Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Posted 1 year, 7 months, 3 weeks, 1 day, 13 hours, 57 minutes ago

Also know as “Den Haag,” this was a happening place today! I decided I wanted to go to the beach, so Claudia and I went to Scheveningen (a tourist-type of beach). It was raining in Breda, and so I thought we had a good chance to have the beach to ourselves. We got to the Hague and found out that (ironically) it was the third Tuesday in September, when the Queen announces the new plans for the next year. It’s a big event and there’s a parade when she goes to and from the procession. After waiting half an hour, we were rewarded with some great pictures… even though there was a huge crowd:

This is the Queen Beatrix’s horse:

Here are two carriages carrying royal family members:

This is the carriage that had Queen Beatrix, Prince Willem-Alexander and his wife, Princess Máxima:

(note the carriage was gold-plated - a gift from the Indonesian government)

And here is the wonderful beach!

Now I have to get a good night’s rest because tomorrow is Wednesday!  My 8-5 (no break) day!  Tot ziens!

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Posted 1 year, 7 months, 3 weeks, 5 days, 18 minutes ago

It is a gorgeous day here in Breda.  Not a cloud in the sky.  I have a four-day weekend.  Unfortunately, no one else does and so I am stuck.  I want to see everything I can in Europe, but I have figured out that it’s best to see it with someone.  It’s really not safe to travel alone.  Sometimes I was not sure with just two people.  So since no one else is able to travel, that means I should stay home, too.  (Study time!)

I think I have finally figured out the Problem-Based Learning here at Avans University.  I have started to get high marks easily.  I have no idea about the tests, but the tutor groups are coming along (they are like classes).  After next week, we will start our projects.  We have two projects, one taking one week and the other taking two weeks to complete.  They are (of course, like everything here is) group projects.  The main goal from this type of learning is to prepare you for your job in business.  Most of the time, you will be working with others, in groups or in meetings, and you will have to know how to interact and accomplish tasks with them.  I agree completely with this goal, but I am just not sure it’s working well when you have to “work” with 15 people at once.  Everyone wants to talk and not everyone can.  Plus, you basically get a bad mark if you don’t talk (sort of backwards from Western)!  But, as many people who are abroad are saying lately, “It’s an experience.” (Lydia and Christine!)

The Dutch language classes are not really hard in themselves, but the actual language is somewhat difficult.  I also have IC (Intercultural Communication) where we are learning about the Netherlands and its people.  This is my favorite class because the teacher brings in some type of Dutch food each time.  I didn’t like the salt drops but the sweet ones tasted just like black licorice.  We’ve also had Speculaas and some carmel-waffle cookie (yum!).

I have finally finished “The Devil Wears Prada” after buying it in DC.  It was a good book to read on the metro when I would come home from work.  But other than that, I didn’t have time to read it during the summer.  Now, I like to do things that remind me of home and one was reading about NYC and the fashion industry.  I did watch the movie, and there were great discrepancies between the book and the movie.  I like the book better, of course, because it had more detail and the movie left out a lot of different things/events.  I loved Meryl Streep, but she did not quite fit the character of Miranda Priestly.  I wish there were more to the book, it has a rather abrupt ending, but all in all I highly recommend it!

Let me leave you with a few corrections to what I had thought earlier:  the grocery store shopping carts only cost the coin you put in if you don’t hook them back up (yep, I lost 50 cents).  Once you do, it gives you back the coin (like a deposit).  And the taxes in the Netherlands are one of the highest in the EU (17%, I heard) but they are already included in the price (to fool eager foreigners).  I will have this country figured out by July!

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Posted 1 year, 8 months, 2 days, 1 hour, 45 minutes ago

I just got back from Rotterdam!  My friends and I decided at the last minute to check out one of the largest ports in the world today.  We left in the morning and made it a day trip.  It was a whole lot of walking, but we saw just about everything (except for the zoo). 

We went to the markets, saw the weird-shaped apartments (Kijkkubus in Oude Haven), walked past the White House (Witte Huis where Westermeijer is located) to the Erasmusbridge (Erasmusbrug), saw the canal, went up in the Euromast (what a scary and unbelievable view!), saw St. Laurenskerk Cathedral, walked through Het Park, went into the Chabot Museum, walked through the Chinese District, the shopping center (Beurstraverse) and collapsed into a 30 minute train ride back to Breda.

Here are some photos of the sights:

Market:

Marjaana and me in front of the unusual apartments (Kijkkubus):

Here’s a website that will explain what I am talking about:  http://www.kubuswoning.nl/introkubuseng.html.

White House:

Erasmusbridge:

Photo of canal (where we had walked) from Euromast:

Me up in the Euromast:

St. Laurenskerk Cathedral:

Het Park:

Chabot Museum:

Chinese District:

Shopping Center:

Train Station:

Tomorrow we are going to see the Moscow Circus!

Sunday, September 03, 2006

Posted 1 year, 8 months, 1 week, 1 day, 1 hour, 25 minutes ago

After a very tiring trip, I am home doing laundry!

It took an hour and a half and €14.60 round-trip ticket to get me to Antwerp, Belgium.  Marjaana and I visited the Diamond District, the Park, the Central, the Cathedral, walked to the Schelde and “Laundry Day”, stayed at a “youth hotel” (a.k.a. hostel), and went to the Antwerp Zoo.  We sampled many Belgium chocolates, restaurants, waffles, and rode on the Trams as much as possible.  I got to see what backpacking will be like for my future trips during the year.  Let’s just say, if you can buy it, don’t pack it!

Here are some of the many photos I took this weekend:

Friday, September 01, 2006

Posted 1 year, 8 months, 1 week, 3 days, 4 hours, 14 minutes ago

It seems one week of school has made me want to take a trip out of the country!  My brain had to start to think in “school mode” again!  After a summer of working and taking a regular class at Marymount, the European classes have forced me to think in a way I never have! 

My worst days are Wednesdays.  I start at 8:45 a.m. and go until 5:10 p.m. with no break whatsoever!  There are only 5 minutes between the classes here!  I don’t even have time to eat lunch!  So they will be difficult, but I will survive.

Problem-based learning takes you out of textbooks and forces you to think on your own.  Unfortunately, the classes I had last fall are what we are using, and a year can be hard on your memory!  I foresee a lot of studying ahead of me!

But tomorrow, Marjaana and I are going to set out for Antwerp.  We decided tonight!  Taking a short break for the weekend seemed like the way to go.  Marjaana is a student in my classes from Finland.  We both don’t know Dutch, but I have my trusty phrase book and we can point!

I will fill you in on how it goes, but I will leave you with the sunset from my window!