The Ups

I'm told that I am supposed to be going through a bunch of ups and downs of culture shock or something... but to be honest its been all ups for a few weeks now. Everytime that I wake up here I'm a little awestruck at how amazing my life is and how lucky I am. Even bike riding doesn't bring me down. Which I am getting a bit better at by the way.

Classes are still going well- interesting discussions, lots of reading.

My big bro Aram was here for a few days for a conference. (Or so he claims.) We had a great time hanging out. He introduced me to some of his favorite spots here, and we went to an area called Jordan for some shopping. We were on a quest for a gift for Kami. Let me tell you, it is difficult to shop for a 4 month old in this city. But we found a really neat pop-up book at an artsy furniture store. And I found some baby socks at the Doppermarkt- the outdoor market near my apartment.

I'm about to go to the grocery store to pick up some things. But I realized I hadn't written anything in a while so I wanted to update everyone.

Tot Ziens!

Not In Kansas Anymore

Hello international friends and family! Life in Amsterdam is going very well. My classes are all very engaging, and I’m making some great new friends. I’m learning the city slowly but surely. Here are a few highlights of my past week or so:

Utrecht take two:

A bunch of my fellow IESers and I went back to Utrecht with one of our coordinators to go to a Dutch pancake house. This was no IHOP, this was really serious pizza sized full-breakfast-in-one-pancake pancake hose. I got banana and ginger, but I sampled many others such as apple and cheese and bacon/cheese/egg. See pictures for details.

After our pancakes we went to a Huis Doorn, a previous mansion, now museum for a very interesting tour. Wilhelm 11, the last German Emperor and previous owner of the mansion was a very unique character. If you’re interested in the history, here is the wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huis_Doorn

In culinary news:

I have had French fries with mayonnaise. Generally, I am anti-mayo, but I see the appeal with fries. In small doses I can handle it. Another Dutch snack is Bitterballen. They are deep fried balls, 1-2 inches in diameter, filled with thickened beef broth and meat inside, often served with mustard. They can’t be good for you, but they’re pretty tasty. The Dutch are also really into kiwi-beverages, which I don’t think I’ve ever seen before, but they’re really good. As I looked through the chip isle at a local store, I was very amused to find “Cool American” Doritos. You may know they as “Cool Ranch,” but ranch must be uniquely American, hence the name.

Queer Nightlife:

I have only gone out on the town a couple of times. One night we went to Drag Queen Bingo night at a gay bar. This was my first experience with either, and it was a ton of fun. I even won a round and got a rainbow-striped hat, which is very practical as it is very cold and windy. Some other prizes weren’t so practical, and I’ll leave it at that. On the flip side of the queer world, I also went to a Drag King party a few nights ago. There was no bingo, but it was equally as fun. Coming from Bedminster and State College, I’ve never experienced a lot of this culture. Certainly a lot of eye-openers.

BIKE!

Today, I bought a bike. It only has one gear, and back-peddle breaks. I was very nervous, not having ridden a bike in almost 10 years, and being left in a sling after that last time. I’ll be honest- I am terrified in traffic, and I’m probably the slowest biker out there. But my friends are very patient, and I’m told that in a week I’ll be more comfortable. I hope so, if only for the sake of my anatomy that constantly bounces on the seat while going over cobblestone streets. Painful.

Getting Educated

Pictures above are at the castle in Utrecht that we visited on the first weekend.

Music and Cognition:

This is the only class that I have that is held in a building other than our “IES center.” It’s near the Dam Square, on Spuistraat if anyone is familiar. The building is used for many UvA (University van Amsterdam) classes, so most of the students there are Dutch, including those in my class. All of my other classes are overwhelmingly American. There had been over-registration for the class, and that the university was being very strict about who could stay. In order to be in the class we needed to have our “ propedeuse” done. All of the students seemed to know what this meant… but I did not. So I figured that if I didn’t know what a "propedeuse" was, I surely didn’t have one and would be told to leave the class. So over the course of the next hour or so our professor went over the roster and told a handful of people that they have to leave the class, so they did. As it turns out, a “ propedeuse” just indicates that you’re a 3^rd year student (I think?) so I am qualified for the class. Our professor had explained that this course involved Musicology, Psychology, and Computer Science (?), and he would be arranging us into groups based on our expertise. So we were to introduce ourselves and indicate in which area we had the most experience. As we introduced ourselves, I went first, and I asked him what exactly he meant by “Musicology,” was that general musical experience? He told me, “You know, musicology, like the subject at the university.” I told him I didn’t quite understand him but I have been in many choirs and can read music pretty well. But I said that my background was mainly psychology. The rest of the class did introductions, and each one was like pulling teeth. If the student asked a question it would take about 5 minutes of back and forth between the student and professor, sometimes causing the student to resort to just speaking in Dutch because it was easier.

Later, the professor asked if we had any questions. I realized that he had never said his name, so I asked what we should call him. He said his name, and when I tried to pronounce it, I said the Dutch word for “honey,” and everyone laughed. I guess that accidentally calling your professor inappropriate and endearing terms is funny in all cultures.

In conclusion, the class seems really interesting, and it’s great that there are so many Dutch people in the class, but it is likely to be the one that I drop. So many communication difficulties, and it seems like it’s going to be a difficult class with a lot of technical work. Too bad.

Dutch Cinema:

Each week we watch a film and then discuss it. On the first day we watched Village on the River. Set in the 50s in Holland. Really good- I would recommend it. We’re also exploring some non-Dutch films. In pairs we are going to do presentations on cinema in different countries.

The Local and Global Complexity of Prostitution:

All of my classes are very different from anything I’ve done in the States, but this one is definitely something that I could never study at home. We’re going to have several different guest speakers, including a female and (hopefully) male sex worker, politician, and a client. Our professor told us that we should all go to the red light district and just look around, go into the shops, maybe talk to people. We all have to eventually give presentations on different topics, and we are encouraged to interview sex workers or clients. Very excited for class.

Tune in next time for a culinary update and more awkward faux pas.

Sicknesses

It is day 7 in Amsterdam, and I feel just about as lost as I did on day 1, if not more. The first few days were just a lot of orientation, and then we had Sunday off. I went out with a few people on Sunday to explore and looked for some boots with no luck. After stepping in a big puddle today while wearing my sneakers and sitting through a 3 hour class with frozen wet toes, I might double the forces on the mission of new shoes. That night I had some kind of nasty stomach illness. I don't know if it was food poisoning or what, but to say the least it was unpleasant. So on Monday I was pretty dibilitated, and feeling quite homesick. I skyped with Dad and and Daniel H. and it was nice to hear from home. Some fatherly advice usually helps. The time difference is a little rough, especially because I have adapted quite a strange sleeping schedule. I usually wake up around 6 or 7 am, wide awake, and then pass out by 8 or 9 at the latest. So unlike myself... but I'm also not awake and home for most of the US's daytime hours, so finding time to talk is hard, and leaves me feeling very disconnected.

I do feel better today. I had my first class- Sexuality from a Cross Cultural Perspective. It is very interesting, and my professor seems really good. We have two books to read for the class, and I'm looking forward to both. Our grades are 50% a final paper, 30% essay-midterm, and 20% class presentation. Very different from PSU where we mostly just have exams.

Starting class has made me feel a lot better. Now I have something to do other than sit in my room missing home. Before I kind of felt like I was here for no reason other than to be away from what is familiar, and I was wondering what I had gotten myself into. A lot of the other students here are really into going out drinking or smoking a lot, but at this point it doesn't sound appealing to me. Considering that I'm already so uncomfortable with my surroundings, and don't really know anyone yet, I don't really view that kind of "bonding" as valuable. I don't mean to sound anti-fun, because I certainly am not, but I'm still getting my footing here. I don't understand how so many other people are ready for that now.

Well, my current mission is to figure out how to print things in our student center (where I am currently writing) and purchase some school supplies. Today I took notes in my tiny notepad with a borrowed pen: unacceptable. I might also add getting some frenchfries (with mayonaise?!) to my to-do list. Tomorrow: Music and Cognition.

Settling In

Hello! Sorrry it’s been so long- I’ve been super busy in the daytime and then really exhausted at night. My average bedtime in the past 3 days is about 8 pm, which is completely unheard-of for me. But I made it to Amsterdam! Because I'm sure everyone is wondering, yes, I have already seen prostitutes, marijuana, wooden clogs, herring, windmills, and many many bicycles.

My room is actually pretty nice. It’s really big! I have one roommate, and we have a small kitchen, storage room, and bathroom. My bed, however, is a different story The mattress is about 4 inches deep, and the “linen package” that IES sold me for 30 Euro included sheets and a pillow and blanket very similar to what I got on the airplane on the way over. But not as nice. Our microwave is also a mystery. There are no numbers on it, and the dial does not correspond to the cooking time. I have no idea how to use it. I should post a picture. I have taken a bunch of pictures, and soon I’ll upload some.

Every day since we’ve been here has been full of orientation stuff. Boring and a little frustrating. I got my course schedule today. I’m currently enrolled in Music and Cognition, a Dutch Cinema class, A Cross Cultural Perspective of Sexuality, and a Prostitution studies class. I will end up dropping one of them, but I can try them all out for 2 weeks. Each one meets just once a week, but for 3 hours. I really want to take a Dutch Language class, but I’m not sure I can fit it into my schedule. We will see. If I don’t get into it I might try to study it on my own, because I really need a bit of a handle on the language. I just did some grocery shopping, and I’m totally in the dark. I can’t rely on labels at all- I just buy things that look like what I want. It’s a little bit exciting. I am really hungry now but I’m way too tired to cook and clean, so dinner tonight is a granola bar and chocolate hazelnut pudding. Which is delicious.

I am having a good time so far, but to be honest I’m very unimpressed with IES as an organization. I have lots to complain about, but I won’t get myself started. I am making some new friends in my program. Most people are really friendly. There are about 50 of us, all from the US.

A lot of the other students are buying bikes already. I am very intimidated, but I think I’m going to go for it. But I plan on waiting maybe a week or two. Trying to deal with that right now might be too much all at once. Right now the most important things on my list are getting a real blanket and pillow, and getting our Internet to work right. Right now we don’t have a splitter so only one of us can use it at a time.

I hate to say it, but I think it might be about bedtime for me. Sorry- this post may have been a bit disjointed, but I’m very tired from walking all day and I don’t think my mind is all there. Disclaimer: not because of the coffeeshops. I’ll post some more details of our activities soon.

Morning update: I couldn’t post this last night because I didn’t have Internet at the time. But I thought I would mention that today we’re going on a trip to Utrecht. I don’t know anything about it yet, but hopefully by the end of the day, I will.

A Multicultural Evening in Nurnberg

Last night the 5 of us went to O'Sheas Irish pub in Nurnberg for a little cultural diversity. It's a charming establishment with an even more charming staff. Jimmy is an old Irish man working there who Aram is friendly with. He said a quick hello, but more on him later. After a dinner of fish & chips and shepherd's pie, the plan was that Ann and I would explore the nightlife for a while and come back after some drinks and fun. We had been warned that Sunday night isn't the most happening time here, which we quickly found to be the case as we walked through the deserted streets. We found one kind of Mexican bar, which served a disgusting "Tequila-beer." Every bit as awful as it sounds. I opted for a drink called a "flying kangaroo," which came with a marshmallow and gummy candy on a spear. The bartender also gave one to Ann, probably thinking that she was jealous of mine. After trying to ask for the check, our German-speaking bartender handed Ann another Tequila-beer instead.

Eventually we made it out, and decided to go back to O'Sheas because we knew where it was, they spoke English, and they didn't serve Tequila-beer. We had a very nice Australian bartender there, and eventually ended up chatting with 3 Canadian hockey players at the bar. They play for Nurnberg's professional team, the Ice Tigers. We knew they were serious because one had an obviously oft-broken nose, and one was missing a front tooth. After closing time, we joined 2 of the bartenders in going to "The Druid" for a few games of pool. My pool partner was German, but had studied at the University Von Amsterdam (where I'm going in 3 days). He taught me a few Dutch phrases which were much more challenging than I had anticipated. I see that I have my work cut out for me. As we chatted and made new friends, Jimmy from O'Sheas showed up! We had gotten to know him a little at O'Sheas, but by the end of the night we knew a lot more. Whenever he saw me talking to my pool partner, he would come over to me and say in a thick Irish accent, "You be careful now! Your brother is a good man, and I don't want him coming to me tomorrow saying, 'where's my little sister?!'" I assured him that I would be careful, but he still reminded me about 15 times over the course of the evening, and regularly intimidated the boy I was talking to. As Jimmy and I were talking, the conversation turned to animals. He told me that he loves animals, but when I asked him if he likes dogs he scowled and said "Dogs?! Dogs are shit! Do you know what you do with a dog? You shoot it." I'm not sure why. At the end of the night Jimmy helped us call a cab and made sure the driver knew how to get us home. My description really does him no justice. I suggest that you go to O'Sheas and meet him. Just don't bring your dog.

Right now it's 9:30 am, but I wasn't able to sleep all night. After we got home I should have been tired, but I just couldn't fall asleep. So I gave up and took a shower, but I think that now I might try to catch an hour or so. I thought that I was over the jet lag, but clearly not. I'll be so tired all day long, but as soon as I get into bed I can't fall asleep. Very frustrating.

Chus!

Munich

Quick update because my consciousness is fading. Yesterday Aram, Ann, and I went to a really awesome comic book store in Nurnberg called Ultra Comic. It's 4 stories of eclectic nerdiness, so pretty up my alley. That night Ann showed off her Polishness and taught us how to make pierogies- delicious. Today we went to Munich on the train and basically spent the day eating and drinking tasty things. We went to The Hofbrauhaus for lunch. There was a live band and many very German patrons. I had a cute little suckling pig with potato dumplings, Ann had some sausage and saurkrout, and Aram had veal. We just got home and we're all pretty beat from walking in the cold.

Not sure of our plans for tomorrow yet- possibly involving a spa. But tonight, sleep.