down in Barcelona). We really should have knocked on wood at that point.

RynAir attendants were on the prowl for oversized bags. We all began stuffing our clothes, make up, umbrellas, and anything else we could think of into our coat pockets as we were approached to check our bags in the very small bins. After practically body-slamming my bag into the crammed space, the attendant let me go back in the line with the other girls. Thinking we were in the clear, we shoved our belongings back in our backpacks. However, as we continued the boarding process, we realized the attendants were STILL searching for oversized bags. We tried to hide ourselves, and finally began to board the flight, a few minutes late. Usually a few minutes late wouldn't be a big deal, but with the head wind and a delayed taxi, this was putting us quite a ways behind schedule-- ultimately making me believe we would miss our shuttle to the train.

This was Sarah's chance to shine. As soon as our flight landed, we sent Sarah sprinting through the very small airport to catch the shuttle and stop them from leaving without us. Turns out she didn't need to run because we were in plenty of time. Perfect. Everything was back on track.

Should have knocked on wood then, too. We got on a train in Nijmegen that ended in Zwolle, or so we thought. We stopped in Arnem and were informed this was the last stop. We weren't expecting that at all, but we had no choice. So, we got off the train and tried to figure out why all trains to Zwolle were not lit up on the screen. Instinct told us that meant no trains were running to Zwolle, but we didn't want to believe it. So we asked around. Our instincts were right, and luckily the information guys were kind enough to direct us to the bus that would take us to a train station that would get us on a train to Zwolle... an hour and a half later on a bus driven by a tour guide who had no idea where he was going, we hopped on our final leg of the journey and arrived in Zwolle around 5:30pm. We biked home, just in time for dinner.

And thus ends the journey of 9 days, 5 girls, 2 countries, 36 forms of transportation, and countless memories. 

Uno Mas Destination en Paradise: Barcelona

Well, Thursday arrived and we said our goodbyes to Sorrento, but we were ready to say hello to Spain, and equally excited to add a member to our travels. When we landed in Barcelona, we would be reacquainted with Kaitlyn for the rest of break.

After Sarah's stolen fork almost got us stranded in Naples airport (the only reason people even go to Naples is to land a plane and hop on a train to somewhere else), two hours or flying, and a round of applause for a very rough landing, we arrived. The sun was shining and we were in Spain, about to see Kaitlyn: what could go wrong? Note to self: never, ever ask that question. We waited for about half an hour at baggage claim for Kaitlyn. We then realized no flights from Munich would be arriving until 2 hours later. So, we decided it would be best to split up: Me, Lauren, and LaRae went to the city center to find our apartment, and Katie and Sarah waited for Kaitlyn's flight. If she wasn't there by 6:10, they would take the bus and meet us there. The bus dropped us off in the heart of Barcelona. I sure did miss the big city feel, and the fact that it was in Spain made it that much better. Surrounded by classy-dressed Spaniards, fountains, the sun going down, and the smell of tapas (whatever those are), we sought out our apartment. We asked for directions from 3 different people and found the street of our apartment. However, our apartment number was no where to be found. Because I booked this place, I instantly felt stressed: what if I booked a scam and we had no place to stay? After wandering for about 45 minutes, we went to a hotel and asked to use their computer/phone to contact the apartment. Good news: it wasn't a scam and I had the codes to get into the building. Bad news: I still couldn't find our apartment number. 20 minutes later, a local pointed out to us that we had passed the door a few times. Feeling a bit ridiculous, we entered the code and settled.

More good news: we had wifi. More bad news: Kaitlyn wasn't coming. She had gone to the wrong airport in Munich (evidently it's a common mistake, so take note, especially if you're flying with Rynair), and wouldn't be able to make it to the right one in time. We then realized Sarah and Katie would have no clue because there was no Wifi in the airport. We also knew finding the apartment would be even harder for them because it would be dark, so we made our way to the main street to try and find them. After about 5 minutes, we started thinking we may not find them, but suddenly, LaRae spots our red-headed wonder and her sidekick Katie on a bus going the opposite way. We took off sprinting, crossing streets, dodging traffic, and eventually caught up with them as they got off at their stop. Reunited never felt so right!

Hunger sat in shortly after the excitement of being back together wore off. We decided to try tapas. At this point, we still had no idea what they were, so we asked the waiter. He said we should order 4 and maybe later 2 or 3 more. Assuming they were glorified tacos, we took his advice. Much to our dismay, we were served very small, very expensive appetizers. After 2 tapas each, 3 shared ones, and one very large confusing bill, we left filling less than full, resulting in a bread and fruit binge when we arrived back in our apartment.

You know when you're watching TV and all the sudden the screen freezes and says "To be continued..." and you instantly hate the producers? Well, I am about to do that to you all in this blog. I am still behind on sleep and have my internship bright and early in the morning. So, to find out more about the adventures of my spring break crew in Barcelona, stay tuned!

Sorrento, like the cheese.

In the morning we grabbed the first bus back to the coast and looked around for awhile. We had about an hour to kill before we had to be at the marina for our ferry, so we strolled through the streets. As we soaked up the morning sun and the beautiful scenery, Sarah came up with a brilliant idea: gelato. So, at 8:30 in the morning, we put on our fat girl swag and grabbed our favorite gelato flavors and walked back to the marina. As I mentioned in my last blog, Italian men are not shy about pursuing women, so honking is expected when you're walking on the side of the road. However, what we were about to witness only happens in the movies, not in real life. As we shoveled gelato into our mouths, Katie said she spotted our taxi driver. Unbelieving, we turned around and to our surprise, there he was! We were shocked to see him, but we imagine he, too, was probably surprised to see us alive. Our imaginations ran wild as we discussed the thoughts running through his mind. Seeing us on the complete opposite side of the city than where he dropped us off with all of our stuff eating gelato at 8:30am, he probably assumed we backpacked all night, searching for an escape from the ghetto. Filled with gelato and joy, we headed to the ferry. Unfortunately, because of the rough waters, our ferry wasn't going to leave until at least 11 but that wasn't even a guarantee. Our hearts sunk as we realized our brilliance failed us and we would be forced to return to the sketchy part of town to catch a train to Sorrento. Even if only for a few moments, I dreaded the thought.

The good news: the train to Sorrento was only 4 euros! As we went downstairs to the platform, we realized why: graffiti all over the beaten up train. Well, at least it was taking us away from Naples. On the way to Sorrento, a little old man sat by us. At first, I assumed he was just as sketch as the train he seemed so familiar with, but as we traveled from slumps to quaintness, I realized he was the adorable Italian grandpa I had envisioned meeting on my travels. As our train made its way through the countryside, we caught a few glimpses of the beautiful coast and villes along it: absolutely breath-taking. At last, we arrived in Sorrento, our humble hometown for the next few days. We decided to spare ourselves the stress of getting caught with 5 people, we would fess up to the bed and breakfast and pay the fee. However, at first the attendant was hesitant, saying she could get in trouble if caught. However, with some sob stories and euros, she agreed and ended up being quite friendly and helpful. We explore Sorrento the rest of the afternoon and found our way to the coast: even more breath-taking as the salt water crashed on the rocks and splashed us in the breeze.

For dinner, more pizza. We then found a gelato shop with every flavor imaginable. Not only was the landscape incredible, but the shop keepers made the experience that much better. Filling the scarce voids after our large pizzas with gelato never felt so right.

Our stay in Sorrento was not limited to just exploring that town, but also included a day trip to Capri and to the Amalfi Coast (noted as the most beautiful coast in the world). So, the next morning we woke early to catch a 15 minute ferry to Capri where we would explore another quaint ville. We arrived to the island around 10 in the morning. Originally planning to explore by foot, we soon realized it was not logically plausible. Winding streets up 400 meter cliffs just didn't sound like the most fun thing in the world, so again, we paid for the public transportation, leading us to the same conclusion: still glad we didn't walk that. If you thought the water was clear 5 feet from it, imagine realizing that it's still crystal clear from 400 meters. The view was unbelievable, but the thing I was most excited for was soon to follow. After lunch (nutella and bread and potato chips, food fit for royalty), we made our way down to the marina and found the sole beach where we set up camp to tan. But first, I had to get in that water! Without a second thought, I ran in, soon realizing why the crazy Americans were the only ones in the crystal clear water: it was ice cold! After we all got in, we laid out for awhile. But then we came to a realization: we had to change somewhere, and we weren't about to walk into a shop in wet swimsuits and blindingly white skin. So, we found a giant rock to change behind. Feeling extremely scandalous already, we also came to the realization that the people winding up the cliffs we bused up were probably enjoying the view of the coastline... and of the crazy American show. Slightly embarrassed and freezing cold, we walked back up to the streets and grabbed a cup of coffee.

With 4 hours to kill before our ferry departed, we decided to try and find the other side of the island, so back to the bus we went! If we thought the main side of the island was the most beautiful thing in the world, we were about to change our minds. We found a little beach there as well and decided we had to get in the water again. Some lady was snorkeling: we could do it, too. But alas, where to change this time? As we pondered, the little old lady approached us and asked us to look away. Able to put 2 and 2 together, we realized she was just about to change out in the open-- evidently what we did earlier wasn't as scandalous as we thought. So, we followed suit and jumped back in the water for some pics. Afterwards, we took some time to let the scenery sink in and let the peaceful feeling it left fill our souls. All worries I could possibly have were forgotten there. I've never experienced a place I've felt so stress-free before. After some pizza for dinner, we hopped on our ferry and grabbed more gelato from our favorite place and made our way back to our bed and breakfast to prepare for Amalfi, but of course, we had to try the night life in Sorrento first. Turns out the night life in Sorrento on a Tuesday night was the crazy Americans. After a little while of just the 4 of us dancing, we decided to head back and get some sleep before the hour and a half bus ride to the coast.

Another beautiful scene awaited us in Amalfi. We spent our afternoon soaking up the sun, playing in the water, and loving our lives. This is what vacation should be like! But alas, we would have to leave Italy behind us and head to Spain soon. So, we embraced our last night in Italy to the best of our ability: pizza and 3 scoops of gelato-- in a chocolate dipped cone. We would miss Italy, but what Spain had to offer us would be comparable. Completely different, but definitely some stiff competition.

Where the Mafia Roam

Another early morning for the Italy/Spain spring breakers! We woke up around 6:15, got ready, and went down for breakfast. Sarah and I thought we had it all planned out: buses leaving every half hour to the airport, so we would leave to buy our tickets and walk to the bus stop at 7:10, giving ourselves plenty of time. After I ate, I checked with the lady at the front desk of the hotel, just to make sure we had the right times/bus line. Surprise! The bus only runs once an hour and we already missed the 7 o'clock hour bus. Yay! This resulted in us waiting around for an hour for the next bus, which resulted in the brilliant idea to begin documenting the rest of our spring break travels (video to come later). At 8:00 we departed for the airport to catch our flight to Naples.

The city of Naples is not something I knew much about, other than LaRae and Sarah raving about it being the place they were most excited for over our spring break travel plans. However, before we left Holland, our host brother made a reference to Naples being a very interesting destination. Oh, and the mafia was pretty much founded there, he mentioned casually. I assumed he was just trying to scare us. Well, joke was on me, that's for sure. We landed in Naples and used Sarah's bargaining skills to get a cheaper taxi to our hotel. We asked our very friendly taxi drive what we should do/see while we were in Naples. He had tons of suggestions, but strangely very few were actually in Naples. That's weird; why would he keep encouraging us to leave the city? Thinking nothing of it, we continued to weave through the insane traffic of the very crowded streets to the hotel and unloaded our bags. As I paid him, he said, "It's not safe here at night." Well, thanks for telling us after you dropped us off and we paid you. But alas, nothing we could do. We were here and we had already paid for our hotel. So, we continued to check into our hotel, but again, had to leave Katie outside. Sneaking her into this hotel was going to be a bit tricky. Every time we left the hotel, we had to turn in our key (which also encouraged us more than usual to carry our valuables with us at all times). We began to wander the streets of Naples, not really sure how to deal with the way we were being treated by locals.

Let me try to explain it to you: 5 very beautiful, fair-skinned, light-haired American girls are very, very interesting to Europeans, especially Italians. These Napolean Italians were not what we were expecting. In the movies, Italians are suave and very romantic. These ones treated us like specimen, coming within inches of our faces, staring intensely, and continuing to walk by. Being stared at is one thing, but by all ages and genders, that's just not normal. Feeling a little uneasy already, after being told twice more that we had to watch our valuables and not carry our documents was enough reason for us to come up with an escape route ASAP. All I could think was LaRae and Sarah's idea of a dream destination were so very different than mine. As we discussed our options, we decided the best thing to do was escape the trashy ghetto and find the coast. We took a metro (avoiding walking through the dirty, crowded streets) and wound up in the heart of Naples. This looked a bit more cozy and allowed us all a chance to breath and recollect. We walked around, snapped some photos, and found a great little restaurant to enjoy some pizza in the pizza capital of the world. Not only did we dine by the water, but we also dined with the Italian waiters and the man who made our pizza-- classic, and worth the hidden 4 euro service and cover charge. 

As night approached, we realized we would soon have to return to Mafia land. Luckily we had come up with a wonderful plan to leave the next morning: a ferry to the island of Capri, a trip we had already planned to make 2 days later. So, we grabbed some gelato in the Royal center and proceeded to walk back to our hotel. Unfortunately, my camera couldn't handle the idea of returning to the ghetto, resulting in the lack of photos of our sketchy hotel scene (just know that is added a whole new meaning to the "hide your kids,  hide your wife song. No pictures could have truly captured the stress this city caused us girls). We spent the rest of our evening hidden away in our tiny hotel, trying to cancel our hotel for the next night, and booking a new one. Deciding that even though we couldn't cancel the room, it was worth the 8 euro loss, rather than the potential to lose much more valuable things (like our passports or heads) and book an extra night at our bed and breakfast in Sorrento.

 

From 6pm-10:30pm, we were tucked away in our hotel, preparing ourselves for our sweet escape to what would hopefully be a much better place: CAPRI!

I got a ticket to Venice!

On our first full day of Spring break, we explored the city of Venice! We woke up early in the morning to eat breakfast and make our trek to the city of Romance. Around 9:00am we departed our hotel, bought our bus tickets, and hopped on the bus that took us to the city. For a 2 euro ticket, you would think it was in walking distance... again, our depth perception was completely off and we remained very glad we did not walk that distance. 

We arrived in the city a little after 9:30am and began to wander. The second my eyes fell upon water, it was like I had never seen a canal in my life. Running and screaming, practically begging to get mugged, I approached the water and began photographing like an Asian. You know how you go to a city expecting it to look exactly like you've seen in the movies, but usually you're left disappointed? This was nothing like that. It was exactly like I pictures, just like I had seen in The Tourist. We continued making our way weaving through allies and canals until we spotted a gondola boy. More running, screaming, and pictures led us to the conclusion that we needed to get on that gondola stat. We sent Sarah to bargain with a gondola boy, and she managed to get us a 40% discount. So, we hopped on the gondola and experienced the city of Romance just like they do it in the movies (minus the singing and guitar, but I did have my zebra umbrella to add to the ambiance). 

After our gondola ride, we continued our wandering on foot through the rest of the city, which led us to various bridges, and ultimately the city center by the grand canal. There we enjoyed more picture taking and pizza along the water: LEKKER! We walked around some more after lunch and found our way to a giant dome-shaped church. We took a break from walking and climbing and sat by the water soaking in how lucky we were to be in such a beautiful place on such a beautiful day. We entered the church, snapped a few shots, and then decided to make our way back to the other side to souvenir shop. After a few purchases, we sat by the water and wrote on our post cards (Mom and Dad, did you ever get mine?). As the night approached and the breeze began to feel more like a bitter gust, we made our way further into the city to grab some dinner (baked lasagna). It seemed like a good idea after dinner to see the city at night, but we soon realized how foolish of an idea it was because of the temperature by the water and decided instead to get some gelato instead-- obviously the most logical decision we could have made. And thus ends our journey in Venice. 

Next stop: Naples-- the city of trash, also known as the city LaRae and Sarah were most excited to see.

All Around in 9 days: Spring Break part 1

What you've all been waiting for: spring break blogs!

On February 24, 2012, 6 girls set out for the greatest 9 days of their lives, but first portfolio class. After a very frustrating 3 hours and 7 minutes, Lauren and I met up with 2 of the other travelers to catch a 1:47 train. We had approximately 18 minutes to get to the train station, which would normally be completely doable, but we had a few items to factor in. First of all, we all had to put money on our train cards. Second, Sarah's bike tire was completely flat, resulting in me doubling on the back of LaRae's bike (also not usually a problem, but we had backpacks...). Because of the backpack issue, Sarah willingly securely strapped LaRae's bag to the back of my wobbly, rattly bike and we pressed on. About halfway to the train station, we realized just how flat LaRae's tire was as it carried the dynamic duo to the train station, increasing the travel time quite drastically. Then, we realized LaRae's backpack was slowly but surely slipping from the security of my bike, resulting in Sarah riding one handed to keep a hold on LaRae's only belongings for the next 9 days. 

Now, this wouldn't seem like a huge deal if we were merely traveling by train because we could just catch a later one, but here is the real catch. This train would lead us to a shuttle that would lead us to a plane that would lead us to a bus that would lead us to a walk that would lead us to our hotel in Mestre, Italy.

Around 1:32pm we arrived at the train station, got our tickets and met up with our 5th traveler. All seemed to be going smoothly, until we realized our train was moving at a pace we could walk faster than. After about 20 minutes of that, the train picked up pace and we waited as stop after stop passed until we finally reached Nijmegen, the location of our shuttle. After an hour of waiting, we loaded our shuttle into the bandwagon, hopped in the shuttle bus, and made the 45 minute trek to Dusseldorf, Germany, where our plane was located. After waiting a few hours and making sure our bags could fit into the crammed RynAir carry-on size limitations, we hopped on our plane and arrived in a town 35 km outside of Mestre. We considered walking there as well when we realized the cost of a bus, but decided that at 9:30pm in a strange city it wasn't worth it. And let me tell you, we were certainly glad we didn't walk that. Around 10pm LaRae and I checked into our hotel and met the other girls for dinner: our first Italian pizza! Oddly, it was my favorite. If that was because of the fact that I was extremely famished from a full day of traveling, the egg and ham combo, or the chef's traditional fat Italian chef look, I have no idea, but I am sure thankful for that pizza! We then returned to our hotel where we had to sneak Katie into our 4 person room (not OK in Europe. TAKE NOTE) and went to bed to wake up early to head into the city of Venice to find a gondola, and better yet-- a gondola boy!

A long day of travel, it was. Just the thought of it makes me exhausted! Don't worry, tomorrow I will continue the blog-athon. But for now, ciao!