Hey Again! I know what you must be thinking–something must be wrong; she posted twice in as many days. Well, never fear my friends–nothing is wrong, I just felt almost guilty for not posting this sooner. It’s all about my new apartment (where I’ve been living since the first of September). I hope you enjoy the pics and descriptions!

This is my street: Cromwijklaan. I have no idea what it means. Honestly. And it’s such a small street no one knows what it is unless you say it really slowly and sometimes even spell it for them. Good times!

The building you can see in its entirety on the left is my building.

Getting closer! The front door is under the balcony you see to the left and the first balcony to the right is ours.

Our building’s front door and our mailboxes. Follow me inside…

After climbing one set of stairs, you see the beautiful green door that invites you into Cromwijklaan 4…

The view from outside into our entryway. Kom maar binnen (come on in)!

Our humble commode, as it were…

Our front entrance. The toilet is to the left, the kitchen after that to the left, the dining room and living room are to the right, and the basement is straight and (obviously) down the stairs.

The kitchen. To the right of the window is a balcony and to the left of the window is our (in)famous shower/washing machine room…

This is the back balcony where we dry our clothes

The washing machine…and the (in)famous shower. Notice the basin. Notice the platform. Notice the lack of a shower stall on the floor…notice your confusion.

Notice where the shower head is located. On the wall. On the wall above the basin. The basin that is by the washing machine separated not by a shower stall. Notice the lack of a stepping stool to get into said basin. Yes, everyone, this is how my roommates and I risk our lives daily in the quest to become clean. We have to stand in the basin and shower on the platform. It’s awkward. It’s backward. It’s a little bit creepy. But hey, welcome to the Netherlands, huh?!

More of the kitchen. The dishes are clean, allegedly…

The gas stove on which we also risk our lives daily by attempting to light the flame with a cigarette lighter. I think in America we call this landlord liability…In the Netherlands, it’s called normal. Notice the toaster on the floor care of the lack of outlets in the kitchen. But hey, it works. By the way, yes, the stove is atop the fridge that four of us are sharing. Gezellig! (cozy!)

Our stocked pantry.

Moving into the living/dining area (sorry it’s so dark)…

To the left is the dining area and our front balcony (the one you could see from the first few pictures). Notice the nice wall decoration. It appears as though someone tried to wallpaper with some sort of carpet-like substance with a paisley-esque pattern but then got frustrated and tried to rip it all off. We tried to be innovative and cover it with a giant map of the world. Maps are our thing for decor as you will shortly see…

This is the view of our living room from the dining room. We have TONS of space and tons of seating area. This was not the case when we moved in. Somehow we’ve inherited some chairs from a neighboring apartment and we basically took our neighbor’s couch last Wednesday. The neighbor was moving so she put it out front and Clara spotted it from our balcony. We made a quick rush over to the neighbor to ask if the poor graduate students could take her couch. She said yes and we quickly moved it to our apartment. It took us some effort to get it up the stairs and into the narrow doorways, but we managed and now are the proud owners of a HUGE couch. The picture above shows one piece of it (it’s a sectional) and the rest…

…you can see here! Quite a find! We cleaned it up and it now can be home to your head if you choose to visit us for a weekend! Notice also the fietskaart (bike map) of Utrecht above this section and the picture above shows the map of the Netherlands so we can try to figure out where the hell we are!

This is the rest of our living space. The tv sits atop our freezer, natuurlijk (of course)! Where else for a tv?!

This treacherous staircase is the way to my room. I swear one (probably drunken) evening, these stairs and I are going to have a fight–and I’m guessing the stairs will win! At any rate, follow me…

This is the staircase from below. Behind where I’m standing right now is… (the suspense is building, I know)…

Mijn kamer (my room)! It’s a really nice space (lots of room)…

My bed, another map (this one of Europe), and my clothes drying rack. I miss a proper dryer for my clothes!

My bed sits up against one closet and as you can see, they gave me another one. They must have known about me…

…because I have managed to make the closets look relatively full. Already. Notice also the shoe rack. They must have known…

The closet, the door, and the desk with the computer that is longing for the internet to connect to it at home.

The bookshelf that sits next to the desk and the window. I have absolutely no idea how I think I might get all of these books and things to my next destination, especially if it is the United States…but that will be a problem for another day…

Okay, for whatever reason, I failed to take a picture today of one of the best parts of the room: the windows and my view outside to our garden. I have one from our balcony that I can show you, but the view from my room is really great. You’ll just have to take my word for it (or come visit). Here is the place I get ready each morning. The green door leads to …

A nice little storage area for our bikes and the fabulous orange luggage that now looks inadequate to take everything I own back to the U.S. Once again, this is a problem for another day. Side note: I have NO idea what we are supposed to do with the hose that is hanging nicely upon the left wall. But I guess it looks nice.

I should probably introduce you to someone:

This is my new bike. It’s a great replacement for the old one, though I do miss how pink that one was. But I don’t miss how broken it is. This bike has been great and it gets to live indoors which will be really great for the winter and will minimize chances of it being stolen.

Because we’re on the ground floor, it’s really convenient to just keep the bikes in here and then take them out that door when we’re ready to go. Hooray for efficiency in our spacious Dutch apartment! Miscellaneous photos in/of/around the apartment:

This is the garden taken from our back balcony.

Also of the garden with the building behind it in the photograph. I suspect that if they stand in the right position from that building and we are on our platform in the shower the neighbors may or may not get somewhat of a nice view until the small window in the bathroom fogs up. Pleasant thoughts. I hope my mom is not reading this…if you are, mom, they probably can’t see. Maybe.

The view from our front balcony toward Daelwijklaan. Again, don’t ask what that word means. I have no idea, so if you do ask, I’d be forced to make something up and sound official and Dutch when it would be a complete lie. Just accept it. Daelwijklaan. Ja.

Ja. That’s what I said. Daelwijklaan. Do it. If you cross Daelwijklaan from Cromwijklaan, you’ll have a chance to walk on Wallesteinlaan. This has a point. Just bear with me…

Yes, walk a bit on Wallesteinlaan and you’ll hit Zwanenvechtlaan. That has something to do with swans. Don’t ask what. Just go with it…

So, to the point of the street tour, located on Zwanenvechtlaan is our very own little shopping center complete with a grocery (Albert Heijn), a Walgreens-like store (Etos), a cheap clothing store (Zeeman), a post office and bookstore, a toystore, a shoestore, a movie rental place, and an odds-and-ends store (Blokker) among a bakery and a fruit/vegetable store. It’s really great to be able to walk to this from our apartment! At the last place we had to bike to the nearest shopping center and though it was a short bike ride it was always tricky to balance the groceries on the bike and make it back alive!

This is the Rokade where all the shops are located on Zwanenvechtlaan!

More up-close and personal with the Rokade.

And right across from the Rokade is where my doctor’s (general physician) office is located. Very convenient when trying to forge one’s way through the Dutch health care system.

Walking back toward the apartment on Wallesteinlaan.

This is looking the other way from our balcony. There is a small children’s playground (speltuin, I think) on the right. Beyond that, as you will soon see, is a bit of water that feeds into the canal close by.

The playground.

This path is named after your favorite Collie and mine, the beloved Lassie. Honden speelweide means something like a playing/walking path for dogs. These paths are also good for going for a run. Sometimes the signs say honden toilet. Don’t run here, for obvious reasons. The street this is on (which abuts our Cromwijklaan) is Niftarlakeplantsoen. I don’t even want to pretend I have a clue on that one. Lakes? Plants? Nifty things? Ponder this while you read on…

This is the view down the Niftarlakeplantsoen, complete with the water and the dog/running path. And the fallen leaves of late September in Utrecht.

I miss you all at home and hope you’re enjoying reading the blog. Kusjes (kisses)!!

Hello again from Utrecht!! I can’t believe it’s already the 22nd of September. Time is flying by!! I am starting to feel a bit more settled into life here with my schedule somewhat normalizing and getting used to the weekly routine.

The weather has been beautifully sunny for the last week or so and I’ve been trying to be out and about as much as possible to take advantage of the days without rain. One thing has changed with the weather–the temperature. It tops out around 18 or 19 degrees during the day (mid-60s), which is quite nice. However, the evenings drop between 3 and 10 (38-50) and without our furnaces being able to be turned on quite yet, this makes for some really chilly sleep! It’s quite the adjustment with the weather, but overall, I really like its mildness. I’m sure my mind will change when faced with having to bike to class in the constant 40s and 50s, especially when rain is reintroduced to the forecast…but that’s a story for another post

An update with the bike accident I told you about last time: The day it happened, I thought I was so fortunate to be able to walk away without any injury. However, upon trying to go for a jog a few days later, my knee became swollen and sore. Bad news!! Especially bad news when a) there are a million things that can go wrong with a knee and b) I live in a foreign country where I know ABSOLUTELY nothing about how the health care system works for foreigners. So, in a quest to be educated about the Dutch system and to go figure out what might be wrong with my knee, I set off to a neighborhood doctor who kindly referred me to an orthopedist. I saw the latter today and 300 euros later (which should be reimbursed from the insurance company in the US but you just never know), I found out that she thinks there’s nothing wrong with the ligaments and there is no sign of bone damage (from x-rays taken today).

She sent me to a physical therapist who will be in charge of giving me the green light for jogging and perhaps playing soccer again. I see the orthopedist again in six weeks. I have to call to make an appointment with the physical therapist but I’ll do that tomorrow. A long story short–it seems like there’s nothing major wrong with me and again I feel very fortunate because anytime a biker meets a car, there can be really unlucky results for the biker…

I miss playing soccer because of my injury. I went and watched our team play on Saturday and just wished I could be on the field helping the team out. We have a great group of girls and we’re starting to look better and better on the field. We also have plans for saturday after our next game to have dinner and to go out as a team for “bonding” purposes. I am really looking forward to it!

As the title of the post suggests, we still have no internet at our house. It was supposed to arrive last Monday but alas, no dice. The only place I can check the status on the website says “in process” . . . No kidding?! It’s been 3.5 weeks since I ordered the service and we’re still waiting on the modem. Another lesson in patience. At least I’m learning…

So, for now internet is reserved only for when I am not too lazy to bike into town and check it either at the Janskerkhof or the Law Library if it’s open. I’m writing now from the law library. It’s a really nice facility at which to do my research for the program, homework, and general internet tomfoolery. I’m glancing out the window from where I sit and I see the quintessential Dutch gables of the building next door against a backdrop of a Utrecht sunset. I feel really lucky to be here doing this project and though I’ve been here approaching two months, I still am in awe at what a beautiful place the Netherlands is.

The language is coming along slowly but surely. I now know why people say to move to a country that speaks the language you’re trying to learn is the best way. Immersion is just that–being immersed at all times with the language. TV shows in English are all subtitled in Dutch, which makes it really nice to try to figure out the syntax and grammar (and vocab). Yesterday Clara and I finally made it to the Call of the Wild, also subtitled in Dutch. It was a good movie, as a side note. As I said before, all my soccer practices, games, e-mails, and meetings are in Dutch and I am trying really hard to start speaking it more (even though I’m still very self-conscious of my ability). It is really good to know that despite only being here a short time I am picking up the basics well.

I better get going back home for dinner and some reading. I’ll be back at the law library tomorrow morning to continue my research project. I’ll write another post about that soon after I make some more progress. I really hope everyone back home is doing well and getting settled into school/work or continuing to enjoy their jobs and lives. I really do miss all of you but feel at home here. Send me an e-mail if you get the chance. I also really love reading all the comments!!

Tot ziens!

Hello again from Utrecht! I thought I’d take some time to post pictures and some more updates on my life settling into the NL.

First up: The Fiets (bike)

I got a bike before class on Monday morning. It is imperative to have one here as it makes getting around SO much easier and it is generally a fun way to travel through the city. There are also tons of bike paths in and around Utrecht to explore on a sunny afternoon. My bike and I have already developed a love-hate relationship, however, even though I’ve only known her for six days.  Here she is in all her glory:

She looked so pretty in pink at the fiets shop and perhaps I failed to give her enough attention prior to purchasing her, but hindsight is 20/20. Now for the story: So I was on my way home the other night cruising along, fietsen toward my apartment and all of a sudden, the light breaks loose from its bolt, falls down into the spokes on my wheel, and the next thing I know, I’m eating some of the brick bicycle path that helps make Utrecht so gezellig. Despite the fact that the tumble from mijn fiets could’ve been really bad for my health, I walked away with just a sore knee and a wounded ego.

The next morning (yesterday), I took my bike back to the shop as they promise a 2-month guarantee for anything that goes wrong outside of the occasional flat tire. I was peeved to learn that they think this was somehow my fault for not making sure the light on the bike they sold me four days prior would not randomly fall into the spokes of my wheel and nearly kill me. Therefore there was nothing they were willing to do to fix it or trade it or anything. Grrrr.

I was pretty angry. I hope that next year’s Washburn students can find a different bike shop because these guys were tools. Anyway, I took it to another bike shop down the road and an extremely helpful guy gave it a once over and made it safe to traverse the Utrecht streets once again. So now my bike and I are friends again as I promised her I would take better care in the future. I do love riding my fiets around town!

Next Up: The Apartment

I live in the Baden Powellweg international student apartments about 5 minutes fietsen from the lively square called Ledig Erf. (Take a look at this link; it’s a panoramic picture you can move around to get the feel for the square. Thank God for the Internets!). The apartment is also about 10 minutes fietsen to where my Dutch language course is located, so I’m really enjoying it here. Now for the pictures:

The Essentials: Dutch Food

I will leave with this final image: Hagelslag (on the left) is essentially milk chocolate sprinkles that Dutch people put on everything. I have just tried it with the Hazelnut Spread, also known as Nutella but I get the supermarket brand (on the right) on biscuits. Stroopwafels are in the middle–these are great for breakfast with coffee. These three things are fabulous staples in my Dutch kitchen. As they say in Dutch, these food items are Lekker Lekker!

Hagelslag, stroopwafels, and hazelnut spread. Erg lekker!

Not pictured: the greatness that is Dutch cheese. My favorite has become the Old Amsterdam variety, but I’m loving the selection of all the great cheeses.

So those are the everyday things about my life here in Holland. I’ll post again soon regarding our trip yesterday to a brewery in Tilburg.

Oh yes, one more thing: I have also started participating in another European fashion trend: wearing leggings. My American roommate swears that I’ve sold out, but I love it! When I wear skirts, it makes it so much better to ride the bike, that’s for sure. Perhaps they’ll catch on again in America soon? Speaking of fashion trends, a HUGE one here now is the wearing of Crocs shoes–yeah, the rubberish brightly colored shoes with holes . . . yeah, they’re all the rage. That is one fashion statement, however, I’m ready to leave behind! Ha ha, gotta love fashion! Tot ziens for now!

Hi, everyone! My people are asking for details and I can only give a few right now; things are so busy settling into a new city!

Chris and I had a very fun time in Amsterdam and I’m so glad he got to visit. I really enjoyed hanging out with him in NL. He has made it back safely to Nashville but I know he’s probably ready to return to South Africa!

As of Saturday, I’ve been busy moving from Amsterdam to Utrecht and from a hotel to an apartment. It’s been really great, but I haven’t really had a chance to reflect on anything b/c it’s been so busy! My roommates are great–one from Portugal, one from Spain, and one from Pittsburgh, PA. They all follow the Dutch Language Course as well and our apartment is in an area with lots of international students. I will post more details later.

Today I had had enough traipsing around winding streets for six days in a row (and my feet were pretty much threatening to fall off), so I bought a bike this morning. It is a great bike and I will post a picture of it later. It’s pink and it’s old, but it’s so perfect. It is my favorite way of integrating into Dutch culture so far. Speaking of integrating into Dutch culture, we had our first class this morning. It was good overall. I’m going to have to study hard, but I’m really excited about learning the language, so it’ll be fun to study. It is also helpful that my roommates are all following the same course so we can practice with one another. After only one class, I was already ordering food and talking to our ober (waiter) in Dutch! Not bad, I’d say . . .  I definitely still have a long way to go!

Anyway, so I’m settling in here. It’s been a whirlwind of the last six days; that’s for sure! I need to go grab some groceries with my Portuguese roommate, Sissi (pronounced: C C) before the summerschool night activities begin. Tonight there is a free Dutch film and I believe a soccer tournament tomorrow! I also have to find some time to study and work on other commitments!

Again, I will post more pics and details later, but I’m trying to give the people what they want right now!

Tot straks!