Sorry, it's been a while hasn't it?

Alright, so I'll run through all of things that I haven't spoken about yet. This past Monday I went to a concert at the Carre, the Amsterdam version of Radio City Music Hall, to see Room Eleven, a Dutch band that sings in English. It was such a surreal experience. The audience was so contained! They would clap loudly when prompted by the band's arrival onto the stage or an encore and would time-to-time stand up, but otherwise they were seated. The band's dynamic was strange too. There was no opening act and the stage was decorated like a sincere stage--props and all. There was a couch, a water cooler, and a platform. They would talk in between songs (in Dutch) and indulge the audience with some (probably scripted) humor. They were pretty theatrical--it felt like a show, not just a band performing. As far as the band is concerned, they were great! I would really check them out, they're a very listenable jazzy-rock band, all of whom are great musicians! I almost didn't end up going (I was running late and the weather wasn't conducive to stirring up much excitement) and I'm so glad I did! Speaking of the weather, I can't understand it! Last week it was wonderful and lately it's been dreadful (notice the strong language)! Monday it hailed--HAILED! Granted only for a minute, but I had ice in my hair! And the last few days it's been raining rather hard with interminent gusts of wind just to add insult to injury. I'm hoping it's just winter's last rally before the start of better days!

Happenings of the last couple of days

Thursday night I went out with Tim and these two guys who came to visit one of my floormates. Travis is from California and had been working in Europe until recently. Daniel, German dude, worked with him and came to Amsterdam b/c, well, he may as well (Germany's close). They were a lot of fun. Travis was ridiculously funny and Daniel was very sweet. Sometimes I felt a little left out (not b/c I was the lone female but b/c the boys surrounding me were very into their philosophy) but it made for an interesting time. We went to Bitterzoet which was a club/bar that came highly recommended by the Dutch people I know. The place was nice, small, they played actual music! The next day was I little awkward b/c I was under the impression that I would be going out in the daytime with them but when I had gotten dressed they were nowhere to be found (maybe they were tucked away in my floormate's room and I hadn't realized it, maybe my floormate didn't want to share her friends, I don't know). Whatever the case, I spent the day alone, but it was great. The weather here is becoming unbelievable, it's a legitimate spring! There's sun, there's a breeze, and you can leave wearing a dress and a light jacket--it's everything I've wanted!

Things

So I've been considering the classes that I'm taking here and while they are generally fine, I find a lot of things about them frustrating. The professors don't really seem organized and while I believe they are knowledgeable, they don't always demonstrate that. I can't even express it well enough. It just seems that they put so little effort into what they're doing--the classes have so much potential, but it is never fulfilled. Presentations are big around here which basically means one third of the class time is blown on fellow students talking--I don't want to hear what my classmates have to say, you're the expert, you talk! And then they'll give assignments that a 10th grader would say is childish and I just don't want to do it. I'm unmotivated about going to my classes, but I have to b/c the attendance policy around here is strict, which makes sense only b/c no one would go to class if they didn't have to. And the most surprising thing is that I've been diligent about my work, doing almost all my readings and assignments, but I don't know why. It makes sense to me why so many students here are only concerned with passing. Hmmm....

Debit Card Update

Okay, so the bank can't fetch the card for me, but I contacted my bank and I should have a new card by the end of the week. In the meantime my program lent me some money so I should be fine for the week. Crisis averted!

No! No! No!

In true study abroad form, today I had my debit card eaten by the ATM machine I've used time and time again at the supermarket around the corner from me. I guess this is technically my first abroad mini crisis, and worry not for me, I know what to do. Tomorrow I'm heading over to my program office (just to let them know), calling the bank, and hoping that they can fetch out my card. If in the event that they can't, I'm going to ask my parents to put some money on another bank card that I brought with me. Hopefully it won't come to that (for those of you who have contact with the lovely Galina and Zufar, I'm specifically thinking of a few of this blog's followers, DON'T, everything will be fine and if need be I'll contact them myself). I just want everybody to know that I'm not panicking, I mean the chances that this would happen were pretty high so it's no surprise. I have a steady supply of free music to keep me calm (George Harrison really does the trick).

Quiet Weekend

This week I worked twice (at 10 and 11) after going out and just generally staying up late. By Thursday I was a zombie, which is why I took that day off. Friday I went to a friend's party. Her apartment is right in the red light district and it's pretty interesting to walk into a door after turning a few corners from windows. Also, that day I passed by a ton of Russians (one even muttered that I nearly hit him with my bike to his friend, but I didn't respond). The night was nice, though I think it was hindered by the candle-lit ambiance (could've used a bit more light and some louder music). The next morning I did it to myself again! Went to bed late and had to get up early to go to Palais Het Loo (the Dutch Royal family home). I was dead tired, but the garden and palace was beautiful! Unfortunately, it killed whatever desire I had to go out that night, so I spent my Saturday sleeping. All in all, it was a nice break, though I don't think I can afford to do it again! Too much left to do!

Bar Fight

Last Tuesday at the International student borrel, things seemed to be pretty typical until a series of bar fights erupted. It wasn't anything too serious, a few punches thrown and such, but it was in such a cramped space and there were so many people involved (mostly the people trying to stop it) that it got a bit scary. My friend got a bit hurt when she was accidentally thrown into the circle (it kinda turned into a mosh pit) luckily it wasn't serious or too noticeable. We left soon afterwards and headed somewhere else. The next day I went to work at 10 in the morning. I basically have one shift a week from 10-6 on Wednesdays and I'm enjoying it. I'm getting the hang of it and after the lunch rush is over, it's nice and slow. The people who come and go are generally pretty interesting and usually like to strike up conversations, which really makes me value my time there. That and my boss is ridiculously nice. Her name is Briton, she's an American and technically the co-owner (her husband is the primary shop owner, his name is Mahmud). She never rushes me and always makes me feel good about the situation even when she's working twice as fast as I am (literally). I don't think I can work in NY after this job. Nobody really complains if you're being slow or if something's not right and to have a boss who has less criticism to give me than I have to give myself is a fucking miracle.
That said, getting up early on Wednesdays, blehhhhhh....

Hanging with the Dutch

Sorry for the delayed post, I've decided to post every couple of days so as to have more content and less filler (a consequence of posting daily). This weekend I've spent with actual Amsterdammers and it's been pretty interesting. Friday I went to a birthday party of a Dutch friend I met through Emily. For a while Emily and I were the only ladies there, which didn't seem to faze anyone. We talked in circles with various people and most definitely had something to say, not really much awkwardness at all. The trick with meeting Dutch people, I guess, is initiating contact, otherwise they'll never get around to doing it themselves. It's actually abit strange because they're a generally inclusive crowd, just not necessarily that immediately welcoming. The next night I went to a dinner party (smaller, less celebratory but still fun) and people would speak Dutch without any qualms about my presence there (though everyone knew I only spoke English, which they all did as well). Again, once I forged my way into the conversation, they became instantly inviting and spoke English without reverting to Dutch at all. Both nights we went out to clubs afterwards, that's the standard, there's always at least 2 stops. The first club didn't have particularly good music, really generic trance with little dancability, but the next night (the Waterhole) had a completely different vibe. There was a live band playing a lot of rock standards which fit my taste (though for dancing I still prefer hip-hop or some latin beats--sounds funny coming from me, doesn't it?). This Tuesday I have a presentation to give (they're all about those presentations!). Wish me luck!

Nice Surprise

The other day I got a forwarded email from the Brandeis English dept from a former Brandeis student about internship at a publishing agency. I can't tell if the email was sincere or sarcastic as I know the alumnae who sent it and also know that she's quite sarcastic but I don't know her well enough to know if the email she wrote was sarcastic. Hmm, dilemma, dilemma. Anyway, I sent my resume and cover letter, answered a few questions as I was unable to interview....and got it! That's crazy, isn't it? A week ago I thought I wouldn't even try for an internship, just get a job somewhere (which I still plan on doing, maybe a cafe, is that realistic?), and now I have an internship that's actually relevant to what I want to do (though I'm more into the idea of getting published rather than helping others get published). I feel good!

Borrel Recovery

Last night I overdid things a bit. And by "things," I mean alcohol. The last time I felt like that I think it was one of the first big parties I went to as a freshman. It was nothing too serious, just a lot of dizziness and fears of vomiting, but after a few hours and glasses of water the symptoms dissipated. I should've known that bad things were to come on my way there. Riding there 3-4 spokes on the back tire of my bike popped. I was riding and all of a sudden there was this massive resistance and a persistent clicking noise. I managed to tuck them back in and finish the journey, but I have to get this replaced/repaired ASAP. I'm going to go tomorrow morning. I think I'll pull back a bit from here on out.

Potential Travel Plans

So Tim mentioned that he has a plan to get a 2 week eurorail pass and go around all of Europe when our semester ends. I'm totally down (can you imagine, Geneva, Berlin, Copenhagen, Prague, and 5 other places?!) but I just hope that these plans will come through. Aside from this 2 week euro-extravaganza, I do want to go somewhere during the semester for one of my 5 day weekends. I have my heart set on Barcelona, but I really have to found out when and specifically with whom I can go. It seems everyone already has travel plans or enough friends around the world that they don't need any companions. I'm also considering St. Petersburg, especially during the white nights. I've wanted to see them ever since I've read Dostoevsky's short story of the same title (I know, literary reference, lame). I just want to see the city lit up at 3 in the morning! I don't really think that's plausible though. Hmmm, looks like I have a couple of things to consider.

Smells like European

Groningen was nice little city (unfortunately my camera died the second I turned it on so refer to others' pictures for evidence). It has several bustling markets, cloaking the area in an aroma of fries, sweets, and fish (worthy of salivation, take my word for it). There were shops and museums, laid out the way most charming European towns are (at least where Communism didn't strike, can't vouch for the charm of those). It was actually almost 3 hours away, thus the opportunity for hillbilly-status. Before we went to Groningen, we stopped over in Drenthe which is known for its retirement community and its hunebeden park. Hunebeden are stone age people who roamed around the Netherlands, Germany, and Sweden. Apparently, the remains from the things they made are older than Stone Hedge and the Pyramids. Yeah, it was as interesting as it sounds...but it was pretty curious how important it was/is to certain people. It was a short detour, so it didn't make much difference. After a couple of hours in Groningen, we ventured off to our hostel. There was only about ten of us (a group of 30ish came, but didn't feel like staying the night). It was a traditional hostel layout, bunk beds, lockers, everything about camp and high school I never experienced. It was only a bother when coming back from going out. We came in to a room of sleeping people, tip-toeing to our beds which creak with the slightest breath. Also, somebody smelled awful. Was it a German? Frenchie? The results were inconclusive, but the experience was unappreciated. The Groningen nightlife lived up to its reputation. A lot of bars and clubs everywhere, packing in and getting lively after midnight and staying that way well after 6. I only stayed out till 2 (we walked all day, as usual with day trips) but it was fun. The breakfast was exceptionally good (they had yogurt and granola) and the train ride was really pleasant (now I know what people mean when they talk about nice train rides).

Coming home was nice and getting on my bike felt...right--even though once on it I was so tired and dazed I had no idea what I was doing. I can't remember what came flying at me, tram, bird? Oh well.