6. In Which I Went To The Ballet

Last night I went to the ballet. It was fabulous. I had 8th row center seats. I only paid €10 for the seats. The seat I sat in is normally a €54.25 seat. Prior to the show I went out to a restaurant to get dinner. I went to a Japanese wok restaurant. I had a rice stir fry with beef, peanut sauce, and coconut milk and curry sauce. I enjoyed the meal, and would be up for it again, but the highlight of my night was the ballet. I really made out good on the seats. I sat next to this mother and daughter. The little girl must have been about five, and she kept asking questions throughout the show. It was really adorable. The show was fabulous. One of the Dutch banks was sponsering the show, and they were providing photo opportunities. I got two photos taking. Included are the photos I had taken at the show. The left photo is of a duplicate prop from the show. The right photo is of the main character, Coppelia. After the show the bank was handing out DVDs of the making of Coppelia. I haven't tested the DVD yet, but I hope it is region free. I also bought a poster at the show. It will accompany my Wicked poster in my room at home. Het Nationale Ballet is putting on another ballet at the end of March through the beginning of April. I plan to go see that as well. The €10 student tickets are amazing. I am planning on going to see Cirque du Soleil, which starts next weekend. Unfortunately, they don't offer student tickets. I would like to go see a musical while I am here, but unfortunately all the spoken text has been translated into Dutch. I am going to see the orchestra at the beginning of May, though. Afterwards I stopped at a bar for a drink. I have actually grown fond of Heineken while I have been here. I have never been big on beer, but I am really starting to like it. Okay, I need to go do some reading for class, but I will update again soon. I am much better than Haley in this respect.

5. In Which I DID Get To Hear Madeleine Albright Speak

Amsterdam really has not been what I expected. I am not sorry that I came, but it hasn't lived up to my expectations. I built it up to be this amazing fantasy, and it has let me down. The same thing happened to me at Wooster. I am making the best of the situation, though. I will survive, I always do.

Tuesday was a busy day for me. In the morning I went to the train station, and I bought my train tickets to Milan to visit Haley. I am going in just under 3 weeks. I am very excited, as the last time I physically saw Haley was when I took her to the airport last May. I am taking the night train. I leave Amsterdam at around 5 o'clock on a Thursday night, and I arrive in Milan at 7:45 AM on Friday morning. From Milan I take a two hour train south to Bologna. I am still looking at which train would be best, though. I will either be leaving Milan at 8:10 AM or 9:10. I am thinking I will wait until I am in Milan to purchase the tickets, because I don't want to miss the 8:10 in case my train getting to Milan is late. I will be staying through Monday evening. I am just so excited to catch up with Haley. Two weeks after I visit Haley, I go to see Louise, but I still have to book that ticket.

The highlight of Tuesday was racing across the city on my bike in 10 minutes to hear Madeleine Albright speak. Yes, that is right, I got a ticket to hear Madeleine Albright speak! It was fantastic! My favorite lines from the program were, "I always say that I was born sometime between the invention of the Blackberry and the discovery of fire," and "The best and only advice is really that you do have to work hard, and frankly you have to work twice as hard as men. There is no room for mediocre women, there seems to be plenty of room for mediocre men." There was also a point during the program where they polled the audience on who they would vote for. I think Obama support in the audience just beat out Hillary. I find it hilarious, as the majority of the audience wouldn't be eligible to vote in the U.S. You can view the show here. Click on "Bekijk Item" to start the video. I would advise that you watch the video. There was a book signing afterwards, but I only had €15 on me, so I couldn't get the book. I am hoping I will have another chance to hear her speak back in the States.

My Thursday class this week was cancelled. So on Thursday morning I went to Spui (pronounced "spow"). Spui is the literary circle of the city. It is filled with bookstores. On Fridays there is a book flea market in the square. I went to Selexyz. Selexyz owns the university bookstore in another part of the city. I ended up having to return one of my textbooks, but they wouldn't give me my cash back, so I have a git card with about €21 on it. I ended up ordering a book I need to read over spring break in Experiencing Differences. I will get a letter in the mail when it comes in. Afterwards I rode towards the Red Light District. On the other side of the Red Light District (near Nieuwmarkt) there is a little bakery. I have rode past it several times before, but never actually stopped. So, on Thursday I went there to get a sandwich for lunch. I ended up getting a goat cheese, lettuce, and sunflower seed sandwich. It was amazing, and to make it even better, it only cost €2.25. At two I met Jessica, a girl from my Regulating Religious and Cultural Diversity class to visit the Our Lord In The Attic museum. It is preserved house church from the 1600s. It is definitely a hidden gem in this city, and many people walk right past it without ever visiting. You are able to see what an actual Amsterdam house from the 1600s looked like, as well as see how the church is constructed in the house. I will include some photos. I am getting together with Jessica tomorrow afternoon to complete the Powerpoint. Tomorrow morning I am going to a Dutch brunch, a dorm activity.














Yesterday, I had a good day. Despite it raining (really the first time that I have experienced rain while being here), I made good use of my free Friday. I spent the early part of the afternoon at the Rijksmuseum. The Rijksmuseum holds a lot of classic paintings, such as paintings by Rembrandt and Vermeer. The Van Gogh museum is in the same area, so I do plan to make it back. I got incredibly lost on my way back to ISHSS, but eventually found my way. It took me close to an hour. I stopped by the bakery to pick up a sandwich for lunch. Yesterday I got a mozarella, tomato, and pesto sandwich. IES set up an activity for us to go skating on Friday afternoon. Only four of us showed, so Brock, Drew, Devon, and I went with Margarethe to Jaap Edenbaan. At Jaap Edenbaan they have both an indoor and outdoor skating rink. The outdoor ring is actually a speed skating ring. It was raining, so we opted for inside. We all got hockey skates, and it turned out to be a lot of fun, even though my skates were too big. The skates were also incredibly uncomfortable, as they were composed of ski boot type material. Skating really made me miss my brand new hockey skates. I am thinking I may have to actually pay to go skating at Babson when I get home. The outdoor rink closes March 16, so I am going to try to make it back before it closes, as I really want to try speed skating. The Red Sox socks that my mom gave me before I left came in handy. After we finished skating, we went and had hot chocolate. I enjoyed it. It was very creamy. Mmmmm!

Friday night I stayed in and had Tandori Chicken and Basmati Rice for dinner. It was nowhere as good as Masala Art, but at least it was something. I am so sick of most of the food, as my diet is rather repetitive here. I am thinking of trying a noodle bar tonight. Around 11 I went out for a bike ride, and I made a huge look through the city. I witnessed my first bike getting pulled over for a random inspection of breaks, lights, etc. I really hope that doesn't happen to me. I am sort of paranoid about it.

Tonight my plan is to go see Copelia, the ballet. I danced as one of the dolls in part of it in my senior recital at Needham Dance Theatre, so I really want to go see it. They sell student tickets for €10 up to two hours before the show. Tonight's show starts at 8:15, so I am going to go over at 6:15 and see if I can get a ticket. I then plan on going to a noodle bar for dinner before the show starts. I do miss dancing, but I don't miss the competitiveness of it, so I don't mind just watching. So, we will see if that turns out that I get to see it.

I was planning on going to Cologne, Germany next weekend, but the train ticket prices are double what they were a few days ago. Instead I may go ice skating at Jaap Edenbaan. Margarethe told me about a skating club at UvA, so I may look into joining. It would be a fun way to get out and meet some people. Unfortunately, there website is entirely in Dutch. Alright, I think I am going to be off, but I will post again soon.

4. In Which I Went To My First Conveyor Belt Sushi Bar

Have you ever been to a conveyor belt sushi bar? Well, neither had I until tonight.

I have spent most of the past two days reading. I really miss my Kurzweil back at MoHo. Too bad the most basic program costs $400, and it doesn't do the scanning ($1,500 for scanning capabilities). However, classes aren't as academically rigorous as Mt. Holyoke, but that still doesn't mean I will necessarily get a 4.0 here.

This morning was spent running from one end of the city to the other and back again. I am getting quite good at it. I left my apartment at 9:00 AM, and wasn't home again until 8:00 PM. In the morning I went to ISHSS to do reading write-ups for this weeks reading. At around 10:20 or so I left for Dam Square. This city is covered with bikes, but Dam Square is the one place where it can be difficult to find a place to lock up your bike. Having found a spot to chain my bike to, I made my way to the bank, and successfully opened a Dutch bank account. I should have my card within the week, so yay for no more ATM fees. I made my way back to ISHSS to finish my assignment. I left for the other UvA campus around 12:00, and had time to get lunch before class at 1:00. I went to the student cafeteria, which is apparently only opened for lunch. I got a soda and a smoked salmon sandwich on dark grain bread. It was quite tasty, but of course not as good as the salmon you would get in Alaska. I had my lecture part of class, which was barible. I spent my two hour break reading and checking e-mail. The seminar portion of my class went very well. By the time I was out of class it was nearing the 7:00 hour.

As it was dinner time, I was hungry, and still a 15-20 minute bike ride away from home, so I decided to check out Zushi, a conveyor belt sushi restaurant that I had walked past last week. It was nice and relaxing, and it was fun to watch all the sushi go past. I had two plates of avocado maki, a salmon skin temaki (handroll), and edamame. I definitely want to go back there, and now I know I won't have to live without sushi for an entire semester. I will include some videos from restaurant...





I decided to ride home via the Red Light District. People make it out the be a very dangerous place, which it really isn't. UvA is actually on the same street as the main drag of the Red Light District. It is definitely a very different atmosphere on a weeknight than a weekend. It almost seemed deserted. I was able to ride my bike with little difficulty. Although there is the occasional stupid tourist that stands or walks in the middle of the bike lanes. Okay, I think I will get some sleep, but I thought I would update as I think the idea of a conveyor belt sushi bar is quite amazing.

This is a picture I took of one of the canals as I was leaving the restaurant. This canal happens to be the Amstel River.

3. In Which I May Be Going To Hear Madeleine Albright Speak

So, I have been in Amsterdam close to two weeks now. It has been quite an adjustment, but South Africa was quite an adjustment, too. I have been going through a lot of mood swings, and hopefully those should subside soon. I have been missing the familiarity of Mt. Holyoke. Not that I haven't appreciated Mt. Holyoke, but being here has made me realize how truly in love I am with Mt. Holyoke. I need some MoHo-ness in my life, and luckily that will be resolved soon.

I arrived here in Amsterdam on January 30th. My welcome to Amsterdam was accompanied by one of my checked bags being lost. Not what I really wanted after getting off a seven hour flight. I went to report it as lost, and was told that it was in Amsterdam. They told me to stick around for 15 more minutes, and that it would be on the belt. I was sort of hoping that it was missing, because then it would be delivered to my apartment for me. Wishful thinking. It arrived, and thus I cleared customs with all my luggage in tow. I easily found the ticket machines, and bought a ticket to Amsterdam's Centraal Station. I was a bit discombobulated when I exited the station, and had a bit of trouble finding the street I needed to get to my hotel. In the process of this all I trip a took a head dive into the pavement. Not what I needed. A group of women came over to help me. One of them, a Turkish university student here in Amsterdam, was nice enough to help me with my bags and help me find my hotel. As a result I ended up with a nice gash across my forehead. I didn't break my glasses, but I did scratch some of the paint off the top of them. When I arrived at the hotel I was told my room wouldn't be ready for another hour and a half, so I should go get myself some lunch. I returned to Centraal Station to the Albert Heijn (owns Giant grocery stores in the US), and purchased an apple tart and a tirimisu. I returned to the hotel with my goodies in tow. When I arrived back I was told that my room was ready. The hotel is located in a series of old Amsterdam houses, and thus have these crazy narrow and steep staircases. It made getting my bags upstairs quite a challenge. Once in my room I ate my lunch, which was followed by a nap. After my nap I found an internet cafe where I could use Skype to call home, and then I started an excursion around the area of my hotel. I ended up in Dam Square (one of the biggest tourist areas in the city). I have learned it must be avoided at all costs on the weekends. For my first meal in Amsterdam I had the traditional pancake meal. I had a pancake with chicken, onions, and cheese. It was yummy, and I am looking forward to going back again. After dinner I made my way back to the hotel stopping to take some pictures of the canals. They really are gorgeous, and at night they are lit up with lights. There are some canals that aren't that pretty, but the one's in the old part of the city are gorgeous. I am looking forward to taking a river cruise in the spring to get some amazing photos.

The next morning I moved into my apartment. I went back to Centraal Station to wait for Brianna. After an hour she still hadn't shown, so I decided to make my way to the apartment myself. The taxi cost me 15 Euro, which was sort of ridiculous for a 5-7 minute ride, but apparently Amsterdam is known for having ridiculous taxi costs. I spent the day moving in, but I am still not quite there. Later in the afternoon we began orientation. About 5 minutes before we left Brianna arrived. It turned out that she missed one of her connections, and thus was rerouted through Frankfurt, Germany. We had introductions, and then we were fed. It was all over by 8 o'clock. Most of the people were incredibly jet lagged, but I was doing fine as I had had one day to adjust.

The next two days were filled with orientation events. Friday we spent most of the day in a classroom learning about the educational system and Dutch Culture. The conclusion of Friday was a canal cruise, which was nice, but difficult to get pictures as the boat was entirely glassed in. Saturday was a two parter. The first part was talking with Dutch people about stereotypes, foods, traditions, and stuff like. The second part of the day we were thrown out into the city for a scavenger hunt. We had to find different monuments and take photos with the group in them. My group came in third, and as a prize we got famous Dutch chocolates. I will probably pick some up with me to take to Haley and Louise's.

Sunday we were suppose to go to the beach, but the weather wasn't the greatest, so the trip has been postponed. Brianna, Alex (another girl on my floor), and I spent the day getting necessities. We went to Hema (located on the main shopping street in Amsterdam) to get some necessities. Until this point Brianna and I both didn't have bath towels. Hema is like a Target, but doesn't have the necessities you'd think it ought to have. Upon returning from Hema we went to Albert Heijn to get groceries. I am finding the food here very difficult. Everything is in Dutch, which can be frustrating at times. I only have a stove, so that makes getting nutrician rather difficult. I lost around 5 pounds the first week because I wasn't eating properly. This has now been remedied, because I am working with chicken and have translated the deli meats. I really enjoy prosciutto and cheese sandwiches and chicken, onion, and spinach stir-fry with soy sauce. I am looking forward to visiting Haley, because I will be able to have pizza and pasta galore.

The past week has been sort of blah. I had my academic appointment on Monday, which went well. On Tuesday I had my first class, Regulating Religious and Cultural Diversity in the Netherlands. I am liking the class so far, and this afternoon will be dedicated to reading for that class. Wednesday wasn't the best day for me. I had an anxiety attack or two because of everything that was going on. I had to register for my residency permit, and that caused me to be late by half an hour to my class, Experiencing Differences. When I finally found the class I waited outside for a few minutes, as it sounded like a Dutch class. The professor who was speaking has a thick accent and speaks wicked fast, which made it difficult to understand him. I was practically in tears through the entire class. I was luckily able to get into the seminar group with the other professor, who is such a sweetie. She actually recognized me a few days later. My final class of the week was on Thursday morning, Social Trends, Social Problems, and Social Policies in the Netherlands. It is going to be a great class. We are going to look at all these different social trends in the Netherlands, such as abortion, marriage, the legalization of marijuana, etc. After class I went with Alex and Brianna to get our bikes. As I always have bad luck, I was not able to get a bike. Adults in the Netherlands tend to me much taller than my 5'0 feet., so all the bikes were too big. I ended up buying a children's bike for 90 Euro later that afternoon. It's yellow and red. When I get around to it I will put pictures up. On Friday I went on a buildings tour of UvA. I found this tour to be more beneficially than my first one as I was now better acquainted with the city. Afterwards I went on a visit to the Lord In Our Attic Museum, which is an old house with a chapel inside. During a period of time in the Netherlands Catholics were forbidden from practicing, so people set up chapels in their homes. This is the only one remaining. Saturday I went and explored the American Book Center and biked home on an out of the way route, so to see more of the city. I spent yesterday doing laundry and reading, and again reading is planned for today.

I have talked with Haley and Louise several times this past week, which has been a nice change. I am planning on going to Italy on March 13th. I will take the night train, and then I will come back Monday night. My plans for going to Montpellier are to go from March 27 until March 31. Louise will be coming to visit at some point, too!

And now to finally touch upon the subject of this post... I received an e-mail this morning informing me about Madeleine Albright coming to speak at UvA. As I am not back in the States to be witnessing the events of this years election, I thought this would be a great way to stay in touch with it, but also she is a member of Hillary's campaign team, and that makes me happy. I will let you know what happens with that.

Well, I guess this will be all for right now. I will try to update soon.