So, this weekend we headed to Paris... Friday was a long day, knowing that at 5am I would be departing, meaning I needed to get up at 4. But I knew it'd be worth it: 2 days in Paris with my host brothers and Sarah and Larae. Bringing boys, especially these two, along was one of the best decisions we could have made. Not only did we have personal driving and tour guides, but we had men to do all the things we couldn't, and by "we" I mostly mean "me," being the dependent person I am. Soon to come is a list of things my semester in Europe has taught me I will probably need to depend on someone else on later in life...
Meanwhile, enjoy the tale of our trip to Paris.
5 am departure from the Van Der Krieke residence. If you want to know details of the car ride, don't ask me; I was fast asleep in the "bitch" seat of our rental car as the brothers jammed to dub-step, club music, and who knows what else was playing on that 5 hour road trip. When we arrived in Paris, we first checked out the Notre Dame and the Louvre. Since the boys had already seen the Mona Lisa (much smaller than one would expect), they walked back and got the car as we explored the Louvre... and by "explored" I actually mean asked the info desk where the Mona Lisa was, waited in line for half an hour for tickets we didn't even need because we had our visas, and sprinting up the several sets of stairs to find her. Naturally they put her at the top of the building... this wouldn't have been as big of a deal if I weren't planning on saving all my energy for a solo hike up the Eiffel Tower later that evening. After the Louvre, our personal driver and tour guides took us to the top of a hill to view one of the most beautiful churches I have seen, followed immediately after by the Mulon Rouge. Ironic don't you think? We then found a place to get crepes, or as pronounced by my host brothers and the French, "Craps." They were so good, possibly the best (food) I've tasted in Europe...
After that we decided to find our campsite for the night. Yes, I did say camping. We rented a mobile home for the night and would be kicking it ghetto style for the night. We went grocery shopping for dinner and breakfast foods and then checked in. LaRae and I produced a mass meal for the family while Sarah prepared a meal of her own. After dinner we went to the Eiffel Tower. When we got there we were amazed by two things. First, its beauty. Second, there were swarms of military and policemen running around. We assumed is was a protest of some sort. We approached the Eiffel Tower and got in line. However, we all got in the same line and soon realized why it was the shorter one: it was the stairs line. So, Larae and Sarah got out of line and into the twice as long lift line. Meanwhile, my host brothers decided to make the trek up the stairs with me: over 700 of them! We climbed to the 2nd (actually the 3rd in America standards) floor and then had to take the lift the rest of the way. Surprisingly, it wasn't that bad and being able to say I climbed that beauty to see that view is so worth every second of it. Plus, I was the first (of the girls... it's hard to beat 2 boys with such long legs in a stair climbing race) to the top! We then made our way down, ran into LaRae and Sarah on the 2nd (3rd) floor and then raced down the stairs to the bottom. This time I was actually the first, but only because IJsbrand's exit was jammed... we then watched the light show of the Eiffel Tower and then headed back to our humble abode to catch some shut eye before the rest of our tour of Paris.
We all joked about what would happen if our beds broke again (the wood panels had fallen apart earlier in the evening) while we were sleeping, but no one thought it would actually happen... of course it did though. At 7:20 am, Sarah and I woke up and checked the time, I went to roll over, and suddenly my bed was slipping away beneath me. Sarah, who was sleeping half on my bed and half on LaRae's, rolled completely onto LaRae's. I decided to leave my bed for the last hour and a half of my slumber, but then suddenly as Sarah got up to use the bathroom, LaRae's bed became a giant taco as well. So, we fixed our beds and hopped back in... only to be greeted seconds later by my bed collapsing beneath me again. I left it and slept the rest of my time on a lopsided bed.
In the morning, we ate breakfast, checked out, and headed to the Arc de Triumph. There we witnessed a music video being made, saw the largest Abercrombie and Fitch and Starbucks on earth, and rode around the giant rotunde a few times to get a feel of the true insanity behind Paris drivers. After that, we sent our driver on a wild crepe chase through Paris and then headed home... on the ride home I didn't nap as much because we were having quality family bonding time... what a great way to end the trip!
Sunday, April 22, 2012
3 years of college: check
This week was supposed to be one of the most hectic finals week I planned to ever have: 2 finals, an excursion, a whole semester's worth of homework for one class I somehow managed to put off for 3 1/2 months, a presentation about my personal development/personal project here in the Netherlands, and Katrina and I had volunteered to work the Celebrations Project for our school in Zwolle from 830am until about 2 every day...
Monday I arrived at Van Der Capellen at 8:20am and worked with my team until about 10am, when I had to leave for my Dutch exam. Together we mapped out a plan of action for our research on Australia. I was so impressed with my kids' work; not one complained about the work I expected them to have complete when I returned from my exam. Not only did my kids take interest in the project, but also in my exam. They wished me good luck and I biked away to the GH. Lucky for me, Anna decided to cut the class short and let us take the final a bit early. So, Jeremy and I started off with a conversation about ourselves-- our names, where we're from in America, what our house is like, where we'd prefer to live, etc. Then I invited him over for coffee and he agreed but needed directions from the train station to my house. It wasn't until this moment in time that I realized I really don't know the directions to my house very well, but we managed to understand each other and completely dominated that final. I biked back to Van Der Capellen where my students suddenly decided we had to speak Dutch because I passed my final. So, I told them my favorite color, what I like to eat, and my favorite country and thing to do was. I think they were quite impressed with my vocab, but my pronunciation caused a lot of extra laughing...
Tuesday the SPICE group went on our final excursion together: Kroeller Mueller (spelling again). When we got there, we all hopped on bikes painted white and never locked up, aka communal bikes. Here's the funny thing: LaRae and I decided it would be funny to see if I could fit in a child's seat on the back of her bike and double bike around. Since I managed to fit my American self into the seat, we progressed to the museum... little did we know this bike ride was over 3 miles long. My roommate is a boss for hauling me all the way there. From there, we explored the museum and park and stuff... (in case you can't tell, we've been over excursions for awhile). and besides we had other things on our mind-- it was the last Joffer night and everyone was supposed to come out. So, after the excursion, we went home, ate dinner and then proceeded to get ready for the night.
LaRae, Lauren, our host brother, and I biked over to a SPICE buddy's place to meet up with the group before the Joffer. On the way there, I decided I wanted to race our host brother (even though he didn't even know I was racing him), and suddenly there was a pop, crack, and a downfall of speed from my bike. I realized what had happened as I attempted to continue up the hill to the stoplight. When we arrived at the light, we decided to have my host brother bike my bike to the house we were headed towards and I was just hop on the back of LaRae's bike as usual. So, I hopped on but somehow managed to catch the heel of my shoe in LaRae's tiring, damaging not just one bike that night, but two. However, when we arrived a few of the guys fixed both of our bikes and we ended up having a great last night at the Joffer. It's horribly sad to think I won't be spending my Tuesdays there with the SPICE group anymore... but at least I managed to attend every single one and enjoy the nights while they lasted. I will really miss that place (sheds a tear but moves on).
Wednesday I had a long day with my kids at Van Der Capellen but I am so proud of the work they did. They created a great 3D map, travel guide, sports magazine, and skit about "then and now" life in Australia. I'm a bit disappointed that I couldn't attend their performances on Thursday but I had to do a littler performance of my own. First, though, Sarah and I had to finish getting ready for the Goodbye Party we planned: Chinese food, coke floats, awards, a video from Brett, verbs for each person, and of course Just Dance. It was a huge success: everyone loved the night, and even some of the host parents played Just Dance, including my dad. Planning parties is something I can do, weekend trips (as we saw in the story about Switzerland) is not. This semester taught me that it's best that I stick to my true talents: teaching and partying.
Wednesday night I planned to work very hard on my final presentation but as the wee hours of the morning approached and the conversations on Facebook didn't wind down, I realized that this presentation would just have to be from the heart, and so it was... besides, I had other things, other people, other places on my mind... like Paris in less than 48 hours and Rome in a few days as well. Nothing takes the productivity out of you like the thought of a week full of traveling. Let's just be thankful I don't have much left to do when I get back from Rome... but yes, I do have some things to do... so technically year 3 of college is not quite checked off the list, but mentally, it's been gone since about January 13.
LaRae, Lauren, our host brother, and I biked over to a SPICE buddy's place to meet up with the group before the Joffer. On the way there, I decided I wanted to race our host brother (even though he didn't even know I was racing him), and suddenly there was a pop, crack, and a downfall of speed from my bike. I realized what had happened as I attempted to continue up the hill to the stoplight. When we arrived at the light, we decided to have my host brother bike my bike to the house we were headed towards and I was just hop on the back of LaRae's bike as usual. So, I hopped on but somehow managed to catch the heel of my shoe in LaRae's tiring, damaging not just one bike that night, but two. However, when we arrived a few of the guys fixed both of our bikes and we ended up having a great last night at the Joffer. It's horribly sad to think I won't be spending my Tuesdays there with the SPICE group anymore... but at least I managed to attend every single one and enjoy the nights while they lasted. I will really miss that place (sheds a tear but moves on).
Wednesday I had a long day with my kids at Van Der Capellen but I am so proud of the work they did. They created a great 3D map, travel guide, sports magazine, and skit about "then and now" life in Australia. I'm a bit disappointed that I couldn't attend their performances on Thursday but I had to do a littler performance of my own. First, though, Sarah and I had to finish getting ready for the Goodbye Party we planned: Chinese food, coke floats, awards, a video from Brett, verbs for each person, and of course Just Dance. It was a huge success: everyone loved the night, and even some of the host parents played Just Dance, including my dad. Planning parties is something I can do, weekend trips (as we saw in the story about Switzerland) is not. This semester taught me that it's best that I stick to my true talents: teaching and partying.
Wednesday night I planned to work very hard on my final presentation but as the wee hours of the morning approached and the conversations on Facebook didn't wind down, I realized that this presentation would just have to be from the heart, and so it was... besides, I had other things, other people, other places on my mind... like Paris in less than 48 hours and Rome in a few days as well. Nothing takes the productivity out of you like the thought of a week full of traveling. Let's just be thankful I don't have much left to do when I get back from Rome... but yes, I do have some things to do... so technically year 3 of college is not quite checked off the list, but mentally, it's been gone since about January 13.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Nearing the End
This week was the last week of legitimate classes. Everything is wrapping up, but not winding down. I've been so busy this week with playing catch-up on the homework I so conveniently put off until the end of the semester. However, this week was not limited to homework.
On the contrary, this week has been so fun! After the longest day of my life on Tuesday (back from Easter break at 10:30 in the morning, class from 12:30 til 3:30), I took a nap until dinner, did some homework, and then progressed into the evening-- maintaining my perfect attendance award for the Joffer.
Wednesday was my first Wednesday off since February. I chose to take a day off of my internship at Van Der Capellen because I knew I needed to catch up on sleep and I have a whole week with these kids this week learning about Australia! So, Wednesday I did homework with LaRae and then we made dinner... and by made dinner I mean ordered pizza from our host brother's work. Be impressed, though, I did the entire ordering process in Dutch! Obviously it wasn't very good Dutch because the lady on the other end spoke to me in English instantly.
Thursday I also had a day off internship because all of our kids from Gomerus are in Canada-- lucky them. I hear the weather is wonderful there, and Thursday the weather was much less than satisfactory in Zwolle. After our final Dutch lesson Thursday morning, I was waiting to meet up with Katrina to do some grading on our Persecution project. I entered the library to see if she was there, and instantly my ears were informed of the weather outside-- hail the size of my ego. Ok, not quite that big, but it was so loud and looked like doomsday outside. So, I lingered around the GH a bit longer, and when it finally cleared, I made my way to Coffee United to get 'er done. And that I did. I managed to catch up on most of my classes (minus the American class...oops). After that, I met up with LaRae and we biked over to Kaitlyn and Sarah's to have a sleepover.
This was a bit of a nerve racking experience for us... we had never met their family, besides their host brothers, before. We arrived at their house just in time for dinner. It was delicious and not nearly as awkward as I was expecting (until the night of my birthday got brought up). After that, we decided to bike to the store to pick up stuff to make "boyfriend brownies." When we got outside I asked LaRae if she wanted to double bike. At first she said no because her back bike tire is constantly flat, but I told her she could ride my bike and I'd sit on the back. After all, after my last double biking experience, I really felt the need to redeem myself, and who better to redeem it with than my roommate? Sarah and Kaitlyn decided to join in, and we double biked all the way to the store. As much as everyone complains about the sound of my bike, LaRae can attest to the fact that I literally have the worst bike on SPICE. Yes, it has been through the most (a few crashes into people, moving and non-moving vehicles, other bikes, and the list continues), but it started out in less than prime condition. Regardless of the shitty-ness of my bike, I know I'm gonna miss that thing when I leave here. The things we went through together will haunt my memory for the rest of my life.
We got back to Kaitlyn and Sarah's house and made brownies, ate them, and attempted to watch a movie set in Rome-- our next travel location. But, because it was so late and we had class at 9am, we decided to just call it quits and hit the sack.
Friday was portfolio... yay. Lucky us, class started an hour and 15 minutes early and lasted until 1:15. That's right, over 4 hours in the same classroom. We talked about FC Zwolle (there was a huge championship game here this weekend, which we won by the way), our feelings, and how we felt about the feelings everyone else was feeling. Because it was Marco's birthday, I didn't cock any attitudes, but I am sure glad I don't have that class anymore. I won't lie though; I'm a bit excited for the final presentation: 15 straight minutes of me talking about how great this semester has been-- kidding.
Friday night was quite the night for the city of Zwolle. Everyone was celebrating FC Zwolle becoming the champions. Naturally the dynamic duo had to see what the fuss was all about, so we headed to the Joffer to meet up with some of the guys. In case you don't remember from last time, Friday nights are dedicated to the children not even old enough to drive in America. So picture this seen: 7 Americans running around the Joffer with 16 year olds... pretty classic scene. After about 20 minutes of that, we migrated to a different side of the bar and ending up enjoying ourselves quite a bit.
The next morning, LaRae and I went to a giant garden, the Keukenhof (spelling?) near the coast with our host parents. I, of course, fell asleep in the car ride there, and woke up to tulip fields everywhere! We spent the morning walking around, snapping pictures of all the beautiful flowers, and enjoying the nice weather. We then went to the beach and walked around and then made a scenic tour (at least that's what I heard it was... I was too busy sleeping) back to Zwolle. We returned just in time for our final Saturday fry night and then headed into the city to meet up with a group of SPICE students.
Sunday we celebrated our host sister-in-laws birthday with the family and some of her relatives and friends and then slaved over some more homework and studying for our Dutch final. And by studying for our Dutch final, what I actually mean is LaRae and Lauren practiced while I made a playlist of requests for our final Joffer night all together on Tuesday. The end is nearing, and I'm not ready to say goodbye... especially to the Joffer.
On the contrary, this week has been so fun! After the longest day of my life on Tuesday (back from Easter break at 10:30 in the morning, class from 12:30 til 3:30), I took a nap until dinner, did some homework, and then progressed into the evening-- maintaining my perfect attendance award for the Joffer.
Wednesday was my first Wednesday off since February. I chose to take a day off of my internship at Van Der Capellen because I knew I needed to catch up on sleep and I have a whole week with these kids this week learning about Australia! So, Wednesday I did homework with LaRae and then we made dinner... and by made dinner I mean ordered pizza from our host brother's work. Be impressed, though, I did the entire ordering process in Dutch! Obviously it wasn't very good Dutch because the lady on the other end spoke to me in English instantly.
Thursday I also had a day off internship because all of our kids from Gomerus are in Canada-- lucky them. I hear the weather is wonderful there, and Thursday the weather was much less than satisfactory in Zwolle. After our final Dutch lesson Thursday morning, I was waiting to meet up with Katrina to do some grading on our Persecution project. I entered the library to see if she was there, and instantly my ears were informed of the weather outside-- hail the size of my ego. Ok, not quite that big, but it was so loud and looked like doomsday outside. So, I lingered around the GH a bit longer, and when it finally cleared, I made my way to Coffee United to get 'er done. And that I did. I managed to catch up on most of my classes (minus the American class...oops). After that, I met up with LaRae and we biked over to Kaitlyn and Sarah's to have a sleepover.
This was a bit of a nerve racking experience for us... we had never met their family, besides their host brothers, before. We arrived at their house just in time for dinner. It was delicious and not nearly as awkward as I was expecting (until the night of my birthday got brought up). After that, we decided to bike to the store to pick up stuff to make "boyfriend brownies." When we got outside I asked LaRae if she wanted to double bike. At first she said no because her back bike tire is constantly flat, but I told her she could ride my bike and I'd sit on the back. After all, after my last double biking experience, I really felt the need to redeem myself, and who better to redeem it with than my roommate? Sarah and Kaitlyn decided to join in, and we double biked all the way to the store. As much as everyone complains about the sound of my bike, LaRae can attest to the fact that I literally have the worst bike on SPICE. Yes, it has been through the most (a few crashes into people, moving and non-moving vehicles, other bikes, and the list continues), but it started out in less than prime condition. Regardless of the shitty-ness of my bike, I know I'm gonna miss that thing when I leave here. The things we went through together will haunt my memory for the rest of my life.
We got back to Kaitlyn and Sarah's house and made brownies, ate them, and attempted to watch a movie set in Rome-- our next travel location. But, because it was so late and we had class at 9am, we decided to just call it quits and hit the sack.
Friday was portfolio... yay. Lucky us, class started an hour and 15 minutes early and lasted until 1:15. That's right, over 4 hours in the same classroom. We talked about FC Zwolle (there was a huge championship game here this weekend, which we won by the way), our feelings, and how we felt about the feelings everyone else was feeling. Because it was Marco's birthday, I didn't cock any attitudes, but I am sure glad I don't have that class anymore. I won't lie though; I'm a bit excited for the final presentation: 15 straight minutes of me talking about how great this semester has been-- kidding.
Friday night was quite the night for the city of Zwolle. Everyone was celebrating FC Zwolle becoming the champions. Naturally the dynamic duo had to see what the fuss was all about, so we headed to the Joffer to meet up with some of the guys. In case you don't remember from last time, Friday nights are dedicated to the children not even old enough to drive in America. So picture this seen: 7 Americans running around the Joffer with 16 year olds... pretty classic scene. After about 20 minutes of that, we migrated to a different side of the bar and ending up enjoying ourselves quite a bit.
The next morning, LaRae and I went to a giant garden, the Keukenhof (spelling?) near the coast with our host parents. I, of course, fell asleep in the car ride there, and woke up to tulip fields everywhere! We spent the morning walking around, snapping pictures of all the beautiful flowers, and enjoying the nice weather. We then went to the beach and walked around and then made a scenic tour (at least that's what I heard it was... I was too busy sleeping) back to Zwolle. We returned just in time for our final Saturday fry night and then headed into the city to meet up with a group of SPICE students.
Sunday we celebrated our host sister-in-laws birthday with the family and some of her relatives and friends and then slaved over some more homework and studying for our Dutch final. And by studying for our Dutch final, what I actually mean is LaRae and Lauren practiced while I made a playlist of requests for our final Joffer night all together on Tuesday. The end is nearing, and I'm not ready to say goodbye... especially to the Joffer.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
It was the best of times; it was the opposite of the worst of times.
All day I've been writing reflections for class, and now all I want to do is reflect on the semester. So, here are some pictures of the highlights of my semester-- debriefings of the history of the pictures are included, but for more detail I guess you'll just have to go back and re-read the blogs that the pictures represent.
For your amusement and viewing pleasure, I present SPICE 2012 highlights (up until now and not in chronological order whatsoever):
For your amusement and viewing pleasure, I present SPICE 2012 highlights (up until now and not in chronological order whatsoever):
My first ever bike ride. Unfortunately my skills have not improved that much, and the state of my bike is about as good as my abilities. Currently, my light turns itself on and flashes until I either kick or slap it, and then turns back on until I kick or slap it again.
Our first night out!
The first of many Joffer nights, but one of the last times we knew for sure that Dutch buddies existed. Where have they gone?
Still in existence here in Amsterdam...
The weekend it was cold enough to go ice skating our host mom took us to her favorite place in Windesheim. We were almost the first SPICE group to experience the 11 cities skating tour in Friesland!
Our first day trip was to the city of Gouda, where we ate cheese and climbed this windmill.
Afterwards we went to our brother's work to eat pizza, the first of many this semester.
My sister and brother-in-law came to visit.
The dynamic duo at our finest in our humble domain: De Joffer.
My birthday happened to fall on a Tuesday night. What a great night!
Host siblings... plus Snarls.
This night changed my experience in the Netherlands for the best. I love making new friends.
Our first visit to another country was Germany, and this is when I accidentally ordered a giant beer. Lekker!
More pictures from Germany
The cathedral by night
but more importantly, Patrick's reaction to the cathedral at night.
Second visit to another country: Belgium!
The only girls enjoying our waffles-- gotta eat our way across Europe.
This is Sorrento, one of the most beautiful places on earth.
My ego wouldn't let me be anything less than first in the water over Spring Break, AKA the best vacation of my life.
The cheetah girls danced here.
You have to get on a gondola in Venice.
Pizza in the Pizza capital of the world-- Naples.
Elizabeth and Nate and I in front of the church my aunt and uncle got married in
I took them on a tour of Amsterdam
and we toured the Heineken brewery.
A typical afternoon in Groningen for Katrina and I
Switzerland
Hollgrotten Caves
Ireland was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been,
and their nightlife is crazy.
But finding Harry Potter locations throughout London will be hard to top.
Successful semester is an understatement.
All the memories and friends I've made are priceless. Leaving in a month is going to be one of the hardest things I do in my life. Thank goodness I'll be back!
Typical American Swag... in Ireland and London
Last Thursday 5 girls departed for the picturesque Ireland-- off to see the land young girls dream about after watching fairy tales with castles, stone fences, and green rolling pastures filled with joyful, galloping white horses. We departed the train station around 11:45am. The plan was to meet at the platform shortly before that, but at 11:40, three of us couldn't find the other two and decided to just board the train and hope they were already on it. In Utrecht, where we had to catch a connection to Eindhoven, we were reunited and continued our journey as the obnoxious Americans. It started with me telling a story in my normal speaking voice (which, as you all know, is about twice as loud as any other person's normal speaking voice) and serving brownies to my fellow travelers. Apparently this isn't socially acceptable, because the man sitting next to me got up and moved... his loss.
We arrived at Eindhoven shortly before 2 and hopped on a shuttle to the airport. Usually we fly through the airport routines, but this was the first time we may have actually needed the full two hours we plan to spend lingering in the non-priority boarding line. Alas, we made it through the airport, after having our passports checked 6 or 7 times more than usual and waited for our gate to open. At about 3:15 I got up to get a drink of water and check for our gate. When I looked at the screen, I saw something about "immigration" by our flight. That's weird... I'm not planning on moving to Ireland, just chasing men and sheep for a weekend. Then I turned the corner and saw the very large line of people we had been mocking for the past 20 minutes: Immigration-- aka another passport check. So, we got in that line, had our passports checked yet again, and then strategically located ourselves in prime position to get on the plane.
Our flight landed in Dublin around 5:15pm. We went through customs there and headed out to catch our bus-- what we presumed would be large, green, and driven by a red-head. Well, only one of these were true. The cutest little Irish man popped out of a small, white van-- speaking with the rich Irish accent and a leprechaun-like grin on his face. These were the people we came to see! We hopped on the van (after being reminded the boarding side was on the left, not the right side, of the vehicle) and headed to Paddy's Palace on our first Paddy wagon vehicle of the weekend.
Paddy's Palace, sounds interesting right? Well, this was my first hostel experience. I had been avoiding them all semester for 2 reasons: horror stories I had heard and horror stories I had created in my mind. Also, hostels aren't usually that much cheaper than hotels (especially when you book hotels the way we do), and if I can help it, I'm not sharing a bedroom with strangers. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by friendly, rich accented staff. We checked in, paid for our lockers and towels, and checked out the kitchen scene. Perfect: a place to cook for ourselves! As typical Americans, we cooked tacos (minus Sarah and her chicken salad) and drank pop. It was delicious... about the only thing from the hostel experience I really enjoyed. Even though this hostel came with the full package (cheap tours, wi-fi, kitchen, breakfast), I still don't enjoy sleeping with strangers, using showers after couples get out of them, only having 1 dinky mirror in the entire hostel, and dirtiness. Even though nothing horrible happened, I can honestly say after this weekend, I don't intend to sleep in a hostel ever again.
When we woke up Friday morning, we hopped on what we envisioned a Paddy Wagon to look like: bright green Asian-style tour bus. However, the tour guide was not what we anticipated-- he had dark/graying hair... not red. At least he still had the accent as he said, "Follow me to the Paddy Wagon, folks!" We got on board and departed to pick up the other Paddy Wagon tourists. Because we were in the middle of the bus, we didn't engage as much with this tour guide as he led us through the western part of Ireland to see various castles, abbeys, small villages, and finally-- the cliffs of Moher. We sat back, enjoyed the scenery, and got a few naps in. Words cannot describe the beauty that fell upon my eyes in the land of Ireland, but I'll try my best. That fairy tale image I mentioned at first was completely accurate. Everything was flourishing with green grass and peaceful creatures roaming the rolling hills and enjoying the weather (slightly sunny, a very nice day for the Irish). The stone walls weaved through the landscape and sheep, just like you'd see in the movies. The castles, though much smaller than I imagined, looked as though someone plucked them out of a Disney movie and dropped them into the fields we drove by. And this was just the country side.
Later in the afternoon we arrived at the cliffs of Moher. When we disembarked our bus, it was foggy, but by the time we had climbed to one side of the cliffs, the fog had lifted and we could see the waves crashing on the foot of the meters upon meters high cliffs, also topped with bright greens. As we snapped some photos from this angle, Kaitlyn and I decided to do our usual jumping pictures. Unknowingly, we were joined by some boys. Nothing screams "American" quite like jumping pictures I guess, because they asked us where in America we were from. Turns out they were from the Bay area and here for a rugby tournament. How many people can say they ran into a college rugby team from California while touring the most beautiful cliffs in the world, located in Ireland? I can't imagine very many can say that. We said goodbye to our new friends and made our way to the other side of the cliffs-- the side without a fence, where Sarah and LaRae gave the rest of us a heart attack by playing footsies over the edge. As cool as the photos would have been, knowing my lack of luck, I wouldn't have survived to tell the tale if I tried that.
We made our way back to Dublin and decided to make dinner again that night-- frozen pizzas (minus Sarah's chicken salad again). The next morning was another early tour, this time through the more "authentic" Ireland-- where the gaelic language is still spoken and the sheep roam freely across the roads. This tour bus was much smaller, and we decided we wanted to really live up to our American names-- sit in the front and interact with the tour guide as much as possible. Sarah joined the tour guide in the front seat as the rest of us filled the first 2 rows-- one of the best decisions we ever made. And by "we," I mean everyone except Sarah. Sitting in the front seat gave Tour Guide Sean the impression that our red-headed companion wanted to be his lass. And, boy, was he trying to be her knight in shining armor! Enjoying the scenery and the love story unfolding before our eyes, we made our way up to Cong and visited a ton of abbeys and places to snap photos in Asian swag: hop off the bus, take a picture, hop back on the bus-- story of our weekend.
Unfortunately for the rest of the tourists on this Paddy Wagon, the American dominated the entire tour-- we even managed to get Sean to let us DJ with country music! Sorry, Germans and Italians, but if you have music you want played you have to speak up. If you don't, I guarantee the Americans will step up. After all, it's our tour and we're going to make the most of it. And so we did. Getting us pumped for the nightlife and karaoke bar we had found earlier, Sean played us his American playlist-- complete with Don't Stop Believing and We're in Heaven.
After we got home, we ate and then got ready to hit up Dublin by night. Hopefully we would be joined by the American rugby players we met after I flagged them down to invite them to experience the insanity we expected to experience during the Irish night life. Wearing my green pants and with my Irish lucky charm Finnigen by my side, we headed to O'sheas-- an old Irish pub/restaurant. Unfortunately, this was not what we anticipated, nor was the karaoke bar. However, Temple bar was everything we could have hoped for. It was crowded, filled with Genuiss drinking people enjoying the exceptionally-talented live musicians. It was such a blast, but we realized soon that even the luck of Finnigen would not reunite us with our American rugby friends. So, we headed home and to bed to prepare for our Easter day tour of Dublin.
Sunday morning we all did our own things. Sarah and I explored some of the city while the other girls slept in a bit. Then 4 of us joined the locals for their Easter Rising parade, complete with seeing their mayor AND president, while Sarah attended a church service. Typical Easter, no. Lovely Easter, yes. The weather was a bit chilly, but the delicious Irish breakfast and company made it all the while worth it. However, after awhile we realized we had seen everything in Dublin and decided to depart for the airport... 4 hours early for our flight. We sat in our gate, browsed the internet, ate, and made sure we were the first on the plane by sitting in the line for non-priority boarding over an hour before boarding started. As they began boarding, the other 4 girls got on the plane without a problem. I, however, had left my purse out of my bag and had to compress my belongings into one bag... not an easy task when you have a famous beer glass from a famous bar and a small man in your bag. After that small delay, we disembarked for London-- the land of my fairy tale: Harry Potter.
We walked to our hostel, checked in with the assistance of the most beautiful Brit I have ever seen, and had a drink as we mapped out our tour of London led by tour guide Kaitlyn who had been to London before. This hostel was even more interesting that the last. Even though it had that great Britain vibe, the fact that I was sharing a room with 19 strangers (mostly men) and only one other person I knew, was a bit much for me. Sharing a bathroom is one thing, but when you have 20 plus people crowding in it and have to pay 5 lbs for a towel, that's where I draw the line. Free breakfast is great, but unless I'm wide awake and not concerned about my well-being, I never want to be surrounded by men in Britain like that again.
We woke up, ate breakfast and got ready to see the city of London on foot. When we departed, the bartenders told us to enjoy the rain. What would London be without a little bit of rain? Well, it would have been much more enjoyable to walk around and my first pair of shoes for the day would have made it home. Regardless, I was in heaven. We walked through Hyde Park, saw the queen's palace, and then split up for a bit. My mock Toms couldn't handle the rain any longer, so I went back to the hostel and changed into my boots and met up with the group back at Big Ben, where it was still raining. Along the way, though, I stumbled upon a few Harry Potter attractions-- cars and buses with Harry Potter tour adds on the side. The thought of being in the city of Harry Potter just makes my heart race. I've been reading these books every summer for years, seen the movies countless times, and finally-- I've landed myself in the setting of some of the most read, well-known, brilliantly written books across the world.
During our Olympic-paced sprint through London, we saw all of the must-sees in London: Big Ben, London Eye, Westminster Abbey, London Bridge, Tower Bridge, etc. Around 2 pm the other girls left for their train, but LaRae and I had until 4am to see whatever we needed to. So, we began walking towards the Bank of England, thinking it could have been in Harry Potter... it wasn't. We then made our way to St. Paul's cathedral. It was beautiful, but our feet and bodies were getting tired and starting to lack appreciation for the beauty of this city, and I still hadn't even scratched the surface of my Harry Potter sights! Luckily we found a tourist booth that told us to get day passes to hop on and off the public transportation. This was so helpful. By 7pm we had seen everything on our list. Here's what else we all saw:
After an hour of searching-- the Leaky Cauldron
Diagon Alley
Gringotts Bank
Abbey Road
Kings Cross (and of course Platform 9 3/4)
and our attractive bartender/hostel man
We ended the day with McDonald's, a drink, sore feet, exhausted bodies, but satisfied souls. Unfortunately, this was just the beginning of our traveling day. We departed for the airport at 9:30pm, arrived just before 11, and made camp in the lobby with other early morning travelers too cheap to book a hotel for 5 hours of sleep. At 4am we woke up and got in line for security, boarded our flight, arrived in Amsterdam at 8am, went through customs, and barely got on our 8:20am train back to Zwolle. As the conductor came by, I prayed Finnigen would pull through again as I knew my card hadn't clocked in because I had minimal cash left on it... but it didn't work. So, I got kicked off the train in Hilversum, put some more money on my card, and arrived in Zwolle shortly after 10, biked home in the rain, took a shower, and headed to Kees's class.
So, what did I learn from this weekend?
Ireland taught me that Irish people are insane, breakfast is obviously their most important meal, dancing is not nearly as beautiful as their accents, and fairy tales really do exist-- just look at their land.
Ireland taught me that Irish people are insane, breakfast is obviously their most important meal, dancing is not nearly as beautiful as their accents, and fairy tales really do exist-- just look at their land.
London taught me that my love for Harry Potter overcomes even the most uncomfortable walk of my life, public transportation is just as wonderful as I always thought it was, and having a roommate determined to help me see all my Harry Potter sights and accompany me for a sleepover in an airport is a blessing.
Another successful weekend of traveling-- check.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Plans A, B, and C
One more blog entry before I depart for the promise land of Ireland and London? Certainly.
This week was the shortest week ever-- Dutch class on Monday, internship until noon on Tuesday, and 45 minutes of teaching on Wednesday. Even though it was "short," there was a lot to get done... and still is before I leave tomorrow (like booking a way home from London on Monday... oops).
As I mentioned in my last blog, Monday marked the beginning of the Celebrations project. Well, today I found out my country for it! Don't tell my kids though; they're supposed to think I have no idea what country we're doing. I bet you're all a bit curious. Well, we'll be taking a mental vacation to the country of Australia! If my desires to see the world never included Australia before, I think I can rest assured they will after this project. We'll be learning so much about their country, culture, etc, I don't think I'll be able to say no. Unfortunately, after the beat down my bank account has endured this semester and will endure next spring, I think Australia will have to be added to my travel plans with my soul mate. Hopefully I'm able to find a man with the skinny genes and a pocket full of cash and a sense of adventure and the desire to see the world with a charismatic character such as myself (pray for me).
Tuesday Katrina and I spent the morning traveling to Groningen via train, walking to Gomarus, and then observing our kids give their presentations on persecution they've been slaving over since the beginning of March. Remember that project? No? Well, here's a little refresher: we split the class into 12 pairs, giving each pair a country with Christians suffering from persecution to study, write a reflection, and prepare a poster and small presentation about. It was so great to see all the work the kids put into the project (and Katrina and I put into planning it) come to life with the presentations. You could really tell it got the kids thinking on a deeper level about persecution and compassion and our responsibility as fellow Christians for those suffering abroad. After the presentations, some of the girls in the class told us how much they loved the set up of presentations, having 4 times to present to smaller groups instead of just 1 big presentation. What a great encouragement for us! On the train ride back we began grading the presentations. What a process! We got about half way done though, and even graded according to "Dutch standards," something quite a bit different for us.
The rest of Tuesday was spent working on some homework for my individual study back home, eating pancakes with LaRae, our special guest from America, and a few of their friends from Dordt and Canada and stuff, a birthday party for one of the other girls on SPICE, and a night in the Joffer. Good news: they still love me there.
Today I taught the kids at my internship in Zwolle a lesson on the different theres/yours/its, a lesson I used previously in America. Here's the thing: last week they finished so early, so I knew I had to have a plan B for this week. I was right. The kids were done so early, so I gave them plan B. Surprise: they also finished that early. So, on to plan C... wait a second, I don't have a plan C. Thinking on your feet is crucial to being a good teacher, and that I did. Because this is the class that is working on the Celebrations project, I decided to get some feedback from them about what they expect from this project-- things they're excited for, nervous about, have questions about, etc. You're welcome teachers at VDC for the favor I just did you.
After that, I met up with Kaitlyn to bake some superbowl brownies and then dye my hair: goodbye blonde! Two of our host brothers came over for me and LaRae's cooking tonight... so that was fun. Then we talked details about our trip to Paris with them in a few weeks, which will probably be a bit more fun than the food we cooked for them, especially with our "free candy" van. Other than that, it's been a pretty relaxing day-- printing tickets last minute, planning our swim route home from London, and packing everything green in sight.
Because my creative brain was spent on Plan C for my students and packing my green wardrobe for Ireland, this is about all the blogging I can handle. So, tot en klein dags. Yes, I know that's wrong, but I'm sure you can figure out what it means. If not, I'm trying to say "See you in a few days..." unless I manage to get myself arrested for harassing the queen of England's swans.
Dag!
This week was the shortest week ever-- Dutch class on Monday, internship until noon on Tuesday, and 45 minutes of teaching on Wednesday. Even though it was "short," there was a lot to get done... and still is before I leave tomorrow (like booking a way home from London on Monday... oops).
As I mentioned in my last blog, Monday marked the beginning of the Celebrations project. Well, today I found out my country for it! Don't tell my kids though; they're supposed to think I have no idea what country we're doing. I bet you're all a bit curious. Well, we'll be taking a mental vacation to the country of Australia! If my desires to see the world never included Australia before, I think I can rest assured they will after this project. We'll be learning so much about their country, culture, etc, I don't think I'll be able to say no. Unfortunately, after the beat down my bank account has endured this semester and will endure next spring, I think Australia will have to be added to my travel plans with my soul mate. Hopefully I'm able to find a man with the skinny genes and a pocket full of cash and a sense of adventure and the desire to see the world with a charismatic character such as myself (pray for me).
Tuesday Katrina and I spent the morning traveling to Groningen via train, walking to Gomarus, and then observing our kids give their presentations on persecution they've been slaving over since the beginning of March. Remember that project? No? Well, here's a little refresher: we split the class into 12 pairs, giving each pair a country with Christians suffering from persecution to study, write a reflection, and prepare a poster and small presentation about. It was so great to see all the work the kids put into the project (and Katrina and I put into planning it) come to life with the presentations. You could really tell it got the kids thinking on a deeper level about persecution and compassion and our responsibility as fellow Christians for those suffering abroad. After the presentations, some of the girls in the class told us how much they loved the set up of presentations, having 4 times to present to smaller groups instead of just 1 big presentation. What a great encouragement for us! On the train ride back we began grading the presentations. What a process! We got about half way done though, and even graded according to "Dutch standards," something quite a bit different for us.
The rest of Tuesday was spent working on some homework for my individual study back home, eating pancakes with LaRae, our special guest from America, and a few of their friends from Dordt and Canada and stuff, a birthday party for one of the other girls on SPICE, and a night in the Joffer. Good news: they still love me there.
Today I taught the kids at my internship in Zwolle a lesson on the different theres/yours/its, a lesson I used previously in America. Here's the thing: last week they finished so early, so I knew I had to have a plan B for this week. I was right. The kids were done so early, so I gave them plan B. Surprise: they also finished that early. So, on to plan C... wait a second, I don't have a plan C. Thinking on your feet is crucial to being a good teacher, and that I did. Because this is the class that is working on the Celebrations project, I decided to get some feedback from them about what they expect from this project-- things they're excited for, nervous about, have questions about, etc. You're welcome teachers at VDC for the favor I just did you.
After that, I met up with Kaitlyn to bake some superbowl brownies and then dye my hair: goodbye blonde! Two of our host brothers came over for me and LaRae's cooking tonight... so that was fun. Then we talked details about our trip to Paris with them in a few weeks, which will probably be a bit more fun than the food we cooked for them, especially with our "free candy" van. Other than that, it's been a pretty relaxing day-- printing tickets last minute, planning our swim route home from London, and packing everything green in sight.
Because my creative brain was spent on Plan C for my students and packing my green wardrobe for Ireland, this is about all the blogging I can handle. So, tot en klein dags. Yes, I know that's wrong, but I'm sure you can figure out what it means. If not, I'm trying to say "See you in a few days..." unless I manage to get myself arrested for harassing the queen of England's swans.
Dag!
Monday, April 2, 2012
Celebrate Good Times: Come on!
Today marks the beginning of a very important project at one of my internships: The Celebrations Project. What is this thing? I'm sure I've told you a bit, but I'll give you a brief summary. The 1st year class of TTO (bi-lingual) students are split into 12 groups that will each be coached by an English-speaking coach to explore the geography, history, biology, and PE (sports) of a country. They will present their findings, artifacts, and a fun celebration momentum with their classmates at the end of the week.
Today I was introduced to my group. I walked into the classroom and the students all smiled and I heard my name several times. Surprise: it's the students I've been teaching every Wednesday! Because I am the only native English-speaking coach in my class, I gave the instructions and introductions. We split into our groups, went over the basics of the project, and got further acquainted with each other. My group is so much fun and so curious about everything. Why am I here? Do I like teaching in America or Holland better? What is better about America? Why can't you ride a bike very well?
It was such a fun afternoon for a meeting I was dreading so much. After about an hour, I had the kids pack everything up, promise they would work diligently in school until the week of the Celebrations Project, and gear themselves for a week full of fun with me as their coach.
I can't wait to see what this crazy, hectic, busy, fun-filled week brings for me and these kids.
Today I was introduced to my group. I walked into the classroom and the students all smiled and I heard my name several times. Surprise: it's the students I've been teaching every Wednesday! Because I am the only native English-speaking coach in my class, I gave the instructions and introductions. We split into our groups, went over the basics of the project, and got further acquainted with each other. My group is so much fun and so curious about everything. Why am I here? Do I like teaching in America or Holland better? What is better about America? Why can't you ride a bike very well?
It was such a fun afternoon for a meeting I was dreading so much. After about an hour, I had the kids pack everything up, promise they would work diligently in school until the week of the Celebrations Project, and gear themselves for a week full of fun with me as their coach.
I can't wait to see what this crazy, hectic, busy, fun-filled week brings for me and these kids.
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