Switzerland: leaving holes in their cheese and in your wallets

This weekend we departed for Switzerland. What would a whirlwind weekend trip be without some train problems?

Prior to our 5:16pm department, Sarah and I contemplated grabbing an earlier train, but we decided it wasn't necessary. We had over 2 1/2 hours before our flight left-- plenty of time, right? Wrong. We arrived in Amersfort on time, but suddenly we heard voices on the overhead: never a good sign on a train. I listened closely, trying to pick out words I recognized, and these were the only two I could pick out: Schipol niet. I looked around at the faces of the other passengers: frustration, sarcastic grunts, and faces other than smiles filled the train. I asked a few of the other passengers what had been said and they informed me that there was no train to Schipol. I must have looked like I was going to be sick because they immediately offered for us to follow them to Amsterdam Centraal. Meanwhile, some lady came frantically up to us asking what to do. I informed her we had no idea what to do and we were following some locals around. Evidently she took that as, "Come on and tag along with us!"

So, waltzing from Amersfort to Utrecht, Utrecht to Amsterdam Centraal, were 3 Dutchies, 3 Americans, and 1 random lady on the verge of tears that everyone forgot was following them until she would randomly announce that she was so glad she wasn't alone. Maintaining visuals of the Dutchies the entire time was crucial to our arrival to Amsterdam Centraal, but once we got there, we were on our own. We hopped out of the train, and suddenly I heard the voice again: Schipol niet. Sarah and I realized at the same time we had to do something else. We gotta get a cab! So, there we went, sprinting out of Amsterdam Centraal, running into some friendly cops along the way who pointed us in the direction of the cabs: a line of over 100 people. Perfect. We are already late and now we'll be waiting forever for a cab. I decided to go back and ask the cops if there was another way to the airport. Nope. I turned away disappointed. "Wait," one cop said. "If you are smart, you will go to the big hotel across the street and flag down a cab there." Perfect. I ran back to the line, yelled for Sarah and Katie to join me, and there we went-- dodging traffic, stopping for nothing, and finally landing the sole cab: an additional cost no one anticipated.

Alas, we arrived at the airport and joined our other 2 companions. We boarded our flight and all seemed nice and dandy. Well, we arrived in Basel, grabbed a train to Rheinfelden and began asking for directions to our hotel. That's weird, no one has heard of that street... then someone spoke up: that's in Germany. My travel companions were not so pleased with this news. Fortunately it was only a 15 minute walk and we had a really nice room with wi-fi and breakfast included. We woke up early to catch a train to Lucerne-- the city I had been dreaming of.

Well, turns out Swiss trains are a bit more pricey than we anticipated, adding to the rapid plunge of our bank account balances, but alas, we arrived in Lucerne and toured the city on foot: the lake Lucerne, beautiful views of the Alps, climbing the city wall, the famous bridge, a small market, and a famous tree. We then traveled to Zug to get into our other hotel. We walked around that city for awhile and then found McDonalds and headed back to our hotel to hang out for the evening.

Early the next morning we woke up and headed out for the caves of Hollgrotten Baar. We were told by numerous sources we could walk there, but it would be about 40 minutes total. We were also advised to take a bus line 3 to Baar and walk from there. So, we decided to walk to Baar and figure it out from there. After a 25 minute walk, aimlessly walking through the town of Baar (observed by every bus line 3 driver in the city), and a few questions for locals, we decided to take the bus to the stop of Paradise and then walk the remaining (what we were told would be) 25 minutes to the caves. About 10 minutes into the walk, we realized it wasn't 25 minutes of walking; it would be 40 minutes of intense mountain hiking. Perfect. My cutesy boots and skinny jeans just screamed, "I'm ready to go hiking!" I'm certain the locals got a huge kick of us.

After about 15 minutes, we lost 2 men, but 3 of us pressed forward. We were going to see the caves! Alas, we arrived at our destination of the caves. However, we suddenly realized we would be crunched for time if these caves took the 4 hours we were told they would take to get through. It was now 10:35am. We had a train to catch (in Baar, a 40 minute hike and 5 minute bus ride away) at 3pm. We asked the ticket man how long it would take. A huge sigh of relief was released when he said it took an hour. We bought our tickets and entertained the caves. It was amazing! Not only were they unlike anything I'd ever seen before; they were unlike anything I'd ever touched, climbed, or jumped on before. Because we're in Europe where everything is permissible, we took the liberty to climb everything within sight-- and by "we," I mostly mean Sarah. She was scaling things left and right.

We re-surfaced from the caves covered in dust and other cave remnants and proceeded to eat lunch and walk back to the bus stop the guide informed us was 20 minutes closer and less of a hike. We began walking back, thinking we wouldn't even take 20 minutes to get there. Well, wrong again we were. Instead of a 40 minute mountain hike, we had a 15 minute straight-up inclined paved road to trek up. Nothing says "Switzerland" like climbing things and being sweaty all day.

However, at the end of the day, I have never been so proud to say I have hiked a mountain, submerged in caves, walked up a 90 degree incline, and still caught my train to Zurich to explore city #4 of our less than 48hr long weekend.

We met up with Kaitlyn and LaRae again at the airport, discussed our afternoons, waited in line for our delayed plane, grabbed Burger King back in Schipol, and finally made it home to Zwolle at 11:14pm.

What was concluded at the end of the trip:
Jennifer's planning is limited to lessons and nights on the town.
Swiss people are outdoorsy, climbing and biking everything they can.
Swiss people like everything holey-- including their tourists' wallets.
As much as I will forever complain about leaving our stomachs empty with their holey cheese, our wallets empty with their monopoly Franks, I rest assured that Switzerland did not leave my heart empty with its beautiful scenery and wonderful company. All in all, I'm glad I went and that I was accompanied by company that can laugh at my Activist personality that overlooks details... like booking hotels in different countries, and loves the sense of adventure all the same.

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!