Wofford College - Study Abroad

As promised from my last post I'm going to talk about my experiences and thoughts about Amsterdam... the effects that I believe its had on me so far.

I feel different and I know after this I wont be the same ever again- I can't be the same. And I think it will be a long time before I fully realize how much of an impact this has really had, but I can already see differences. For one thing I really do feel more independent and confident in my abilities. I have been here on my own, taking care of things myself for several months now and I have done quite well I think. The freedom we are given here is even more than that at Wofford. I live in an apartment with one other person because there is no dorm housing (not really a campus) in the city of Amsterdam! Class schedules are less demanding so I have more time and freedom of choice in deciding when and how I will do things. The Dutch education system in general strives to give students a lot of freedoms in studying and learning. IES makes sure that students have essentials, but after that we are left completely on our own to explore a new city and to build a life in it. I have done this. I live in Amsterdam. Funenpark is my home. I ride a bike everywhere- around canals, over bridges, past windmills, in a crazy city where some drugs are tolerated along with prostitution. The very way of life here is different. I am used to doing my own grocery shopping- frequently because I have to bike all that I buy home so I can never buy much at once, and cooking. I go for runs in Oosterpark, I sit at cafes in Niewemarkt to do homework, I ride around Prinsengracht where there are many beautiful canals just for the heck of it, I shop at Dappermarkt and go for walks around the city often. I have a routine and a way of life which is centered in Amsterdam. I am not completely changed but the things I've done and way that I've lived will definitely change the way i see the world...

Being here, and also traveling to some other cities and countries has given me a much broader view of humanity. I have met, spoken with, and observed many types of people from different religions, backgrounds, and cultures and this in itself is enriching. Learning about other cultures is so neat and rewarding! Its is difficult because culture s inevitably clash in some ways (the Dutch are sooo direct that at first i thought they were always being rude but then i realized that they simply arent as "frinedly" as south carolinians) because they can be very different but neither are right or wrong. Anywhere you go people are just people despite other differences. I must say that I will be excited to be in the US where I will finally be surrounded by a languae I know because everywhere I go in any country I find my self surrounded by foreign languages and people BUT I do not think it will take me long to miss it. Everything here is multicultural. My classes are with very few Dutch students (because they have class in Dutch) but there are tons of international studetns here from ALL over the world and I know students from Western Europe (like france, germany, Denmark) Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia), Israel, South America, Canada, Australia... from all over the world. Also, Amsterdam is one of the most multicultural cities in the world. So many different types of people live here its just insane. Also, by traveling I have met even more people. In europe people tend to move between countries more often- especially since the EU makes moving easier. I am always facing cultural/language barriers. Its exciting though to be in the midst of a place where so many differnt kinds of people live together peacefully (mostly). I now think I understand what my deaf sister feels like- not being able to communicate well or udnerstand whats going on at times. I hope that this has made me more aware of others and their feelings and backgrounds.

Questions about the Dutch way of life have also gotten me thinking... for instance the policies which allow a little "bad" in to keep out a bigger evil- they confuse me. I see the benefit in allowing soemthing to happen which will inevitably occur even without regulation to prevent it from getting out of hand, yet I have always believed that one should stick to what they believe in for the principle of it- even if it seems easier to compromise. Im not quite sure what I've concluded about that yet. For instance though... I went to visit a multicultural class for my field experience project and was shocked by the teacher! She teaches the equivalent of 8th graders in the US and they are all of differnt backgrounds and have trouble adjusting to amsterdam- most from Surinam, Turkey, Morocco or places from the MIddle East like Pakistan. Many live in homes where parents act like they still live in teh home country and/or live in a community with only members of the same ethnic group so they struggle to fit in with teh native Dutch students. There are many terrible stereotypes about these foreigners and some even children get harassed... well to help them to see who they are, to get a grasp on their identity and to be strong enough to ignore stupid comments she actually plays on these stereotypes! She will call a student a "Cunt Moroccan" and go on and on about the stereotypes of Moroccans making it overly dramatic. Then, another student will sit there watching and she'll say... "Oh you lazy Surinamese dont chime in to help it would be too much effort" and then shell address a Turkish student who tries to protest "Dirty Turk you just keep your mouth shut!" And she does this to exaggerate the point and show them just how stupid and meaningless these names and stereotypes are. She says that by the end of it the studnets are all laughing and joining in. By doing things like this she breaks down barriers and says that most students see imporvement by the end of the semester! I was in awe... the Dutch have this tradition where they very inappropraitely poke fun at serious topics- they do this to make them lighter so they can be talked about critically. Offending and exaggerating is the means which many outrageous politicans take too. Apparently the professors do too! It is interesting that she says that the students do improve. She is actually a wonderful teacher. i could see that she was papssionate aobut teaching, cared for her students and they clearly respected her too. This is not out of character at all for a classroom. She tells the students- if i ever do offend you please tell me so I can apologize I never mean to hurt any of you. She also says that she'll have some homosexuals come to the class because many of these students are muslims and are homophobic. She'll tell the class "The gays are coming." They will freak out and someone will inevitably say, "why?" And she'll say "to f*** you." and the students will be alarmed and she'll play on the sterotype-saying yeah dont you know thats all they think about... and the students will protest and she'll go on with it until eventually the students ware standing up for the homosexual visitors, defending them. She says its human nature for people to defend someone whos being attacked. The students will insist that they are only coming to talk- and she'll say oh you're probably right! So she will get them to realize how silly they are being. So... with that said this is the environment I've been in for months. I see certain points of view yet always dont agree with means.

My faith has been tested as I am the only (practicing?) christian in my entire program (i think) and I am happy to say that my experiences here have only helped me to see how and why I beleive what I do. I am sure of the relationship that I have with Jesus Christ and even more than ever I see how essential and beautiful that relationship is...still, I do have some new questions and concerns the think about, pray about, and discuss with others- beleivers and non beleivers. There are things that I have seen and been around which I had not considered before. I believe that it can be good to question things and to seek to understand them better and I beleive that as I seek answers to difficult questions I will actually grow closer. It has mostly been difficult to have no christian friends or a church as an outlet to speak about spiritual things with, but I've found that God is here even if no one else wants Him here. He's blessed me greatly here.

I feel overwhelmed by the thought that this is almost over. I am full of mixed feelings- excited to see certain people and to do certain things again soon but also sad to be leaving my new life here. I've made friends who I will not soon forget and I will greatly miss this beautiful city. I have become more sure of myself and beliefs in some ways and have also adopted new ways and I am excited to see how this will affect my life in SC. I have only 3 weeks left and they will be very busy...

Read my next blog which is about the city I just returned from yesterday... Rome!!!

 

Unforgettable Moments

I realized that I have done so many neat things since I have been here that there is just no way I will remember everything... but there are certain priceless moments which will stick with me long after I have left Amsterdam. I'd like to describe a few experiences I've had here recently.

(NOTE: If you read my last blog already I just added pictures of the windmills etc tonight so go back and check them out!)

Muiden

A few weeks ago I went to Muiden with other IES students to see Muiderslot- a very old castle! It was so neat! Castles just aren't so common in the United States. The castle wasn't very big- like the country itself- but it has lots of history. Unfortunately our tour guide did not speak very good English so I cannot recount much of the history to you, but long ago each city/province was separated with local ruler who owned the land and many had castles and fortifications as protective forces against attack. We could not take pictures inside the castle so my only pictures are of the outside. I enjoyed seeing something entirely different, and sharing the day with other IES students that I don't get to see too often. After visiting the castle we explored the town for a bit which was incredibly cute. We found a place to get ice cream and sat outside in the sun, chatting.

Volendam and Marken

Last saturday I went on a 42 mile bike ride! Don't be too amazed... the Netherlands is incredibly flat so it really wasn't difficult, just long! On another IES excursion our guide Annabel took us on a ride to a town called Volendam. The bike ride was pleasant. We rode along the Dutch countryside which is beautiful and so peaceful. It's very green with lots of cows (how do you think all that cheese is made!), tons of lambs, and cute homes and windmills. The ride was nice because it was a breezy day, but the sun was out and it was enjoyable to talk to other students while biking through the country! We made a stop at a place where cheese, clogs, and souvenirs are made and had a wine and cheese sampling. We also stopped at a windmill along the way which was very cool- but looks like all the other Dutch windmills I've seen by now. They are actually quite interesting- Dutch windmills are all shaped the same way and they are made of a fuzzy-looking material which makes them look like a hut made by a native tribesman. Maybe you can tell in the picture below? Anyways, our ride to Volendam was mostly a success- with only one flat tire, 3 missed turns, and one incident where several students went the wrong way! This town was very neat and very Dutch- but it was also very touristy. After a long bike ride we were starving so we ate lunch in this town and wandered around. Eventually, we got on a ferry with our bikes which took us to another touristy Dutch town called Marken. It was also very cute. Both towns are located right on the water with access to boats. This has been an important part of Holland's history and Dutch life. The Dutch are expert fishers and are adept at getting around by boat for necessity or recreation. In Marken, we wandered again- taking in the town. The part of this that I abolutely hated was biking to the beach where the lighthouse was because we rode on the bike path on the dike which was FULL of bugs. There were bugs hitting me on the face and all over and I was freaking out! It was terrible. Otherwise, the trip was enjoyable.

I began to get cold though, so I left with Kate and Rachel a bit earlier than the rest of the group, eager to begin the bike back which I knew would make me warmer. It was nice to ride back with just two others because we could go at a faster pace, stop as we wanted to take pictures, and could talk easier. This was a moment I will remember and cherish. The trip back from Marken to Amsterdam was beautiful. For most of it we rode along another dike which towered over the street on one side and the water on the other. It was magnificent riding my bike with just two good friends through the Dutch countryside to my home in Amsterdam! The moment I will remember most though, is looking in front of me as the sun was beginning to set. I was at the front of the line so I felt like I was alone for a moment... it was just me riding towards the Amsterdam skyline while the sun glistened on the water so brightly it was almost blinding! It was beautiful and I felt a wave of peace. And I will also remember what happned right after this moment. A huge bug flew into my eye!!! I had to pull over so Kate could get it out of my contact and get me to calm down. She made me put on my sunglasses even though it was no longer too sunny as a shield against further bug attacks. 42 miles later I arrived back at Funenpark, ready to shower and collapse into my bed.

Concert Gebouw

Tonight I went to see a symphony orchestra at the concert hall Concert Gebouw. This venue was nice and the music was amazing! As a former viola player, I have a great appreciation for this type of music and the orchestra did not disappoint. First, IES actually treated us to a dinner at an Indonesian restaurant. I have been wanting to try Indonesian food while in Amsterdam so this was perfect. The food was wonderful and it was served buffet style to each table. There were at least 17 different options of foods so basically we each just tasted some of everything. We left 2 1/2 hours later completely stuffed! IES even had wine served with our meal. Afterward, we walked to the concert hall which was close to musemplein. We were excited to find that we had front row seats, until we entered the building and realized they were terrible seats because the stage was really really high and we were way too close. I couldn't see very much at all, but the sound was great. First, Lang Lang (a well-known pianist) played with the orchestra, and after the intermission they played another piece which I actually liked even better. At intermission (at apparently all types of art and music shows in the Netherlands)everyone gets a free drink to create a gezellig atmosphere.

An especially funny scene occured... after each movement there would be a few moments of silence before the next began and each time suddenly an eruption of coughs would break out (but no applause because between movements of piece the audience doesn't clap- they should wait until the end of the entire set). I am not sure why all of the coughing was happening... I guess the audience was mostly made up of old folks, but my friend Joel looked at me and Rachel and exclaimed "So- we don't clap, we cough if we think it was good?" And he was serious. He thought the audience was coughin on purpose. So after this, each time there was a pause he would fake-cough with the elderly. It was quite funny... maybe you had to be there. Regardless, I enjoyed the show. This was definitely something I would not have made the effort to do alone, but since IES offered it I decided to go and I am glad that I did.

IN CONCLUSION... I'd just like to say that this has been one of the most significnat experiences of my life- just being in the Netherlands. I have been given a lot to think about. Seeing the world from a different perspective is challenging and eye-opening. I'd like to elaborate on my thoughts about this... in my next blog! Check in later.

Clogs, Windmills, Cheese and Queens Day!

What do you think of when you hear the word "Dutch"???

Well there is a reason that clogs, windmills, and cheese are all associated with this country- they are all a part of Dutch culture. It is interesting to find that as modern as the Dutch are, they cling to their traditions in a way that Americans do not. This may simply be because they have a longer history, but for instance many still used the old fashioned wooden ice skates that you tie to your own shoes even though they could purchase the type that we use today. Many still wear clogs believe it or not! I didn't. It is mostly those living in rural areas, specifically farmers who wear them, but they actually do wear these wooden shoes! There are windmills all over the country and many still produce wind energy to power various types of work.  Also, cheese is a staple of any Dutch person's diet. There are many different kinds and all are sold in big wheels or cut off of one by an employee of the kaas winkel (cheese shop). There are many shops dedicated solely to cheese in Amsterdam.

Last wednesday, I got the opportunity to see these 3 stereotypical Dutch things in one place. We went on an excusrion to Zaanse Schans which is a town which has around 15 windmills! They were very neat. We got to go inside several of them to see how wind energy was turned into a production line. Inside one of them was an old dye factory and the spokes of the windmill moved cogs inside which somehow mixed and created dyes. Inside another we got to see how cheese is made and to sample many kinds ourselves. For the Dutch cheese is a delicacy. There were many wonderful types which I have never tasted or even imagined existed before! Our IES guide also treated us to some ice cream which was exciting since they do not eat it nearly as often here as we do in SC. After this, we also got to see how clogs are made inside another windmill. All of the employees were walking around in the clogs like it was no big deal at all! I did discover that they are slightly less uncomfortable than I had imagine though. The dutch wear thick woolen socks inside of them to make walking more comfortable.

Another exciting activity I was able to experience in Amsterdam was Queens Day which celebrates Queen Beatrix's birthday. 30 April is actually the birthday of Queen Beatrix's mother, the former Queen Juliana. It became a national holiday so the current queen, Queen Juliana's daughter Beatrix, celebrates her birthday on this day even though her is actually on 31 January. This is a HUGE celebration which begins the night before and carries on to the next day. I have been excited about this since hearing about it upon our arrival. Unfortunately though, it was somewhat of a let down and I am not sure if it was entirely because of the occurances in Appeldorn. Wednesday night was reminiscent of Spring weekend or antoher big frat party. People were all over and there were stages with people singing and in many parts it was so crowded the only way to move was to push through people. Many people stayed out all night because early the next morning is a free for all yard sale. Tons of Dutch people set up stands to sell all types of things from worn clothes, old toys and movies, to actual vendors with any number of items. The whole city was full of people in orange (the national color because of the Orange Revolution named after William of Orange) many of whom were selling and many more perusing. There were some bands playing around the city and tons of food vendors. At Dam Square (where the naitonal monument is) there was a carnival set up with rides and games. It was hectic and exciting with people everywhere! We ate in Dam Square after wandering through markets and then headed to Oosterpark for a rest. We had been outlate the night before and got up early to check out some sales so we thought a nap in the warm sun would be fitting. Lying on blankets in the park, talking, napping, and laughing was the best part of the day for me. The only thing was we had been preparing for a crazy night ahead, but because of the chaos in Appeldorn the T-Esto concert in Museumplein was canceled. A car sped through a crowd, attempting to hit the car carrying the Queen. He failed, but killed several in the crowd. Last time I checked the death toll was 5, with 12 injured (including himself I believe). Because of this tragedy on such a special day in the Netherlands much of the night festivities were canceled in respect for those who were affected. When we went out we were disappointed to find trash-covered streets with loud drunk people, raffic jams, but nothing going on. We retreated then to Funenpark and invited some other international students over fto hang out on the roof. Overall, it was a good time, but as Jackie said- "It was as crazy as I expected but less fun!" It's a shame that my first and probably only Queen's Day in Amsterdam was overshadowed by the events that occured.

On a lighter note, I am really enjoying my time here learning about the Dutch way of life. It just doesn't feel like its nearing the end! I can already tell that it will be bitterweet. I have grown to love it here. The city is beautiful when the sun is out. I will miss running in Oosterpark, shopping at the market, falafel, taking walks with Kate and Arjay, class with Jackie, Sean and Tony, taking trips around Europe and biking around, yet I am sorely missing some things from home.

The rest of my semester will be about enjoying the last of my time here but getting my school work done BEFORE may 26 when Landon whould be coming to visit! I hope to get my papers done early so I can spend time with him. I plan to take one more trip to Rome, visit the tulip gardens which are now in full bloom, bike to Harlaam (a city nearby), and to interview soem others for my field experience project. I also need to take some more pictures of myself in Amsterdam. I realized that I have pictures of me in every city I've been to except the one I live in!

Apparently nudity is legal in Barcelona

I did not think it was possible to like a city more than Paris but Barcelona won me over. Complete with beaches, mountains, incredible architecture and Roman history it was the most wonderful place that I've ever been! When our plane aborted landing becuase the runway was full and had to circle around the city, I looked upon the city carved out in the hills and got really excited.

Travel Troubles - But speaking of planes... our travels did not come without trouble. That morning we left our apartment building, Funenpark, in a taxi to the station. At Centraal Station we caught a train... but we bought the wrong type of tickets apparently and of course this was once of the random and infrequent days that workers were checking tickets, so we had to buy new ones without a refund of the old ones. In doing so, we almost missed the train and we were already running pretty close to take off time. Well once we got to Schipol airport after the 25 min train, Beth realized that she forgot her passport!! We were trying not to freak out, knowing that you cant go to another country without one! So Jackie and I had to go straight to the gate since it was about to board while Beth waited in a long line to find out if her Dutch residency permit was enough. At the very last moment Beth came around the corner, shaking, but happy to be going to Spain! By the grace of God they let her come, hence the name of her facebook photo album "Dear Spain, thanks for letting me in, love Beth." It was a stressful morning... then I got lost in the city for an hour and a half on my own and our cell phones wouldnt work!

La Rambla and Barcina- Once we arrived and put down our stuff in our hostel we explored La Rambla, which is a very touristy street which our hostel was located off of. There were people in crazy costumes acting like fools for money from tourists. There were of course tons of restaurants and souvenir shops down the street but it was kind of a neat area. We went to a free walking tour which started not far away, feeling it was a perfect way to start our time here. Our tour guide was cute, she looked so Spanish but we discovered she was actually Swiss. Hmmm. Well on this tour of Barcina (the old city which is now part of Barcelona) I got horribly lost. The tour was wonderful (at least the part of it I was there for) because this city was part of the Roman empire for a while so the architecture wasn't Mediterranean as you'd expect, but very Roman. This part of the city is called the gothic quarter and its beautiful and very ancient. Luckily I found my travel buddies Jackie and Beth by returning to the starting point of the tour and went back to two places we heard about on the tour to explore. The history of Barcina museum takes you under the city where there are actual remants of the Roman city which were built on top of! You can walk around see the ancient foundations with an audiguide which explains what everything used to be. Then we went into the Cathedral of Barcelona which was incredible and huge inside. This part of the city was one of my favorites because it was so cute and so different than anything I've seen in America.

Along La Rambla is a big market full of fruits and vegetables, candies, meats, some restaurants, seafood and all kinds of other goodies. It was beautiful... well most of it. There was one stand...I'm not sure what it was selling.

Picasso - After checking our Barcelona guidebook we decided to check out the Picasso Museum. I must say, I was not too excited because Picasso has nevver been my favorite artist...actually that is an understatement. I don't like his art. Or I didnt think so, but I actually really like his early work before he began cubism and all of his modern crazy stuff. The area around the museum was very Spanish! With close windy streets with balconies on every window. My favorite part about visiting cities is just observing and marveling at the unique and beautiful elements that make it worthy of being visited by thousands each year.

Sagrada Familia - The most incredible church in the world is still in the process of being built! La Sagrada Familia is a church which was started in the late 1800's by the architect whose work is all over Barcelona, Gaudi. Gaudi is a genuis. He has created some remarkable structures and this church is, in my opinion, his best work. He died before it was finished in the early 1900's, and since it is funded only by private donations it is still not finished, but getting much closer. Included are some pictures but I couldn't get a good picutre of the entire thing at once. (You can look it up online if you'd like) It is simply breathtaking. The shapes he uses are like nothing you've seen before. I hope to come back to the magnificient building upon its completion, whenever that may be.

Beaches - After visiting the church on thursday we headed straight toward the beach because this was supposed to be the only nice day of the four we would be in the city. We walked around the boardwalk which was the area that was constructed in anticipation for the 1992 Olympic Games. There were cute shops and restaurants which over looked the water. We found a nice place which sold pizza and pasta and had a relaxing meal, basking in the sun. This is what Barcelona should be like all the time! We made our way to the sand and just walked to the edge of the cold water of the Mediterranean and sat for an hour in the sand. It was wonderful! I love the beach. But apparently nudity is legal all over Spain and this was especially apparent at the beach where there were topless female sunbathers who were also enjoying the weather.

Montjuic- Hmmm how to begin discussion of this? Montjuic left me speechless! Its a nice area of Spain in the mountainous part of the city. We went to the top of Montjuic where there is a castle and an incredible amazing view of the city which one must experience in person! To get up there first one must take the funicular which runs strait uphill, then one can take a sky taxi or walk the rest of the way. We walked up, at times actually scaling steep stairs. When we got up though it was more than worth it! I could've stayed there for hours just looking over the mountains and the city and the water. The castle itself was neat too. This was the favorite experience of all three of us. The only reason we left was because we knew there were other things in the glorious city to see on the one beautiful day we had.

Paella, Tapas and Sangria! - We took a cooking class through the group that gave us the free walking tour where we learned to make tapas, paella, and sangria and for a fee we could have unlimited amounts of these items! Our group was bigger than usual and the normal teacher was away so an English girl taught the especially large class. It was a blast!!! First we learned to make the sangria which was fun and pretty easy. Like the other 2 dishes, there is no set way to make it, but you can use a variety of different choices for each ingredient. Once she got us startedon the sangria she taught us to make some tapas (basically appetizers) with garlic, tomato, potato omelet (a Spainsh favorite) and some kind of meat. Then, she walked us through the paella as she made a HUGE pan of it for the 25 of us in the class. This occured in the back of a bar/restaurant where we all sat at a big table and socialized as we learned together. Throughout the night everytime one of the 3 pitchers of sangria would run out another small group of people would make another. We enjoyed meeting the others. The couple across from us were the oldest in the group probably in their 50s ( my best guess). We really enjoyed talking to them, especially the man who was hilarious! They were Americans who moved to Germany 6 years ago because the wife had taken a job teaching the children of American military there. They traveled on long weekends. It was nice talking to someone who was not a peer for once. I also met a girl from Charlotte who goes to Clemson in SC but is studying in Ireland!!! What a wierd coincidence! She actually majors in sign language and works at teeh Deaf and Blind School in Spartanburg, which is where my sister graduated from. She began working the year after Nicci left though. I thought that was really strange!

Park Guell- Another Gaudi masterpiece!!! By this point I was hooked on his work. Its a unique and awesome park that he designed around his own home acutally but became a public park. Unfortunately on this day it rained throughout so the weather was not nice for being outside. Since it was Good Friday everything was closed so we had bought groceries the day before and ate them in the park at a table under an umbrella. We had fun acting ridiculous in the park- we had to be in especially high spirits to counteract the effects of the gloomy rain! This was also one of the my favorite parts of the trip.

Hooked on Gaudi- After this we were inspired to see some of Gaudi's other work in the city. We went to Passieg de Gracia which is a large and super nice boulevard, much like the Champs Elysee. I actually like this more. There were lots of trees spread among the buildings and sidewalks which most cities dont have. It was a really nice area of town. The Gaudi houses were all very cool. My favorite was the one nicknamed the Bone House because the balconies look like skulls and the beams all look like bones! It is really colorful in a way which starkly contrasts the creepy shapes.

Arc de Trimof-  Yes, the Spanish also have an Arc! In fact a lot of grand cities do, but the one in Paris is most popular. The Spanish Arc was no less great, just a little smaller. Behind it was a row of trees and some type of monument. Unfortuantely it started to pour so we didn't stay long, and my pictures are strange because my camera got wet! But later we went to a park which happened to be on the other side of the Arc and I got better pictures. I really like the Arcs in the cities I've been in. I think they're neat because today they'd never be made, especially in the US! I mean if Americans found out that they're tax dollars were going into the construction of a huge Arc whose import is only for cosmetic reasons they would revolt! But in an earlier time when kings and Queens ruled and could spend government money however they wished, it was possible and necessary for big projects to be made.

Starbucks break and Australians!?! - There are no Starbucks in the Netherlands (except one in the airport) so anytime I see one I have to go! Well luckily they were all over the city, but one in particular was right beside our hostel so we made our way out of the rain, exhausted from all of our walking and adventure over the past 3 days, to our hostel to get books so we could sit in the coffeeshop (for once this word does not mean a shop where marijuana is sold) and do some homework to get off our feet and re-energize. We walked in to a surprise. That morning I made an offhanded remark as our lovely Portugese roomates left concerning our new roomates. I said something like "Wouldn't it be great if our new roomates were sexy men" because it was a single gender hostel. Well ironicly we walked into our room to find 3 attractive, half dressed Austrailians trying to nap! We all just stood at the door for a moment stunned...they noticed. We just told them we thought it was a girls room, but apparently the rooms were co-ed. These guys had been traveling 3 montshs and had 2 more to go and they seem to sleep all day then just go out to bars and clubs at night. Seems like a waste of so much travel money to me but theyve been all over Europe. Hmm. I laughed at the irony of the situation. Well until they got in that night at 4 am and were LOUD for about 30 mins before going to sleep, talking about the girls they tried to get with, but that was better than the IMPOSSIBLY LOUD snoring that one of them did. We got NO sleep! Well back to Starbucks- we enjoyed some coffee while we relaxed and planned the rest of our day.

Port Vell- At this point it wasn't raining so we were craving another beach trip. We walked down La Rambla to Port Vell which was on the water. We sat on the port by the water for a while taking in the mountains in teh distance, the water, the boats and all the people. It was an incredible sight because there was stuff everywhere to see. Monuments, magnificient buildings, a great landscape all around, rides and attractions all along the water and all different types of people. The sitting and observing, really taking in an area is the best way to really remember and experience a city. Running around looking at stuff seems important, but then its easy to forget, but talking to the people and really seeing the city and all it has to offer is rewarding. Especially Barcelona because it has a whole lot to offer! It was also nice just sitting and chatting with Jackie and Beth. I've learned that friendship (and life really) is about sharing in moments and conversation and thought with each other. Just taking time to chill out with someone bring you closer together. We bonded throughout the trip, but most clearly at times like this when we just sat together and talked. After a snack we took off again.

Barceloneta- This was definitely not my favorite part of the city! It was kind of grungy and ugly, a residential area with poorer people. We wandered through then ended up back at the beach on the other side of it. We again sat and had our dinner on a bench at the beach- which consisted of a whole bag of chips and salsa! It was great, we giggled as we ate the rest of our groceries which were a random mix of the chips, some fruit and some nutella.

MAGICAL Fountains- I enjoyed this but Jackie and Beth were just entranced by the fountain show like the cute little girls who sat in front of us on the stairs just giggling and gawking at it. We went to an area of Monjuic where there is a grand palace and a row of fountains. Jackie discovered from a friend that at night on the weekends the biggest fountain performs a show for a huge audience of tourists. We watched it do all kinds of incredible things to the tune of many songs from the Godfather theme, to opera, to Apologize (which was the grand finale). THe fountain turned different colors and the waters got higher and... well I can't explain it. It was magic. It was a neat and different experience that was truly unique to Barcelona.

Metro- The Barcelona metro system was the best, cleanest, and nicest I've seen so far. Our stop was Liceau. The thing about all of these really nice big cities- is you have to take underground metroes everywhere which are efficient, but its kind of depressing to be underground for half of the day traveling around, and I easily get motion sickness and I just don't enjoy them. Everytime I travel though, I compare the metro voices... in Amsterdam it sounds stern as it pronounces stops like "Oostenburgergracht" and "wittenburgergracht." Berlin metros sound angry as they shout German names. French stops sound lovely and wonderful as the woman's voice says "Chateley" and "Le Louvre Centre," while Spanish metroes sound like a joke! There is a man's voice and a woman's voice which go back and forth to give the stops in a sing-songy, humorous fashion.

Last Day in Barcelona- Our last day was a bit gloomy because the weather was not nice and as I revealed earlier, our Australian roomates did not allow us to get much sleep! The entire day is a blur... I started the morning with some more starbucks while we planned our day. It kept raining off and on so it was hard to plan what to do. We went inside another Gaudi house near La Rambla- amazed that entry was free- but it was under reconstruction on the inside so we didn't get to see much, so we found out why. We found a nice park called ASLDKFJGASD which was on the other side of the Arc de Trimof. It was beautiful with a great fountain, nice gardens and a pond where you could get in a boat and paddle around. Since it looked like it was going to rain we headed to a free museum near the magical fountains from the night before called Caixa Forum. There was some really nice stuff there and some very bizarre stuff. It was nice to be shielded from the rain for a while. We also went back to Barcina where the girls fulfilled their most important goal for Spain- getting churros and hot chocolate which is a must. We made our way to Miro Museum, also in Montjuic, which was certainly not my favorite. Unlike the pleasant surprise I got upon entering the Picasso museum and finding that I like his work, I did not enjoy Miro's modern work which looked like the stuff in the house in Beetlejuice- kinda scary sculptures and art that no one should EVER  put in their homes! We got a nice view from the top of the museum though- the best part of it. Finally, exhausted we made our way to the airport, determined not to cut it so close this time, to catch our flight back. It was a great flight- landed 30 mins early with little turbulence or disruption.

We had a BLAST in Barcelona, all deciding that it is the favorite destination among all those we've traveled so far. It was great seeing the city, and being there long enough that we didn't feel pressured to run around and see things, but could actually enjoy spending time in it. It was great spending time with Jackie and Beth, learning more about both of them and exploring together. The thing about traveling though- every time it makes us miss home which we now call Amsterdam. We were sad to leave, but excited to go home to our city. THough we LOVED Barcelona, we are glad to be living here, where we bike instead of metro and its small enough that it feels more like a home instead of a tourist trap.  Amsterdam hosts tons of tourists, but we know the places to go where the tourists do not. We have special places we frequent, and though we do keep discovereing new places, not in teh same way that one would in a city like Barcelona or Paris. We feel we know this city well and can get around it easily.

IES Excursions!!

The past two weeks have been full of IES excursions and they have been great experiences- each was something I would not have done on my own. In this blog I'm going to tell you about Hoge Veluwe, the Holland vs. Macedonia soccer game, and Maastricht.

Last weekend I went to Hoge Veluwe which is a wildlife park in the Netherlands. We had to take several types of public transport to get there and it took quite some time because of course on that day the oh so predictable transportations schedules just happened to be off... but that made it even more of an adventure. We got to the park about 2 hours after we were supposed to. It was 2 pm and we were starving!! After lunch we browsed the museum and then went out to the park. Luckily it was a beautiful day- fairly warm with a nice breeze so we rode bikes around the reserve. I didn't see too much wildlife in the way of animals but I still had a great time. I didn't realize just how much Amsterdam lacks nature until I went there. The city is very compact and there are no yards or forests, just buildings, bricks, concretes, water and bridges. It was refreshing to be away from that for a day.

I ended up biking around with my buddy Arjay who just discovered some new settings on his camera. We wanted to figure out how to use it so of course we had to have a photo shoot to test it out. So here we are in a national park taking picutres fit for a magazine! Ok so maybe they werent that great but they are pretty funny! I have included some for you to enjoy. There was one area that we esxpecially found neat- it was sandy and looked like the African safari. It was different than anything I've ever seen before. I could just imagine seeing a giraffee or zebra in the distance. I wish...as you know from one of my previous blogs those arae my favorite animals! I digress... it was neat to see a different side of the Netherlands.

 

On wednesday of last week I went to a national soccer game in Amsterdam at Ajax stadium which isnt too far away! It was a blast!! Holland played Macedonia and secured a win to get into the World Cup next year! It was a great game for Holland fans because we won 4-0. This was a sight to see and hear! It was exciting... like a college football game. Everyone was decked out in ORANGE- the national color because of the Orange Revolution. Of course we all bought orange jerseys before we went and orange scarves so we'd fit in. Fans are not just cheering for a team, but their country. Its a very nationalistic experience for much of Europe; this small country especially. Fans sing national songs and chant and cheer about how great the Netherlands is. Most come to the game full of alcohol (a drunk man on the metro on the way to the game found out I was from America and tried to get me to sing the national anthem after he sang the Dutch anthem.) The stadium was huge and loud and full of energy! 

This was definitely a time when the effects of American influence on the country came alive to me. Much of the cheers and songs were in English and when people from Macedonia and the Netherlands conmmunicated they spoke English. I found it funny that everytime that Holland scores a point a song comes over the speakers that says "Here we go here we go here we go..." It was a fun experience that I probably would not have sought out on my own. And I'd like to share with you one particularly funny occurance on the way out of the stadium... I was walking with a group of IES students and a woman beside us walked head-on, straight into a pole! I mean just like a movie she ran right into it and really hard too. It was quite funny. The end to a great night.

The last experience I'd like to share is the trip I just returned from last night to Maastricht, Netherlands. It was a 2 1/2 hour train ride from Centraal Station. There were about 20 other IES students who came and it was a good group. We got to Maastricht late on friday night. We set down our stuff and went out to scope the city. The center of town is very cute but not very big so it was easy to navigate. We wandered a bit but it was raining so we didn't stay out too late. The next day we went on a walking tour of the city center with our program leader who used to live there. She told us about the history of the town while we took pictures and talked over her of course. On the tour we stopped at a wonderful cafe for coffee, and then afterward we got some free time to wander again. The city was so neat that we just enjoyed exploring. It was very Dutch. We then met to get on a boat to go to the caves of Maastricht and our directors had fruit pies for us which are apparently the best in this town. They were very good. We took the boat to the cave tour which was sadly a man made cave. We were a bit disappointed by it because the man didn't tell us how or why they were made, just some odd personal stories...awkward! It was fun though. And we learned that people hid there during WWII and during a few other incidents. It was exciting to walk around with only a little light from the lanterns we had with us. At one point the guide left us in a corner and took the lanterns so we could see how dark it got down there. It was the darkest dark I've ever seen!

 

After we took the boat back, we got more free time until dinner. We went shopping becuase the main center of the city was a neat dutch setting with tons of modern stores among old churches and interesting historical buildings and monuments. It was truly a beautiful place and just nice to be in. Dinner was a 3 course meal and I'm pretty sure it was the best meal I've ever had. We did not expect such royal treatment. IES had gotten us a group dinner at a nice restaurant. We got bread and sauce to start, then 3 appetizers, a main course of steak or fish with salad and fries (the Dutch love fries!) and then 3 desserts and coffee afterward. It was delicious and nice to have everyone together for dinner. The whole affiar took 3 hours. Afterward, we went back to the hostel to hang out until we went out again to explore. Its difficult to tell much about the trip because most of it involved just being in the city which was the best part, but difficult to explain. Unfortunatley I forgot to charge my camera batteries so I dont have many pictures either.  The next day we hiked to Belgium! Yes to another country...so I have offically backpaked through Europe haha. It wasnt a very far walk but it was nice. We walked through a very natural rural area and saw horses and sheep and goats from Dutch farms on the way. Once we got to Belgium we ate lunch that we had packed and we checked out the tiny little town we had walked to. There was a wonderful bakery with Belgian chocolate and waffles and pies. Our directors bought us waffles to try. Let me just say I am a huge waffle fan so I loved them. We didnt stay in Belgium long because there wasnt much in the town we were in. Once we got ack we were there for 3 more hours before we headed back to Amsterdam exhausted but happy.

 

 

Two Month Anniversary!

Yesterday was my two month anniversary here in Amsterdam. Wow I can't beleive it! In a sense it feels like its been longer, but it also feels much shorter. I'm full of mixed feelings! I love here it now this city is the perfect place to live for a student but I still do look forward to the idea of going home at the end of my time here. And I feel like I  understand things here so much better, yet theres still the feeling that theres so much i dont know.

I really like Amsterdam. It is soo beautiful and neat. Where else do you ride around on a bike through stone streets with a canal obstacle course? It's just insane. I skeep learning new things and finding new things. If I'm bored i can just go for a long bike ride around the city and I always find something new! I like my roomate Beth. We get along great as roomates. I really like my apartment now which i was appalled at upon arrival. I've gotten used to the shower and the stove (with no oven), and hearing the trains outside my window. I also like going to class here and my everyday routine. It's really nice to have more free time. I'm not used to it, but I've been enjoying it. I really have made some good friends who I enjoy spending time with as well. Arjay, Beth, Jackie, Lindsey, Tanya and Sean among others have been great people to experience this city with. Arjay is my walking buddy. We go out for long walks around the city all the time when wer're bored. Jackie is my shopping buddy. We love to find new markets and stores. Beth and I share lots of laughs in our room. Lindsey just makes me laugh all the time. And Sean is "that Asian kid" who knows everything and can always help you out or find the answer. I've built relatinoships here that I hope will continue after the program ends.

Still, I miss my family, I miss friends, I miss my wonderful boyfriend Landon, I miss Wofford, warm weather, certain foods i cant get here, walmarts and targets, starbucks!, I miss Mauldin, I truly truly miss my car at times... I just miss my life at home. I love it here. I like the idea of being here for a semester but I still love my life at home. I appreciate things there more than I did before. I've realized how wonderful my friends are from home- Caroline, Stevie, Fran and Alyse especially. I've seen how much I really do like Wofford- and I needed a reminder after my hectic last semester! I've seen how much I really like my boyfriend and how much he cares about me. I've also remembered how important my family is to me. I've been in touch with even my extended family more since I've been here, because this separation has made me feel even more the need to be in touch. I hope that continues when I get back.

It's difficult to be here for only 4 1/2 months because... its just long enough that you have to get used to it and it becomes a part of your life. A pretty significant part. But its not like you are actually living here permanently so you can't get too involved or attached either. I'd like to do more volunteer work or be involved in things, but I won't be here long enough to really get into it. I can't get a job either. So its a strange feeling. And its hard to integrate when you live in an apartment building full of international students- mostly Americans but some from elsewhere. Since I don't have a homestay I think I am not getting the full Dutch experience. I think this works well for me because it is more freeing, but I am not around actually Dutch people too much. And I forget I'm in a different country at times because everyone can speak english and restaurants play American music. It's crazy how much Amerian influence permeates this country! There is so much. It's actually a neat feeling. I was in the Netherlands standing in Dam Square before a Dutch-Scottish soccer game and when people from the two countries spoke to each other it was always in English.

One thing I have discovered... I am meant to be here for the semester. I had orginally wanted to do the SIT Switzerland program and was bummed taaht I couldn't do it. I was not happy about Amsterdam. Now I see that the conditions here are perfect. As usual, God brought me to where He wanted me to be. I lvoe this city, plus teh SIT program is much busier. I really needed this break. The field experience project I'm doing perfectly fits my interests. I am so glad I have gotten that opportunity. And the people I have met are great friends.

To my IES friends: Happy Two Month Anniversary!

Best Day Ever!

(I will add pictures at a later date)

Recently I had the best day ever! As many of you know from either talking to me directly or rading my blogs, the weather here pretty much sucked at first. It was freezing and rained daily!! But lately it has been getting so nice. It has completely changed my view of the city. I love it so much more now that its been beautiful outside and now that I have gotten used to living here. So to demonstrate my life here I want to tell you about the best day- now obviously since I'm am describing quite a wonderful day you must realize that not every day is this great so don't be jealous! But the things I did in this particular day are normal things that I do here.

Well first I got up around 9 or 10. I get to sleep more here than I ever have a Wofford. Many days I sleep until 11 or 12! Anyways on the best day I got up at a decent hour and showered/got ready/ate breakfast. I had an interview for my field experience project. My project ison the multiculturalism, integration, and immigration in thh Netherlands. Specifically the concept of "How tolerant is the Netherlands?" Though it is very tolerant of some types of people it seems to be the oppostite towards others. It is quite interesting! I am studying this by doing research, but also by conducting tons of interviews with immigrants who have lived here for a while, some who are new to the country, those in the process of immigration right now, as well as refugees, refugee workers, and politicans. This is to give me a human aspect to the study. So I am looking in to immigration policies and the structural side, as well as how it affects the people, the country, the integration of immigrants etc. There are actually a ton of problems, especially more recently since political Islam has been a bigger concern. There are many immigrants from places like Morocco, Surinam and Turkey who are face problems with integration, but especially ones from Morocco are looked down upon as trouble makers or for being Muslim. On this day I interviewed a yound woman who was born in Morocco but has lived here almost all of her life. She was a wonderful person and the interview was very enjoyable and interesting. I am lookig forward to more interviews! This week I am meeting a French immigrant active in politics.

After this interview I rode my bike along the canals on this beautiful wonderful day back to my apartment. I had just enough time for lunch and to chat with a friend before I had to go to an IES meeting. Now this part is unusual. We don't meet very often but that is why this was nice. Since orientation I have seen many of the people in my program, especially the ones who live on the other side of town. We met as a group to talk about our cultural experiences. Of course we were all too cool to act too excited, but still conversation was pretty good and it was with pizza so that made it better.

After this I went to my room to start on homework but just couldnt bring myself to start it. It was simply way too gorgeous outside to waste the day away on something so unimportant. So of course I went to Arjay and it didn't take much convincing for him to get me to agree to go to the zoo instead. I've been meaning to go to this zoo for weeks now but haven't actually just went. This is the oldest zoo in Europe! So we biked to the zoo which is very close and we didn't expect too much of it because it doesn't look too big from the street, but we were still excited just to be out in the nice day. We entered and to our surprise it was the BEST zoo ever!! We found lions and monkeys and penguins and snakes, birds, seals, a fox, a hippo, and crocodiles (huge ones) and camels, and emus, and anteaters and an elephant...it had everything!! (I really didn't expect it so it was extra great.) Including my two favorite animals: giraffes and zebras. I cannot express to you just how incredible I find these animals to be. They astound me every time i see them. You can ask Arjay- I got really really excited when I realized these animals were here. I just loved this zoo. We walked around for 3 hours and still didn't see everything and it really wasn't all that big. It was so neat- the way it was set up. It was beautiful first. And then there were lots of animals outside but then also separate buildings all around that housed other animals. There was a monkey house, a reptile room, a butterfly garden (sooo cool its jsut a beautiful garden with thousands of butterflies!), an aquarium (with tons of fish, even sharks), and many others. We jsut didn't have time to see them all. And parts of it were set up like different continents. The African part really kind of looked like Africa. This was my favorite because it was where the giraffes and zebras were! Also the elephant. The other surprising thing about the way it was set up was all of the animals were in pretty small areas and were very close. At zoos in the US this is never the case. At teh zoos I've been to sometimes you are so far from the dangerous animals like the lions that you can barely even seen them! These were very close. I don't know if they just didn't have as much concern for animal rights then (the cages/habitats seemed too small at times) or if its just like that in Europe because there is no room! Land is limited. But for instance the lion were in a small space and they were so close you were literally only feet away. The crocodiles also were very close. And all of these cages are pretty easy to fall into. There isn't a large glass wall in front of it but literally just a wall up to about your hip that you could easily climb or fall over. Strange. The penguin gate was even lower- and I heard that someone actually stole one not long ago! Hmm wonder how easy it would be to steal a giraffe? Well even though small cages aren't good for animals it made the zoo super cool because all of the animals felt more real because they were so close! I had a great time.

After this, I had to rush back. I didn't expect to stay there so long! I had just enough time for dinner before 2 friends came over to go with me to a tour of the Red Light District from a former prostitute. My field experience teacher set this up for us as a field trip and since ther are only 3 of us in the class we brought others along. Our tour guide had worked in the sex industry since she was 16 and she told us all about the different types of prostitution, the rules concerning it in the Netherlands, as well as all kinds of other facts. She very strongly feels that it is a legitmate and professional career and it should be respected and legalized. We could all see the tears in her eyes when she talked about how the city council was trying to close much of it down. She worries about the girls involved, but also simply believes that it is the right of people to be able to do this work if they wish. It was a very interesting persepective. We walked around the district some and the she also took us to a window brothel and had us sit in the window with the red lights turned on. There was a big soccer game on so there were tourists everywhere. They seemed very confused at the sight of fully dressed girls sitting in the windows. We also saw the back rooms where the action actually takes place. Sitting in the window felt very strange. Its eerily quiet. You feel kind of like ur on a stage and everyone who passes looks in, some with interest, others with pity, still others simply confused. Any time someone made eye contact with me I got nervous. I agree that the people who work there should be respected but I really am also of the belief that prostitution should not be legalized. It developed here because Amsterdam was a port town with "tons of horny sailors" as she said and prostitution became prominent. It was legalized actually not too long ago so that the government could keep more control over it. This actually allows it to be safer. Most of the women are not forced into this by a pimp or something like that, they are clean, tested, must be of the age of 18, must be citizens etc. The window brothels are actually just in windows on the bottom floor of building- most homes to people who have nothing to do with the sex industry. Could you imagine living upstairs knowing whats going on downstairs? Well a company owns the property and women pay rent to work there. They set their own rates and then get anything over the rental fee. So this has created better conditions for it, but I find the area very sad. Its almost ironic or soemthing like that. You walk down these beautiful streets and canals with swans floating in them and beautiful buildings and then there are neon lights everywhere for the brothels, sex shops, porn stores, live sex shows, fast food, coffeeshops, etc. Though I do not like the industry at all and do not think it should be legalized I am again left thinking about my personal beliefs versus the reality of the situation. I do not like prostiution, yet legalizing it and bringing order to it makes it safer for all involved. It is hard to deny that this is a good thing if its going to happen anyways. I enjoyed this experience because it made me think about the situation and I feel that I have a better appreciation for the women and a better understanding of the district. I do not like it, but part of being abroad is being open minded to other ways and confronting them head on. Though I don't approve, I acknowledge the benefit of it I guess.

Well after this I went back to my room and socialized a bit and then finally did my homework. (Dont worry mom and dad I got it done!) Amsterdam is a strange place. I love it though I don't love everything about it. It is beautiful, unique, interesting, and strange.

OMG we're in Paris!!!

This was the quote used most frequently last weekend when Tanya, Beth and I were in Paris, France hanging out! Oh the life of a study abroad student in Europe!  Of course I have always heard about Paris and have seen movies set there and pictures from there as well but WOW it was overwhelming for us to actually be there! During fashion week too- though I did not realize this until after we left. In my opinion, Paris is the most wonderful and magical city in the world! I was absolutely enthralled by the city and the people!

I will attempt to tellyou about the city and what I saw and experienced there, but I must warn my readers first that for much of this there just aren't adequate words to describe! Nothing can fully illustrate what it is like to look on Paris from Le Tour Eiffel or L'Ärc de Triomphe or what it is like to walk the Champs Elysee, but I will attempt to do so...

First I would like to say that my plan was to meet up with 2 friends of mine from Wofford who are studying abraod in Italy, but that did not work out. Instead I ended up exploring the city with two friends from my program and I had a wonderful time with these girls! We turned out to be a good group. We were efficient, got along great and had similar interests and plans for our time there. I found that traveling with less people is actually easier and more fun. (Below is me and Beth in front of our hostel)

On Friday... we arrived around 10:30 to Gare du Nord, a huge and confusing station. We were overwhelmed initally and it took us a while to get our bearings, but once we found the information table (which was hidden) and got a metro and city map we were just fine! In fact, it was empowering to find our own way around an unknown city. We went straight to the hostel, put our stuff in a locker and went to the Champs Elysee! I must admit- it wasn't quite as magnificent as I had imagined. It really is just a big street, but it was wonderful. I think it would look amazing inthe spring time, but right now all the trees are dead. It was neat to walk the great street towards the Arc de Triomphe in the distance. We ate at a cafe on the street which was great because we were starving! Many places in Paris have these deals where you can get a sandwhich on a baguette (of course), a dessert and a drink together. Let me just say here that the desserts in Paris are sooo good! I ate way too much while I was there.

(interesting side note: people in Paris are crazy for baguettes! They literally just go to a bakery to buy one and then walk around nibbling on the big piece of bread.)

After lunch, we continued toward the Arc and we went to the top. This was breathtaking! One of my favorite parts! There are bars which prevent people from falling off the building, but you can walk alll of the way around it and look over the city.  It is sight impossible to describe and impossible to take a good picture of. Below are pictures taken from the top, but they do not truly show the beauty. It was here at this moment that I fell in love with the city!

Finding the metroes, and walking around the city was such an adventure. During three days we saw some great sites, but we also just enjoyed the walking and observing of people. To see the streets, canals, and cafes was almost as great as the touristy sites.

After the Arc, we headed to Notre Dame. We had to wait a long time in line- so of course we had to get a crepe from one of the 6 crepe stands across the street (what an ingenuis idea! Tempt the tourists with food while they wait in line.) So we stood in line clutching our nutella and banana crepes with big smiles. These things are sooo good. They also had them in Berlin. Good thing there not in Amsterdam or I would come back to the US as big as a house. Once we went inside, we realized that this line was not for a tour of the inside of the church, but actually it took us to the top of it to walk around small ledges by the gargoyles to agian look over the city. This was also a great view and it was amazing to see the church from the top of it and to see the gargoyles taht looked very similar to those in the disney film the Hunchback of Notre Dame.

 

One thing I'd like to note here is the obsession with Parisian architects for spiral stairs! Steep spiral stairs! In our hostel, in Notre Dame, the Arc, the catacombs and other places there were terribly steep and windy stairs. Very exhausting and claustophobic! Cool for only the first flight.

After descending from the top, we saw the front of it and then the inside. It was magnificent for a church build so long ago but it was not nearly as amazing to me as teh Berliner Dom cathedral I saw in Berlin last weekend. Notre Dame is very empty and vast inside. There weren't really pews for people to sit, but it felt more like a big open space with ornate statues and windows. Berliner Dom on the other hand was more decorated and cozy on the inside. Every single inch of it covered with decoration.

In the evening we went to the Louvre, which we discovered was free on friday nights after 6:00 pm! We could only go to the permanent collection, but this was already so much more than one person could see in a day! We had to walk quickly through the rooms just to see as much as possible before it closed at 9:00, but to really appreciate it one would have to stand in each room for hours! This place is the most amazing museum one could ever go to. I mean... the building itself is a masterpiece! It is truly a work of art. The outside is beautiful and the inside...wow! The ceilings and walls themselves are painted or ornately created as one would see in a magnificent cathedral like Berliner Dom. Then of course the art work is extensive and incredible. We saw the Mona Lisa ( I couldn't get a very good picture of it) among other famous pieces! I LOVE the louvre. I really hope to go back sometime to explore it more. It is just so much that one almost cannot fully appreciate it. The outside is great too! the Louvre is shaped like a big rectangle and in the center is a large pyramid, and then there is another Arc which is beautiful. You can also see the Eiffel Tower from here. It's wonderful.

By this time we were exhasuted! All the windy stairs and walking around had caught up with us. We wandered around the streets around the louvre a bit, and headed back to the hostel to get some sleep. The next day we woke up eager to start again! This time we started at the catacombs. One exciting experience for me- we couldn't find the entrance so I approached a French woman. I asked: Pardon. Parlez-vous anglaise? She responded: Oui. And was very kind and even walked us to the long line. And people say that Parisians are mean to tourists... maybe we were just lucky. This felt really good to me because in Amsterdam, upon arrival I knew no Dutch so I couldn't speak to anyone in teh native tongue at all, but here I could understand a lot and could speak some. I tried to at least order in French all weekend. It was fun!

The catacombs were very creepy! There are literally just walls and walls of bones and skulls. These are real human remains that were dug up when cemetaries got too full and they were piled underground. It is wierd to think that these bones actually belonged to humans. When we resurfaced on the bright street from the dark and damp cave we got crepes and some coffee at... Starbucks! There are no Starbucks in the Netherlands. It felt good to see something familiar. Oh I had missed it! I ordered my drink in French to the surprise of the barista who could tell we were tourists.

We met up with the three other guys from our program who we had actually planned the trip to Paris with at Musee DÓrsay. Another wonderful museum. It was great because there was some really great art here, but it wasn't as overwhelming as the Louvre. I walked around myself and met the group at the end. It was great to walk the museum alone thinking about each piece. Again, we were exhausted so we made plans to meet the guys at the Eiffel Tower later and we went to the hostel to take a short break.

LE TOUR EIFFEL!!! The Eiffel tower... so heres the deal. I saw this big thing all over the city right? Everywhere you go you can catch a glimpse of it in the distance and I'm thinking... what's the deal with this huge ugly metal thing cluttering up the beautiful Parisian skyline! Well apparently (according to a friend this is true, but i like the story so much I don't want to look it up just in case I find that its false) the Eiffel Tower was built for a world fare and was only an exhibition which was to be torn down not long after. The Parisians did not like it and couldn't wait for it to disappear, but then WWI happened and this huge thing made a great radio tower so it was left alone. It became a part of the city and eventually people even grew attached to it. Humorously to moi, now it is actually like the symbol of Paris. Well for me, seeing it initially I felt much like the Parisians did at first. I thought- well thats just a big iron thing and its not even as cool as in looks in pictures! Well throughout the week my opinion changed a bit, but on saturday night I visited it and my opinion completely changed! Wow it is a sight to see. It is marvelous! And especially at night! It is light up with an yellowish orange glow and each hour there is a light show which lasts a few minutes. Its sooo cool! I got more and more excited as I waited in line and this was a very long line. It was well worth it though. First we walked up stairs to the first level and then were ushered into an elevator which took us to the second level where we got out to wait in another line. Well the wait here isn't so bad because you get a great view of Paris from the tower as you wait. Going at night is especially great because the city is light up and you can clearly see the important monuments and buildings! The only thing that could be better than this is the view from the top. At the top there is a room which you can actually look out over the city from through windows, but you can also walk up one flight of stairs to the very top where there is only a fence to protect you from the outside. I just kept walking around the tower gazing over the city in awe of this incredible sight I was seeing! Again, there are no words to explain what this is like. There was something inside saying...is this actually real? Am I actually standing on the Eiffel Tower looking out over Paris? I can see Notre Dame and the Arc. At this moment I just thanked God for allowing me to get this experience. To be at this place at this time.

Sunday we went to Versailles on a train with a new friend we met in Paris. He was actually the friend of a friend of a friend who is studying in France for the semester and had not yet been to the palace. He helped us get on the right train which took about an hour to get us there. As a history major I just loved this! Louis XIV is literally my favorite ruler in history and this time period was always one of my favorites to study. We approached the massive home which was surrounded by a golden gate. It's incredible to think of how ornate this was especially at the time it was built. Inside was even better. Unfortunately my camera didn't take the greatest pictures inside the palace but I can tell you it is as magnificient as you could ever picture a king's home to be. Every room different and decorated lavishly. The Hall of Mirrors was obviously really neat. My favorite room though was actually one which was actually a large hall consisting of paintings of war. All wars that France had won. Intimidating for ambassadors and officials to visit and to be put in this room while waiting to see the king! The gardens were also fit for a king, though not as beautiful now as they will probably be soon as spring comes to France. When we left to return to the train we had to stop at a Tex Mex restaurant we had seen on the way in. Now I know what you're thinking...you were Paris and you went to a Tex Mex restaurant??? Well teh thing is all of us have been in Europe for quite some time now and there are no decent Mexican restaurants here so we were very excited for this. Unfortunately, it was somewhat of a let down, though still a great experience. A multicultural one. We walk in to this Tex Mex place and are greeted by a "bonjour!" and are served by a man with a french accent. On the walls are flags and pictures from Austrailia which I didn't understand, and the others eating there were mostly Asian. It was funny. The queso dip was basically melted velveto cheese, the chips were kind of like doritos (they had a mexican flavored type of covering), and nothing tasted authentic. We did have a good laugh about it though. We left happy and full, ready to go home... to Amsterdam. We had an incredible time but were exhausted.

A few last comments...

I love Paris and hope to go back someday. The people here were beautiful and interesting and I enjoyed the atmoshpere of the city. Getting around the city was empowering and actually a confidence builder for me. After my terrible first experience upon my arrival to Amsterdam, this was a chance for me to redeem myself. As I said of Berlin, the city was great but I am glad that I live in Amsterdam. Amsterdam is much smaller and feels more like a community. I like that we can bike all around the city, instead of having to ride on a metro all the time. Metros are kind of depressing and are underground so you really feel like you're going into a hole and then you just pop up in the city. Plus I'm kind of scared of metros. Riding on one made me miss my car a lot! They are busy and loud and many times poor people get on and sing or play an instrument then beg for money. One night a drunk man got on and sat beside me and I swear he was a gunshot victim! He was bleeding from the head and looked like death. Wierd metro experiences. But I digress...There are definitely a lot of tourists in Amsterdam, but not in the same way. It feels more like a city to live in instead of a museum to visit and gawk at. Interestingly, my trip to Paris made me feel more excited to be here. I think the realization finally hit me- Omg I'm in Europe! I realized that I am in an incredible city and this whole experience is exciting and I do not want to take it for granted any longer.

Trip to Berlin!

Does anyone know how to sleep on bus? Yes, I am really asking this question. Its not reciprocal! We took the overnight train to Berlin. BAD IDEA!!! I got no sleep. On the way back I tried ny-quil but even that didn’t work. Never again. Well that’s one traveling lesson learned. Below is me... IN GERMANY! And below that are the friends I went with- Dan, Sean, Kevin, Jackie, and Lindsey!

 

 

Something else I learned…traveling is a great way to destroy misconceptions one may have about other people or cultures. I’ve always had this idea of Germans in my head which just wasn’t very positive. Maybe subconsciously I just remember the Holocaust or maybe I just don’t like the sound of their language, but I envisioned all Germans to be like this:

 

 

But it turns out actually that they’re not so different. Obviously the language is very very different and there are far less people there who can speak English than in Amsterdam, but they weren’t as different as I expected. For some reason I had thought that they were almost a completely different species. Well there are a few who are. I saw some Neo-Nazis who looked and seemed pretty crazy. One was trying to provoke a police officer with his green hair and crazy outfit. But that is a different story.

Now, Germans are quite different from the Dutch. This I definitely did not expect! The pronounciation and some words of their languages are similar and there are other similarities between the two so I had lumped them together, but this was also a misconception! I can only speak about what I know from the limited experiences I have had in both places, but those in Amsterdam are much more stylish. You are definitely more likely to see teenagers with mohawks and combat boots in Germany than in the Netherlands and even old ladies with purple hair! Below is a picture of one man in particular who I found to be especially well dressed in a sweater complete with purple purse!

 Also, the Dutch are the tallest people in the world and the Germans were much shorter as a general rule. (It’s funny, I have a short American friend who cannot use most of the urinals here in Amsterdam because they are too tall.) The Dutch are a lot friendlier toward tourists and foreigners too. I had a realization in Germany: though in a sense I still don’t feel acclimated to life in a different country, I have gotten used to being different. If I were to go to Germany where few people are fluent in English before now I probably would’ve felt very uncomfortable and frustrated, but after living in the Netherlands where I am used to not understanding signs or the language it didn’t phase me at all. I am used to being in a public place and not understanding a single word said!

While in Berlin…

We arrived in the city on Friday morning around 9:00 am and went straight to Heart of Gold Hostel which luckily had a great location. It was right off of Unter Din Linden which is a major street with lots of important buildings on it, ending at the Brandenburg Gate which was one of the three passages between East and West Berlin during the Cold War. On this street were a ton of great things to see. It was also very close to Museumsinsel (also known as Museum Island) where there are a ton of really great museums. Berlin is a huge city- much bigger than Amsterdam so we tried to see as much of it as possible, but I am sure we missed some stuff. This is a rundown of our trip as well as I can remember.

Museums:

Berlin has tons of museums throughout the city and we were able to get to several. Unfortunately I did not get to see the Holocaust museum there (the Judisches Museum) but we went to 3. Pergamon was a neat one which had actual and recreated artifacts, models and statues from ancient Greece, Babylon, and the Middle East. There was an actual altar moved from Greece and recreated in the museum (there are pictures below) as well as many other statues, especially of Greek gods. I didn’t get to see much of the Middle East section because apparently there was a mini fire and before too long we were evacuated. There was a modern art museum which I was not a big fan of. I never have understood or appreciated modern art and this museum furthered my distaste for it. There was a canvas painted entirely black with a large white circle on it…hmmm. As my friend pointed out- I could do that! + But, you didn’t = Modern Art! The last museum was full of art from German painters including Monet. This one was great. There were some really beautiful and meaningful paintings here and it was probably my favorite of the ones we saw.

 

 

Sight-seeing:

The thing I loved about the city was its architecture. Berlin has tons of really magnificient, huge buildings. They are everywhere, some are important buildings, others really aren’t. Since Germany is so much older than the US there are simply things here that you would never see there. The difference in the amazing cathedrals, government buildings, and monuments was incredible.

We visited the Reichstag of course which is the parliament is located. This is the building that Hitler ruled Germany from and it is really neat. The interesting thing to me was that there was little or no security around the building. You can walk right up to with no hassle. It used to stand directly on the East side of the Berlin Wall. Below are some pictures.

It is actually free to go inside the Dome of the Reichstag so we did on Saturday night. Inside it looks kind of like a space ship! Its strange but really neat. It gives a great view of the city.

My absolutely favorite thing was the Berliner Dom (the Berlin Cathedral). It is beautiful on the outside, but breathtaking on the inside. Truly the most wonderful thing I have ever seen. I just fell in love with it. I tried to get some pictures of the inside, but the lighting wouldn’t allow me to get very good pictures. As I entered I was immediately struck by the grandeur of the place. The high ceiling is intricated designed with statues, paintings and colored class. There is a very large set of pipes on one wall for the organ, and the alter was large and beautiful. Surprisingly to me, this was a protestant church. I have never felt that going to a big and fancy church building was necessary or even practical, but upon entering I was reminded of the greatness, big-ness, and awesomeness of God. Below are some pictures.

 

On Sunday we went back to the cathedral and this time entered the crypts below the church. Here many important people are buried; including Fredrick Wilhelm III, a very important ruler in Germany’s history. It was strange to think that there were very decayed bodies in the decorated boxes!

The Holocaust Memorial was moving. At first I was confused. It is a long series of boxes of different lengths. As you walk into it, you see that these stretch a long way and the ground slopes up and down so that some boxes are really tall and others are much shorter. Sean informed us that each box represents 6,000 Jews who were murdered and they are of different sizes to show that there were many types of people- big and small, young and old, male and female- who were killed. We all walked through it silently. As you get to the middle the blocks get really tall and one gets lost in it. It is eerie.

 

Brandenburg Gate, the main gate which divded the east and west, is right beside the Reichstag. It’s historical importance makes it interesting to see, but it is also an neat piece of architecture.

The Berlin Wall…strange to think that not so long ago this simple wall, which really isn’t too high, separated the city. Of course at the time there were guard towers, mines, barbed wire and other terrible obstacles, but it seems like a strange concept. Now what’s left is painted and written on. Below are a few pictures of the wall.

 

 

 

Other Interesting Details:

Friday Night

Well drinking in public is legal in Germany so one can walk down the street with a beer in hand. And that is what the guys in our group chose to do! They couldn’t get over the fact that they could drink wherever they wanted, plus beer is very cheap in Berlin. (In fact everything here was MUCH cheaper than Amsterdam.) So on Friday night we went bar-hopping to check out the night scene in the city and the guys in our group would buy beers from corner stores to carry with them to drink on their way to the next bar. It was quite funny to me. We had a good time walking around. Our greatest find was Dr. Pong’s!!! Ok first I must assert here that this place was so sketchy! We heard about it from a friend but could NOT find it. Turns out there was a boarded up door with no sign or label on it which was the entrance. We entered into an empty, bare place with grafitti on the cement walls. There was no flooring or carpet, just cement. Quite strange. But so neat! It was a bar with a single ping pong table. People come in and play in a round-robin kind of format. All who want to play make a large circle around the table and the first person serves to someone on the opposite side of the table and the person on the other side returns it and everyone circles the table. When you hit it off the table or miss it you are out and the circle keeps going. The last two left play a game up to 3 points until there is a winner and then it starts over. Turns out this is a good idea. Its really fun and actually quite difficult. Then we left to find a crepe stand on the corner which serves crepes with NUTELLA AND BANANA! So let me just tell you now that nutella is the best thing ever. It’s one of Europe’s best contributions to the world. Well, I digress. The point is I was rather excited at this discovery and am determined to find one in Amsterdam.

Saturday Night

On Saturday night we had to go clubbing because apparently Berlin is known for its clubs. They don’t get going until 2am and people usually stay out until 6am! Secretly I’ve turned into an old lady over the past year and don’t usually stay out too late anymore so this was a struggle for me. I had to leave at 5am. I had a blast though. We went to club Matrix which had a great atmosphere. It was fun and played a great mix of American music and some techno. One room was playing some oldies- like the backstreet boys, the main song from the movie Dirty Dancing, and the Prince of Bel-Air, and the other room played a mix of mostly newer stuff with some older hits and techno. The DJ was really good. And all of us danced like crazy.

Metro

Since Berlin is huge we had to take the metro everywhere. We also had to consult the map a lot. The transport system there is very good though and it runs even very late at night.

Bratwurst and Schnitzel

Of course we had to try some German food! I was not as brave as most of the group, but they tried some uniquely German food which looked terrible to me.

 

Goodbye Berlin! It was kind of sad to leave the city, especially knowing that there was more to see. I am glad that I did not choose to study there, but I would’ve liked to experience more of Germany.

I'd like to end with a quote that most of you will not understand

"Where are you from?"

"Amsterdam!"

"Australia?"

"Yah! G'day mates!"

A special thanks to Lindsey and Jackie who made my time in Berlin fun and HILARIOUS!

A CONTROVERSIAL CITY...

One thing I’ve learned:

If you want to buy smoked meat… go to a smokehouse

If you want to smoke… go to a coffeeshop

If you want coffee… go to a café

These are important distinctions! I wonder how many tourists have walked into coffeeshops expecting a Starbucks. They do sell coffee, but marijuana is the specialty. The coffee here is better than that in the US, which is great for me because I am an avid coffee drinker, but they drink it more times a day and in smaller portions. A large coffee here is not even as big as a small cup in the US.

 

When you think of Amsterdam, what is your response? What have you heard about the city? Well I can tell you that if you haven’t been here your impression may not be correct. One question that I have been contemplating: How tolerant are the Dutch? Why do they allow certain activities here?

DRUGS:

Before I left for Amsterdam, when I mentioned my destination to friends they all commented on the “everything is legal” city. This is actually not true, however! Hard drugs are not legal in the Netherlands, though it probably is easier to get them here than it would be in other places (especially in the tourist district). It is not unusual to get offers as you walk the streets looking for a restaurant. MARIJUANA IS NOT LEGAL IN AMSTERDAM contrary to popular belief!! It is, however, tolerated. It is allowed in coffeeshops or within the privacy of one’s own home but it is not acceptable to smoke outside in public or in a bar or club. One must be at least 18 years old to enter a coffeeshop. Our RAs informed us that smoking in our rooms was tolerable as long as we opened a window. Also, smoking cigarettes in coffeeshops is not allowed.

Recently the restrictions have gotten stricter concerning drugs. The truly interesting part to me is that the sale and smoking of it in a coffeeshop is allowed, but the sale of any drugs to a business is not allowed. The suppliers of coffeeshops have to be cautious with their shipments because it is illegal to sell marijuana to even a coffeeshop and violators face consequences. It seems a bit contradictory, thus the theme of Dutch society! Shrooms were recently outlawed so smartshops can no longer sell them, but they also can be purchased with ease in the city if one is looking for them.

ALCOHOL

The alcohol policy here is also different. One must be at least 16 to buy beer and wine and 18 to purchase stronger types of alcohol. The drinking culture is also very different. It is sociably unacceptable to be drunk in public. The Dutch generally drink at social events; it is more a part of the social scene here, yet the average person drinks in moderation. They do not drink to get drunk. In fact, there have been several people in my program to get kicked out of clubs and bars for being “too drunk.” It is a different mindset. At home I do not go to bars much, but here there are a lot more of them (all sell Heineken) and the atmosphere is calmer in a sense. Well, if you to Leidsplein on a Saturday night its going to be loud and crazy, but there are less belligerently drunk people and at clubs people don’t “grind” or try to dance with people they don’t know in the same way. (One funny observation: European guys will dance alone unlike American guys. They are not too proud to dance by themselves or with other guys.)

PROSTITUTION

Yes, prostitution is also legal. I also had several friends ask me if this is how I would be making extra spending money while I am here. There are not prostitutes standing on street corners or waiting in dark alleys. The Red Light District is a very small part of town where prostitutes can be found perched seductively in windows where a red light is shining. They stand, dance, or pose with very little clothing in the window of the store trying to attract men on the street. At night one can watch men choosing women and making deals. (Apparently it costs extra for a faked orgasm.) This part of town actually isn’t very big, but it is quite unattractive. Along the street are tons of sex shops, porn stores, and theaters where live sex shows occur. Yes, apparently they actually have sex on the stage and you can pay to see it. If you ask me, the way it is portrayed makes it look quite undesirable, but on the weekends the street is full of window shoppers.

Whats the deal?

The rationality for allowing these types of things in Amsterdam

(and in other parts of Europeas well) seems to be that when something is made legal it is easier to control. A guy in one of my classes from Denmark told me that in his country a Nazi group was allowed to exist for this very reason. This way the government can keep an eye on it and limit its power. Likewise, the Dutch government allows these things so they can be controlled, and also because they are a “tolerant” society. Since the 1960’s the Dutch has moved away from religion and have claimed to be a tolerant society. This is true in some respects. Groups such as homosexuals which are looked down upon in some places are widely accepted here.

This is an interesting thought… some drugs are tolerated here, alcohol can be bought at a younger age, and prostitution is legal, yet the Netherlands seems to have less problems with these things than other countries do. Whether or not one believes that the security this provides is more beneficial than the consequences it brings, it does seem to be true that these practices are safer. As I mentioned the drinking culture here is different because people are allowed to drink at a younger. By the time they are in college they are quite used to social drinking. There are less problems with STDs here because legalizing prostitution calls for more precautions and guidelines which actually safeguard those involved. Though it is strange to walk into my apartment building to be struck with the smell of marijuana, it is refreshing to be in a place where “getting wasted” or being “messed up” just isn’t cool.

How tolerant are the Dutch really?

Well this is actually the topic of my field experience project. In one of my classes we were discussing free speech and specifically in relation to Wilders (a Dutch parliamentarian who made an extremely controversial anti-Islamic video called Fitna). We discussed the limits of this freedom or if there should be any at all. My class of course did not agree on this issue. The Dutch have a history of allowing leaders like this to speak their mind even though the constitution does not actually allow discrimination of this type. In Americaleaders like Wilders, Pim Fortyun and Hirsi Ali would not be allowed to act as they do in the Netherlands, yet they were quite influential people here.

Though Dutch society is tolerant toward certain types of people and lifestyles, they seem to be intolerant towards others. The Netherlands, especially Amsterdam, has faced the influx of thousands of immigrants over the last years from all over the world and this has caused problems. There are intense racial and religious concerns here which makes one wonder how tolerant are the Dutch really? Not long ago a film maker, Theo van Gogh, made an anti-Islamic film which lead to his death by a Muslim extremist. Many in this country are entirely opposed to immigration by Muslims who want to re-inject religion into society. This has caused problems and has led to stronger restrictions on immigration.