Czech This Out!

I have been deemed responsible for all the world's pain and sadness because of my last blog post, so here I am to make up for that.

Right now I'm in the Czech Republic, sitting in the hotel restaurant, drinking hot chocolate (not as good as Dutch hot chocolate) after 2 hours of snowboarding. Today was my second lesson, and I'm not.... terrrrible, but it was sort of depressing to be sitting on the slope after a fall and to see my six-year-old host sister pass me perfectly on skis. But hey, you just gotta get back up and keep going. It was my first time on a slope, and I made it down the second half without falling. Granted, I was holding my instructor's hand... which is fine, because Carla predicted everything perfectly (except the falling in love part.... not that I was expecting that). Nahh, he's just really cool. We're so funny together (when I'm not on my face in the snow).

Me: "I think I have a lot more learning to do."

Him: "Yes... like how to stand and how to walk."

Me: "....I guess I picked the wrong day to stop crawling."

Czech is a really awesome language. I only know how to say "I like snowboarding" in Czech, because I asked, but it looks and sounds really cool.

I'm reading a book called Everything is Illuminated. I'm not very far, but it's pretty good. It's written a bit strangely, but that makes it sort of funny.

I think I will practice more snowboarding either tonight or tomorrow morning, before my lesson. I will only be here for a few more days, and I would like to be able to go down the slope by myself.

Before we got here, my host family and I went to Matthias' parents to see the rest of his family in North Holland. I had been there before, but this time there were presents and a lot of people. I believe I was given the coolest bed in the house. I was shoved into a small corner next to a small, foggy/mossy window, on the second floor. (No, I'm serious, I loved that spot.) The house itself is cool... it used to be a sort of barn where they would hang cheese on the walls. It's not huge, but sort of spooky. Think of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre house without the chickens hanging from the ceiling and no deranged butchers in the closet. Basically just really cool, made of wood, different and old. Dinner was vegetable soup and plum (Christmas) pudding.

After that, we went to Carla's parents house in Belgium to see her side of the family. The house was huuuuuge and when I told that to Carla's mom, she said, "Oh, no, this is a pretty typical house for Belgian people." ............. Anyways, there were tonsssss of little kids running around, and also presents to be opened (there are 2 days of Christmas here, and there too I suppose.) There were snacks on the table, and I didn't really want any, but someone offered me one so I took it anyways and it was seriously the most delicious thing I have ever eaten. It was just prepackaged, store-bought salad cheese balls, but it was amazing. Dinner that night was foie gras, soup, lobster, octopus, deviled eggs with caviar, shrimp, and raw salmon.

My host dad had to explain this to me. I didn't understand why it was so different. He said that Dutch people are just content with what they have. They don't ask for a lot, because many Dutch people are religious and they feel that a modest way of life is more accepted by God. This way of living has permeated throughout most of the country, even to people who aren't religious. Belgian people really like to live and be happy. They party and eat delicious food because they want to, and it's fun. So, in case you thought that all of Europe was the same... it's not. Not even two countries that speak almost the same language. BUT.... Dutch bread is about 12,000 times better than Belgian bread. So there.

Well anyways, after a 15 hour car ride, I'm in a different part of Europe. Most of the drive went through Germany. I've been to Germany twice now, (once in the car), and for some reason whenever I'm in Germany I have the desire to listen to German heavy metal. We didn't have any in the car. My internet knows where I am at any given moment, and keeps translating pages into Czech for me. Thank you, because I totally speak Czech. It's kind of funny, actually, because the six-year-old really loves to read, and she is unhappy because she can't read any of the Czech signs. But I love to speak Dutch here, because I think nobody will understand what I'm saying. Not that I say bad things, but I've never been able to do that before. It's always happened to me, when people are speaking another language in an airport or somewhere and I don't know what they're saying. That's what Dutch is - my airport language.

Speaking of which, I was told that Christmas was the turning point for AFS students - that their language skills increased a lot by the end of December (four months into the exchange). I've noticed that.... I can really talk to the kids now, and understand other people. It's more difficult in a big group of people, when everyone is trying to talk at once, and quickly, but one-on-one conversations are way better now.

My host mom just bought me another hot chocolate. I've been in here for an hour now.

Czech guys are really good looking.

That was random.... just happened to cross my mind. Good-bye, Spanish lessons. Hello, Czech lessons!! Just kidding. But not really. I really want to learn a lot of languages now. Nearly everyone I've met can speak more than two languages. That's really cool. I find it unfortunate that the American culture does not really emphasize learning another language. But it makes sense if you think about it. What are we supposed to learn? English is the language of the world.

I'm watching this Czech movie right now. It's on the TV in the restaurant. I don't really know what's going on... but I think it's a romantic comedy. (This is important information for you to know.)

Since my hot chocolate isn't gone yet, I'll take a moment to talk about Czech food. It's different than Dutch food. (OMG no way!!) Their soup isn't thick, but a bit greasy sometimes. They like stew, too. Well, I've only been here two days. But, this morning, I wanted a cookie to go along with my breakfast. It was the most delicious thing I have ever eaten. (Maybe I'll assign one of these to each country.) It had this hazelnut paste inside.

Hey wait a minute... I've already seen this scene of the movie!! I think it's on a loop. But I didn't see an ending! What's going on?? Well, now I'm really confused, my hot chocolate is up, and I must return to our room/house thing before dinner. So,

Tot ziens,

Emily

Attitude is Everything

My host mom said she'd like to read another post, so here it is.

I saw some people pulling their children to school on sleds. I thought that was pretty cool. But kids are heavy, and when you have to do it yourself you realize that. But I liked pulling the kids on sleds, it was nice.

The two-year-old, Anne-Laure, was walking in circles and singing in the kitchen while Carla and I were talking. But then Carla told me to stop talking and she pointed at Anne-Laure. I listened to what she was singing. It was "Happy Birthday" - in English. I had always thought it would be hilarious if one of the kids just randomly started speaking English without knowing it, but I didn't actually think it was possible. So that was a surprise. Turns out she learned the song from her six-year-old sister who is just starting to learn English in school. I wish I had started learning another language when I was six...

Have you ever woken up with your eyes glued shut? I hadn't until this morning. It was weird. Now one of my eyes is pink. But I don't think I have pink eye.

The lady at the chocolate store was mean to me. Well, not really mean, but annoying. She didn't like the fact that I had gone in there "just to have a look." She thought that I ought to be looking for something. Which I was, actually, I just didn't know what it was called, and I didn't feel like asking her because she was so grumpy, so I left without buying anything. To all you store employees - be nice to your customers, because then they will buy stuff. If you're mean, they might hold a grudge and never go to your store again.

Yesterday I spent twelve straight hours on the computer. Granted, a chunk of that time was spent doing college applications, but still. It's a bit pathetic. I watched two movies back to back, which meant staying up until almost four a.m. My internal clock is set for nine hours of sleep, so I woke up at one, with a headache.

Apparently it isn't normal to wear sneakers in the snow.

You know... whenever I write these blog posts I'm usually in a pretty good mood. But I should probably mention that at least once every day I think to myself:

"Why am I still here? I want to go home. I miss America. I'm miserable. This was a waste of time. I had a good thing going for me and now I don't."

Well at least I'm more appreciative of my home, I guess. But this has been going on for the last four months... yes, I've been here for four months and I'm still homesick. I don't think switching schools is going to help anything. I'm still going to be alone. When my host family is here, it's great. I love my host family. But they aren't here all the time, which means I'm just by myself. And maybe that's my own fault, but a lot of things are my own fault.

I guess this sounds pretty depressing, and you probably weren't expecting that. I've come really close to writing a depressing blog post twice, but the first time it didn't save and the second time someone told me to be optimistic so I didn't post it. But I'm going to post this one, because you're here to know how my year abroad is going and I haven't been honest about the fact that I'm usually unhappy yet.

The thing is, I've thought about doing something productive... like working out, reading, researching, cleaning, cooking..... I already do those things, but I could do those things with a lot more enthusiasm back in California, because at least there I have a lot of friends. I really miss my dog, too. I miss his fluffy face. And really random things about my family. Like the way my dad laughs out loud randomly at the breakfast table about a joke he heard two weeks ago and the high pitched voice my mom would always use when she read Dr. Seuss to me as a bed time story. And I miss my sister's eyes.

Oh, stop it, Emily, just keep your head up and stop complaining, you may as well be happy because you're here now so make the most of it.

If you want to hear some good news, I've gotten used to the Netherlands. (This might sound contradictory to what I have previously stated, so please allow me to explain.) I understand people when they speak Dutch. I can speak it pretty well, too. My host mom said that sometimes she forgets that it isn't my native language. My host room feels like my own room. I know how the trams and the trains and the busses work. I know my way around places, and if I don't I can usually figure it out or I just ask someone. I guess this means I have become more independent. That's true. I was sort of forced into that. But that's a good thing. It used to be I was scared to do some things on my own, like call banks and things like that that I wasn't too sure about. Now it just seems like something that I will eventually have to do so I may as well do it now. It helps to be apathetic, sometimes, because then you aren't scared - you just go with it. Things don't always have to be perfect and sometimes sh*t happens, but as the Dutch say, "alles komt goed", or "everything will be alright".

Tot ziens,

Emily

You Can't Take it with You

Why not?

Because it's too heavy.

This was a conversation between a father and son over a snowman.

Thaaaaaaaaat's right! It started snowing again. I woke up this morning, looked at the time, realized it was already time to leave, leapt out of bed, threw on some clothes, rushed down the stairs, flung open the front door - and stopped. I just stood there for a moment. Then I said, "....Oh, man..." because this snow was just ridiculous. It was really coming down. By the time I got to school, my jeans were soaked from half my calf down, my scarf had frozen over, and my backpack had become white. I don't know exactly how deep the snow is, but maybe it's 4 or 5 inches in my backyard.

Today was my last day of school before the Christmas break, and also my last day at that particular school. I didn't go to the Christmas dance yesterday because I had a cold. It's okay, though, because I got to watch a movie with my host parents, and today was the Christmas breakfast potluck at school, which I did go to. I brought mandarin oranges. There were also brownies, cookies, crackers, croissants, chocolate milk, donuts... basically everything more desirable that fruit. My teacher brought these little crackers with fancy mayonnaise filled quails eggs and caviar on top.

I might go to Amsterdam tonight... I'm not sure though. For one thing, I'm still sick, and something about walking through the snow at night doesn't sound like a good idea, and for another thing, I feel like all I'm going to do is walk, sit around in bars, talk to cool people and be cold. Talking to cool people is always good, but the rest sounds sort of.... "been there, done that." I'll think about it.

Mmmmm lekker! Why do I love Dutch food so much? I think when I go back to the US I won't want to eat anything.

"What would you like to eat, miss?"

"Do you have whole, raw herring covered in onions on roll?"

"Uhm......No. We only serve normal food here."

"Well then I'm leaving."

We'll see how it goes. Maybe I'll create an American Dutch fusion restaurant. But what would I sell? Stamppot pot pie? Cream filled oliebollen? Bacon and egg croquettes?

Never mind, all of those sound pretty gross, so I think I'll just keep the two cultures separate.

Vrolijk Kerstmis and tot ziens,

Emily

I Feel Good (Duh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh....)

I knew that I would! (Here's hoping you know that song.)

I went to Gouda last weekend. I love it there. I'm going to go there more often. Two of my good friends from AFS live there, too. You know, I didn't have too many expectations when I came to the Netherlands, but if I had any, Gouda would have fulfilled them. It's this cute place that has a downtown and a country side, and the kids bikes to school between two small lakes. There are sheep and geese and the air isn't polluted so much as it is in Den Haag. And there are these great bike paths that go through the woods if you just want to escape for a while. The houses aren't mashed together, and there are huge lakes that are good for skating in the winter. It's funny, because I'm probably one of the only students in the history of AFS who ever wanted to be placed out in the country, and one of the "lucky few" this year who got placed in a city. Oh well, both have their ups and downs. Anyways, it only takes me 25 minutes by train to get there, or something like 2 and a half hours biking, which I'm seriously considering doing if the weather is good.

Speaking of which, today I went on a one hour bike ride, just because. I didn't put much forethought into it, I just decided, "Let's go." It was nice. I got lost quite a lot (if you are either of my mothers - host or real - this doesn't surprise you), but I eventually found my way back. It was really fun, actually, I am going to do that more often. A couple of people got mad at me because I didn't signal that I was turning (since I made up my mind at the last minute) but anyways, I know to do that now. I got rained on, then snowed on, then the wind blew in my face, but I was home before it became dark outside. As I was biking on a busy street, I heard "Silent Night" playing. It made me feel sort of European.

I'm getting a cold. But tomorrow I'm going to check out a school that will maybe take me after the Christmas Break. Also, tomorrow I'm going back to Gouda (Yes!) for something called "The Evening of Little Lights" which is where the entire town turns off their electricity and instead uses candles to make it glow. I'm pretty excited for that, and to see my friends, too.

I also went to the zoo the other day. I would hate to be an animal in a zoo in the Netherlands. If it's bad weather, they have to go inside, which isn't nice, since that's boring, and it's almost always bad weather. I went with one of my friends from Argentina, and he said something funny while we were looking at the giraffes. He said, "You know, they kind of look like those girls with a lot of sass that chew gum all the time. Just look at how they walk and how they look at you while chewing as if to say, 'I'm so cool'." Oh Fred, you are too funny.

Anyways, I'm feeling generally content right now. Even though I'm sick. But did I mention that I'm going to the Czech Republic to go snowboarding during the school break? No, I don't think I did. But I am. So now you know. I've never been snowboarding, so that should be fun. My host mom is convinced that I'm going to have some kind of fling with one of the hot Czech ski instructors, but we'll see how that goes. Just kidding... she always thinks I'm going to have a fling with any boy I meet.

"You talk on chat with that guy a lot. I think he has a crush on you..."

"Ooooh, that friend you had over today was so cute!"

"He probably loves sitting next to an older, American girl."

Oh man oh man oh man. Tjonge jonge jonge. Carla. Why are you so cool?

Time to clean the tosti machine. You know what that is? It's like a toaster, but for sandwiches, like to make grilled ham and cheese. Really handy. Makes my life delicious.

Tot ziens,

Emily

Today

I dissected a pig's eye.

Tot ziens,

Emily

*Photos*

I know I've been writing a lot lately. I just feel like telling all y'all about my life. Do you want to return the favor? No? Fine, I'm over it at this point.

My host father found the hamster. So you don't have to worry about him anymore.

Oh, and by now pretty much everyone else knows, so I may as well make it public: I'm switching schools in January. I'm going to go to a school closer by, so I'll actually be able to bike there like a normal Dutch person. And avoid the commute.

You know, sometimes I regret coming here. I was told that generally, AFS students like their exchange countries better than their home countries, but everyone I've asked doesn't like the Netherlands that much. And what am I going to do with this difficult language once I actually learn to speak it? Also... sometimes I feel like I'm moving backwards, you know? Because, when I was in America, I managed create the following good habits:

1. Never watch TV

2. Stop treating online chat as a form of friendship

3. Eat lots of vegetables and fruits

It's not possible to continue doing these things here, because the culture encourages the opposite lifestyle. The thing is, the people here are geared towards exploring other parts of the world, like, getting out of NL and going on a real adventure, while keeping their own land gewoon gezellig. Which is great, I mean, I think it's great to explore, but uhmm... that's what I was sort of trying to do by coming here. For instance, this girl at school said to me the other day:

"I would really like to go to Africa sometime."

"Why?"

"Because I think you really have to go there to see how the people live, you know? I mean, I can pretty much assume how people in Germany or America live because it isn't that different from us."

"...........Right."

But every time I start feeling down, someone always manages to make me optimistic again. So I'll just make the most of it. Plus, it's not all bad, obviously. I'm learning how to live on my own.

I've also become crazy about learning Spanish. I read the textbook for fun. The kids at school don't understand simple Spanish phrases like they do in California, so sometimes I just mess with them by saying random things that don't make sense, like:

"Ay, chico, claro que siiii, es la verdad verde, porque hablo espanooooool."

".......uhm....ja?"

And then I laugh and speak Dutch with them again.

You know, I laughed so hard one time, because my family was like:

"We have company coming over for lunch."

And I guess I sort of expected our special lunch to consist of bread, but I just had to laugh when I was right. It's like,

"Today we're going to eat something special. And by special, I mean we're going to eat the same thing as always, but we're also going to put croissants on the table."

Hahahahahahhaha, SORRY Dutch people, I think you're all awesome, I just don't understand your eating habits. Oh, on the subject of bread, this woman said to me once,

"You know, I think it's good that we eat so much bread, because it fills you up and then you don't want to candy."

(It's a verb, I promise), but I just thought to myself....

'Do you not realize that you put your candy ON your bread? Jam, Nutella, sprinkles, powdered sugar, butter, thick apple syrup, caramel paste....... and you say you don't "candy"?'

Here, here's something for you to look at:

Oh man, those pictures of me are from when I first came here, when I was still skinny, wahhhh. You know, I've been trying to put up videos of my house, old house, school, street etc... but Blogger never lets me actually do it. Sorry about that.

Another thing I learned is that I want to live in a place that is always warm. Always. No cold, no snow, no scarves, no cracked hands. Warm and full of fruits and nice people.

Good thing I'm learning Spanish.

Adios,

Emily

Nog Een (Another One)

If you haven't read my first blog post from this morning, go ahead and read it now. It's okay, I'll wait.

.....

Well, now that you're back, I have a few more things to mention.

If you happen to ever have contact with me, please remind me to do the following:

1. Get more exercise.

2. Eat less candy.

3. Never drink coffee again.

4. Put my clothes in the wash.

5. Go to bed earlier.

Thanks. The combination of these bad habits means I have a headache, stomachache, backache, and eye ache. Plus my clothes smell weird.

The hamster has been missing since this morning. I'm going to try and find him in a bit.

Last night I learned just how loud the 2 year old can be. I woke up because she was wailing, as usual, trying to get one of her parents to come to her. Since everyone is sort of used to this, nobody came for a little bit. But then she just started SCREAMING, I mean, she really went for it. It sounded like someone witnessing a murder. Then I heard running footsteps, (one of the parents, of course, probably just as freaked out as I was), and then she stopped. But really, wow. That was a wake-up call. (I'm so punny, I know.) :D

Today we had company over, because December 5th is "presents evening". Imagine 6 children, their parents, and me, all in the living room. A couple of zwarte pieten also came over to give me and the little kids presents. These are similar to Santa's elves, except they're basically slaves. Actually... this whole holiday seems like it's all happy and nice, but it's really not. It's scary. There's this cute, upbeat Sinterklaas song that we have on a CD, and one line goes:

"Whoever is sweet gets yummy treats, whoever is naughty will be hit by a rod."

And the kids sing along. Nice.

And if you're really naughty, the zwarte pieten come in the night, steal you from your bed, throw you on the steamboat and take you back with them to Spain to learn how to serve Sinterklaas alongside them as a slave.

And yet nobody is afraid of these guys....

Oh, here's a picture:

My host mom said that the ones who came over today were pretty good-looking, and that I was lucky to get to sit on one of their laps. She also said that I should be really bad so that I could run away to Spain with them ahahaha.

Well, after the presents and cookies and bread and marzipan, I pretty much just did puzzles with the two year old all day. Which was fine. Oh my, she's crying again....

These kids cry a lot. I don't know why. Sometimes it's for a pretty strange reason too... like this morning, Sebastiaan said, "Emily, someone will come to the door soon with presents!" and Elise said, "Not that soon, it's presents EVENING, not presents MORNING." And Sebastiaan just sort of stopped, looked at the ground, groaned, hit Elise on the arm, started crying, and ran out of the room to his mom. Maybe he just doesn't like to be corrected. Dutch kids are pretty different from American kids. Here the kids are the bosses and HATE to be told "No". Anne-Laure started crying today because her dad told her to stop running with the scissors and give them to him.

On the subject of kids, I was next to this little boy on tram once, and we passed the halt called 'Monstersestraat', and he said to his mom what I had always thought, which was: "This is where the monsters are!" I thought that was pretty funny, because I think everyone has the same thought when the tram passes that stop. Whenever someone gets out there, I assume that they turn into a witch or a werewolf in the full moon.

Just kidding. If you want to live with the monsters, I have nothing against your life choice.

Right... did you know that melting snow has a sound? It does. It's sort of like a crackle.

Tomorrow after school I'm going to buy some new gloves and a new jacket.

Oh my, one of those random explosions just went off. I really have no idea what they are. But it's probably the same person doing it every time, because it always sounds like it's coming from the same spot.

You know what I hate? When people don't believe me. This wasn't recent, but at our orientation camp we had to play these games to learn Dutch. One of them was to match the name of the animal to its picture. And one example was a squirrel. And a few of my friends didn't know the word for it. So they were like, "I don't know... maybe it's 'vos'?"

And I said, "No, that's 'fox'. Do you want to guess again or do you want me to just tell you the answer?"

"Just tell us."

"Okay. It's 'eekhoorn'."

"Uhm.. hahah no it's not, that's what a squirrel eats, duh. So what is it?"

"...."

"I think it's 'vos'." "Yeah, that's probably it."

(Dutch volunteer steps in): "'Vos' is fox."

"Oh. So what's squirrel then?"

"Squirrel is 'eekhoorn'."

"Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh. That makes sense."

Me: -_____-

I know I shouldn't let things like this bother me. It just seems to happen a lot. I could go on. But I'll just get worked up about it.

Let me see did I have anything else to add...? No, I don't think so. Except I really don't feel well, so maybe I'll go try and find the hamster, then sleep.

Tot zo,

(Oh man, switching it up on you!!)

Emily

It's Funny Because I Used to LIKE to Breathe...

It doesn't really matter where I am or what time it is. If I set foot outside of my house, it's very likely that I'll increase my chances of dying from lung cancer. Don't yawn at 7 am at the tram halt, because chances are the guy next to you is smoking and the wind is blowing it straight into your face. Don't enter a bar unless you want to come out smelling like cigarettes, and running up the back staircase of the school is also a bad idea. Bleehhh.

Wow my hands are ridiculously cold and my feet are ridiculously hot, because I'm typing in bed with my legs under the covers. So this might take me a while to write because I'll have to stop and warm my fingers occasionally. Anyways...

I went to Amsterdam with 7 other AFS students a couple of days ago. Three of us decided we would just spend the whole night there, because the trains and trams and busses all stop running around 12 am, and we didn't want to go home then. Basically all we did was sit around in bars, talk, play in the snow... yeah. And at two bars the eight of us sort of tried to dance but it was kind of awkward - well, for me anyways. The kids from South America were just tearing up the dance floor, but I was just like.... ughh... I can't dance. I actually really like dancing, but the thing was that we were the only people dancing in the whole place. If there were 30 people doing it, then I would have been like, "WOOOO!"... but not when everyone else is watching! So that was weird. (I know these are lame excuses, or "smoesjes".) But anyways, later a few of us went into a gay bar, which was really interesting. The people there were all really nice, they were like, "Yeah, I'll take a picture of you guys, but only if my friends can be in it!... No, YOU - SMILE! Smile or I won't take it! There you go! Okay, great, have a fun night!" I wish everyone was as nice as these guys were. Oh, and I forgot to mention that it was COLD because it was SNOWING so hard. Well, at about 3am, the three of us (me, a girl from New Zealand, and a boy from Costa Rica) decided it would be a good idea if we slept for a few hours, so we went on a search for a youth hostel. We found one, but it was full, so we stood around talking for a while. Just then, this guy on a bike with a sort of tent on wheels attached zipped up to us and asked, "Taxi?" And we sort of stared at him then said, "...yyyeahhh.... do you know where there is a cheap youth hostel?"

"Yeah, there's one pretty close by that's one of the cheapest in the city. It's big, but I can't promise there will be a room right now."

"Can you take us there? How much would the ride cost?"

"For the three of you.... 10 euros."

So we squeezed onto the bench inside the tent on wheels and went on our merry way. We found out the guy biking us was Irish and had been living in Amsterdam for 5 years. He said something sort of funny and true, which was, "This is so typical for the city. Nobody here is Dutch."

We finally arrived the hostel and got a room. By 4:30 am we were sleeping, but we had to wake up at 9 because we didn't want to miss the free breakfast (which was fantastic, by the way - I just love eating bread every day). That's normal though... you get free bread, hardboiled eggs, meat, cheese, and spreads at youth hostels and that's about it. At really nice ones you might even get cereal or juice.

Well, apparently it's going to stop snowing today. I guess that's good and bad. It was sort of nice but sort of not. In any case, my family will probably go ice skating on a lake soon. Well, I should probably go now... I have to take a shower, clean my room, make sure my family knows I'm still alive, all that good stuff. Tomorrow back to school....

BLEHHH I just put my face down on my bed and got a nose full of the smell of smoke - not kidding. Next time I go out for a night, I'll change my clothes before taking a nap. Until then....

Tot ziens,

Emily

Zero

I was standing at the tram stop the other day, and I looked up at the digital clock across the street. It said 8:59. Then it switched to the outside temperature, which was 0º C. I thought, "Oh. Hmm............WAIT WHAT?!?!?? THAT'S FREEZING!" I couldn't believe it. It didn't feel that cold. It wouldn't even be so cold if it wasn't for all the wind. But anyways, I saw snow fall from the sky for the first time in my life. It sort of looked like feathers, and when it falls on the tram windows you can watch it melt in a couple of seconds. Speaking of tram windows, I was staring at the scenery on my way to school, and I saw some birds standing on a lake. And I thought, "Oh. Hmm...........WAIT WHAT?!?!??!? ON THE LAKE?!?!!? This has to be some sort of new, holy species!" But then i realized that the lake had been frozen over. That made more sense to me. After that I wondered why the birds weren't frozen. I asked someone and she told me that ducks have a lot of fat to keep them from freezing. But what if the lake, like, froze around the ducks while they were sitting in it? That would be unfortunate... It feels cool to walk on frozen grass and snowy sidewalks. But don't walk on the ice, because that's really slippery.

Today I wanted some fries before I went home, so I bought some at the central station. The only problem was that I wasn't wearing gloves. So while I was eating them and waiting for the tram, my hands practically froze over, but they were really good fries, so I kept going. Oh well, it could be worse, I could be in Serbia, where the snow means death instead of cold hands and a pretty landscape. So I'm not letting it get to me very much. And I would choose snow over rain, because if you stand in the snow you don't get wet.

I realize that it must sound like I practically live on the public transportation system, but I don't, really. Well, it does feels like that sometimes. On the other hand, it also provides some amusing stories, as you might have noticed. And now I know which stops are the most popular, and I can tell if the next tram is going to be jam packed or completely empty before it arrives. When there's a glitch in the screens that say which halt is next, I know how to correct it in my head. And I can sort of "surf" - I don't have to hold on to the rails because I know the movements of the tram and I just shift my weight accordingly (don't worry, Mom, I still hold on, just to be sure), because sometimes there are these lurches that you can't expect, and people go flailing and yell, "WAAAAHH!" for about 3 seconds and then they stand up straight again and act like nothing happened.

And now I'm going to burst your bubble. For all y'all in my hometown Los Angeles - you are #2. Sorry to break it to you. When I ask people here if they would ever want to go to America, they almost always say, "Yeah, that would be nice. I would love to see New York."

"Do you think you would ever want to go to LA?"

"Maybe. I'd rather go to New York, though. LA would be my second choice."

I don't know why, but the West coast just isn't too appealing to the Dutch. Maybe it's too hot. Yeah. That's probably it.

Speaking of hot, I have found a new love: bakery stands. They are all over the place, and they have these great donut like delicacies that fill me with joy. Actually... a few people are starting to recognize me at the shopping mall because I am such a frequent customer. For example, the woman at the fish store always knows I want my two shrimp croquettes to-go. (Uhm... I eat healthy things too, by the way. Even thought it doesn't sound like that from my blog, I just like to try the yummy Dutch food, too).

I went to a concert in Amsterdam with my Italian friend. I didn't like it that much, but he had the time of his life so it was alright. Do you know the band called Foals? Well, it was their concert, and there were actually a lot of people there.

Today I almost laughed and cried out loud simultaneously in class, but I didn't want to seem like a psycho so I refrained and just smiled to myself instead. The reason was... well, we had nothing to do in class today so the teacher put on a movie. The movie was called, "Ik Ook Van Jou" (I love you too), and it was one of the movies I had rented while still in America to get a head start on my Dutch. But it was just so... WEIRD that I never got past the first 15 minutes. So when I realized which film it was, I just thought, "AHAHAHAHAHAHH I guess I'll be forced to watch it now!" We didn't finish it... but I was right - it is a really strange film. There is a lot of sex in it (remember what I said about censoring in the Netherlands? Yeah, that doesn't exist) and just strange in general. It was actually sort of hilarious. Plus, I could understand what they were saying this time. Although there wasn't a whole lot of talking.

Speaking of school, I went to detention yesterday. It was sort of ridiculous, really. I've never been to detention in America. The reason I had to go was that I came to school too late and I didn't have my "kaart" with me. Which is sort of like a blue card of shame. You have to show it to the office every time you're late, and they write down the time and date on it. The lady was like, "Look, if you show me your card before school gets out, I'll let you off the hook. Otherwise you'll have to go to the discipline hour." Now, you and I both know quite well that it would be impossible for me to go home during lunch to retrieve such a thing, given my distance from the school, so I settled for detention. Which really wasn't that bad. It was basically me sitting in the computer lab, copying 2 pages of a textbook word for word while someone kept an eye on me. What they didn't realize was that I didn't mind, because it forced me to learn more vocabulary words. Maybe I should be late more often... just kidding.

Speaking of Dutch, they have some very strange verbs here. Here are two examples of perfectly acceptable sentences:

"Can I call you back? My family is table-ing."

"I really shouldn't candy so much."

There you have it.

Ugh, I turned on my heater an hour and a half ago, but all that's coming out is cold air. Turning it off now. Now I'm going to take a shower, put away the dishes, listen to music, work on my college apps, and watch "When Harry met Sally". Just to keep you in the know, you know?

Tot ziens,

Emily

PS: Really random fact, but when Dutch people write the number 9, it looks like the letter g. "Can you write your phone number down for me?" "Oh, sure. It's 123-456-gog."

Oost, West, Thuis, Best

As I was getting ready to go to school this morning, I heard a drumming on the roof and thought, "Oh, great. It's raining. Again. Better go grab my umbrella." But when I opened the door, I said, "HOLY --!" Because it wasn't rain at all. It was hail! The entire street, all the cars, and every house was covered with white. It was really pretty, and it's not like I get that in SoCal.

Anyways, on the way back home from home from school I almost fell asleep in the tram. I was sitting next to one of the heaters and I was soooo tired, but I forced myself to stay awake, because the last thing I wanted was to wake up in Friesland and find my backpack and money to be stolen.

Also, when I was on the tram, this girl got up so that this old man could sit next to his wife. Then his wife said to him, "There are still sweet people." I liked to hear that.

I got my report card today. My best grade was Spanish. Hmm...

BANG!!!! There are always fireworks or ... something exploding. You might hear it during math class. You might hear it while watching TV. You might hear it at 12:00 am when you're trying to sleep. Day or night, be prepared to be startled.

I feel like I had more to write.

The 4-year-old knows the word "God damn it", which is a bit surprising. He even uses it correctly: "But I don't even LIKE brussels sprouts, eww, God damn it!"

Us: O____O

Oh yeah, and Dutch people keep stating things and then expecting me to respond. Like, "She always says goodbye to me", or, "You had to hurry". Then they look at me, waiting. And I say,

"Uhm..... ja."

"Oh, do you not understand me? Don't you know what goodbye is in Dutch?"

"Ja."

"Well, she always says goodbye to me."

"Okay."

"................"

"................"

"Well, bye."

Actually, I was sort of ticked off the other day because this woman thought I didn't speak Dutch, even though everything I said to her was perfect (I know because I was doing the easiest thing ever - buying strippenkaarts for the tram - and I've memorized the correct way to do it). So I just kept responding to her English questions in Dutch, just to prove myself.

One more thing about the language... you know how in English there are words that can mean two things, like "rock" could be a stone or it could be a verb (let's rock!)? Well, there are words like that in Dutch, too, and one of my favorites is "uitsmijter" which means both a bouncer for a club, or an egg sandwich. Imagine if you didn't know that?

"We have to be careful if we're going to get by that egg sandwich."

"How do you like your bouncers? Hot or cold?"

There could be some disastrous mix-ups.

I'm giving a book report on "Catcher in the Rye" tomorrow (in English). But I still have to start. And I need to write another essay for my college applications. So I'd better go now.

Tot ziens,

Emily

PS: the title is a very Dutch saying. It means, "East, West, at home is the best". So no matter where you go, your house will always be where you want to be. Which is also very Dutch. People like to be at home. If they're at school, they'd rather be at home. If it's raining, they'd rather be at home. Instead of going out at night, they'd rather be at home (from what I've seen.... I can't speak for everyone, of course). But I would usually rather be at home too. If I'm going to watch a movie, I would rather do so at my house than in the movie theater. Gezellig.

The Second Half

I know this is my second post today, but I misunderstood my host father. Turns out I still have internet. Hooray! Joepie! Long live miscommunication! So now I can continue my earlier post.

So apparently I've been saying the wrong word for "decision" for the last two months, and nobody thought to tell me until today. My host mom said, "Are you trying to say 'decision'? Because that's not the right word..." Oh well, I know the correct word now. "I have a decision to make" = "Ik heb een beslissing te nemen", not "Ik heb een decisie te maken". A lot of words in English that end in "ion" are the same in Dutch but end in "ie". For example...

demonstration = demonstratie

excursion = excursie

miscommunication = miscommunicatie

But they aren't all like that, as you can see. So I have to be careful.

pollution = verontreiniging.

You see what I mean.

Anyways, I'm officially staying with this family now! It was made official over Indonesian food. Carla asked all the members of the family if I could live with them and they all said yes. Then she said, "Welcome to the family!" and I was happy. I'm surprised that they want someone who gets lost while looking at a map, gets her fingers stuck in water bottles while sitting in restaurants, and who drops her bike key into the gears of her bike and thus can't unlock it, but I'm not going to complain. However, now I have one small problem: my school is an hour away by tram! Here are my options: continue going to my school with my friends and accept the fact that I'd be commuting 10 hours a week, or go to a school closer by by bike. What do you think I should do? Send me an e-mail with your opinion!

In other news, there are three different ways to say "just" in Dutch.

It was JUST a joke = het was GEWOON een grapje

I was JUST in the shower = ik was NET onder de douche

Let me JUST have a look = EVEN kijken

I'm really confused about something. Remember the cartoon chipmunks named "Chip and Dale"? Well, their Dutch names are "Knabbel en Babbel", and somehow Google Translate knows that, but only if you put them next to each other. "Knabbel" = "Munch" and "Babbel" = "Chat". And technically, "Chip" = "Chip" and "Dale" = "Dal" so it's really not that big of a difference, I don't know why they changed it, or why I'm boring you with my strange pet peeves.

Okay, I'm going now. For real this time. Do I have anything else to say...? Well, as I'm typing this, the hamster is running around the house. Frisky little guy, he is. His name is Chu.

Oh yes, I did have one other thing to mention. Dutch kids have a lot less respect for their teachers than they did in America, at least at my school. All teachers are either Meneer or Mevrouw (Mr. or Mrs.), no last names attached. Kids talk during class and sometimes we don't even learn anything because the teachers are more like friends than people to respect. And I know I said I was in a geology class, but I don't think that's the right name for it. We we're learning about the solar system, but now we're studying the importance of prototypes in manufacturing, so I don't really know, I think it's more of a general science class or something. Also I'm going to buy a new bike soon, because the one I have now is a complete.... disaster. It's a little too big for me, the bell has fallen off, it's one of those back-pedal break ones (harder to break), the seat is ridiculous (trust me - it sort of flips up while you're riding it and it's pretty uncomfortable), but it still works. Better to have a different one, though.

I'm still watching the hamster. Jeez, Chu is fast! He just scuttled into the fireplace to chew on some wood. Chu chews. Ahahahaha, okay, I'm really going now to let you get on with your life.

Tot ziens,

Emily

Oor Tegen Oor

There's this poster in my room with a little poem on it, titled "Oor Tegen Oor". I remember reading it the first time I lived here, and I didn't know what it said. But just now I looked up, and I understood it. This is what it says, with a translation:

"ik hoor wat je denkt (I hear what you are thinking)

denk nog even door (just keep on thinking)

blijf stil bij me zitten (stay silently sitting next to me)

oor tegen oor" (ear to ear)

It's cute, isn't it?

My host mom has given me an "opdracht", or assignment. I have to learn 5 new words a day. Here were today's words:

gieter: watering can

ruit: rhombus

strijken, strijkijzer: to iron, iron

gum: eraser

combinatie tang: pliers

I'm starting to feel better about school. I can understand the textbooks pretty well now, and the questions on tests. I'm starting to make friends now, too. Here's a list of things I'm doing with friends:

1. Yesterday I went to the mall with a friend

2. Monday I'm going to Harry Potter 7 with some girls.

3. Friday I'm going to help a friend pick out a dress for the Christmas dance, then I'm going to my neighbor's birthday party

4. Next monday I'm going to a concert with another AFS student

5. That Friday I'm going to Amsterdam with a group of AFS kids

So I actually have something similar to what might be called a social life now.

I joined a gym. Gotta stay fit, you know? My host mom and I have an exercise plan.

I have to stop writing soon, because my host dad wants to turn off the internet to fix something. But it's going to be turned off for a week, so I need to write something to keep you guys satisfied for a while...

I'll just tell you a little something about each of my family members.

Carla (the mom): It's impossible to be unhappy around her. As soon as she walks in the room you feel better again. She's always smiling and knows how to keep a conversation going like nobody else. You know that you've met an amazing woman when she carries you, 2 giant bags of groceries, and a two year old all at once on a bike in the dark.

Matthias (the dad): Says he doesn't want to be thought of as being "nice", but you know he really is deep down. He's super direct, he tells you what's up, even if you don't want to hear it, but it's always for the better. He'll help you, but he makes you fix your own problems. And he can read minds. One look at your face and he knows how your day was.

Elise (the 6-year old): She is really mature for her age. If her siblings are crying, she knows how to calm them down. She understands that I don't speak fluent Dutch and she helps me out. I'm very impressed with her.

Sebastiaan (the 4-year old): He's practically bouncing off the walls with energy, but is the sweetest little kid you will ever meet. He loves to give hugs and kisses and greets everyone with a huge smile. He also calls me "Em", so you know he's alright.

Anne Laure (the 2-year old): This girl knows what she wants and knows how to get it. She never gives up. If she wants your attention, she will get it, no matter what. Plus, she is really cute and impish - she likes to play little tricks. Pretty clever.

Well I really have to go now, I hope this is enough for now.

Tot ziens,

Emily

50 Things I Keep Forgetting to Mention

I always seem to forget to mention something on my blog. But I wrote down everything so hopefully this won't be one of those times!

1. I have a new favorite word: sowieso! It means anyways, which I say a lot, so it's handy and fun!
2.Technically, 188 people could ride the tram at one time. There are 70 seats and 118 standing places. Not that I counted, hahah no there's a sign by the door that says so.
3. When I'm bored after school, I window shop and eat. Which actually doesn't help, because then I don't buy anything, and when my food is up I'm sad because I want more food.
4. My handwriting has gotten better. Which worries me. I've always been sort of proud of my messy and scientific looking handwriting, cause it made me look smart. Now it's just boring and unoriginal.
5. Apparently I'm pushing the sandwich rule. You aren't allowed to have two pieces of bread with something in the middle. It must be one piece of bread folded over. And there can only be butter and ONE other thing in the middle. So two pieces of cheese is unacceptable. BUT if you make a TOSTI which is a sandwich that you put in a sort of waffle machine, (and you all thought I was crazy in America when I did that), you can have two pieces of bread AND ham with cheese. How about that?
6. Every couple of months we get a new school schedule, which is actually sort of annoying. Every day is different, so just when you start remembering which classes you have on Wednesday and how early you have to wake up on Monday and so forth, they change it on you.
7. I never knew how much I loved sleep until I got here. The more sleep I get, the better mood I am in the next day. It is very important to me.
8. For some reason, every dog here is ridiculously cute and perky. They love everything and everyone. I love dogs, I miss mine, dogs are really important, I think.
9. I can read Dutch, like in my textbooks and on tests, but not all the words. And even when I can, if it's a story I usually can't follow it. Like, I'll read a sentence and be like, "mhmmm mhmmm" but then a few sentences later I'll have forgotten what the first one said.
10. I'm pretty sure that heated towel racks were designed specifically for freezing Dutch people. Because I never saw the purpose in America. Who needs one, seriously? Dutch people do.
11. Do not wear jeggings in the rain. If you think that your jeans stick to your legs when they're wet, jeggings do that times 10. And then the color bleeds onto your legs, so when you take them off it looks like you've been hit by a windmill from the waist down.
12. I see the same graffiti everywhere. It is a simple word: Adult. Usually in a similar style, nothing too extravagant, but easily recognizable. It's on walls, on windows, on the tram, on garage doors.... I'm starting to wonder about it.
13. You can easily find mechanical pencils here, but if you find a store that sells the refillable lead please let me know.
14. I've started to think in blog posts again, which is probably not a good sign. Or maybe it is. I'll be doing something and think, "I'll put this on my blog!" Like my life revolves around it or something.
15. Whoever designed the lockers at my school should have tested them out first. I don't like them. Let me try to explain: I'm convinced I have the worst locker in the entire school. Actually, I probably do, since I started 2 weeks late and that one was leftover. There are rows of lockers. At one end of each row is a box that you wave your student card in front of and it unlocks your locker. Then you have 8 seconds to get to your locker before it locks again. Okay, so my locker is at the very end of the row, plus one of the coat racks makes the aisle way narrower and more crowded with people. So basically, it's like this: *wave pass* *maneuver around people* *try not to step on random coats on the ground* *say "sorry" as you push through someone's oh so very important conversation that always seems to take place right in front of your locker* *switch latch about 0.5 seconds before it locks* *move out of the way because other people want to get by* *get stuff* *lock locker* *leave*. It also doesn't help that my locker is deeper rather than taller. So I have to put in my books sideways so they will actually go in, and then to get them out I have to stand on my tip toes and reach wayyyyy back to find my tiny book that I can't read anyways. So, if you are planning on designing a locker, come talk to me first.
16. Dutch men walk the walk and talk the talk, if you know what I mean. They all have this way of carrying and expressing themselves that says, "I'm the man, man." Not in a bad way or anything. Just the way it is.
17. There are some words in Dutch that are the same in English, but are pronounced differently and have a different meaning. Here are some examples:
ramp = disaster
wilt = to want (you form)
trap = staircase
jammer = it's a pity (which, by the way, every Dutch person loves the English phrase "it's a pity", don't ask me why)
file = traffic jam
snap = to understand (or rather, "to get", like, "I don't get it", "ik snap het niet")
room = cream
bad = bath
There are more, but that's enough of that, I think.
18. I went to the Ikea for the first time in my life. It was huge and very crowded! I ate Swedish meatballs there.
19. Right now the weather is lousy. I tried to use an umbrella to shield myself from the rain, but the wind blew it inside out so I had to settle with being wet. At least it's super pretty here, though. Too bad I don't want to go outside to enjoy it. The weather really does make a difference on my moods. I love warm weather!
20. People here feel the need to translate sentences for me like "De pyjamas kosten drie euros" (The pajamas cost three euros, yeah you could figure that one out I'm sure), but not sentences like, "Het voorbereiden van uit voerende werkzaamheden" (Preparing for carrying out activities) Yeah, I didn't get it either. Good thing I have Google Translate!
21. It also doesn't help that a lot of my teachers don't have very good handwriting. For instance, today on the board was written "Rechsvormen" which, according to my best friend Google Translate means "rights constitute", but to me it looked like this: "Rccksuovnrer".
22. Many of the TV shows here are painful to watch because they're so bad. The acting is awful and fake, the plots are predictable, and it feels like everyone is trying desperately to entertain the Dutch people. They have some pretty weird forms of entertainment here, especially the kids and reality shows.
23. I really miss wearing dresses. They make me feel so pretty.
24. It's totally fine to wear the exact same outfit for a couple days in a row. It's also totally fine to eat the exact same thing every day for breakfast, lunch, and snacks. I don't know how people stand it, but I always know what shirt someone will wear, with which belt, and at exactly what time they will eat the same cookies and juice box every day.
25. When the tram doors are closing, but there is someone in the way, a terribly obnoxious beeping noise goes off until they move. Here's a video of exactly what it's like to ride the trams. You don't have to watch the whole thing, 30 seconds will do, but at least you'll know what the view is like. But you can't actually experience it without riding one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI6dRoohhPs
Here's another link so you can hear the voice saying "de volgende halte is ---" Oh, how that voice will forever live in my head. You only have to watch the first 8 seconds of it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5XpqB5MUrQ&feature=related
26. I heard a song that reminded me of Christmas and I got sort of depressed that I won't be able to spend it at my house with my mom and dad and sister. I won't eat the inevitable marzipan fruit out of my stocking while having the same conversation with my sister over whose stocking was originally whose. (I still say the green one was always mine!) But anyways, it won't be the same routine which makes me sad.
27. Speaking of marzipan... the Dutch people just loooooove the stuff! You can buy huge marzipan blocks, and most come in delightful shapes, such as corn cobs or cauliflower. I guess I was wrong when I said they didn't have vegetables here, hahaha. I bought a small marzipan carrot. It turned my hand orange. Makes me wonder if I should have eaten it at all...
28. I was standing by an ice cream machine once and this woman couldn't read the Dutch instructions, so she asked me in English how to work it. But I got all confused because I could read the instructions so I wanted to explain it in Dutch so I was like, "Oh, uhm, you uhh the cone here then, see, the white button push, uhhm... then take." But I wanted to prove that I was good at English so then I said, "Pretty cool." But she just thanked me, took her ice cream and walked away. And now when I try to speak English, it comes out as a direct translation of Dutch phrases. For instance, you can't say, "I like this", you have to say, "I find it nice". So when I try to speak English I end up saying things like that. I also sometimes will be sitting on the tram or walking by a couple and think to myself, "Woah! What language are these people speaking??" then realize that it's Dutch. FAIL.
29. The days go slow, but the weeks go fast. And I never have anything to do on weekdays, but I actually usually have too many invitations on the weekends to do everything I want to do.
30. I'm not actually smart. I'm like Jenny from the book, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant. I got good grades, but I'm actually hollow inside. This video clip from the movie A Cinderella Story seems to constantly play through my head (before you watch - don't be afraid of the tanning bed goggles, they're there to be funny) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jnh4SReiTE
31. The classrooms at school don't have heating or air conditioning. So that means that if it's stuffy, we have to open the windows, which makes it cold. So I have to wear a jacket at all times. Ugh.
32. Here's a list of foods I miss from America: Pie n' Burger, Pink Berry, peppermint Joe Joe's, Rice Dream, my dad's random lemon bars from a box, and SALAD
33. I would now like to quote my good friend Jenny, who is also here from the USA: "You know, people are always hating on America, but at least we don't capitalize on human bodily functions." This is really funny, because she's talking about the fact that you almost always have to pay to use the bathroom in a public place, like the train station or in a shopping mall. Sometimes they just put out a plate for you to put a coin, but usually they don't trust you that much and either have a person stand outside and ask you for the money or a machine that won't open the door to the bathrooms unless you pay. It could be 40 cents or even 70 cents.
34. Since I ride the tram for two hours a day (one hour to school, one hour back), I've been reading a lot of comic books during the rides. I love Donald Duck, because it's so funny! And it's really easy to understand what's going on, so I'm picking up new words from it.
35. Sometimes I feel like I am just wasting a year of my life here. School is boring, I'm not doing anything particularly interesting, and I have these regrets building up in the back of my mind. Like, what would have happened if I had gone to an English speaking country? Or somewhere with a symbolic alphabet? Or had gone to college a year earlier? Or even stayed for my senior year at my high school? I just don't know anymore what the best decision would have been. Well, if i quit now nobody will be proud of me. Not my parents, not my host parents, not my school, my friends, not AFS, and not myself.
36. Every time I look out the windows at school I see these random seagulls. Well, there is a lake near by, but.... they're called SEAgulls.
37. There is no word for "cereal" in Dutch. Just call it what it is, Corn Flakes, Muesli, you get the point.
38. I don't know if you know who Sinterklaas is, but he's sort of like the Dutch Santa. He comes on a boat from Spain in November and stays until he gives out presents in December. It is VERY important to the Dutch culture, especially to the little kids. Sowieso, there's this new movie out called Sint, and it is a horror film about Sinterklaas and there are some really angry parents, believe me. On the bright side, Sinterklaas time = yummy candy and cookie time! Yayyyyy!
39. Which reminds me, I thought I needed to buy a belt, but I don't anymore. Oh no. Gotta lay off the stroopwaffles.
40. I feel like I live behind my computer.
41. Also, Dutch people have a very specific breakfast spread every morning. There is always a pile of bread slices, a tub of butter, and a wide assortment of jams, sprinkles, pastes (like Nutella and peanut butter), cheese, cold cuts, and something to drink, like milk or coffee.
42. Like I mentioned in my previous post, Dutch people ask very direct questions. Just this week, I have been asked, "Are you a Republican or a Democrat?" and "Do you believe in the evolution or the creation theory?" I answered both with "I'd rather not say," because I'm used to keeping those sort of things private, but I got a strange reaction both times so maybe I should just share my opinion about these things like everyone else here.
43. My school bell sounds like a fog horn from outside, but from inside it is very hard to hear. It is just low "murrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrm", so you just have to watch to see when other people start going back to class after break.
44. I miss how, in California, I would be too hot, then walk into a store and be too cold, then walk out and feel too hot again. Because here, it's me being too cold and wet, walking into a store and never wanting to leave, then walking back out and practically getting hypothermia. That's an exaggeration, by the way. Don't get scientific on me.
45. I went to see the movie The Social Network the other day, but there was an alarm and everyone had to leave the theatre. I don't know what it was but I didn't get to finish the movie. Well, eventually I saw the rest. It's pretty good, actually.
46. Sometimes people think I don't understand them, when actually I do, they just say weird things. Here's an example from the beginning of my trip:
Woman: (in Dutch) So, in America, everyone goes out to eat every night, right?
Me: Uhm........ well.......... *gives strange look*
Woman: Oh, she didn't understand me. I said, in America they --
Me: No, I know what you said, that's just incorrect. But I can't speak for everyone.
Woman: Oh.
I don't know, stuff like that happens now and then.
47. Here in NL, it does matter what people think of you. How you look and act means a lot. Not so in America. But, people see what they see and think what they think and there's nothing you can do to stop it, you just have to be smart. And actually, I think that's the same everywhere - everyone is a little judgmental, but here they show it. Going along with that, food is not the center of the party here. It is important, but socializing is much more important. Plus, you don't want people coming up to you and saying, "You are going to get fat from all those scones you're eating," which is exactly what happened to me. Dutch people like to eat, but it's not the number one favorite thing to do.
48. You aren't going to get your one cent back. If something costs 2 euros and 4 cents, the cashier just says it costs 2 euro 5. I suppose you could ask, but I don't really care about a cent. Hahaha, ohhh the ongoing debate about the penny in America...
49. I'm sort of a boring person. I don't think anybody will remember me after I've left.
50. My skin is so bad here. I don't know why. Oh wait, yes I do. Because it's cold and windy and I really like sugar/salt, and sometimes I forget to wash my face at night.

Here are 3 bonus thingies which I find the most interesting. A little treat since you got this far :)

51. There was this man sitting next to me on the plane ride over to the Netherlands who was apparently some language obsessed dude without many social skills. I don't know if the two go hand in hand or not. He can talk to like, everyone, but then.... not hahaha. Anyways, he talked to me the whole plane ride over, which was half interesting/cool and half annoying/uncool. He tried to teach me Finnish. Let's just say, I am very glad I didn't go to Finland. Go on over to Goog Trans if you don't know what Finnish looks like. Anyways, he said something strange to me. He said, "Do you know what a hairdresser is called in the Netherlands? It's a "kapsalon", because "kap" is like "head" and "salon".. well, yeah. Anyways, you know that "chicken" in Dutch is "kip", right? Well, I've always had this dream of going around to every hairdresser in the Netherlands and changing the "A" in "kap" to an "I". Then, the next morning, everyone would be wondering why they were called "kipsalons"..... Well, now you can tell all your friends that you talked to some strange man on the plane who had this dream." Sucks because now every time I walk by a hairdresser I think of this guy who had an interesting smell and told me he only tickled women when they asked to be. Well, now I'm telling you. He was nice, though.
52. You know, Dutch skies are always really nice, no matter what the weather is like. The clouds are always gorgeous, and they move really fast! I remember being a little girl sitting in the back seat of the car and watching the Los Angeles clouds barley budge and I was sort of mad about it. But HERE it's like they're all running to score the winning goal in the World Cup or something. This one time I was awake at 3 am watching a movie, and I looked outside my window and the clouds were ORANGE!! Hahahha oh you Dutch people just love orange so much that you painted your clouds orange! Just kidding, but it was really cool and that's happened more than once. Sometimes the sky is silver, or the brightest blue, or the sunsets are really beautiful, or you can see all the stars, it's great, and I guess that's why there are so many paintings of the Dutch sky.
53. This is something I actually find really interesting. There are something like 70 kids from all over the world who are spending a year in the Netherlands, and I am friends with a lot of them. You know, we're all just people. I don't notice any strange cultural differences between the kids on AFS and me. We're just teenagers who wanted to try something new and have fun. So... maybe in the end, it's just nice to have friends, and people are people (to half quote Dr. Seuss), and we're all alike in a lot of ways.

Well, congratulations! You made it!! That only took me about.... 2 and a half hours to write, ahahahaha. Whew! Well, I don't think I forgot anything lol, at least I hope not! Today I partook in a very Dutch festivity called Saint Martin's Day, which is sort of like American Halloween - the little kids carry lanterns and a bag for candy, walk up to doors and sing a song to get some treats. But it didn't actually last very long because it was really windy and raining. Oh, silly Dutch people, making a holiday that involves going outside on a November night! I mean, what were you expecting, really? Then a bunch of the neighbors came over to our house and socialized and ate some of the food, but not really, like I explained above. Hey, doesn't matter to me, I got the leftovers! Sowieso, I felt pretty Dutch doing the Saint Martin thing, the town is really pretty at night. Now it is really time for me to go to bed, otherwise I will be grumpy and tired tomorrow, which is never fun. Ohhh but I don't want to walk in the rain tomorrow (cries and sobs). But I have chocolate milk, which means I can make hot chocolate tomorrow after school! Oh, ONE MORE THING, whoosh, good thing I didn't forget! The word "slagroom" is very important here. It means whipped cream, and almost every time you order a milky drink or lekker dessert the waiter will ask you if you want slagroom with it. It costs a little extra, but it's always sooo worth it. I accidentally broke someone's whipped cream dispenser the other day, because I tried to push the squirter sideways like in America, but it kinda just snapped off. Here you have to push a button next to the squirter. But, luckily, I was with a girl who went to America last year, and she said that she did the exact same thing when she returned to the Netherlands, so I didn't feel like a complete idiot. Well, I'm off now, I hope you didn't fall asleep or die while reading this, I know it was really long. And as always,
Tot ziens!
Your friend,
Emily

It's Story Time!!

This is a long post, so get ready for it...

We'll start with tales of the tram.

Tram Tale #1: You have to pay to ride the tram. But it's an honor system, sothe people are just expected to do the right thing and pay up. Usually. Now and then the HTM Controle guys will get on the tram and ask to see your proof ofpayment. If you haven't got one, you have to pay 50 Euros. Sounds harsh, but you have no idea how many people don't pay for the tram every time. Anyways, these guys don't mess around. Sometimes if it's not very crowded, they'll just say, "Did you pay?" and you say, "Yes," and they nod and just watch to make sure you check out. But, the other day, this kid was getting out of the tram just as the control guys were getting on. This is what happened:

HTM guy: (to the kid) Can I seeyour proof of payment?

Kid: Yeah, yeah, it's okay. *tries to get off tram*

HTM guy: *stands in his way* Alright, let me see it then.

Kid: No, no, I payed, I'm getting out *tries to get off again*

HTM guy: Show it to me!

Kid: Mister! Calm down, calm down!

HTM guy: *grabs kids shoulders* Show it to me! Show me that you payed!

Kid: AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!! Mister, please! NO! NO!

Then the HTM guy grabbed him off the tram and the rest of us went on our merry way. But I can assure you, everyone payed to ride THAT tram.

Tram Tale #2: If you don't have anything nice to think, then you're better off not thinking out loud. Because the person next to you will hear you. And remember your face. And you will see that person again in Central Station. And they will ask you if you want to fight. Just sayin'. Think nice thoughts. Or at least keep your thoughts in your head.

Tram Tale #3: You might think you know what a typical tram conductor looks like, but you're wrong. There is no such thing as a typical tram conductor. I have seen everyone from Mrs. Doubtfire to Santa to Jennifer Coolidge. If you aren't sure who these people are, here are some pictures:

Tram Tale #4: There is a strange man who I have seen twice. Once when I got off the tram at my house and once on the tram on my way to school. He looks like a skeleton and always has white paint on his clothes. But, he could be a painter. I'm sure I have seen other people more than once on the tram too, but I reallyremember this guy.

Well, that's enough about the tram.

I've been playing Sudoku recently. It's fun and keeps my mind working. Haha, actually, sometimes when I play, my mom's voice comes into my head. I'll be looking for a place where a 5 could go, and all of a sudden:

*looks up the row* Noooooooo 5 here....

*looks across the row* ..... Noooooo 5 there either....

*looks in the middle* Oh! There it is!

Hahahah oh, Mommy, I think of you fondly.

And now I will teach you how to be Dutch in a few easy steps, starting from the moment you are born.

0-3 years old: Learn to speak Dutch and figure out that screaming is perfectly acceptable, especially on crowded trams.

4-6: Get a personalized public transportation card become a blooming fashionista. Accept the bike as the second half of your body.

7-11: Start speaking English and get good grades in school, because how you do in school now will determine the rest of your life. But don't forget to watch a lot of TV, too.

12-15: Begin to form your very own identity and become aware of it. Obtain a strange liking for the color orange and soccer.

16-18: Spike your hair and drink 2-3 juice boxes a day. Because we can totally take you seriously then. (Just kidding guys, I think you are all adorable.)

19-22: Get a University education (if that what your 7 year old self decided upon) or get a job.

23-29: Focus on your job.

30-50: Focus on your family.

60-80: Benefit from the generous Dutch government.

81-97: Start wondering just how many slices of bread you've eaten in your life and be thankful for it because you have lived so long.

Well, that was just a brief overview from an outsider, so don't take it too seriously.

Basically my moods here go a little something like this:

But all in all it's going well. Now I have to go prepare a presentation for tomorrow. I have to talk about something from the news and then give my opinion about it. It's just sooo embarrassing because when I start speaking Dutch, everyone in the room shuts up and listens to me. Which you would think would a good thing, but it just makes me nervous and then I make a ton of mistakes and some people laugh. Waaahhh but I don't really care because I will smush, discombobulate, brutally demolish, and in any other way butcher your language before I can get it right, so I guess you'll just have to be patient with me and I'll have to accept that I'm not perfect for the time being. But you know, it's actually fun to laugh at myself because sometimes it's really funny. Like this one time, I tried to say, "It doesn't matter", but I accidentally said, "You don't have to", and I cracked up because I realized what I said. It just wouldn't come out of my throat right, because you have to use your throat a lot in Dutch. But anyways, I have to go figure out how to talk about this article in Dutch. http://en.rian.ru/russia/20101109/161261165.html

Tot ziens,

Emily

Sigh, dit is Saai

A translated, word-for-word conversation my teacher had with me in front of the entire class:

Teacher: So, Emily, you know you are supposed to give a presentation on Friday?

Me: Yup.

Teacher: But, on Friday, we have a guest speaker coming.

Me: Yup.

Teacher: So actually, you can go next week.

Me: That works too.

Teacher: By the way, I looked at your test. It really wasn't very good. I guess because you didn't understand the questions.

Me: Uhm.... ok.

This happens to me a lot. There's no "grade privacy" here. Everyone knows exactly what grade everyone else got, because actually, the teachers read them out loud! It's something like:

Teacher: Dutch girl: 7,8. Dutch boy: 9. Dutch boy: 6,5. Emily: .... Ja, you wrote that you didn't understand it so...

Dutch boy: I wrote that too!

Teacher: Yes, but you speak Dutch.

Dutch people are very straightforward, so be prepared. They tell you exactly what they think and also ask very direct questions.

Oh, and if you're wondering about the grades... here it is not an A, B, C, D, F system. Instead it is 1-10. Basically, a 10 is an A+, a 9 is an A-, an 8 is a B+, 7 is a B-, and so on. So a 9,5 would be an A. Because here a comma is a period and vice versa when dealing with numbers.... For instance:

1.001 = one thousand and one

1,001 = one and one thousandth

Yes it is very confusing.

Well, I'm learning a lot here. About myself, about other people, about life.

Hmm... what should I do now?

I think I will read more of my Dutch comic book. Actually, the author is from Belgium, but they speak Dutch there. I really have nothing more to tell you.

Tot ziens,

Emily

November 1

Last night I spoke English with my Italian, Mexican, and Chilean friends in my Dutch house while eating Chinese food. Now that's culture for you!

Haha, well anyways, I don't really know what to say! Life just seems so normal now. I've been here a little over two months and I still have eight more to go. I can't even imagine how this year is going to turn out, but I know for sure that I will have some ever lasting memories and will have learned a lot from the experience.

I carved a couple of Jack-O'-Lanterns for the kids the other day and they just looooooooved them! I'm also obsessed with this German song that everyone here knows and either loves or hates called "Nein Mann". It's so addicting. I basically quote it in everyday life. "Hey, Emily, want some waffel?" "Nein mann. Ik wil geen waffel. Ich wil noch n bisschen tanzen!" Here's a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBjDZMJUduo

Anyways, basically I love my life. I rode my bike again. For like, the 3rd time since I've been here. What's up with that? People bike here everyday, but I don't even have one that fits me :( Well, now I chat with my Dutch friends in Dutch, which is helping a lot. But I sound funny even over the internet..... oh well, if people only talk to me so they can have some fun that's better than nothing! LOL. I have so many friends because I'm soooooo popular! Just kidding. But I'm really getting to know people here, it's awesome! I used to be sad because I had too little to do, but now I'm going crazy because I have to schedule so many things!

If you want to know something funny and a little bit embarrassing, I failed an English test. How pathetic. I got it back and I was like....... wow. How did that happen? But it's okay.

I have acquired a strange love for bread now. It's all I ever want to eat. Well, lucky me, there's plenty of it!

It really is beautiful here. Every day after school I'm always happy to walk to the tram stop because it's just so pretty outside. I've never had "real" seasons in Los Angeles, so the yellow leaves falling from the trees are so gorgeous! (This sounds so cliche, but I don't care!) I'm just so happy all the time, but I really need to get crackin' on my college apps and stuff like that. It's fine to have fun, but now I need to have some more self-discipline. But I'm almost done with everything else I need to do. Oh... but I forgot I still have to do a semester of English literature online..... well, I guess if I ever find myself just staring at a wall with legitimately nothing to do, and it's raining outside, I'll work on that. I want to read so many books, and listen to so much music, and travel so many places, and visit so many friends, and buy so many things, and eat meer lekker dingen, and speak so many languages, and learn more about myself and other people and other places, and try out new stuff, and I don't have time for it all!!! Especially with my hour long commute to school *waahh* I think I will bring something to do on the tram rides now, like maybe sudoku or something, but not a book because I don't want to be too busy and miss my stop. And yes, I am reading a Dutch book, but it's for like, 13 year olds and is labeled as "an exciting girls' book" ahahaha, it's about these triplets and one of them has a boyfriend who doesn't recognize his own girlfriend and gives a ring to the wrong triplet! OMG, EXCITING GIRLS' BOOK. And right now I probably sound like the woo-hoo girl from robot chicken. (If you don't know who that is, find the video! I can't give you a link cause I don't get some American sites here, but it's funny if you can find it!)

But that's fine cause that's how I feel right now!

I went to Madurodam! It's a mini Netherlands, so there are figures of famous buildings there, with mini people and mini trees and normal sized birds and fish that look like massive beasts! Pictures to come soon :)

PS: Maybe I'll just make a new blog post once a week. But I can't promise one particular day, because... well, I don't want to schedule my life around this blog. So, just check back every once in a while, whenever you feel like it!

Well, now I have to go to bed because tomorrow is Tuesday, and I have class one hour earlier on Tuesdays. BTW, I don't post these blogs at 3:00 am, or whatever it says, idk why the times are all messed up, its only 10:45 pm.

Tot ziens,

Emily

Frikandelicious and FAQ!

Frikandel is a typical Dutch food. It's a sausage in a pastry. The first time I ate it was at 6 am in the Albert Heijn To Go in The Hague Central Train Station. Oh, Albert. You never cease to amaze me with the wonderful food you have to offer. But, Emily, you ask, why were you at the train station at 6 am?? Well, I was just coming back from Berlin. Okay, okay, calm down, rustig kinderen. This blog post will answer alllllll those questions that I know are burning deep within you.

1. How was Berlin? What did you do? - Berlin was unbelievable in so many different ways. I was with all the AFS students here in the Netherlands, meaning I hung out with 70 different people from all over the world - Thailand, New Zealand, Belgium, Turkey, Colombia... they were all there! So, not only do I know what the Dutch kids do, I also learned about soooo many other cultures. The nice part is that almost everyone speaks English. Well, that makes me feel ignorant, but pretty lucky because I can talk to everyone. Anyhow, after this year I will speak Dutch! I saw where the Berlin wall used to be, walked everywhere, went to the Checkpoint Charlie museum, ate German curry sausages, (which is funny because the German boy I was with got a hamburger), hung out in a mall, took a boat ride, rode the train, toured a concentration camp (which was really interesting to me), drank a beer (many people are disappointed that I still have never been drunk, but that's their problem), looked around a church, and wore so many layers that I looked like a Michelin Abominable Snow Man. Now I have a ton of new friends who I will definitely be seeing later.

2. What's up with your host family situation? - It just wasn't working out. There are no hard feelings, but I think the right decision was made. I have moved out of my host family's house and am back with my welcome family. However, this is not permanent. Since I want to stay at my current school, I have to ask my classmates if they know anybody who wants an exchange student for the rest of the year who lives near the school (because from where I am currently staying I must travel for an hour by tram). If I cannot find a new host family by the end of November, then AFS will step in and begin to search for a host family for me... but then I could end up anywhere in the country and I must start over again. It will all work out eventually, I'm sure of it :)

3. How's your Dutch? - Nou, ik denk dat het heel slecht is, maar iedereen zegt dat het is ..... beter dan vroeger, hahaha. Elke dag ben ik een stukje beter, maar ik hoor dat ik echt grappig ben, want mijn accent is helemaal Amerikaanse en mijn grammatica altijd rommelig is. Ik kan niet snel praten, en als ik dat probeer is het echt vervalend voor ik, maar niemand is boos op me. Het komt goed.

4. How the heck do you pronounce those words?!!?!? - Good question.

5. How's the food? - Delicious and not very filling. I could eat all the food I want and still be hungry afterwards. There seems to be some sort of unspoken rule that you're only allowed to have one thing on your sandwich. Last time I checked, a "sandwich" consisted of more than just jam. I want a sandwich with turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo, mustard, salt, pepper, and pickles. Jammer (It's a pity). But, I know already that I will miss some things from the Dutch cuisine when I return home. Raw herring, stroopwaffles, hot fries, croquettes, Bon Bon Bloc (hazel nut mush filled chocolate), Bastogne cookies, the bread, and Fristi, just to name a few. Also, people here eat with their fork in the left hand and the knife in the right hand for the entire meal. You have to push the food onto the fork with the knife. It's a skill I have yet to master.

6. Is it cold? - Yup. But that didn't stop me from buying a Magnum Gold popsicle after school. It's vanilla ice cream filled with carmel stripes covered in chocolate and caramel. Lekker....

7. How's the Netherlands? - I get this question a lot. It's not an easy one to answer. Let's just say, it takes more effort than I initially thought to make it a good experience.

8. Well.... what now??? - Now I'm going to my friend's house to eat dinner. Then I'm coming back to put the little kids in bed. If you have another question (which I doubt because nobody ever emails me.... *wahhh*) just email me and I'll answer it in the next blog.

Tot ziens,

Emily

Even Wachten (Just Wait)

Hey guys,
Sorry I haven´t posted for a whole week. But maybe that´s a good thing... maybe I should only be posting once a week. I´m sorry, but I´m going to have to keep you in the dark for a while. This is a sort of hectic week for me. I´m not going to be posting any news until after the 25th of October, so check back at the end of the month. What I can tell you is this - remember my welcome host family? The family I stayed with for the first two weeks I was here? I´m living with them for this week, and then from the 21st to the 25th I´m going to Berlin, Germany, with the rest of the AFS students here in NL. That should be exciting. I´ll tell you everything that´s going on in the next post. I just don´t want to say anything too soon because I actually don´t know all the details yet, but I will let you know as soon as I do. Don´t worry though, I´m fine. Just working out a few kinks.
Tot ziens,
Emily