A few months back we had an international dinner, where everybody in our house was supposed to make some dish from their home country. My friend Renee, from North Carolina, and I thought really hard about what "real" American food was. We settled on the idea of making meat loaf and homemade macaroni and cheese. She also made an apple pie for another similar occasion. While these are definitely things that people eat, we decided, for this particular dinner, to make some authentic food that people eat at home on a regular basis.
The first step to our gourmet trio was good old fashion PB & J. Of course, we had to call it by its long name "Peanut Butter and Jelly" to our friends, because they didn't understand the initials. Then we had to explain that all there was to it was in in the name. Believe it or not, it didn't win over a lot of people. Many of the people we know from Europe aren't big fans of peanut butter, and we knew that going in. To be fair, looking at the table full of delicious dishes, who could blame the people who skipped over the triangle cut sandwiches on plain white bread? We could have gone fancier, but we wanted to preserve the integrity of the original PB & J: plain bread, peanut butter, and strawberry jelly. I can't honestly say that I like PB & J, but I know it's nearly unanimously approved of at home. However, many of the people who did try it last night didn't really like it. They said that the taste of peanut butter was "just too much" and "too sweet." Mind you, this is coming from the land of Nutella and some of the people who put chocolate bars on their bread for breakfast. One girl said that it was ok for a bite, but that was enough to last her the rest of her life. So far we weren't really selling the American culinary experience.
Our next masterpiece used the same quality bread and was the amazing grilled cheese sandwich. We did have to make a minor concession here because we didn't have access to the rubber patties in the cellophane wrapping known and loved as "American Cheese." We were also unable to find cheddar cheese, so, of course, we ended up with a mild Gouda. While frying up these morsels of cheesy goodness, the guy cooking some elaborate pasta dish on the stove across from us looked up and asked why we weren't doing the international dinner. Apparently he didn't think our sandwiches looked like acceptable dishes to pass. At the very least, he thought we needed some meat on the sandwiches. Don't these people understand we were maintaining the integrity of the original creations?!? Well, the joke was on him because the grilled cheeses were actually a big hit.
Finally came my personal favorite, macaroni and cheese. We weren't going to do it from scratch this time. We wanted people to understand what the typical mac and cheese of choice is. We found two boxes of mac and cheese in the international section at the grocery store. There's a small American section that houses some off-brand US products like box brownies, frosting, microwave popcorn, and mac and cheese. The looks we got when we poured out the pasta and added in bright orange powder were great. After two simple steps of dumping in milk and butter, we were all set. It didn't honestly taste the exact same as the stuff at home, but people got the gist. There were mixed reactions on this one. Again, though, to be fair, it was sitting right next to a homemade pizza made by an Italian and a homemade lemon meringue pie. I guess it's all relative.
While it may seem like we took the easy way out, this trio was a calculated decision made by the two of us to share some everyday food that we've grown up with with our friends. They may not have loved it all, but they did enjoy trying some of the food they associate with American movies.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Happenings in Groningen
I mentioned in a previous post how the author of a book I read for my Hungarian history class was coming to visit last week. Well, there was an event last week with both Dragoman and his wife, a famous poet. It was very cool because they both gave readings of some of their works, in both Hungarian and English. Needless to say, I couldn't understand the Hungarian versions, but it was really cool listening to an author read their own piece, especially poetry, because it is the only true, genuine reading where the audience can see something exactly as the author had intended. They both also talked about their writing processes and histories, answered questions and signed their books.
My teacher had asked two other students and I to organize food for a reception after the event. So, afterwards, we got to spend time with the Hungarian studies department and some other people teaching and studying history and/or literature. It was a really cool experience to get a taste of another form of academic involvement at RUG.
In the city center, there are two large open squares, the Grote Markt and the Vis Markt. Three days a week they're reserved for markets, and they were also full of food stands and concert stages for Queen's Day. Last week, however, a festival rolled into town. The who city center was crammed full of portable rides , so much so that I'm pretty sure that if a bus rolled by at just the right, or I guess wrong, moment, that it could be hit by the swinging seats on the big spinning ride. Nonetheless, we had to check it out. The festival was a lot of fun, especially the rides that spin you way up in the air and upside down. It's not too often you can see the skyline of the city at night, particularly upside down. There was one ride that was less than satisfactory, which made us all decide to call it a night, quite soon after due to a prolonged feeling of nausea. The ride was like being in a continual car accident for 7 minutes, but also being a rag doll in a steel box without a seat belt.
After spending most of the weekend cooped up inside doing homework, Charlotte and I headed out to the lake in Groningen. The sun was finally out and everybody in town was soaking up as much of it as possible. Probably because we're all aware of the fact that it's a very temperamental and fleeting celestial bulb, at least around here. It was gorgeous today and, rumor has it, the sun will be out tomorrow as well. We've got a picnic and homework session planned at the lake tomorrow, so, fingers crossed, it better stay this nice.
My teacher had asked two other students and I to organize food for a reception after the event. So, afterwards, we got to spend time with the Hungarian studies department and some other people teaching and studying history and/or literature. It was a really cool experience to get a taste of another form of academic involvement at RUG.
In the city center, there are two large open squares, the Grote Markt and the Vis Markt. Three days a week they're reserved for markets, and they were also full of food stands and concert stages for Queen's Day. Last week, however, a festival rolled into town. The who city center was crammed full of portable rides , so much so that I'm pretty sure that if a bus rolled by at just the right, or I guess wrong, moment, that it could be hit by the swinging seats on the big spinning ride. Nonetheless, we had to check it out. The festival was a lot of fun, especially the rides that spin you way up in the air and upside down. It's not too often you can see the skyline of the city at night, particularly upside down. There was one ride that was less than satisfactory, which made us all decide to call it a night, quite soon after due to a prolonged feeling of nausea. The ride was like being in a continual car accident for 7 minutes, but also being a rag doll in a steel box without a seat belt.
After spending most of the weekend cooped up inside doing homework, Charlotte and I headed out to the lake in Groningen. The sun was finally out and everybody in town was soaking up as much of it as possible. Probably because we're all aware of the fact that it's a very temperamental and fleeting celestial bulb, at least around here. It was gorgeous today and, rumor has it, the sun will be out tomorrow as well. We've got a picnic and homework session planned at the lake tomorrow, so, fingers crossed, it better stay this nice.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Study Abroad Humor
The other day, a few friends and I were sitting next to a friend on the computer, when we stumbled upon a jewel of a website describing the experience of studying abroad. Obviously, they didn't all apply to us but we were laughing so hard that we started to get strange looks from the other people in the lobby. I thought I should share a few little gems with you. I'll try to explain their significance along the way, but I can't promise they'll all make sense if you haven't personally been in some of the situations. I'm just going to post them as I find them so they're going to be in a really random order, so please, I beg you, bear with me...
These are all hyperlinks to websites. Click on them and they'll take you to a new page...
1-
Sagrada Familia was a beautiful cathedral in Barcelona. It was started by Gaudi a long time ago and then has been under construction for decades by a different architect. The basic gist of this post is that it's massive, awesome, and, more than anything, it doesn't seem real that we've been able to see so many cool things.
2-
Such little cars and even smaller spaces.
3-
Now, I promise you that I didn't actually try to do this, but I've seen people all over the place bothering the poor royal guards. They jump around in front of them and pose next to them for pictures like they're statues. Poor guys.
4-
I told you it was awesome!
5-
The bread at the market really is amazing.
6-
The lights don't bother me as much as the trumpet they play after we land and it's still the crack of dawn.
7-
I'm not sure why people try this, it seems so dangerous. I do need to give serious props to the Dutch girls, though, because they are always riding their bikes in high heels.
8-
This is particularly true when the aforementioned 'nod-and-smile' technique fails me.
9-
Greatest feeling ever!
10-
This would be my mother's reaction to this senario. I drink mostly water so it hasn't really bothered me, but the other day a couple of us were talking about how great a glass of ice water sounded. None of the European kids could understand why we'd possibly want ice in our drinks. They said the fridge makes things cold enough. My friend from Canada still couldn't manage to explain to them that it's not the same. A strange difference to notice, but it's true.
11-
Always a pain in the butt.
12-
Seriously though. I mean, everybody knows and speaks Spanish, but they all talk in Catalan with each other. Unlike most of the rest of Spain, all of the people we met in the city talk primarily in Catalan. I understood so many more conversations we overheard when we were in Madrid than Barcelona for this reason.
13-
My mom obviously hasn't sent me any peanut butter. The point is that so many of the international students that we live with don't like peanut butter at all. They were born and raised with Nutella and do not even come close to understanding all of the crazy things that the people from the US and Canada stick peanut butter on/in.
14-
When I was describing some of the new foods I've tried to my mom, this is what she said I was going to end up like when I come home.
15-
This has never happened. However, should it ever occur (in some crazy parallel universe), it would definitely warrant this response.
16-
I'm telling you, there's definitely a learning curve. For somebody like me who's never really utilized public transportation before, it was a very big accomplishment when I finally felt comfortable finding my way around. On the last trip alone we used trains, airplanes, public buses, metros, trams, distance buses, and one of those things that climbs the sides of mountains.
17-
It's really not as big as you'd think it would be.
18-
Definitely my initial reaction.
And now that we're getting closer to the end...
19-
This seems to be the overall sentiment amongst the people I have talked to.
These are all hyperlinks to websites. Click on them and they'll take you to a new page...
1-
Sagrada Familia was a beautiful cathedral in Barcelona. It was started by Gaudi a long time ago and then has been under construction for decades by a different architect. The basic gist of this post is that it's massive, awesome, and, more than anything, it doesn't seem real that we've been able to see so many cool things.
2-
Such little cars and even smaller spaces.
3-
Now, I promise you that I didn't actually try to do this, but I've seen people all over the place bothering the poor royal guards. They jump around in front of them and pose next to them for pictures like they're statues. Poor guys.
4-
I told you it was awesome!
5-
The bread at the market really is amazing.
6-
The lights don't bother me as much as the trumpet they play after we land and it's still the crack of dawn.
7-
I'm not sure why people try this, it seems so dangerous. I do need to give serious props to the Dutch girls, though, because they are always riding their bikes in high heels.
8-
This is particularly true when the aforementioned 'nod-and-smile' technique fails me.
9-
Greatest feeling ever!
10-
This would be my mother's reaction to this senario. I drink mostly water so it hasn't really bothered me, but the other day a couple of us were talking about how great a glass of ice water sounded. None of the European kids could understand why we'd possibly want ice in our drinks. They said the fridge makes things cold enough. My friend from Canada still couldn't manage to explain to them that it's not the same. A strange difference to notice, but it's true.
11-
Always a pain in the butt.
12-
Seriously though. I mean, everybody knows and speaks Spanish, but they all talk in Catalan with each other. Unlike most of the rest of Spain, all of the people we met in the city talk primarily in Catalan. I understood so many more conversations we overheard when we were in Madrid than Barcelona for this reason.
13-
My mom obviously hasn't sent me any peanut butter. The point is that so many of the international students that we live with don't like peanut butter at all. They were born and raised with Nutella and do not even come close to understanding all of the crazy things that the people from the US and Canada stick peanut butter on/in.
14-
When I was describing some of the new foods I've tried to my mom, this is what she said I was going to end up like when I come home.
15-
This has never happened. However, should it ever occur (in some crazy parallel universe), it would definitely warrant this response.
16-
I'm telling you, there's definitely a learning curve. For somebody like me who's never really utilized public transportation before, it was a very big accomplishment when I finally felt comfortable finding my way around. On the last trip alone we used trains, airplanes, public buses, metros, trams, distance buses, and one of those things that climbs the sides of mountains.
17-
It's really not as big as you'd think it would be.
18-
Definitely my initial reaction.
And now that we're getting closer to the end...
19-
This seems to be the overall sentiment amongst the people I have talked to.
School
I realize that the majority of my posts consists of stories about the various excursions I have been taking. While it may come as a surprise to some, I still promise that I'm paying a lot of attention to school. Overall, I have really been enjoying my classes. They consist of a lot of reading and I have some ridiculously long papers and presentations to attend to, but the classes have all been pretty interesting. I've decided to provide a few anecdotes about various things I've experienced in the classroom over the semester to give a glimpse of my experience in a foreign institution.
Unfortunately, I don't speak Dutch. Well, I mean I can pretend to know enough Dutch to make it in and out of the grocery store or to talk to the ticket taker on the train, but, overall, my Dutch skills leave quite a bit to be desired. I've mattered the art of the 'nod-and-smile,' but it only gets me so far. There comes a point in many a conversation that one must admit their ignorance and explain that they have no idea what's going on. The general rule is that if somebody talks to you for more than about two sentences, you're screwed and should admit defeat. I tried to hold out longer at the library once, only to find out that the man was actually trying to kick me out of the room because he had a class coming in.
Fortunately for me, as well as all of the international students, the classes that we've signed up for are all in English. That doesn't mean, though, that my classes are full of international students. In all of my classes, I'm one of the very few international students, meaning (1) that it's partially my fault that the class is taught in English and (2) that I never understand what the other kids are always chatting about before class and during breaks.
I was terrified during the first presentation I had to give in one of my classes. Not only was I overwhelmed by the fact that I felt like the only person in the class who didn't know everything there possibly was to know about Rome, but I was also that foreign kid standing up in front of all the locals. I survived and have lived to tell the tale, but it was a traumatic experience. I was super confident about the next presentation I had to give, even though it was over twenty minutes long, but that may have partially been due to the fact that there were only four other students and the teacher in the room. I was really prepared for the last presentation I gave and was ready to rock it, until I came down with the flu and proceeded to do more coughing up of my lungs in front of the class than educating them about the Victorian Era.
I got an assignment back in one of my classes and got full credit for it. The professor did mention that my writing was a bit colloquial and archaic. I found this statement to be a bit ironic because I'm the only native English speaker in the class, including the professor, and they're telling me that my English sounds different. Of course it's colloquial; I'm from a different local. Go figure. It didn't bother me so much as confuse me. What did bother me was the next week in class when we were reading something in Middle English and he said that non-native speakers have an easier time pronouncing the language and that native speakers tend to butcher it. Guess who he called on to read aloud to the class next. This girl!
Spending a semester in a foreign school has really been a really cool experience. I love hearing about the different perspectives and backgrounds that people bring into their interpretations of what we're doing in class. The other day in one of my classes we were talking about the point of education and who should be responsible for funding it. A lot of people in my class all believed that the government should be in charge of funding education because they set the standards. Students in the Netherlands get funding from the government to live and go to school. This has obviously shaped part of the educational experience in the country and it's been cool to see how things like that alter the viewpoints from which we discuss things in class.
In my Hungarian cultural history class, we've done a lot of discussing how the material we've examined impacts us based on our background and relates to us based on our background. It's kindof a cool class because the teacher is Hungarian, as are two of the students, and the other two are Dutch. We all came in with different life experiences and it definitely makes class discussions, which are the main component of the class, that much more meaningful. I read a novel for class this week called "The White King." It was written by a Hungarian author, so I was obviously reading a translation. It was an amazing translation, though, and really seemed to keep the integrity and point of view of the original version. It also kept the setting very real but was still something that could be related to.
The coolest part was that I read the book in English, two students read it in Hungarian, and two read it in Dutch. Comparing our experiences with reading the different versions made for an awesome class discussion. I really, really enjoyed the book and it was neat to see how the others interpreted it. The best part is that the author is actually coming to visit next Tuesday! I'm super excited to meet him and think that this is such a great experience.
Overall, this semester of school has been great so far. I still have a lot of work to do and exams to take, but I'm ok with that. It did bum me out a bit that everybody at home is now done with school, but, all things considering, I'm not really in a place to complain about things like that, am I?
Unfortunately, I don't speak Dutch. Well, I mean I can pretend to know enough Dutch to make it in and out of the grocery store or to talk to the ticket taker on the train, but, overall, my Dutch skills leave quite a bit to be desired. I've mattered the art of the 'nod-and-smile,' but it only gets me so far. There comes a point in many a conversation that one must admit their ignorance and explain that they have no idea what's going on. The general rule is that if somebody talks to you for more than about two sentences, you're screwed and should admit defeat. I tried to hold out longer at the library once, only to find out that the man was actually trying to kick me out of the room because he had a class coming in.
Fortunately for me, as well as all of the international students, the classes that we've signed up for are all in English. That doesn't mean, though, that my classes are full of international students. In all of my classes, I'm one of the very few international students, meaning (1) that it's partially my fault that the class is taught in English and (2) that I never understand what the other kids are always chatting about before class and during breaks.
I was terrified during the first presentation I had to give in one of my classes. Not only was I overwhelmed by the fact that I felt like the only person in the class who didn't know everything there possibly was to know about Rome, but I was also that foreign kid standing up in front of all the locals. I survived and have lived to tell the tale, but it was a traumatic experience. I was super confident about the next presentation I had to give, even though it was over twenty minutes long, but that may have partially been due to the fact that there were only four other students and the teacher in the room. I was really prepared for the last presentation I gave and was ready to rock it, until I came down with the flu and proceeded to do more coughing up of my lungs in front of the class than educating them about the Victorian Era.
I got an assignment back in one of my classes and got full credit for it. The professor did mention that my writing was a bit colloquial and archaic. I found this statement to be a bit ironic because I'm the only native English speaker in the class, including the professor, and they're telling me that my English sounds different. Of course it's colloquial; I'm from a different local. Go figure. It didn't bother me so much as confuse me. What did bother me was the next week in class when we were reading something in Middle English and he said that non-native speakers have an easier time pronouncing the language and that native speakers tend to butcher it. Guess who he called on to read aloud to the class next. This girl!
Spending a semester in a foreign school has really been a really cool experience. I love hearing about the different perspectives and backgrounds that people bring into their interpretations of what we're doing in class. The other day in one of my classes we were talking about the point of education and who should be responsible for funding it. A lot of people in my class all believed that the government should be in charge of funding education because they set the standards. Students in the Netherlands get funding from the government to live and go to school. This has obviously shaped part of the educational experience in the country and it's been cool to see how things like that alter the viewpoints from which we discuss things in class.
In my Hungarian cultural history class, we've done a lot of discussing how the material we've examined impacts us based on our background and relates to us based on our background. It's kindof a cool class because the teacher is Hungarian, as are two of the students, and the other two are Dutch. We all came in with different life experiences and it definitely makes class discussions, which are the main component of the class, that much more meaningful. I read a novel for class this week called "The White King." It was written by a Hungarian author, so I was obviously reading a translation. It was an amazing translation, though, and really seemed to keep the integrity and point of view of the original version. It also kept the setting very real but was still something that could be related to.
The coolest part was that I read the book in English, two students read it in Hungarian, and two read it in Dutch. Comparing our experiences with reading the different versions made for an awesome class discussion. I really, really enjoyed the book and it was neat to see how the others interpreted it. The best part is that the author is actually coming to visit next Tuesday! I'm super excited to meet him and think that this is such a great experience.
Overall, this semester of school has been great so far. I still have a lot of work to do and exams to take, but I'm ok with that. It did bum me out a bit that everybody at home is now done with school, but, all things considering, I'm not really in a place to complain about things like that, am I?
Czech it Out!
I know, corny title, but, hey, that's what all the shirts said in the tourist shops in the Czech Republic when we went there last week. Thanks to the beloved queen, we had May Break last week in celebration of both Queen's Day and Liberation Day. With the ugly orange nail polish still clinging to our nails, two friends and I took advantage of the break to head south east to czech out the area.
Our first stop was Prague. I have to admit, I didn't really know what to expect with Prague, even though I've always heard such great things. However, I think it has made the list of the top three places that I've been so far. The hostel we stayed at was amazing and it's such a beautiful old city. Here's a glimpse at some of the awesome things we saw and did. A lot of the time was spent just wandering the old downtown area. There were so many old buildings that wandering around aimlessly was exciting enough. We also went up to the castle on the hill with the cathedral and climbed a big tower on the hill to see an awesome view overlooking the city.
Our next stop was Vienna in Austria. It was only a five hour bus ride on a really cheap bus line. The drive was beautiful through the countryside of the Czech Republic and Austria. We went to the magnificent gardens of the Schönbrunn Palace, the St. Stephen's Cathedral and wandered around town. There was a big festival going on that day that we were going through. I'm not positive but I'm pretty sure we heard a Jimmy Buffet song in German.
On our last full day we took another bus and headed to Brno, Czech Republic, where we would be flying out of the next day. It was a really pretty city and I believe they said it was the second largest city in the country, but it also had the feeling of a small city. We have been very lucky in every city that we have been to to manage to get a bird's eye view of the city. We happened to luck out again in Brno, where we climbed up a very steep hill to the castle on the top.
I feel so fortunate to have had all of the opportunities to travel that I have. It's still hard to believe that I have been able to do so many things. I think I've learned a lot from all of my traveling experiences and that Charlotte and I have gotten into a very efficient traveling groove with our adventures. Other than becoming better at figuring out the logistics when traveling, we both decided that we've also gained a lot bigger appreciation for culture. Having been to so many different places, we've been comparing and contrasting the atmospheres that we've felt in the different cities and really appreciating them for what they are. We make a point to sample the local cuisine in places whether it be wienersnitchel, some sort of mixture of cabbage, potatoes and ham, various drinks or my new favorite food, Lángos. These are a healthy combination of fried dough topped with cream cheese, garlic and cheese that we found at a stand on the streets. Yumm!
Our first stop was Prague. I have to admit, I didn't really know what to expect with Prague, even though I've always heard such great things. However, I think it has made the list of the top three places that I've been so far. The hostel we stayed at was amazing and it's such a beautiful old city. Here's a glimpse at some of the awesome things we saw and did. A lot of the time was spent just wandering the old downtown area. There were so many old buildings that wandering around aimlessly was exciting enough. We also went up to the castle on the hill with the cathedral and climbed a big tower on the hill to see an awesome view overlooking the city.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Queen's Day
Queen's Day, or Koninginnedag, is a national holiday in the Netherlands that is celebrated on April 30, the former queen, Juliana's, birthday. The holiday has traditionally been changed to the current queen's birthday, but the birthday of Queen Beatrix is actually in January. She kept Queen's Day on her mother's birthday so the weather would hopefully be nicer for all of the outdoor partying. It's nice that the queen is willing to make accommodations like that- not really needing to celebrate on her birthday, so her country can have an easier time for their drunken revelry in the streets.
It's really a rather strange holiday. It seems like all rules of civil society are thrown out of the window and all of the cities in the Netherlands go crazy. Everything closes, drinking in the streets becomes legal, concert stages are set up i
n every square, a free-for-all flea market in the streets becomes legal for the day, mass public toilets
, street blockades and portable bars are brought out and everybody dresses up in as much orange as possible to go gallivanting drunkenly through the streets. I saw some people who made a two-in-one moped and couch combination they were driving around. There were countless groups on boats going through the canals...
Dutch pop songs were playing, US pop songs, techno music, pretty much everything was coming out of every speaker in town, whether on stage or from the closest bar.
The celebration started the night before, Queen's Night if you will, when the city center was draped in flags, streamers and confetti, and the crowds allowed for zero breathing space.
Roads were blocked off and the city center was swarming with people. The next morning we had a communal breakfast in the house and headed back out in the most unflattering color in the world.
People had blanket set up where they were selling things, bands were playing everywhere, and the streets were swarming with people. Unlike the previous few days which had been cold and rainy, the sun was out and it was a beautiful day. I would like to thank the queen for that. I'm sure she put in a good word for her mother's birthday.
After a couple hours of relaxing back at home, we headed back out into the streets where there was dancing outdoors, although things had slowed down a bit because everybody was tired after a long day of tough work having fun.
A guy who I met who has lived in Groningen for a few years said that Queen's Day in whatever city you're in is better than New Year's Eve in Amsterdam. I cannot personally vouch for the validity of this statement, but I do have to say it was a ton of fun. The mass amount of people having fun in crazy outfits and spending hours outside in the beautiful spring air left the city looking like a tornado had hit, but it was definitely a celebration to remember.
Here's the lovely lady this is all in honor of. She stopped by a couple of cities to say 'hi' on her "birthday."
It's really a rather strange holiday. It seems like all rules of civil society are thrown out of the window and all of the cities in the Netherlands go crazy. Everything closes, drinking in the streets becomes legal, concert stages are set up i
n every square, a free-for-all flea market in the streets becomes legal for the day, mass public toilets
, street blockades and portable bars are brought out and everybody dresses up in as much orange as possible to go gallivanting drunkenly through the streets. I saw some people who made a two-in-one moped and couch combination they were driving around. There were countless groups on boats going through the canals...
Dutch pop songs were playing, US pop songs, techno music, pretty much everything was coming out of every speaker in town, whether on stage or from the closest bar.
The celebration started the night before, Queen's Night if you will, when the city center was draped in flags, streamers and confetti, and the crowds allowed for zero breathing space.
Roads were blocked off and the city center was swarming with people. The next morning we had a communal breakfast in the house and headed back out in the most unflattering color in the world.
After a couple hours of relaxing back at home, we headed back out into the streets where there was dancing outdoors, although things had slowed down a bit because everybody was tired after a long day of tough work having fun.
A guy who I met who has lived in Groningen for a few years said that Queen's Day in whatever city you're in is better than New Year's Eve in Amsterdam. I cannot personally vouch for the validity of this statement, but I do have to say it was a ton of fun. The mass amount of people having fun in crazy outfits and spending hours outside in the beautiful spring air left the city looking like a tornado had hit, but it was definitely a celebration to remember.
Here's the lovely lady this is all in honor of. She stopped by a couple of cities to say 'hi' on her "birthday."
Sunday, April 29, 2012
The Blekerslaan Bond
I know I've described the house that I've been living in a few times already, but I would just like to take a moment and reiterate how much I really love living in Blekerslaan. We're big enough that you're not constantly surrounded by the exact same couple of people, if you don't want to be, but small enough that you easily know everyone. The primary people that we all hang out with are the people we live with. We cook, eat, do homework, travel, and shop with each other, and we still have a Facebook page to interact on. This much close interaction really bonds a group of people and it's going to be weird when we all eventually have to start moving out.
This weekend is Queensday so there have been several people who lived here last semester coming back to celebrate with their friends who still live in the house. It's been really cool to see how close of friends people have remained and I really hope that will be the case with us. The thing is that most of the people who come back have it a lot easier because they live in Europe. This is slightly more problematic for those of us residing on different continents. Don't worry though, talk has already begun about a reunion on the North American continent for next year.
The other night, some people had a part at our house. There were friends from other places invited but there seemed to be an excessive amount of people that showed up that nobody really knew how they all got invited. While the common room was swarming with these new comers, it was funny to see how close-knit all of the people in the house were as they sort of simultaneously migrated into the kitchen to hang out with each other. Everybody still hung out with the visitors, but nobody really knew what to do with the sudden influx of newcomers into our home.
Well, if we thought that was weird, it was nothing compared to the group of strangers who waltzed in and made themselves at home the next night. I walked into the common room and no longer recognized 80% of its inhabitants. Apparently, the most recent group of squatters consisted of people who lived in Blekerslaan last year. Not last semester, but last year. They all decided to come back and have a little reunion in their old abode. This was all fine and dandy, and it sounded like a lot of fun. It was nice to see how close they all still were. The only thing was weird is that they just came in like they owned the place, cooked themselves dinner and took over the couches for the evening, without any of us knowing where they came from or them really acknowledging us. Last night I walked downstairs at night and they seemed to have multiplied like rabbits. There were dozens of these strangers who lived in Blekerslaan "in the good old days" who were now dancing on our tables. Like I said, I really loving seeing how strong the Blekerslaan bond is, but I'm also wondering when they're leaving.
Here's another group photos of our lovely clan... They're great, you'd love them! :)
This weekend is Queensday so there have been several people who lived here last semester coming back to celebrate with their friends who still live in the house. It's been really cool to see how close of friends people have remained and I really hope that will be the case with us. The thing is that most of the people who come back have it a lot easier because they live in Europe. This is slightly more problematic for those of us residing on different continents. Don't worry though, talk has already begun about a reunion on the North American continent for next year.
The other night, some people had a part at our house. There were friends from other places invited but there seemed to be an excessive amount of people that showed up that nobody really knew how they all got invited. While the common room was swarming with these new comers, it was funny to see how close-knit all of the people in the house were as they sort of simultaneously migrated into the kitchen to hang out with each other. Everybody still hung out with the visitors, but nobody really knew what to do with the sudden influx of newcomers into our home.
Here's another group photos of our lovely clan... They're great, you'd love them! :)
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