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