So I'll get right to it: Chu is still alive. We decided to let him live because he still seems to enjoy life. And now the tumor is gone (???). In it's place is this weird hole in his lip but he seems to be alright, just tired a lot.
Oh, so I forgot to tell a pretty funny story. The largest panorama in the world is right here in Den Haag, and it's called the Panorama Mesdag. It was made in the 1880s. I went to go see it, but my travel card broke in half on the bus. I was playing with the two halves while admiring this important, historic piece of art, when one of the halves of my card leapt from my hand and into the sand surrounding the painting! A little piece of 2010, defacing this 19th century masterpiece. As punishment, my host dad made me watch a video describing the painting's restoration. I didn't really mind that part.... except then I had to go buy a new travel card and the guy asked my host dad if I had been punished yet for breaking the first one. Great.
The word for daffodil in Dutch is narcis. Hahaha. Like the guy..... and the water and the flower and yeah.
Oh! I beat a personal record! I got to level 23 in Tetris! .......................................................
Which, now that I think about it, isn't that great of an accomplishment. :(
Mean Girls is on TV right now. Hahahahahahaha. So this is how Dutch kids get their ideas about America.
Hm.... what else?
I've narrowed down my college choice to two really outstanding choices. But I'm not ready to make a decision yet.
Aughh... just remembered I have to clean my room! Noooooooooooo the horror! Oh well.
Grrr there is so much to be done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't even begin to write it all down here so I'm just not even going to try.
Tot ziens,
Emily
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
For Chu
You remember Chu, our hamster? The most clever, curious, adventurous, cheerful hamster ever?
Unfortunately, he has a tumor in his mouth, making eating pretty difficult.
He just isn't happy anymore and he's probably starving, so tomorrow we will put him to sleep.
It's sad, but it will end his suffering. He was only 1 year old.
Chu, you were awesome, and I don't want you to hurt anymore. It breaks my heart to see you so down. We all learned a lot from you.
Rest in Peace.
...
Okay, here is some more news:
I just spent the last five and a half hours making sushi with my friends. We'll sell it tomorrow at school. It's sure to be a big success! (We ate the sushis that fell apart - trust me, people will want seconds!)
Oh, today I gave a presentation in history class. It's always sort of embarrassing speaking Dutch in front of a lot of people. Everyone always pays reaaaaaaaally good attention to me when I give presentations. This one was about the history of Berlin from 1945-1949. But oh well, I got an 8, which is like the equivalent of a B in America. Nice!
I remember what I forgot to mention in my last blog. I went to the Efteling (amusement park) with some AFS friends. It was fun. Haha, that was it.
It's finally spring! I've traded my gloves for sunglasses on the bike. I can even eat when I'm biking now (although I only do that when I'm almost late for school) oh, and I eat bread again, although not a lot. It's sort of necessary for survival here....
Can't think of anything else, except that kids at school keep quizzing me about where countries are in the world. Geography was never my best subject so I must seem a little ignorant to them. But I like the kids at school, they're really nice and fun to hang out with. I guess I'll be going now.
Tot ziens,
Emily
Unfortunately, he has a tumor in his mouth, making eating pretty difficult.
He just isn't happy anymore and he's probably starving, so tomorrow we will put him to sleep.
It's sad, but it will end his suffering. He was only 1 year old.
Chu, you were awesome, and I don't want you to hurt anymore. It breaks my heart to see you so down. We all learned a lot from you.
Rest in Peace.
...
Okay, here is some more news:
I just spent the last five and a half hours making sushi with my friends. We'll sell it tomorrow at school. It's sure to be a big success! (We ate the sushis that fell apart - trust me, people will want seconds!)
Oh, today I gave a presentation in history class. It's always sort of embarrassing speaking Dutch in front of a lot of people. Everyone always pays reaaaaaaaally good attention to me when I give presentations. This one was about the history of Berlin from 1945-1949. But oh well, I got an 8, which is like the equivalent of a B in America. Nice!
I remember what I forgot to mention in my last blog. I went to the Efteling (amusement park) with some AFS friends. It was fun. Haha, that was it.
It's finally spring! I've traded my gloves for sunglasses on the bike. I can even eat when I'm biking now (although I only do that when I'm almost late for school) oh, and I eat bread again, although not a lot. It's sort of necessary for survival here....
Can't think of anything else, except that kids at school keep quizzing me about where countries are in the world. Geography was never my best subject so I must seem a little ignorant to them. But I like the kids at school, they're really nice and fun to hang out with. I guess I'll be going now.
Tot ziens,
Emily
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Ongelooflijk: Mijn Vijftigste Post!
Wow I haven't written one of these for a while... here's what's been going on:
I went to Belgium. It was really nice! I stayed with Carla's parents and hung out with my Italian friend (who, by the way, broke his collar bone when he hit a bus while riding his bike). He's better now. Anyways, we went to Antwerp, Brussels, and Brugge. Brugge was definitely the most beautiful city I have ever encountered, and Brussels was really interesting and cool. I didn't see a whole lot of Antwerp, but it seemed alright, I guess like any city but then with yummy waffles and lots of fashion shops. Carla's dad made us these delicious mussels for lunch one day, which I really enjoyed. And I didn't used to like beer, but Belgian beer is amazing! Davide realized (as many people already have) that I get lost pretty easily and told me that I have the "orientation of a spoon". I'm not sure what that means and he doesn't either but I suppose it seems appropriate...
Oh yes, my pancake party! That was fun. My American friend Jenny helped me make all the pancakes. We made a recipe for 60 but it only came out to be 30 which was disappointing. But everyone who showed up before 9pm got at least one. I made a game called "Do you know me?" where there were two groups with the same questions about my life. But both teams got two answers wrong, so nobody actually won....both teams thought that I took the schoolbus to school every day, haha! We watched Zoolander, one of my favorite films, and everyone liked it.
I also did some gallivanting about the Netherlands. I went to Den Bosch and Gouda with a Japanese friend. There was a festival in Den Bosch and that was really cool. Everyone was dressed up crazy-like and there were tons of bands playing on the streets. There's a famous dessert there called the Bossche bal and it's basically an obese eclair (aka: lekker). The stroopwaffel was invented in Gouda, so we got one of those when we went. Basically a fun and sugar-filled day.
I also visited Jenny in her village near Leiden. We were biking and this dog walked right in front of me and then stopped. I accidentally tapped it............ he wasn't hurt, but I was sort of like.... uhh...... that reminds me, I almost hit a car while biking, too. We both had the green light and he didn't see me as he was turning and I didn't have time to slow down. But nothing happened. Just have to go slower next time...aside from those two events, I really love my bike. This one time, I was going pretty fast 'cause I like going fast, and I heard this guy on the sidewalk say, "Wow, what a speed!" That was pretty awesome. But I'll slow down now.... at least when crossing the street. And when dogs obliviously stand right in front of me.
THE WEATHER IS SO AMAZING RIGHT NOW I CAN'T EVEN BELIEVE IT
When it was 3 degrees Celsius (about 36 degrees Fahrenheit) I was practically jumping for joy. So now that it's 11 C (53 F) I'm thinking, 'How could I have ever been COLD in this weather in California????'
I got an A+ on my English final. Hooray, I speak my own language!
These last few months have gone by really fast, it's incredible. Probably because I've been more busy and have been enjoying things more. It was so great, I had a heated discussion with a boy in my class about whether or not a film could be better than the book version - in Dutch. I didn't win the argument (I said it wasn't possible, but how could I compete with someone's opinion?) but it was still cool to be able to debate in another language. The reason we were talking about it in the first place was that my teacher gave out free tickets to see Frankenstein in the theater. It was actually a filmed play, which was quite excellent, but still, the book was better.
Next Friday I'm going to be selling sushi at school during the breaks with my Japanese friend. It was her idea, but we're working together, along with the help of some other friends at school. She's worried about Japan right now, because of everything that has happened. All the money we earn will be sent to the Red Cross to help in the relief effort. I like doing it, I feel like I'm helping both her and her country.
Wow, college decisions come out soon. I'm really curious to find out where I get accepted. When I know for sure where I will be going in the fall, I'll post it on here.
I'm probably forgetting to write something, but it's time for bed now. It's 1:53 am, just so you know. I have two projects due on Monday - 1 for history class and 1 for Dutch class. I went to Delft today with the other AFSer's from South Holland, and tomorrow evening I'm going to a friend's house for a small movie party, so I actually need to sleep so I can work a bit tomorrow.
I'll get back to writing more often. But just know that since I haven't been writing so much, I've actually been doing more. And that's a good thing, right? Right.
Nou, tot ziens,
Emily
I went to Belgium. It was really nice! I stayed with Carla's parents and hung out with my Italian friend (who, by the way, broke his collar bone when he hit a bus while riding his bike). He's better now. Anyways, we went to Antwerp, Brussels, and Brugge. Brugge was definitely the most beautiful city I have ever encountered, and Brussels was really interesting and cool. I didn't see a whole lot of Antwerp, but it seemed alright, I guess like any city but then with yummy waffles and lots of fashion shops. Carla's dad made us these delicious mussels for lunch one day, which I really enjoyed. And I didn't used to like beer, but Belgian beer is amazing! Davide realized (as many people already have) that I get lost pretty easily and told me that I have the "orientation of a spoon". I'm not sure what that means and he doesn't either but I suppose it seems appropriate...
Oh yes, my pancake party! That was fun. My American friend Jenny helped me make all the pancakes. We made a recipe for 60 but it only came out to be 30 which was disappointing. But everyone who showed up before 9pm got at least one. I made a game called "Do you know me?" where there were two groups with the same questions about my life. But both teams got two answers wrong, so nobody actually won....both teams thought that I took the schoolbus to school every day, haha! We watched Zoolander, one of my favorite films, and everyone liked it.
I also did some gallivanting about the Netherlands. I went to Den Bosch and Gouda with a Japanese friend. There was a festival in Den Bosch and that was really cool. Everyone was dressed up crazy-like and there were tons of bands playing on the streets. There's a famous dessert there called the Bossche bal and it's basically an obese eclair (aka: lekker). The stroopwaffel was invented in Gouda, so we got one of those when we went. Basically a fun and sugar-filled day.
I also visited Jenny in her village near Leiden. We were biking and this dog walked right in front of me and then stopped. I accidentally tapped it............ he wasn't hurt, but I was sort of like.... uhh...... that reminds me, I almost hit a car while biking, too. We both had the green light and he didn't see me as he was turning and I didn't have time to slow down. But nothing happened. Just have to go slower next time...aside from those two events, I really love my bike. This one time, I was going pretty fast 'cause I like going fast, and I heard this guy on the sidewalk say, "Wow, what a speed!" That was pretty awesome. But I'll slow down now.... at least when crossing the street. And when dogs obliviously stand right in front of me.
THE WEATHER IS SO AMAZING RIGHT NOW I CAN'T EVEN BELIEVE IT
When it was 3 degrees Celsius (about 36 degrees Fahrenheit) I was practically jumping for joy. So now that it's 11 C (53 F) I'm thinking, 'How could I have ever been COLD in this weather in California????'
I got an A+ on my English final. Hooray, I speak my own language!
These last few months have gone by really fast, it's incredible. Probably because I've been more busy and have been enjoying things more. It was so great, I had a heated discussion with a boy in my class about whether or not a film could be better than the book version - in Dutch. I didn't win the argument (I said it wasn't possible, but how could I compete with someone's opinion?) but it was still cool to be able to debate in another language. The reason we were talking about it in the first place was that my teacher gave out free tickets to see Frankenstein in the theater. It was actually a filmed play, which was quite excellent, but still, the book was better.
Next Friday I'm going to be selling sushi at school during the breaks with my Japanese friend. It was her idea, but we're working together, along with the help of some other friends at school. She's worried about Japan right now, because of everything that has happened. All the money we earn will be sent to the Red Cross to help in the relief effort. I like doing it, I feel like I'm helping both her and her country.
Wow, college decisions come out soon. I'm really curious to find out where I get accepted. When I know for sure where I will be going in the fall, I'll post it on here.
I'm probably forgetting to write something, but it's time for bed now. It's 1:53 am, just so you know. I have two projects due on Monday - 1 for history class and 1 for Dutch class. I went to Delft today with the other AFSer's from South Holland, and tomorrow evening I'm going to a friend's house for a small movie party, so I actually need to sleep so I can work a bit tomorrow.
I'll get back to writing more often. But just know that since I haven't been writing so much, I've actually been doing more. And that's a good thing, right? Right.
Nou, tot ziens,
Emily
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Television
Not that I have a whole lot to say, but here goes:
I have received my first college acceptance letter. That means that I'm for sure moving on to a higher education in America. Yippee!
By the way, the school gala was AMAZING! Better than my American prom, really. Just danced the night away. Got a lot of compliments on my dress - it was blue, most of the other girls were wearing black. :]
I stayed up until 5:30 am last night watching The Big Bang Theory. Then I slept until 12:00 pm, then watched another 4 hours of it, and have now decided to do something useful with my life (not sure if this counts). But later I will shower, clean the kitchen, finish reading my (Dutch) book, then work on an essay. Maybe I should exercise, too....
Hm.... This isn't the first time I've spent so long watching TV. I don't even like TV.
Right now I'm listening to some dubstep. Nice.
Bass, bass, bass.
Don't be scared, turn it up!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUGzY-ihqWc
\m/ (>.<) \m/
(That's a guy rocking out.)
Tomorrow I'm going to Belgium. Staying for a few days.
I made some good eggs this morning.
Oh yeah, I'm on vacation from school. That's why I'm just sort of............chilling.
Remember when I said I was planning something? Well, yesterday I sent out an invitation for an American pancake party at my house to my friends at school. I hope it's fun, it's for March 12th.
I've been feeling bored lately. Like every day is the same.
My favorite poem is by Ezra Pound. I discovered it in the summer before 11th grade. It goes like this:
IN A STATION OF THE METRO
The apparition of these faces in the crowd ;
Petals on a wet, black bough.
Did you know that Ernest Hemingway was once challenged to write a novel in 6 words, something that would really tell a story? He succeeded. Here it is:
For sale: baby shoes, never worn.
Deep.
That is all that I wanted to say.
Tot ziens,
Emily
PS: Take care of yourself.
I have received my first college acceptance letter. That means that I'm for sure moving on to a higher education in America. Yippee!
By the way, the school gala was AMAZING! Better than my American prom, really. Just danced the night away. Got a lot of compliments on my dress - it was blue, most of the other girls were wearing black. :]
I stayed up until 5:30 am last night watching The Big Bang Theory. Then I slept until 12:00 pm, then watched another 4 hours of it, and have now decided to do something useful with my life (not sure if this counts). But later I will shower, clean the kitchen, finish reading my (Dutch) book, then work on an essay. Maybe I should exercise, too....
Hm.... This isn't the first time I've spent so long watching TV. I don't even like TV.
Right now I'm listening to some dubstep. Nice.
Bass, bass, bass.
Don't be scared, turn it up!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUGzY-ihqWc
\m/ (>.<) \m/
(That's a guy rocking out.)
Tomorrow I'm going to Belgium. Staying for a few days.
I made some good eggs this morning.
Oh yeah, I'm on vacation from school. That's why I'm just sort of............chilling.
Remember when I said I was planning something? Well, yesterday I sent out an invitation for an American pancake party at my house to my friends at school. I hope it's fun, it's for March 12th.
I've been feeling bored lately. Like every day is the same.
My favorite poem is by Ezra Pound. I discovered it in the summer before 11th grade. It goes like this:
IN A STATION OF THE METRO
The apparition of these faces in the crowd ;
Petals on a wet, black bough.
Did you know that Ernest Hemingway was once challenged to write a novel in 6 words, something that would really tell a story? He succeeded. Here it is:
For sale: baby shoes, never worn.
Deep.
That is all that I wanted to say.
Tot ziens,
Emily
PS: Take care of yourself.
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