Everything's been rather quiet for the past couple of weeks. Just the usual. I've been to some of the nearer towns and had a wander through a couple of markets. Last weekend was particularly chill, and hanging with S and A on Saturday was super fun and relaxing.
This weekend I tried to finish off my Christmas shopping as best I could so I was in Laren and Amsterdam. Amsterdam is all dolled up for the holidays, with lights strung all the way down and across all the main shopping streets and a Christmas market on the big main street from Centraal station to Dam Square. And all the malls are blinking happily.
One particularly frustrating problem I've bumped into though is the fact that no where seems to carry picture frames that are either more than single picture size or less than eight. I happen to need room for three. Bah.
There was a party at our place on Friday. Total meh. It was nice chatting with some of the people at the beginning but then everyone starts getting drunk and I get bored. Very bored. It's just not my style of party. Another result from that was I was feeling grumpy at humanity in general on Saturday, which was unfortunate as that was the day I went in to Amsterdam, and I usually enjoy the crowds but this time I was swearing at everyone under my breath. Oh well.
And now the toilet is beginning to back up, but that should be fixed tomorrow sometime, so yay!
I'm heading to Munich on Friday for two weeks. I'm so looking forward to not working! For two weeks! And visiting cousins!!!! Woohoo!!!!! And I keep forgetting how soon Friday is.... Whoops.
The ramble is over now. Peace out.
Sunday, 15 December 2013
Sunday, 1 December 2013
Sinterklaas and other things
So there's this thing I've been bumping my head against recently. It's one of those cultural differences that may not have a truly right or wrong answer, or side, or anything like that. It may be varying shades of gray and it's something I can deal with in the long run but it's also something I've been bumping my head on.
It's the Dutch holiday tradition of Sinterklaas. Sinterklaas, also known as St. Nicholas, is not unfamiliar to me. However his little helpers, who fill many of the same job descriptions as Santa's elves, were unfamiliar at least in this guise. I'd heard brief references to Black Peter in the stories I'd heard so I expected something similar, and it sort of is. He's called Zwarte Piet here, and there's more then one of him. Not a problem in and of itself really. When I started getting a tad uncomfortable was when I realised that Zwarte Piete is generally played by white actors in blackface. That's when the fact that there's more then one and they're the "little helpers" started to make me uncomfortable too.
None of the locals see any of this as a problem either. The fact that some people do find it racist is making the news here. Has been for several weeks in fact. And the locals get very upset when their tradition is called racist and protest that it isn't, it's just an old holiday tradition. I wasn't sure what to think for a little while, because it comes across as racist to me and I was having trouble seeing how the people here couldn't see that, so I took a bit of time to try and puzzle it out.
The first thing to realise is that this is the most Caucasian country I've ever been in. I'd never seen so many blond and blue eyed children in one place before I went to the school to pick up the kids, and most of the parents look much the same. There are two families that I've seen who aren't White. One is Black, the other Asian. This may not be as true in the bigger cities, but the Netherlands still strikes me as a predominantly White country. This is not a bad thing but it means that there are some perspectives that won't be heard simply because they aren't there. The other thing to keep in mind is that, while the Netherlands certainly participated in the slave trade it wasn't legal in the country itself, so my impression is they didn't do much of the re-shaping and re-working that other countries had to go through to reach a certain level of equality. They may not have needed to. The end result of that (from my perspective) is that they literally don't see the racist connotations in the imagery of Zwarte Piet. It doesn't occur to them that some people will look at the master/servant relationship between St. Nick and Zwarte Piet, note the skin colours, and also see a master/slave dynamic. And for someone who's grown up in a country still struggling with institutionalised racism and next door to another country dealing with much the same thing it sticks out like a sore thumb.
Maybe I'm being too sensitive (I won't think I am, obviously) and maybe I've got it all wrong. As I said before, this is something I can deal with. But I can see it from the perspective of those who think it is racist and when I try I can see it from the Dutch perspective too, and no matter which way I look at it I get a little twitchy.
It's the Dutch holiday tradition of Sinterklaas. Sinterklaas, also known as St. Nicholas, is not unfamiliar to me. However his little helpers, who fill many of the same job descriptions as Santa's elves, were unfamiliar at least in this guise. I'd heard brief references to Black Peter in the stories I'd heard so I expected something similar, and it sort of is. He's called Zwarte Piet here, and there's more then one of him. Not a problem in and of itself really. When I started getting a tad uncomfortable was when I realised that Zwarte Piete is generally played by white actors in blackface. That's when the fact that there's more then one and they're the "little helpers" started to make me uncomfortable too.
None of the locals see any of this as a problem either. The fact that some people do find it racist is making the news here. Has been for several weeks in fact. And the locals get very upset when their tradition is called racist and protest that it isn't, it's just an old holiday tradition. I wasn't sure what to think for a little while, because it comes across as racist to me and I was having trouble seeing how the people here couldn't see that, so I took a bit of time to try and puzzle it out.
The first thing to realise is that this is the most Caucasian country I've ever been in. I'd never seen so many blond and blue eyed children in one place before I went to the school to pick up the kids, and most of the parents look much the same. There are two families that I've seen who aren't White. One is Black, the other Asian. This may not be as true in the bigger cities, but the Netherlands still strikes me as a predominantly White country. This is not a bad thing but it means that there are some perspectives that won't be heard simply because they aren't there. The other thing to keep in mind is that, while the Netherlands certainly participated in the slave trade it wasn't legal in the country itself, so my impression is they didn't do much of the re-shaping and re-working that other countries had to go through to reach a certain level of equality. They may not have needed to. The end result of that (from my perspective) is that they literally don't see the racist connotations in the imagery of Zwarte Piet. It doesn't occur to them that some people will look at the master/servant relationship between St. Nick and Zwarte Piet, note the skin colours, and also see a master/slave dynamic. And for someone who's grown up in a country still struggling with institutionalised racism and next door to another country dealing with much the same thing it sticks out like a sore thumb.
Maybe I'm being too sensitive (I won't think I am, obviously) and maybe I've got it all wrong. As I said before, this is something I can deal with. But I can see it from the perspective of those who think it is racist and when I try I can see it from the Dutch perspective too, and no matter which way I look at it I get a little twitchy.
Sunday, 24 November 2013
My weekend in Brussels
On the morning of Friday the 8th I headed out to catch a train to Brussels where I planned to spend the rest of that weekend. The trip in to Amsterdam went as usual, and I got a ticket to Brussels with a change in Rotterdam. I rather like Rotterdam Centraal as a train station. The layout is nice, it's quite bright, and it's easy to navigate. Also, the Starbucks is really easy to find. On the train from Rotterdam to Brussels I had a lovely conversation with a Belgian man who was on his way home from what sounded like a lovely vacation in warmer climes who had a couple of very good suggestions for language learning aids, so that was fun.
Upon arriving in Brussels my first order of business was to find the tourist info center so I got directions to Grand Plac and headed over. The first thought through my mind on walking in to the Grand Plac was "My God. The Dutch have no romance in their souls, but the Belgians surely do!" It was gorgeous. Not just in Grand Plac, but all through the center of the city. Even the more recently built buildings (i.e. only a couple hundred years old) were beautiful. So after staring and taking a few pictures I wandered in to the tourist info center and said "Could you help me find a place to sleep for the next two nights?" and they found me a very nice hostel about ten to fifteen minutes walk away called the Sleep Well youth hostel. I quite liked it. After checking in I went for a bit of a wander, grabbed something to eat, and went to Le Cercueil to try a fruit beer. Le Cercueil is a bar who's decor is made up primarily of coffins, blacklights, and fake skeletons. It was cool, but I'd recommend going with friends otherwise you'll be bored out of your skull, like me. The beer wasn't bad though.
After the beer I went back to the hostel and did some research for the following day. The Herge museum was a bit further away then I thought it would be, so I decided that was going to have to wait for another trip, but I did discover the Belgian Comic Strip Center. That looked good. So, decision made, I went sleep and actually got some, much to my surprise.
Saturday i woke up about 9:30 and was out a half hour or so later. I decided breakfast was not a bad time to try waffles, so I picked one of the likelier looking waffle stands and got one with whipped cream and chocolate. It was really good. Also a lot of sweet. And it happened to be right next to Manneken Pis, so I got a couple of pictures of it in one of it's costumes. I decided to explore a bit before I went looking for the comic center so I did a half circuit of the streets around Grand Plac and then decided I needed something that was food that didn't have sugar in it as I was feeling a bit sick. One thing that pretty much all the restaurants in Brussels have is mussels, so I decided now was as good a time as any to give them a try. I got the appy size pot instead of the big meal size, and it was quite tasty.
At this point I decided I should probably head to the comic center so I pulled out the map and picked the most likely looking route. Turns out, the street I picked didn't go straight through like it did on the map. I had to detour up a few streets but as that got me up near the cathedral, which is as stunning as much of the rest of the city is, I didn't mind. It also took me past a couple of statues that I probably would have missed otherwise.
The Belgian Comic Strip Center is in a building that started life as the Waucquez Warehouse, an Art Nouveau building designed by Victor Horta, so not only is the stuff inside absolutely fascinating for me the building is as well. The first floor has a restaurant and the store, and a small gellery that I didn't end up going in to. I started with the store. I have come to the conclusion that I have to learn to read French, if not speak it, simply to have a chance to read the wealth of comics and graphic novels that come from Belgium that haven't been translated and likely won't be any time soon. I had to keep repeating "You can't read it, so don't buy it" while I was in there.
After torturing myself by browsing, I went up the stairs past the bust on Tintin to the main exhibit floor. The first section you go through is the history of the comic strip, starting with cave paintings and Egyptians, moving through Saxon and Japanese to the more modern and discussing the ones that were examples purely of art, the political cartoons, and the entertainment variety. The next section goes through how a comic is made, from the initial design concepts through the rough draft, final draft, inking, and printing process with about five or six exhibits which showcase a particular comic artists creative process in the area that's being explained at the time. Then you move into the section on genres. They have the panel explaining the particular genre and then six to ten single page examples from different comics in that genre. Fantasy, comedy, sci-fi, mystery, etc. It was all absolutely fascinating. The other side has a small gallery. The show that was there when I went was about a comic called Murena. here's the link. It was one of the ones I wished I could read. http://www.comicscenter.net/en/exhibitions/the-gallery/murena-jean-dufaux-and-philippe-delaby
The next floor up is the floor where they showcase particular cartoonists who were particularly well known and contributed a lot to the art of comics in Belgium. The first section is, of course, about Herge and his comics. Then you can wander through an area that talks about eight or so others from the recent history of Belgian comics. The top half floor is dedicated special exhibit space, with two going side by side. One half was a Will Eisner exhibit, and the other was an Olivier Grenson exhibit. Olivier Grenson is yet another author I'll have to learn French to read. Bah.
At this point I was getting a bit hungry so I decided food might be in order. I went to a little place just off Grand Plac and tried Vol au Vent, which was really good, but I couldn't finish it. Too much rich food.... But it's soooo good!!! After which I wandered back to the hostel. Turns out, the route to and from my hostel took me behind the Opera House and straight through the Plac des Martyrs. So I have both daytime and night time shots of both.
When I got back to the hostel and ensconced in my room, I heard a couple of the other girls talking about having to get up early and I was thinking "Ok, so there'll be some noise sometime around seven or eight. I can deal with that." Turns out, early meant three in the bloody am. So from about three in the morning to about quarter to five, there were two people clattering about packing, showering, and generally fussing. Needless to say, I did not get much sleep.
When I finally did decide to get up I got everything squared away and headed down for breakfast. Oh yes, did I mention that the hostel also provided breakfast? Very nice. At this point I realised I should head out if I wanted to make the free walking tour in time, so I checked out and made my way to Grand Plac. It had rained the night before, and the sun was out with force that morning, so the Plac was absolutely stunning. Just wow.
I was more than in time for the tour so I got on no problem. And the funny thing with me and Sandeman's? When I went on the tour in Amsterdam my tour guide was a Dutch Canadian originally from Ontario. In Brussels my guide had moved to Belgium ten months ago from Amsterdam. Go figure. The tour is well worth it. The history of Brussels is fascinating, and my guide was also a highly entertaining storyteller, so he could tell you the facts and then pull out one of the stories or urban myths as well, which made the whole thing even more enjoyable. Another funny thing was that there were at least three other Canadians on that tour. Again, go figure.
After the tour one of the other people, a very nice Aussie who'd been living in London for two years and had decided to go exploring, and myself decided that as we were both hungry we should go find dinner together. We had some good food and good conversation, and then I went off to get the the things I'd decided I couldn't leave Brussels without. That being some Tintin items and chocolate. And oh my word is the chocolate good. I've decided I'm going to have to back right before I go home just to stock up on truffles.
After grabbing my goods I headed to the train station to go home. The trip this time was longer as I ended up on two milkrun trains going through Belgium, and a slightly faster one through the South of the Netherlands. And I ended up with another Canadian. She's a teacher, also originally from Ontario, and she's teaching English in the Netherlands now. we had a nice chat and she helped me figure out a slightly faster way of getting home which was extremely helpful as I was getting tired and a bit grumpy at that point. After that, it was fairly standard the rest of the way home, where I set up my alarm and collapsed.
All in all, it was a very nice trip. That's all for now. Peace out.
Upon arriving in Brussels my first order of business was to find the tourist info center so I got directions to Grand Plac and headed over. The first thought through my mind on walking in to the Grand Plac was "My God. The Dutch have no romance in their souls, but the Belgians surely do!" It was gorgeous. Not just in Grand Plac, but all through the center of the city. Even the more recently built buildings (i.e. only a couple hundred years old) were beautiful. So after staring and taking a few pictures I wandered in to the tourist info center and said "Could you help me find a place to sleep for the next two nights?" and they found me a very nice hostel about ten to fifteen minutes walk away called the Sleep Well youth hostel. I quite liked it. After checking in I went for a bit of a wander, grabbed something to eat, and went to Le Cercueil to try a fruit beer. Le Cercueil is a bar who's decor is made up primarily of coffins, blacklights, and fake skeletons. It was cool, but I'd recommend going with friends otherwise you'll be bored out of your skull, like me. The beer wasn't bad though.
After the beer I went back to the hostel and did some research for the following day. The Herge museum was a bit further away then I thought it would be, so I decided that was going to have to wait for another trip, but I did discover the Belgian Comic Strip Center. That looked good. So, decision made, I went sleep and actually got some, much to my surprise.
Saturday i woke up about 9:30 and was out a half hour or so later. I decided breakfast was not a bad time to try waffles, so I picked one of the likelier looking waffle stands and got one with whipped cream and chocolate. It was really good. Also a lot of sweet. And it happened to be right next to Manneken Pis, so I got a couple of pictures of it in one of it's costumes. I decided to explore a bit before I went looking for the comic center so I did a half circuit of the streets around Grand Plac and then decided I needed something that was food that didn't have sugar in it as I was feeling a bit sick. One thing that pretty much all the restaurants in Brussels have is mussels, so I decided now was as good a time as any to give them a try. I got the appy size pot instead of the big meal size, and it was quite tasty.
At this point I decided I should probably head to the comic center so I pulled out the map and picked the most likely looking route. Turns out, the street I picked didn't go straight through like it did on the map. I had to detour up a few streets but as that got me up near the cathedral, which is as stunning as much of the rest of the city is, I didn't mind. It also took me past a couple of statues that I probably would have missed otherwise.
The Belgian Comic Strip Center is in a building that started life as the Waucquez Warehouse, an Art Nouveau building designed by Victor Horta, so not only is the stuff inside absolutely fascinating for me the building is as well. The first floor has a restaurant and the store, and a small gellery that I didn't end up going in to. I started with the store. I have come to the conclusion that I have to learn to read French, if not speak it, simply to have a chance to read the wealth of comics and graphic novels that come from Belgium that haven't been translated and likely won't be any time soon. I had to keep repeating "You can't read it, so don't buy it" while I was in there.
After torturing myself by browsing, I went up the stairs past the bust on Tintin to the main exhibit floor. The first section you go through is the history of the comic strip, starting with cave paintings and Egyptians, moving through Saxon and Japanese to the more modern and discussing the ones that were examples purely of art, the political cartoons, and the entertainment variety. The next section goes through how a comic is made, from the initial design concepts through the rough draft, final draft, inking, and printing process with about five or six exhibits which showcase a particular comic artists creative process in the area that's being explained at the time. Then you move into the section on genres. They have the panel explaining the particular genre and then six to ten single page examples from different comics in that genre. Fantasy, comedy, sci-fi, mystery, etc. It was all absolutely fascinating. The other side has a small gallery. The show that was there when I went was about a comic called Murena. here's the link. It was one of the ones I wished I could read. http://www.comicscenter.net/en/exhibitions/the-gallery/murena-jean-dufaux-and-philippe-delaby
The next floor up is the floor where they showcase particular cartoonists who were particularly well known and contributed a lot to the art of comics in Belgium. The first section is, of course, about Herge and his comics. Then you can wander through an area that talks about eight or so others from the recent history of Belgian comics. The top half floor is dedicated special exhibit space, with two going side by side. One half was a Will Eisner exhibit, and the other was an Olivier Grenson exhibit. Olivier Grenson is yet another author I'll have to learn French to read. Bah.
At this point I was getting a bit hungry so I decided food might be in order. I went to a little place just off Grand Plac and tried Vol au Vent, which was really good, but I couldn't finish it. Too much rich food.... But it's soooo good!!! After which I wandered back to the hostel. Turns out, the route to and from my hostel took me behind the Opera House and straight through the Plac des Martyrs. So I have both daytime and night time shots of both.
When I got back to the hostel and ensconced in my room, I heard a couple of the other girls talking about having to get up early and I was thinking "Ok, so there'll be some noise sometime around seven or eight. I can deal with that." Turns out, early meant three in the bloody am. So from about three in the morning to about quarter to five, there were two people clattering about packing, showering, and generally fussing. Needless to say, I did not get much sleep.
When I finally did decide to get up I got everything squared away and headed down for breakfast. Oh yes, did I mention that the hostel also provided breakfast? Very nice. At this point I realised I should head out if I wanted to make the free walking tour in time, so I checked out and made my way to Grand Plac. It had rained the night before, and the sun was out with force that morning, so the Plac was absolutely stunning. Just wow.
I was more than in time for the tour so I got on no problem. And the funny thing with me and Sandeman's? When I went on the tour in Amsterdam my tour guide was a Dutch Canadian originally from Ontario. In Brussels my guide had moved to Belgium ten months ago from Amsterdam. Go figure. The tour is well worth it. The history of Brussels is fascinating, and my guide was also a highly entertaining storyteller, so he could tell you the facts and then pull out one of the stories or urban myths as well, which made the whole thing even more enjoyable. Another funny thing was that there were at least three other Canadians on that tour. Again, go figure.
After the tour one of the other people, a very nice Aussie who'd been living in London for two years and had decided to go exploring, and myself decided that as we were both hungry we should go find dinner together. We had some good food and good conversation, and then I went off to get the the things I'd decided I couldn't leave Brussels without. That being some Tintin items and chocolate. And oh my word is the chocolate good. I've decided I'm going to have to back right before I go home just to stock up on truffles.
After grabbing my goods I headed to the train station to go home. The trip this time was longer as I ended up on two milkrun trains going through Belgium, and a slightly faster one through the South of the Netherlands. And I ended up with another Canadian. She's a teacher, also originally from Ontario, and she's teaching English in the Netherlands now. we had a nice chat and she helped me figure out a slightly faster way of getting home which was extremely helpful as I was getting tired and a bit grumpy at that point. After that, it was fairly standard the rest of the way home, where I set up my alarm and collapsed.
All in all, it was a very nice trip. That's all for now. Peace out.
Saturday, 23 November 2013
Sunday, 3 November 2013
The weekend update
For those of you wondering about me.
After two months I'm settling in. Things are feeling more like "normal" now, and I have a weekly pattern which is good for me. My housemates are nice and we seem to be settling in with each other, which is very good, and there's a couple of the other girls who are here that I'm enjoying. My host family is very nice. The kids are a great deal of fun and the parents are lovely people. I'm figuring things out with the dog too. I still crash in to some of the cultural differences sometimes, as the Dutch take some getting used to, and I'm still homesick occasionally. Although it's less what I think of as homesickness. Homesickness is when I'm miserable with missing things and people. Where I'm at now is not that. I get a bit sad sometimes, but not out and out miserable. And what I'm missing right now is landscapes. Things like mountains and forests, or evergreen forests anyway, and ocean. I'm getting two weeks free at Christmas and I'm really looking forward to that.
But on to my weekend. Or Saturday anyway. I headed out and everything went as usual until I got to the train station. Whereupon I discovered that there was track work being done between Hilversum (the station closest to where I'm living) and Weesp (about halfway to Amsterdam) so you had to catch one of the buses they were using to take people to the various stations. Ok, I can do that. Takes a bit longer but you get to see the places you usually speed by so that's fun. I finally get in to the city and head off on a ramble. I had originally planned to come in because there were about fifty museums staying open 'til two am, but with the trains being tricky I decided I probably wouldn't stay in too late. I'd been looking for a Winter coat for a while, and I decided I might as well get one now so I headed to one of the stores I'd been sussing out and discovered there was a sale on. I ended up getting a very nice coat for 20 euros less than the price. Huzzah!
On my last trip in I'd passed a store called Chimera on the way to the Halloween parade. It was closed at the time, but I'd made a mental note of where it was so I could go back during opening hours, so that was the next stop. And ooooh myyyyy! I loved it! For those of you familiar with the store Dragonspace on Granville Island it is very similar, but twice the floor space and two floors. I was hopping up and down and squeeing internally the whole time I was in there. The upper floor is entirely Asian, and has everything from incense to tableware and chopsticks. The bottom floor has clothes, statues, jewelry, and just about everything else fantasy oriented I could possibly hope for.
After that I decided I was going to just wander down some of the streets I was somewhat familiar with and let the city wash over me. I headed down on e of the shopping streets and ambled my way through the masses of people until I got to Spui square. I spent some time in one of the English bookstores, and then noticed people going in and out of the Begijnhof so I headed over. The Begijnhof is a beautiful little sheltered square just off Spui, but it's so much quieter. There's a little church in the middle of the square and a chapel across from it. The chapel has some beautiful wall murals and a little pipe organ inside. It was a breath of quiet in the middle of the bustle of the city and I loved it.
At this point it was raining, and I was getting tired and starting to curse in my head at people getting in my way, so I decided I should grab some dinner and then head home. I found an Asian takeaway place and then headed to the train station. Oh my word the trip back. The train was literally stuffed to the gunnels with people. Standing room only, and then only if you squashed like sardines. I have never fainted, but I came very, very close on the short trip to Weesp. I was positively relieved to get on the shuttle bus. The bus trip went as expected, but I just missed my bus back to Blaricum, so I hung about for a half hour reading. Everyone was tired when I got back, so we just kind of sat doing our own things being tired together. Which was nice. Oh, yes, I forgot to mention we had a party on Friday and most of the others went in to Amsterdam around ten, so everyone was exhausted from partying. I'd just stayed up 'til stupid o'clock in the morning, spent all day walking, and then endured being stuffed in a tight airless space for a good thirty minutes (or more). Anyway, we all ended up going to bed earlier than usual for a weekend. And I still probably stayed up to late, but that was due to a book.
That's all for now. Peace out.
After two months I'm settling in. Things are feeling more like "normal" now, and I have a weekly pattern which is good for me. My housemates are nice and we seem to be settling in with each other, which is very good, and there's a couple of the other girls who are here that I'm enjoying. My host family is very nice. The kids are a great deal of fun and the parents are lovely people. I'm figuring things out with the dog too. I still crash in to some of the cultural differences sometimes, as the Dutch take some getting used to, and I'm still homesick occasionally. Although it's less what I think of as homesickness. Homesickness is when I'm miserable with missing things and people. Where I'm at now is not that. I get a bit sad sometimes, but not out and out miserable. And what I'm missing right now is landscapes. Things like mountains and forests, or evergreen forests anyway, and ocean. I'm getting two weeks free at Christmas and I'm really looking forward to that.
But on to my weekend. Or Saturday anyway. I headed out and everything went as usual until I got to the train station. Whereupon I discovered that there was track work being done between Hilversum (the station closest to where I'm living) and Weesp (about halfway to Amsterdam) so you had to catch one of the buses they were using to take people to the various stations. Ok, I can do that. Takes a bit longer but you get to see the places you usually speed by so that's fun. I finally get in to the city and head off on a ramble. I had originally planned to come in because there were about fifty museums staying open 'til two am, but with the trains being tricky I decided I probably wouldn't stay in too late. I'd been looking for a Winter coat for a while, and I decided I might as well get one now so I headed to one of the stores I'd been sussing out and discovered there was a sale on. I ended up getting a very nice coat for 20 euros less than the price. Huzzah!
On my last trip in I'd passed a store called Chimera on the way to the Halloween parade. It was closed at the time, but I'd made a mental note of where it was so I could go back during opening hours, so that was the next stop. And ooooh myyyyy! I loved it! For those of you familiar with the store Dragonspace on Granville Island it is very similar, but twice the floor space and two floors. I was hopping up and down and squeeing internally the whole time I was in there. The upper floor is entirely Asian, and has everything from incense to tableware and chopsticks. The bottom floor has clothes, statues, jewelry, and just about everything else fantasy oriented I could possibly hope for.
After that I decided I was going to just wander down some of the streets I was somewhat familiar with and let the city wash over me. I headed down on e of the shopping streets and ambled my way through the masses of people until I got to Spui square. I spent some time in one of the English bookstores, and then noticed people going in and out of the Begijnhof so I headed over. The Begijnhof is a beautiful little sheltered square just off Spui, but it's so much quieter. There's a little church in the middle of the square and a chapel across from it. The chapel has some beautiful wall murals and a little pipe organ inside. It was a breath of quiet in the middle of the bustle of the city and I loved it.
At this point it was raining, and I was getting tired and starting to curse in my head at people getting in my way, so I decided I should grab some dinner and then head home. I found an Asian takeaway place and then headed to the train station. Oh my word the trip back. The train was literally stuffed to the gunnels with people. Standing room only, and then only if you squashed like sardines. I have never fainted, but I came very, very close on the short trip to Weesp. I was positively relieved to get on the shuttle bus. The bus trip went as expected, but I just missed my bus back to Blaricum, so I hung about for a half hour reading. Everyone was tired when I got back, so we just kind of sat doing our own things being tired together. Which was nice. Oh, yes, I forgot to mention we had a party on Friday and most of the others went in to Amsterdam around ten, so everyone was exhausted from partying. I'd just stayed up 'til stupid o'clock in the morning, spent all day walking, and then endured being stuffed in a tight airless space for a good thirty minutes (or more). Anyway, we all ended up going to bed earlier than usual for a weekend. And I still probably stayed up to late, but that was due to a book.
That's all for now. Peace out.
Saturday, 26 October 2013
What I did today.
I went in to Amsterdam again today, but later than usual. It was interesting. I got there just after 1pm and started down the road to the Rijksmuseum, and in the process found the tulip market and the street with all the antique shops on it. Both were pretty cool. One of the stalls at the tulip market advertised the fact that they send bulbs to different countries so I suppose I could send plants home after all. There were a few bonsai too, which I thought was funny.
Oh, yeah. And for the past week there's been a fair set up in the middle of Dam Square right in front of the palace. Looks exactly like the little fairs that set up in school playing fields at home. It's been rather fun to watch.
I had somewhere between three and four hours in the Rijksmuseum and I didn't even get through the bottom floor. I think this will involve multiple trips. But that's ok, because as a museum card holder I can literally walk straight in! It's awesome! Anyway. The first floor is all the medieval art with a few rooms set aside for the Asian stuff they have. Some of the European wood carvings are absolutely stunning, and the Venetian glassware they have is gorgeous. More on the museum after the second trip.
I decided to hang around for a few more hours so I could check out the Halloween parade, so I settled down in front of the National Monument to read and people watch. I like watching a city flow around me. It's generally fascinating. So far I've seen Amsterdam crowded and slightly less crowded, but it's always busy, particularly in Dam Square. Of course, I haven't seen it stupidly late/early, so there could be quiet, almost empty points but I doubt it's ever completely still. It was interesting watching the people blow by. Tourists from other countries and elsewhere in the Netherlands with their maps and the occasional shopping bag. People waiting for the parade to start, people eating dinner in front of the monument, and then of course the people wandering by in costume. I'm fairly certain that only happens around Halloween and Pride. Watching the look of the square change as it got darker was cool too, especially with the fair set up. Lots of lights and shifting shadows.
The parade itself was somewhat underwhelming. It was the standard "everyone in a costume come be in the parade!" and most of the costumes were zombies. It's been interesting watching Halloween happen here what with my North American preconceptions and all. It's rather a big deal back home, and people go to great lengths to create incredible costumes so there's a wide variety in what you see. Devils, witches, ghosts, demons, and yes, zombies too. The only thing I saw (bar three vampires) were zombies. (the zombie Pikachu was my favourite) To be fair, it isn't actually Halloween yet, but it was the kick off to the week long parties, and I guess I forgot that Halloween is much less of a thing over here. Something else I noted that goes with that was the ratio of people not in costumes to the people in costumes was much higher than back home. Although, again, it could just possibly be because it isn't, in fact, Halloween. And I can't go in on Halloween, so I won't be able to do a proper comparison. Oh well.
I was craving McDonald's (don't ask me why! I don't know!) so I got dinner on the way back, and I arrived home to be reminded very strongly of the trials and tribulations of having room mates. The house was rather full. There have been people over every bloody night since Thursday. Unfortunately it's been guests of separate roommates on two of those occasions. I am, however, beginning to go slightly crazy. I understand if they want to party. It is the weekend. But I'm one of those weirdos who needs a certain amount of space. I've gotten used to one of my roomies 'cause she's here as much as me, but the guy is only here on weekends and this is only the second weekend. I can deal with it this time (I think), but if it turns into a weekly thing I may have to do something. I feel a bit like the grumpy ogre, but oh well. And to be fair coming home to find three people you've never seen before doing their hair and makeup in the bathroom is a bit disconcerting.
Sorry if this was a bit jumpy or rambly. I'm tired. That's all for now. Rock on.
Oh, yeah. And for the past week there's been a fair set up in the middle of Dam Square right in front of the palace. Looks exactly like the little fairs that set up in school playing fields at home. It's been rather fun to watch.
I had somewhere between three and four hours in the Rijksmuseum and I didn't even get through the bottom floor. I think this will involve multiple trips. But that's ok, because as a museum card holder I can literally walk straight in! It's awesome! Anyway. The first floor is all the medieval art with a few rooms set aside for the Asian stuff they have. Some of the European wood carvings are absolutely stunning, and the Venetian glassware they have is gorgeous. More on the museum after the second trip.
I decided to hang around for a few more hours so I could check out the Halloween parade, so I settled down in front of the National Monument to read and people watch. I like watching a city flow around me. It's generally fascinating. So far I've seen Amsterdam crowded and slightly less crowded, but it's always busy, particularly in Dam Square. Of course, I haven't seen it stupidly late/early, so there could be quiet, almost empty points but I doubt it's ever completely still. It was interesting watching the people blow by. Tourists from other countries and elsewhere in the Netherlands with their maps and the occasional shopping bag. People waiting for the parade to start, people eating dinner in front of the monument, and then of course the people wandering by in costume. I'm fairly certain that only happens around Halloween and Pride. Watching the look of the square change as it got darker was cool too, especially with the fair set up. Lots of lights and shifting shadows.
The parade itself was somewhat underwhelming. It was the standard "everyone in a costume come be in the parade!" and most of the costumes were zombies. It's been interesting watching Halloween happen here what with my North American preconceptions and all. It's rather a big deal back home, and people go to great lengths to create incredible costumes so there's a wide variety in what you see. Devils, witches, ghosts, demons, and yes, zombies too. The only thing I saw (bar three vampires) were zombies. (the zombie Pikachu was my favourite) To be fair, it isn't actually Halloween yet, but it was the kick off to the week long parties, and I guess I forgot that Halloween is much less of a thing over here. Something else I noted that goes with that was the ratio of people not in costumes to the people in costumes was much higher than back home. Although, again, it could just possibly be because it isn't, in fact, Halloween. And I can't go in on Halloween, so I won't be able to do a proper comparison. Oh well.
I was craving McDonald's (don't ask me why! I don't know!) so I got dinner on the way back, and I arrived home to be reminded very strongly of the trials and tribulations of having room mates. The house was rather full. There have been people over every bloody night since Thursday. Unfortunately it's been guests of separate roommates on two of those occasions. I am, however, beginning to go slightly crazy. I understand if they want to party. It is the weekend. But I'm one of those weirdos who needs a certain amount of space. I've gotten used to one of my roomies 'cause she's here as much as me, but the guy is only here on weekends and this is only the second weekend. I can deal with it this time (I think), but if it turns into a weekly thing I may have to do something. I feel a bit like the grumpy ogre, but oh well. And to be fair coming home to find three people you've never seen before doing their hair and makeup in the bathroom is a bit disconcerting.
Sorry if this was a bit jumpy or rambly. I'm tired. That's all for now. Rock on.
Friday, 25 October 2013
I missed a weekend excursion, so I'll tell you about it now
Hey, I realised that I went on a couple more trips in to Amsterdam that I haven't mentioned yet, so I'll remedy that now.
So on Friday, October 4th, I went in to Amsterdam with the express purpose of getting a museum card and finding Spui Square, which is the bookshop square. I had bought a map the last time I was in Amsterdam, so with that and what I remembered of the walking tour I headed off to find the Amsterdam museum. After a couple of half misses I found it and went in to get a museum card. This allows me to get in free at many of the museums and even some of the castles in the country, including the Rijksmuseum which has been closed for renovation for the past ten years. Awesome! After getting the card I decided since I was already here I might as well explore the museum.
First a bit about the museum itself. The building, originally an orphanage, was built in 1580, rebuilt in 1634, and stopped being used as an orphanage in 1960. It became the Amsterdam museum in 1975. What they have there now is a museum along the top floor of two wings, and a gallery in the long hall in the middle.
In the museum they take you through the history of the city of Amsterdam from the year 1000 to the early 2000s. The first are has a couple of pillars with objects that have been dredged up from the canals, and those were absolutely fascinating! I'm always astonished by the kinds of objects that have survived the centuries, and some of the places they survived in. There was a shoe, an old dagger, a pilgrims badge and a wineskin among other things. The next section was the Reformation. There were some beautiful portraits, and some old religious statues that had been defaced and a set of replica armour you could have you're picture taken in. After that came the section on the Golden Age, when the Dutch East India company was founded, and the city was run by the notable burghers and the city's reputation as a very tolerant place to live became widespread. Then came the period when Napoleon took control, which was interesting and then it moved in to the Industrial Revolution. And after that was the section on the world wars. There was a headphone you could put on that read selections from Anne Franks diary, and a wall where they showed the numbers of Jews who were in Amsterdam when the war started and the number who had survived to the end of the war. I'd never seen the numbers laid out in that way before. It was frightening. And very, very sad. One of the tram lines, line 8, was called the Jewish line because it went straight through the Jewish Quarter, so the Nazis used it to deport Jews during the war. There hasn't been a line 8 since the end of the war. And the last section was of happenings from the end of the war to the present day. Including an explanation of their drug laws, and the definitions of "hard" and "soft" drugs, and bit about the first same sex marriages held in Amsterdam.
After the museum wander I had lunch and then went to Spui Square. There was a book fair in the middle of the square, which I thought was awesome, and from there I could see at least two English language bookstores which made me very happy. I spent the next few hours browsing books. And came to the conclusion that it would be cheaper in the long run to buy my books when I got back to Canada, except that buying books is a bit like a security blanket for me so maybe just one a month.
The weekend of the 18th I went in at the usual time in the afternoon and wandered over to the library. I find libraries comforting in a way. No matter where you go there will be a certain layout and me being the book nut I am, just the proximity of that many books can make me feel better. There was also a really cool display in the kids section. Someone made a giant house for toy mice with somewhere around 100 rooms in it, each one meticulously detailed on the inside and outside, with the little stuffed mice set up in them. It was very well done. After that I went to the tourist information center to try and find a yarn store. There are convenient little computer kiosks in it for when the lines are rather long (which they were) and I managed to find one after a couple of tries. It turns out it was the one I remembered walking past on the walking tour I took, so I really did go by everything I might have wanted on that tour! Anyway, it was a lovely little place and I was pleasantly surprised by the prices for the wool. I got some needles and a couple of balls of wool, and I had told the woman behind the counter that I'd recently arrived and had forgotten all of my knitting supplies (which is true) and she said "Oh dear! We can't have that!" so when I left she said "Enjoy! And I'm sure we'll see you again!" Also true, and I thought it was sweet.
After that I went to a cafe where there was a section devoted to apple tart, so I thought I should try it. It was very, very good and it was drowned in some of the tastiest whipped cream I've had in a while. Top that of with some lovely hot chocolate with brandy, and I'm set for the afternoon!
The rest of the day was devoted to the Ming exhibit in the New Kerk. I was very impressed with what I'd seen of Chinese artifacts in Taiwan (I would strongly recommend the National Palace museum to anyone who's interested in archaeology in general, but especially if you like Chinese history) and I enjoyed what I saw here just as much. It was split in to three sections. The first had displays of items from Imperial palaces of the Ming period (which is when the Forbidden City was built) including things like roof tiles and jewelry. Second section was things from the scholars of the period, so paintings, poems, and a small room specifically for erotic art with accompanying poetry. The third section was oriented to the merchants of the time, and had some lovely pieces of china and a copy of a map made by an Italian Jesuit missionary at the request of the Emperor. If some clever person ever decides to make a copy and turn it in to a poster, I would gladly hang that on my wall! Oh, and I discovered just how useful the museum card is. Regular prices for admission range from 10 to 12 euros depending on age. I got in for 3.50. I think it was a very good investment!
Next up, the Rijksmuseum and Amsterdam Halloween parade!
So on Friday, October 4th, I went in to Amsterdam with the express purpose of getting a museum card and finding Spui Square, which is the bookshop square. I had bought a map the last time I was in Amsterdam, so with that and what I remembered of the walking tour I headed off to find the Amsterdam museum. After a couple of half misses I found it and went in to get a museum card. This allows me to get in free at many of the museums and even some of the castles in the country, including the Rijksmuseum which has been closed for renovation for the past ten years. Awesome! After getting the card I decided since I was already here I might as well explore the museum.
First a bit about the museum itself. The building, originally an orphanage, was built in 1580, rebuilt in 1634, and stopped being used as an orphanage in 1960. It became the Amsterdam museum in 1975. What they have there now is a museum along the top floor of two wings, and a gallery in the long hall in the middle.
In the museum they take you through the history of the city of Amsterdam from the year 1000 to the early 2000s. The first are has a couple of pillars with objects that have been dredged up from the canals, and those were absolutely fascinating! I'm always astonished by the kinds of objects that have survived the centuries, and some of the places they survived in. There was a shoe, an old dagger, a pilgrims badge and a wineskin among other things. The next section was the Reformation. There were some beautiful portraits, and some old religious statues that had been defaced and a set of replica armour you could have you're picture taken in. After that came the section on the Golden Age, when the Dutch East India company was founded, and the city was run by the notable burghers and the city's reputation as a very tolerant place to live became widespread. Then came the period when Napoleon took control, which was interesting and then it moved in to the Industrial Revolution. And after that was the section on the world wars. There was a headphone you could put on that read selections from Anne Franks diary, and a wall where they showed the numbers of Jews who were in Amsterdam when the war started and the number who had survived to the end of the war. I'd never seen the numbers laid out in that way before. It was frightening. And very, very sad. One of the tram lines, line 8, was called the Jewish line because it went straight through the Jewish Quarter, so the Nazis used it to deport Jews during the war. There hasn't been a line 8 since the end of the war. And the last section was of happenings from the end of the war to the present day. Including an explanation of their drug laws, and the definitions of "hard" and "soft" drugs, and bit about the first same sex marriages held in Amsterdam.
After the museum wander I had lunch and then went to Spui Square. There was a book fair in the middle of the square, which I thought was awesome, and from there I could see at least two English language bookstores which made me very happy. I spent the next few hours browsing books. And came to the conclusion that it would be cheaper in the long run to buy my books when I got back to Canada, except that buying books is a bit like a security blanket for me so maybe just one a month.
The weekend of the 18th I went in at the usual time in the afternoon and wandered over to the library. I find libraries comforting in a way. No matter where you go there will be a certain layout and me being the book nut I am, just the proximity of that many books can make me feel better. There was also a really cool display in the kids section. Someone made a giant house for toy mice with somewhere around 100 rooms in it, each one meticulously detailed on the inside and outside, with the little stuffed mice set up in them. It was very well done. After that I went to the tourist information center to try and find a yarn store. There are convenient little computer kiosks in it for when the lines are rather long (which they were) and I managed to find one after a couple of tries. It turns out it was the one I remembered walking past on the walking tour I took, so I really did go by everything I might have wanted on that tour! Anyway, it was a lovely little place and I was pleasantly surprised by the prices for the wool. I got some needles and a couple of balls of wool, and I had told the woman behind the counter that I'd recently arrived and had forgotten all of my knitting supplies (which is true) and she said "Oh dear! We can't have that!" so when I left she said "Enjoy! And I'm sure we'll see you again!" Also true, and I thought it was sweet.
After that I went to a cafe where there was a section devoted to apple tart, so I thought I should try it. It was very, very good and it was drowned in some of the tastiest whipped cream I've had in a while. Top that of with some lovely hot chocolate with brandy, and I'm set for the afternoon!
The rest of the day was devoted to the Ming exhibit in the New Kerk. I was very impressed with what I'd seen of Chinese artifacts in Taiwan (I would strongly recommend the National Palace museum to anyone who's interested in archaeology in general, but especially if you like Chinese history) and I enjoyed what I saw here just as much. It was split in to three sections. The first had displays of items from Imperial palaces of the Ming period (which is when the Forbidden City was built) including things like roof tiles and jewelry. Second section was things from the scholars of the period, so paintings, poems, and a small room specifically for erotic art with accompanying poetry. The third section was oriented to the merchants of the time, and had some lovely pieces of china and a copy of a map made by an Italian Jesuit missionary at the request of the Emperor. If some clever person ever decides to make a copy and turn it in to a poster, I would gladly hang that on my wall! Oh, and I discovered just how useful the museum card is. Regular prices for admission range from 10 to 12 euros depending on age. I got in for 3.50. I think it was a very good investment!
Next up, the Rijksmuseum and Amsterdam Halloween parade!
Saturday, 12 October 2013
Rants, musings, and speeches that have been sitting in the wings
Warning: Some of these may ramble and take detours in the middle of my making a point. I apologise in advance.
Top of the list today is; The dog. I like dogs. I was very glad there was a dog to look after, because that was something I was used to and pets are usually nice to have around. However, he and I have something of a love/hate relationship. He can be very sweet, coming to say hi when you arrive in the morning. But then you take him for a walk. {An aside. I should perhaps mention that he is an un-neutered male. And as far as I've been able to tell this is not hugely unusual here, as I see several intact males regularly when I'm walking the dog and I'm fairly sure there's at least one un-spayed female in the neighbourhood too. This is very, very odd for me as the general thought in Vancouver (as I've experienced it) is that if your pet is not fixed and you aren't planning on breeding them you are in some way "not quite up to snuff" as an owner. I never, ever, want to own an un-neutered male dog.} When we go to the off leash area, he can run about and play while I amble around which under most circumstances would be awesome. But I have to keep a beady eye trained on him at all times because he frequently gets obsessed with trying to prove he's dominant and most other dog owners don't appreciate that. Or he'll run into another intact male, at which point we have a staring/growling contest and they both proceed to try to dominate all the other dogs in the vicinity. (I actually got a lecture about the fact he wasn't neutered from someone who owned one of the other un-neutered dogs he was arguing with) Joy. And after the second time I had to spend a half hour trying to find him, I've decided off leash outside of the dog park is not going to happen anymore. It's more stress an time wasted then I need to put with or have time to deal with. I think we'll be able to work out a reasonable compromise though. Only time will tell.
Bikes: Oh. My. God. The bloody bikes. I've realised that a good indication that I'm getting more comfortable here is the fact that I'm more willing to entertain the notion of hopping on my bike to go somewhere. However, it may take longer then it would have if people hadn't kept pushing it when I first arrived. The day after I got here my hostmum was pushing me to get used to the bike, and as I was in full on overload, I latched on to biking as the easiest thing to be grumpy and stubborn about. so I biked when I had to, but not much outside of that. I also really like walking. It grounds me, and is a little bit like meditating at times, so odds are I won't end up biking in the immediate area much anyway I'll just be more willing to bike further afield. Funny thing though. I've been biking the youngest to and from his hockey practice for about a month and a half, and I've recently started taking him to and from his tennis class as well. A couple of nights ago, his mum asked how my biking was and he looked up from the other end of the table and said "It's good! Much better than before! You couldn't bike at all before!" To which I responded "Not to you're standards I'm sure." But yay! He approves! But anyway, other people on bikes. In Vancouver, I've sometimes said that as a pedestrian you have to watch out for cyclists more than cars. The same is true here, only the drivers are crazier as well. I've seen other people walking, but if someone is on a wheeled mode of transportation, it's like they're not sure what to do with people on foot. I've also had instances where someone has said "You walk to the grocery store?!" "Yes." "Doesn't that take a while?" And I'm thinking, it's a five minute walk, tops. Probably less. It's not that far..... It's a bit like walking is a foreign concept, which can be a bit frustrating for me because, as I mentioned above, it's a rather useful means of centering and learning an area for me. So, yeah. I'm getting used to, but not entirely happy with, the bikes.
And me.
I came to an interesting realisation the other day. I was walking the dog, thinking, being introspective and all that. I'd been grumpy and rather dissatisfied all day, but I didn't know what I was unhappy with. Then I realised that I was getting used to/more comfortable with most of my routine. And that triggered some of the uncomfortable feelings. And then it dawned on me that I was scared. Scared that I was getting used to here and what that might mean. Scared of getting comfortable in a different country. Scared of I don't know what else, but scared. That realisation probably helped a bit, but as far as I know I may still be scared. This will take some thought.
Also, I started typing this all on Wednesday, and I'm just getting to posting now, on Saturday. So it seems that even if I try to get a post done for the middle of the week I'm not gonna finish it 'til the week end. You guys may be stuck with one a week for a while longer.
Top of the list today is; The dog. I like dogs. I was very glad there was a dog to look after, because that was something I was used to and pets are usually nice to have around. However, he and I have something of a love/hate relationship. He can be very sweet, coming to say hi when you arrive in the morning. But then you take him for a walk. {An aside. I should perhaps mention that he is an un-neutered male. And as far as I've been able to tell this is not hugely unusual here, as I see several intact males regularly when I'm walking the dog and I'm fairly sure there's at least one un-spayed female in the neighbourhood too. This is very, very odd for me as the general thought in Vancouver (as I've experienced it) is that if your pet is not fixed and you aren't planning on breeding them you are in some way "not quite up to snuff" as an owner. I never, ever, want to own an un-neutered male dog.} When we go to the off leash area, he can run about and play while I amble around which under most circumstances would be awesome. But I have to keep a beady eye trained on him at all times because he frequently gets obsessed with trying to prove he's dominant and most other dog owners don't appreciate that. Or he'll run into another intact male, at which point we have a staring/growling contest and they both proceed to try to dominate all the other dogs in the vicinity. (I actually got a lecture about the fact he wasn't neutered from someone who owned one of the other un-neutered dogs he was arguing with) Joy. And after the second time I had to spend a half hour trying to find him, I've decided off leash outside of the dog park is not going to happen anymore. It's more stress an time wasted then I need to put with or have time to deal with. I think we'll be able to work out a reasonable compromise though. Only time will tell.
Bikes: Oh. My. God. The bloody bikes. I've realised that a good indication that I'm getting more comfortable here is the fact that I'm more willing to entertain the notion of hopping on my bike to go somewhere. However, it may take longer then it would have if people hadn't kept pushing it when I first arrived. The day after I got here my hostmum was pushing me to get used to the bike, and as I was in full on overload, I latched on to biking as the easiest thing to be grumpy and stubborn about. so I biked when I had to, but not much outside of that. I also really like walking. It grounds me, and is a little bit like meditating at times, so odds are I won't end up biking in the immediate area much anyway I'll just be more willing to bike further afield. Funny thing though. I've been biking the youngest to and from his hockey practice for about a month and a half, and I've recently started taking him to and from his tennis class as well. A couple of nights ago, his mum asked how my biking was and he looked up from the other end of the table and said "It's good! Much better than before! You couldn't bike at all before!" To which I responded "Not to you're standards I'm sure." But yay! He approves! But anyway, other people on bikes. In Vancouver, I've sometimes said that as a pedestrian you have to watch out for cyclists more than cars. The same is true here, only the drivers are crazier as well. I've seen other people walking, but if someone is on a wheeled mode of transportation, it's like they're not sure what to do with people on foot. I've also had instances where someone has said "You walk to the grocery store?!" "Yes." "Doesn't that take a while?" And I'm thinking, it's a five minute walk, tops. Probably less. It's not that far..... It's a bit like walking is a foreign concept, which can be a bit frustrating for me because, as I mentioned above, it's a rather useful means of centering and learning an area for me. So, yeah. I'm getting used to, but not entirely happy with, the bikes.
And me.
I came to an interesting realisation the other day. I was walking the dog, thinking, being introspective and all that. I'd been grumpy and rather dissatisfied all day, but I didn't know what I was unhappy with. Then I realised that I was getting used to/more comfortable with most of my routine. And that triggered some of the uncomfortable feelings. And then it dawned on me that I was scared. Scared that I was getting used to here and what that might mean. Scared of getting comfortable in a different country. Scared of I don't know what else, but scared. That realisation probably helped a bit, but as far as I know I may still be scared. This will take some thought.
Also, I started typing this all on Wednesday, and I'm just getting to posting now, on Saturday. So it seems that even if I try to get a post done for the middle of the week I'm not gonna finish it 'til the week end. You guys may be stuck with one a week for a while longer.
Wednesday, 2 October 2013
Being sick (And my second Amsterdam excursion!)
So this is going to be about a week late but I have a good excuse! (in my head anyway) I went in to Amsterdam for the day on this past Friday, (more on that later) and on Saturday I was solidly and uncomfortably sick. I was out of it for the weekend entirely and I ended up heading to the cottage early because I was falling asleep at the dinner table on Monday. Tuesday was a bit better though I did end up dozing on the couch. Hopefully it'll be mostly gone by this weekend.
Anyway, to backtrack a bit. I went in to Amsterdam last Friday. Started a bit late, so I didn't get in to town until 11:40 or thereabouts. So I found somewhere to have lunch and headed to Dom Square in the hopes of finding the Sandeman's free tours people. I did. So I had a three hour walking tour of Amsterdam to look forward to now! My tour guide turned out to be a Canadian born Dutch woman who went by Lee. She lives in the Red Light District which has, apparently, turned into quite the family neighbourhood. It's also the safest place in Amsterdam after dark. Go figure.
The tour started in the Red Light District, which is when I learned much of those funny bits of trivia. Other things learned are: It's one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Amsterdam and has the oldest building, the Old Church (Oude Kerk) in it, and don't take pictures of the working ladies because our guide has seen tourists chased down the street by some of the women who had their picture taken.
We then went on to Chinatown, which is very different from the Vancouver Chinatown. Smaller, for one thing. Then on to one of the old customs houses which turned in to a guildhall when Amsterdam expanded. The big round tower in the middle played host to the Guild of Surgeons where they carried out public autopsies on executed criminal. Rembrandt painted a picture of one of these and a copy is hanging in the room. Apparently they hold raves in the room once a month and the effect of the lights and the painting is "Rather trippy".
On we go to the South end of the Red Light District where the Amsterdam University is located, and after that continue on to the Amsterdam Museum. A very cool building, and there are some very interesting stores around it. It also has some of the picture plates that people used to use instead of house numbers mounted on the outer walls. Apparently no one used house numbers until after Napoleon invaded and placed his brother on the throne. The Dutch didn't have last names until Louis Bonaparte either. So, according to Lee, this is why many Dutch last names are rather silly or dirty when translated. No one thought they'd stick.
After we left the museum we continued n to the newer part of the city (so, y'know, only about 400 years old) where she got us some cheese samples and showed us some of the tipping buildings and the smallest house front in Amsterdam. The house front was as wide as the front door, apparently as a tax dodge. Oh, and most people still haul their new furniture up and in through the upper windows using the hooks on the top of all the buildings when moving, which I thought was pretty cool.
The next and last stop was the Jewish Quarter and the Anne Frank House. When we got there she said "Oh look! It's a short line, only about 40 minutes!" When several of us looked at her funny she said "No, really, in Summer it can be up to 3 hours." So if I go I think I'll go in the Winter. Anyway, she told us a bit of the WWII history of Amsterdam and a bit about the Franks.
At this point the tour was over. It was a lot of fun and I would highly recommend it to anyone who goes to Amsterdam. It's a great way to get a basic idea of the layout of the central part of the city and to learn some interesting trivia. My guide was very fun, and from what I've seen on the website I'd guess most of the other guides are too.
Anyway, having finished off three hours of walking, the cold that had been lurking decided to pounce. I got very tired, very quickly, so I decided to go home.
That's all for now. Hopefully I'll remember to post again soon.
Anyway, to backtrack a bit. I went in to Amsterdam last Friday. Started a bit late, so I didn't get in to town until 11:40 or thereabouts. So I found somewhere to have lunch and headed to Dom Square in the hopes of finding the Sandeman's free tours people. I did. So I had a three hour walking tour of Amsterdam to look forward to now! My tour guide turned out to be a Canadian born Dutch woman who went by Lee. She lives in the Red Light District which has, apparently, turned into quite the family neighbourhood. It's also the safest place in Amsterdam after dark. Go figure.
The tour started in the Red Light District, which is when I learned much of those funny bits of trivia. Other things learned are: It's one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Amsterdam and has the oldest building, the Old Church (Oude Kerk) in it, and don't take pictures of the working ladies because our guide has seen tourists chased down the street by some of the women who had their picture taken.
We then went on to Chinatown, which is very different from the Vancouver Chinatown. Smaller, for one thing. Then on to one of the old customs houses which turned in to a guildhall when Amsterdam expanded. The big round tower in the middle played host to the Guild of Surgeons where they carried out public autopsies on executed criminal. Rembrandt painted a picture of one of these and a copy is hanging in the room. Apparently they hold raves in the room once a month and the effect of the lights and the painting is "Rather trippy".
On we go to the South end of the Red Light District where the Amsterdam University is located, and after that continue on to the Amsterdam Museum. A very cool building, and there are some very interesting stores around it. It also has some of the picture plates that people used to use instead of house numbers mounted on the outer walls. Apparently no one used house numbers until after Napoleon invaded and placed his brother on the throne. The Dutch didn't have last names until Louis Bonaparte either. So, according to Lee, this is why many Dutch last names are rather silly or dirty when translated. No one thought they'd stick.
After we left the museum we continued n to the newer part of the city (so, y'know, only about 400 years old) where she got us some cheese samples and showed us some of the tipping buildings and the smallest house front in Amsterdam. The house front was as wide as the front door, apparently as a tax dodge. Oh, and most people still haul their new furniture up and in through the upper windows using the hooks on the top of all the buildings when moving, which I thought was pretty cool.
The next and last stop was the Jewish Quarter and the Anne Frank House. When we got there she said "Oh look! It's a short line, only about 40 minutes!" When several of us looked at her funny she said "No, really, in Summer it can be up to 3 hours." So if I go I think I'll go in the Winter. Anyway, she told us a bit of the WWII history of Amsterdam and a bit about the Franks.
At this point the tour was over. It was a lot of fun and I would highly recommend it to anyone who goes to Amsterdam. It's a great way to get a basic idea of the layout of the central part of the city and to learn some interesting trivia. My guide was very fun, and from what I've seen on the website I'd guess most of the other guides are too.
Anyway, having finished off three hours of walking, the cold that had been lurking decided to pounce. I got very tired, very quickly, so I decided to go home.
That's all for now. Hopefully I'll remember to post again soon.
Saturday, 21 September 2013
A day in Utrecht
Today I went in to Utrecht with my host mum to get the process for my visa started. It was fairly standard for most dealings with branches of government. Go in, wait, discover that the computer system is down so the agent who's helping you has to keep running off to check something on whatever is still working, find out that due to a recent rule change they need a fingerprint scan (I'm in a system now. Not sure how I'll feel about that in the long run, but right now I find it entertaining) so go do that, get temporary visa, and leave.
After we left, my host mum asked if I wanted to stay in Utrecht or go back with her. I said I'd stay, so she showed me which direction the station and center of the city was in and said "Have fun!"
So I set of on my adventure for the day. I was wandering down the street and ended up in a clothing store about halfway down the block. I thought "Well, I need some more cold weather shirts anyway so what the hell". So I wen shopping. Wandering out of the store later I turned towards the center of Utrecht and came across a street market so (of course) I wandered through. It was fairly standard as near as I could see, but they did have some cool stuff. Right on the other side of the market my attention was nabbed. I'd found a mall! I was surprisingly happy about this fact, which leads me to an aside.
I was having a conversation with a family member earlier this week about getting used to living here and some of the things I'd bumped in to or was having trouble with. After listening for a bit they said "You know, not only are you in a completely new country you're also from a big city and you've just moved to a small town, so you're actually going through two different adjustments at the same time so it's a bit like a double whammy." An I went "Oh my god. You're right. Huh." This was confirmed for me when I went to Utrecht. But more on that later.
Anyway, I headed up in to the mall, mostly just window shopping but I did pick up a few more things I'd been needing (There's an awesome store which has just about all the basic things you might suddenly go "Oh wait, I need that" about) and eventually found my way to a few of the restaurants. It was about 12:30 or thereabouts so I decided lunch might be in order. I had a very North American lunch except for the fact that I had mayo with my fries and the coffee always came with a tiny cookie. I had a short conversation with one of the servers there about learning Dutch, because I'd mentioned I couldn't yet and he asked me if that was why I was in Utrecht. At which point I remembered that Utrecht is a University town. He said he hoped they'd see me again and maybe next time I could try ordering in Dutch. I quite liked him.
After lunch I decided to leave the dark innards of the mall (They are similar no matter where you go. It was quite comforting, really) and headed outside. From the corner I could see the tall spire of the Dom which is one of Utrecht's tourist destinations and a lovely bell tower clock as well, so I headed in it's direction. It's a free standing tower and arch that's right across the street from St. Martin's Cathedral. And I found a bookstore right in front of it so I was happy.
St. Martin's Cathedral is a Protestant church and I think it's the only Gothic style church in the Netherlands. Or one of very few at any rate. It's beautiful. I need to go back just to wander through it again. There are wall murals and statues and gargoyles, and floor plaques that are huge and old. There's a big stone covered in runes and spiral carvings out in front and the doors are bronze with murals on them. Many of the statues and wall pieces have had their faces smashed off. It's all fascinating to me.
After I left St. Martins I headed down the street in the direction of the museum district, but got distracted when I found a comic store. I was so happy. I've decided I may become a regular over this next year, not least because when the staff noticed I was spending a lot of time going over the Asterix they had in stock (in both Dutch and English! Yaaay!) they mentioned that there was a new one coming out in October. Oh, and would I be interested in some Dutch and English Tintin? Or the English comics and manga downstairs? I was in a kind of geeky heaven and thoroughly enjoying myself.
I left with copies of a Tintin in two languages, an Asterix in two languages, and a new English comic one of the guys recommended, and decided now would be a good time to head to the station and go back to Blaricum. So I made my way back to the mall, which has an entrance in the station, and went to get my chipkart loaded up so I could get home. The chipkart is like the oyster card in London and the soon to be introduced compass card in Vancouver. Interesting thing about the chipkart. You can't use it if it has less than 20 euros on it. So there's pretty much always going to be twenty euros on the card that you can't use. Which just seems stupid to me. I got back to Blaricum alright, as it's fairly straight forward, and settled down for the rest of the evening.
So. To sum up. I love Utrecht. When I went to Amsterdam it was nice, but I didn't fall in love with it the same way. I've decided I need to give it a second chance, so I'll say the jury's still out but at the moment Utrecht is my go to city in the nearby area. There's a couple reasons for this. It's smaller than Amsterdam, and that's what I'm more accustomed to. It's a big city which to me is more like home but the general feel seemed slightly more relaxed and easy. I also found a couple of geek havens for myself all on the first visit, and I didn't manage that in Amsterdam. It's also a student city in some ways and I've always had a fondness for those. There's a special feel to them and an energy in the air that I love. The locals in student cities also seem to have large stores of patience for the younger and sillier members of society, (myself included) and can be incredibly helpful.
So I'll let y'all know what I think after I go to Amsterdam again.
After we left, my host mum asked if I wanted to stay in Utrecht or go back with her. I said I'd stay, so she showed me which direction the station and center of the city was in and said "Have fun!"
So I set of on my adventure for the day. I was wandering down the street and ended up in a clothing store about halfway down the block. I thought "Well, I need some more cold weather shirts anyway so what the hell". So I wen shopping. Wandering out of the store later I turned towards the center of Utrecht and came across a street market so (of course) I wandered through. It was fairly standard as near as I could see, but they did have some cool stuff. Right on the other side of the market my attention was nabbed. I'd found a mall! I was surprisingly happy about this fact, which leads me to an aside.
I was having a conversation with a family member earlier this week about getting used to living here and some of the things I'd bumped in to or was having trouble with. After listening for a bit they said "You know, not only are you in a completely new country you're also from a big city and you've just moved to a small town, so you're actually going through two different adjustments at the same time so it's a bit like a double whammy." An I went "Oh my god. You're right. Huh." This was confirmed for me when I went to Utrecht. But more on that later.
Anyway, I headed up in to the mall, mostly just window shopping but I did pick up a few more things I'd been needing (There's an awesome store which has just about all the basic things you might suddenly go "Oh wait, I need that" about) and eventually found my way to a few of the restaurants. It was about 12:30 or thereabouts so I decided lunch might be in order. I had a very North American lunch except for the fact that I had mayo with my fries and the coffee always came with a tiny cookie. I had a short conversation with one of the servers there about learning Dutch, because I'd mentioned I couldn't yet and he asked me if that was why I was in Utrecht. At which point I remembered that Utrecht is a University town. He said he hoped they'd see me again and maybe next time I could try ordering in Dutch. I quite liked him.
After lunch I decided to leave the dark innards of the mall (They are similar no matter where you go. It was quite comforting, really) and headed outside. From the corner I could see the tall spire of the Dom which is one of Utrecht's tourist destinations and a lovely bell tower clock as well, so I headed in it's direction. It's a free standing tower and arch that's right across the street from St. Martin's Cathedral. And I found a bookstore right in front of it so I was happy.
St. Martin's Cathedral is a Protestant church and I think it's the only Gothic style church in the Netherlands. Or one of very few at any rate. It's beautiful. I need to go back just to wander through it again. There are wall murals and statues and gargoyles, and floor plaques that are huge and old. There's a big stone covered in runes and spiral carvings out in front and the doors are bronze with murals on them. Many of the statues and wall pieces have had their faces smashed off. It's all fascinating to me.
After I left St. Martins I headed down the street in the direction of the museum district, but got distracted when I found a comic store. I was so happy. I've decided I may become a regular over this next year, not least because when the staff noticed I was spending a lot of time going over the Asterix they had in stock (in both Dutch and English! Yaaay!) they mentioned that there was a new one coming out in October. Oh, and would I be interested in some Dutch and English Tintin? Or the English comics and manga downstairs? I was in a kind of geeky heaven and thoroughly enjoying myself.
I left with copies of a Tintin in two languages, an Asterix in two languages, and a new English comic one of the guys recommended, and decided now would be a good time to head to the station and go back to Blaricum. So I made my way back to the mall, which has an entrance in the station, and went to get my chipkart loaded up so I could get home. The chipkart is like the oyster card in London and the soon to be introduced compass card in Vancouver. Interesting thing about the chipkart. You can't use it if it has less than 20 euros on it. So there's pretty much always going to be twenty euros on the card that you can't use. Which just seems stupid to me. I got back to Blaricum alright, as it's fairly straight forward, and settled down for the rest of the evening.
So. To sum up. I love Utrecht. When I went to Amsterdam it was nice, but I didn't fall in love with it the same way. I've decided I need to give it a second chance, so I'll say the jury's still out but at the moment Utrecht is my go to city in the nearby area. There's a couple reasons for this. It's smaller than Amsterdam, and that's what I'm more accustomed to. It's a big city which to me is more like home but the general feel seemed slightly more relaxed and easy. I also found a couple of geek havens for myself all on the first visit, and I didn't manage that in Amsterdam. It's also a student city in some ways and I've always had a fondness for those. There's a special feel to them and an energy in the air that I love. The locals in student cities also seem to have large stores of patience for the younger and sillier members of society, (myself included) and can be incredibly helpful.
So I'll let y'all know what I think after I go to Amsterdam again.
Saturday, 14 September 2013
Random thoughts and observations
Sorry for being silent for a while. I shall try my best to post something at least once a week in future.
I went to Amsterdam last weekend and wandered around a bit with a couple of the other girls. It's a gorgeous city. The buildings are lovely, the canals are fun, the interaction of city with tourists in certain areas is fascinating. We wandered through the red light district, albeit at a quiet time for the area, and it's fascinating to try and notice the differences between what you see here and what you'd be likely to see in a Canadian city. We seem rather prudish when compared to Amsterdam.
I'm getting much more comfortable with my host family. They're a lot of fun. The kids are entertaining and the parents have interesting bits of information.
I think I may come across as an introvert while I'm here and I don't think that's going to bother me much. I quite enjoy the company of several of the other girls in the area but I'm finding when I hit the weekend that I often need quite a bit of space. This is where having a housemate becomes interesting. I've ended up holed up in my room a fair bit because I reeeally don't want to deal with other people at the time. I also seem to be needing to go to bed earlier than I did at home most of the time. I'm getting tired and bitchy much closer to midnight than I used to, and I don't want to inflict that on the kids so I'll just give up and go to bed earlier, so the likelyhood of me staying up late for parties? Fairly low. Oh well.
My sanity savers are an interesting revelation for me. My tv shows and games I was expecting. Playing GW2 with Frost and the guildies also something I was expecting. And they are very, very helpful. Another thing that's been a mainstay is radio. Specifically NPR, oddly enough. (You know your a cross-border girl when...) It's one of the news radio stations I can get at my host family's house and I've been listening to it every morning. The travel channel and Animal Planet channel are a couple more. Funnily enough, one evening when I turned on the tv the show on the Travel channel was called Descending. Two guys going to the great scuba diving locations all over the globe. The episode that night was all about them going to great diving locations of the coast of Vancouver Island. I had not realised how much I missed the landscape and look of home. I'm having fun here and enjoying getting to know the look of Holland, but seeing the mountains and ocean off the BC coast was like a breath of fresh air.
But one of the big things that's keeping me grounded right now is my almost daily conversations with a friend in Japan. Ax got to Japan shortly after I got here and he's staying for three months, and the time difference is much more convenient for chatting with him than chatting with home so we often end up having conversations that'll stop and start on and off as long as both of us are awake at the same time. It's been incredibly helpful for me. On the days when I wake up and I'm feeling particularly homesick but it's too late to try and contact home, a half hours chat with Ax can make a huge difference in how the rest of my day goes. It's a familiar and known voice or way of phrasing things in the midst of unfamiliar or only slightly familiar noises and images.
I'm still homesick, though I don't notice most of the time now. Sometimes I'll hear or see something that reminds me of home or highlights a difference and I'm suddenly feeling homesick. Not usually to badly, but earlier this week on first day off I woke up almost in tears and it got worse from there. I was lucky though, because Frost (being Frost) was still awake. I was able to talk to him and my Mum which helped a hell of a lot, but I spent the first half of that day bursting in to tears every ten minutes or so. So yeah. It's still there and it spikes. Which is why I am extremely grateful to Ax and Frost, because they are the ones who are generally up when I'm feeling this way.
I'll try and post more regularly, and try and think of more interesting things to talk about, though I'll still vent when I need to.
Bye
I went to Amsterdam last weekend and wandered around a bit with a couple of the other girls. It's a gorgeous city. The buildings are lovely, the canals are fun, the interaction of city with tourists in certain areas is fascinating. We wandered through the red light district, albeit at a quiet time for the area, and it's fascinating to try and notice the differences between what you see here and what you'd be likely to see in a Canadian city. We seem rather prudish when compared to Amsterdam.
I'm getting much more comfortable with my host family. They're a lot of fun. The kids are entertaining and the parents have interesting bits of information.
I think I may come across as an introvert while I'm here and I don't think that's going to bother me much. I quite enjoy the company of several of the other girls in the area but I'm finding when I hit the weekend that I often need quite a bit of space. This is where having a housemate becomes interesting. I've ended up holed up in my room a fair bit because I reeeally don't want to deal with other people at the time. I also seem to be needing to go to bed earlier than I did at home most of the time. I'm getting tired and bitchy much closer to midnight than I used to, and I don't want to inflict that on the kids so I'll just give up and go to bed earlier, so the likelyhood of me staying up late for parties? Fairly low. Oh well.
My sanity savers are an interesting revelation for me. My tv shows and games I was expecting. Playing GW2 with Frost and the guildies also something I was expecting. And they are very, very helpful. Another thing that's been a mainstay is radio. Specifically NPR, oddly enough. (You know your a cross-border girl when...) It's one of the news radio stations I can get at my host family's house and I've been listening to it every morning. The travel channel and Animal Planet channel are a couple more. Funnily enough, one evening when I turned on the tv the show on the Travel channel was called Descending. Two guys going to the great scuba diving locations all over the globe. The episode that night was all about them going to great diving locations of the coast of Vancouver Island. I had not realised how much I missed the landscape and look of home. I'm having fun here and enjoying getting to know the look of Holland, but seeing the mountains and ocean off the BC coast was like a breath of fresh air.
But one of the big things that's keeping me grounded right now is my almost daily conversations with a friend in Japan. Ax got to Japan shortly after I got here and he's staying for three months, and the time difference is much more convenient for chatting with him than chatting with home so we often end up having conversations that'll stop and start on and off as long as both of us are awake at the same time. It's been incredibly helpful for me. On the days when I wake up and I'm feeling particularly homesick but it's too late to try and contact home, a half hours chat with Ax can make a huge difference in how the rest of my day goes. It's a familiar and known voice or way of phrasing things in the midst of unfamiliar or only slightly familiar noises and images.
I'm still homesick, though I don't notice most of the time now. Sometimes I'll hear or see something that reminds me of home or highlights a difference and I'm suddenly feeling homesick. Not usually to badly, but earlier this week on first day off I woke up almost in tears and it got worse from there. I was lucky though, because Frost (being Frost) was still awake. I was able to talk to him and my Mum which helped a hell of a lot, but I spent the first half of that day bursting in to tears every ten minutes or so. So yeah. It's still there and it spikes. Which is why I am extremely grateful to Ax and Frost, because they are the ones who are generally up when I'm feeling this way.
I'll try and post more regularly, and try and think of more interesting things to talk about, though I'll still vent when I need to.
Bye
Saturday, 31 August 2013
A few observations.
A few observations after my first week here.
I've discovered there's a fine line between what people seem to call bluntness and being outright rude. I had an experience a few days ago where someone commented on a physical feature of mine and told me I might want to change it while I'm living here. I was hurt. Very hurt. I thought about it for two days, and then I told the person how I was feeling, whereupon they explained why they had said what they did. Suddenly it all made sense. It wasn't such an issue and I was feeling much better about the whole thing. The observation is: There is a point to the conversational preamble. If I had heard the reason for the suggestion it's entirely possible I would have reacted better than I did, but by going straight to the point a few important pieces of information were missed and I had two days of being upset and uncomfortable as I sorted things out in my head.
Another thing that has kept popping up on the fringes of my awareness is the fact that nobody picks up after their dog. It's completely normal here, and I'm pretty much used to it but it's something so opposite to what is normal in Vancouver that I can't help noticing it. Most of the dogs seem to go in long grass or in amongst the trees but every now and again you come across a small pile on the side of the road.
Another thing. I have never, ever, seen so many bikes tootling about before. I'm being cautious about my bike, perhaps more cautious then I should be, but there are a lot of other bikes on the roads and trails to contend with and I'm still finding my way around the town. Plus, cars have always made me nervous if I'm not in one. I have a lot of respect for their size and weight and I'm unaccustomed to sharing road space with them. That said, I'm fairly sure I'll be biking a lot more. Possibly by the end of September and certainly after two months. You just can't do much if you don't bike here. Everyone goes absolutely everywhere on them. Oh, and no helmets. I've seen maybe four people wearing helmets since I got here and all of them were what people in Vancouver tend to think of when you say "cyclist" Fancy bikes, spandex clothes, and of course, helmets. So the only people who wear helmets are those who are out to bike as a sport instead of as a way to get from point A to point B.
And about me.
I'm behaving a bit like a turtle at the moment. Staying close to the places I know, not going out much, etc. Part of me is thinking "Shouldn't you be trying to meet people? Or explore more? Or something?" Another part of me (the louder part at the moment) is thinking "Seriously?! You've only been here a week! You don't even have a sense of 'Normal' yet! It'll happen. Don't rush it." So far I've been paying slightly more attention to the second head voice. And I'm feeling a little guilty which I probably shouldn't be. But everything still seems a little confusing. Which means I should probably keep paying a little more attention to the second voice, right?
That's it for now. See ya.
I've discovered there's a fine line between what people seem to call bluntness and being outright rude. I had an experience a few days ago where someone commented on a physical feature of mine and told me I might want to change it while I'm living here. I was hurt. Very hurt. I thought about it for two days, and then I told the person how I was feeling, whereupon they explained why they had said what they did. Suddenly it all made sense. It wasn't such an issue and I was feeling much better about the whole thing. The observation is: There is a point to the conversational preamble. If I had heard the reason for the suggestion it's entirely possible I would have reacted better than I did, but by going straight to the point a few important pieces of information were missed and I had two days of being upset and uncomfortable as I sorted things out in my head.
Another thing that has kept popping up on the fringes of my awareness is the fact that nobody picks up after their dog. It's completely normal here, and I'm pretty much used to it but it's something so opposite to what is normal in Vancouver that I can't help noticing it. Most of the dogs seem to go in long grass or in amongst the trees but every now and again you come across a small pile on the side of the road.
Another thing. I have never, ever, seen so many bikes tootling about before. I'm being cautious about my bike, perhaps more cautious then I should be, but there are a lot of other bikes on the roads and trails to contend with and I'm still finding my way around the town. Plus, cars have always made me nervous if I'm not in one. I have a lot of respect for their size and weight and I'm unaccustomed to sharing road space with them. That said, I'm fairly sure I'll be biking a lot more. Possibly by the end of September and certainly after two months. You just can't do much if you don't bike here. Everyone goes absolutely everywhere on them. Oh, and no helmets. I've seen maybe four people wearing helmets since I got here and all of them were what people in Vancouver tend to think of when you say "cyclist" Fancy bikes, spandex clothes, and of course, helmets. So the only people who wear helmets are those who are out to bike as a sport instead of as a way to get from point A to point B.
And about me.
I'm behaving a bit like a turtle at the moment. Staying close to the places I know, not going out much, etc. Part of me is thinking "Shouldn't you be trying to meet people? Or explore more? Or something?" Another part of me (the louder part at the moment) is thinking "Seriously?! You've only been here a week! You don't even have a sense of 'Normal' yet! It'll happen. Don't rush it." So far I've been paying slightly more attention to the second head voice. And I'm feeling a little guilty which I probably shouldn't be. But everything still seems a little confusing. Which means I should probably keep paying a little more attention to the second voice, right?
That's it for now. See ya.
Sunday, 25 August 2013
Back in time a bit
Ok, back to England where I left off.
Monday morning D dropped us off at the train station in Dorking around 9 am and we headed in to London. We got off the train at Waterloo and decided to take a walk. The first thing we passed was the London Eye. Pictures were taken and we moved on, Frost noting as we passed the London Dungeon that he'd have to come back without me sometime.
Than we found the aquarium. Frost bounced and jigged and asked if we could go, so we did. It is a good thing he took as many pictures as he did because at that point I'd hit my "feeling reeeeally queasy" part of the day. I did, however, notice the shark tank. You walk over right as you enter the aquarium and can look straight down at all the sharks and fish swimming just beneath your feet. It's quite cool. They also have penguins.
After the aquarium we head over the bridge, past the Houses of Parliament, wandered by Westminster Abbey and marvelled at the absolutely huge queue, and carried on to St. James' Park. Where we saw lots of Canada geese mixed in with what I think of as regular geese, ducks, and other waterfowls.
Than we reached Buckingham Palace. More masses of people. I was strongly reminded of why I generally avoid the tourist season. Anywhere. We took some pictures and headed up the Mall to Trafalgar Square where we stopped to have lunch, and continued on our way. Partway to the British Museum we found what I believe was called the Forbidden Planet cult store or something similar. Basically it was a giant geek merch shop. Awesomeness. Needless to say, we went in. After a brief browse we came out with one thing each and kept going up the street, stopping every now and then to check the helpful street side maps to make sure we were still where we wanted to be.
And then we found the museum. It's huge. I mean massive. And it's completely full of archaeological treasures and curios. If I had been less sore and exhausted when we walked in the doors I probably would have done a little happy dance. Oh, and did I mention that the special exhibit at the moment is artifacts from Pompeii on loan from Italy? So much squeeing here! Sold out, unfortunately. The sad part for me is that I was so tired (and probably dehydrated too) that I couldn't concentrate on what was in front of me long enough to appreciate it. We went through the Egyptian wing and started on Ancient England when all three of us went "That's it. Sitting down now." We managed to find some seats on the main floor and got something to drink, had a brief chat with a local couple and their daughter and decided that as much as we would love to look around some more we were absolutely bushed. So we headed back to Dorking. I think this may have been the evening that Star Wars kinect was first brought up. Either way, it was decided that, as we were staying in on Tuesday we would see about getting the game working so Frost could show Im and Cal the dancing part of the game.
Tuesday morning we slept in, had a leisurely breakfast, and then headed out for a walk. We followed the public footpath up a couple hills and past farmers fields until we reached one of the nearby villages. I can't remember the name at the moment, but they have a very nice pub that we had lunch at and then walked back. After dinner Cal finished getting the kinect set up whereupon the dancing began! An aside; Never leave your travel plans too late in the middle of the Summer. The ferry I wanted to leave on was booked up, so, with help from D, I eventually got a bus ticket booked to Amsterdam for Thursday evening.
Wednesday I stayed in while Frost, Dad, and Im went in to London. I relaxed. When they got back that evening we got regaled with the stories of the day over dinner. They got tickets for the afternoon Wicked show and then went to Covent Garden where Im watched the magic show. They also had pizza and got Cupcakes, chocolate, and I can't remember if ice cream was mentioned or not. After dinner there was more dancing! Im, Frost, and Cal all traded off every dance or so until the bedtime instruction was given, at which point Frost decided to stay up until he'd unlocked the Deathstar dance party. I went upstairs to pack, as I was leaving the next evening for Amsterdam.
Thursday morning we hauled my bags downstairs and left for the Dorking station. The last time for me. We waited an hour before we got the tickets, because they're much cheaper off peak. Then we headed to Victoria station where we stuck my bags in the left luggage office and then went out again. I decided I was to nervous about time to try to squeeze a matinee in before I had to be at the coach station so we headed to the Early Music store and then had lunch. After lunch, we decided to try for the London zoo. So we hopped on the tube again and headed over to Regents Park. It took a bit longer than I'd bargained for, so instead of going to the zoo we meandered our way through the park and then back to the tube station. Back to Victoria and Dad made sure I had some food. We also managed to find an adaptor for my computer so I could use in the rest of Europe. Then we waited.
There are so very many people that go through the stations in London. I've been in crowded cities before but I don't think I've ever noticed the sheer mass as much as I did then. "A sea of people" quite literally. I sat against a wall, feeling exhausted and watching the people stream past me. It actually made me more tired than I already was, watching the bustle. It also made me want to be heading back to D and R's instead of going somewhere completely new and strange. Those last few days I had not been looking forward to this part of my journey, and it was building to a peak now.
We got my bags and headed to the coach station. And it was a mass of hurry up and wait. I had to check in and then find the gate the bus was coming to and wait some more. At this point Frost and Dad had to leave so they could catch their train. Dad cried. I didn't quite but the pressure inside grew.
The bus was late, but we left only about fifteen minutes later than scheduled and began the drive to Dover. There's a point on the highway that you know you're getting close when the dirt goes white. The route the bus took through Dover gave us a great view of Dover Castle all lit up for the night. The first was, of course, the French border where all the passports got stamped. then the wait to board the ferry and then the ferry trip itself. It was jammed with buses full of teenagers, some of whom were clever and found stairwells to try and sleep in. I decided it would be a good idea to copy them. Around one fifteen the ferry arrived in Calais and we started on the looooong drive portion of the trip. Mental note. If going back to England at any point this next year, try and avoid the bus. It's as uncomfortable to sleep on as some aeroplanes. There was a brief stop at a petrol station in Belgium and the journey continued. At about seven in the morning, after three other stops, the bus arrived in Amsterdam. I ended up taking another bus, this one a public transit bus, to the Amsterdam Rai station where F was meeting me. After we lugged the bags in to the car we headed to Blaricum.
We got to the house just as the youngest two were leaving for school. I got to say hi and had a short conversation with R (different R) and F and then I cleaned up and had a nap. When I woke up the oldest, Ti, was also up and it was lunch time. R took me to pick Ma up from his friend's house by bike, but the bike I was using was too big and I fell off twice, at which point we walked home. I had another chat with the parents as to what was going to be happening the next few days, and some of the basic "things you need to know" and then F helped me figure out how to call home. Which I did. And burst in to tears. I think I may have to do a separate post about missing family. After the phone call I went to bed, and slept 'til eleven the next day.
Saturday F got the bike I am going to be using and adjusted it so I could use it and I did a quick bike around the block. R, Ma, and myself went further afield to run the dog, and there were guests for dinner. The family who's au pair had been staying in the cottage, actually, but she left that morning to go home to South Africa. I talked to Mum again, and I think I may try to turn that in to an almost daily thing as it settles me and helps me think. At least until I've settled in here.
Sunday I slept late again, rode the bike down to Laren and back up to Blaricum's main shopping strip, took the dog for a run with F and Na, and typed this up.
I think the next post may well be about messy emotions and/or missing my family. I'm beginning to feel a need to vent.
Night all.
Monday morning D dropped us off at the train station in Dorking around 9 am and we headed in to London. We got off the train at Waterloo and decided to take a walk. The first thing we passed was the London Eye. Pictures were taken and we moved on, Frost noting as we passed the London Dungeon that he'd have to come back without me sometime.
Than we found the aquarium. Frost bounced and jigged and asked if we could go, so we did. It is a good thing he took as many pictures as he did because at that point I'd hit my "feeling reeeeally queasy" part of the day. I did, however, notice the shark tank. You walk over right as you enter the aquarium and can look straight down at all the sharks and fish swimming just beneath your feet. It's quite cool. They also have penguins.
After the aquarium we head over the bridge, past the Houses of Parliament, wandered by Westminster Abbey and marvelled at the absolutely huge queue, and carried on to St. James' Park. Where we saw lots of Canada geese mixed in with what I think of as regular geese, ducks, and other waterfowls.
Than we reached Buckingham Palace. More masses of people. I was strongly reminded of why I generally avoid the tourist season. Anywhere. We took some pictures and headed up the Mall to Trafalgar Square where we stopped to have lunch, and continued on our way. Partway to the British Museum we found what I believe was called the Forbidden Planet cult store or something similar. Basically it was a giant geek merch shop. Awesomeness. Needless to say, we went in. After a brief browse we came out with one thing each and kept going up the street, stopping every now and then to check the helpful street side maps to make sure we were still where we wanted to be.
And then we found the museum. It's huge. I mean massive. And it's completely full of archaeological treasures and curios. If I had been less sore and exhausted when we walked in the doors I probably would have done a little happy dance. Oh, and did I mention that the special exhibit at the moment is artifacts from Pompeii on loan from Italy? So much squeeing here! Sold out, unfortunately. The sad part for me is that I was so tired (and probably dehydrated too) that I couldn't concentrate on what was in front of me long enough to appreciate it. We went through the Egyptian wing and started on Ancient England when all three of us went "That's it. Sitting down now." We managed to find some seats on the main floor and got something to drink, had a brief chat with a local couple and their daughter and decided that as much as we would love to look around some more we were absolutely bushed. So we headed back to Dorking. I think this may have been the evening that Star Wars kinect was first brought up. Either way, it was decided that, as we were staying in on Tuesday we would see about getting the game working so Frost could show Im and Cal the dancing part of the game.
Tuesday morning we slept in, had a leisurely breakfast, and then headed out for a walk. We followed the public footpath up a couple hills and past farmers fields until we reached one of the nearby villages. I can't remember the name at the moment, but they have a very nice pub that we had lunch at and then walked back. After dinner Cal finished getting the kinect set up whereupon the dancing began! An aside; Never leave your travel plans too late in the middle of the Summer. The ferry I wanted to leave on was booked up, so, with help from D, I eventually got a bus ticket booked to Amsterdam for Thursday evening.
Wednesday I stayed in while Frost, Dad, and Im went in to London. I relaxed. When they got back that evening we got regaled with the stories of the day over dinner. They got tickets for the afternoon Wicked show and then went to Covent Garden where Im watched the magic show. They also had pizza and got Cupcakes, chocolate, and I can't remember if ice cream was mentioned or not. After dinner there was more dancing! Im, Frost, and Cal all traded off every dance or so until the bedtime instruction was given, at which point Frost decided to stay up until he'd unlocked the Deathstar dance party. I went upstairs to pack, as I was leaving the next evening for Amsterdam.
Thursday morning we hauled my bags downstairs and left for the Dorking station. The last time for me. We waited an hour before we got the tickets, because they're much cheaper off peak. Then we headed to Victoria station where we stuck my bags in the left luggage office and then went out again. I decided I was to nervous about time to try to squeeze a matinee in before I had to be at the coach station so we headed to the Early Music store and then had lunch. After lunch, we decided to try for the London zoo. So we hopped on the tube again and headed over to Regents Park. It took a bit longer than I'd bargained for, so instead of going to the zoo we meandered our way through the park and then back to the tube station. Back to Victoria and Dad made sure I had some food. We also managed to find an adaptor for my computer so I could use in the rest of Europe. Then we waited.
There are so very many people that go through the stations in London. I've been in crowded cities before but I don't think I've ever noticed the sheer mass as much as I did then. "A sea of people" quite literally. I sat against a wall, feeling exhausted and watching the people stream past me. It actually made me more tired than I already was, watching the bustle. It also made me want to be heading back to D and R's instead of going somewhere completely new and strange. Those last few days I had not been looking forward to this part of my journey, and it was building to a peak now.
We got my bags and headed to the coach station. And it was a mass of hurry up and wait. I had to check in and then find the gate the bus was coming to and wait some more. At this point Frost and Dad had to leave so they could catch their train. Dad cried. I didn't quite but the pressure inside grew.
The bus was late, but we left only about fifteen minutes later than scheduled and began the drive to Dover. There's a point on the highway that you know you're getting close when the dirt goes white. The route the bus took through Dover gave us a great view of Dover Castle all lit up for the night. The first was, of course, the French border where all the passports got stamped. then the wait to board the ferry and then the ferry trip itself. It was jammed with buses full of teenagers, some of whom were clever and found stairwells to try and sleep in. I decided it would be a good idea to copy them. Around one fifteen the ferry arrived in Calais and we started on the looooong drive portion of the trip. Mental note. If going back to England at any point this next year, try and avoid the bus. It's as uncomfortable to sleep on as some aeroplanes. There was a brief stop at a petrol station in Belgium and the journey continued. At about seven in the morning, after three other stops, the bus arrived in Amsterdam. I ended up taking another bus, this one a public transit bus, to the Amsterdam Rai station where F was meeting me. After we lugged the bags in to the car we headed to Blaricum.
We got to the house just as the youngest two were leaving for school. I got to say hi and had a short conversation with R (different R) and F and then I cleaned up and had a nap. When I woke up the oldest, Ti, was also up and it was lunch time. R took me to pick Ma up from his friend's house by bike, but the bike I was using was too big and I fell off twice, at which point we walked home. I had another chat with the parents as to what was going to be happening the next few days, and some of the basic "things you need to know" and then F helped me figure out how to call home. Which I did. And burst in to tears. I think I may have to do a separate post about missing family. After the phone call I went to bed, and slept 'til eleven the next day.
Saturday F got the bike I am going to be using and adjusted it so I could use it and I did a quick bike around the block. R, Ma, and myself went further afield to run the dog, and there were guests for dinner. The family who's au pair had been staying in the cottage, actually, but she left that morning to go home to South Africa. I talked to Mum again, and I think I may try to turn that in to an almost daily thing as it settles me and helps me think. At least until I've settled in here.
Sunday I slept late again, rode the bike down to Laren and back up to Blaricum's main shopping strip, took the dog for a run with F and Na, and typed this up.
I think the next post may well be about messy emotions and/or missing my family. I'm beginning to feel a need to vent.
Night all.
Friday, 23 August 2013
Interlude
It's somewhat amazing how small cultural differences can seem so huge.
I'm not thinking of any one thing in particular at the moment so I suppose that it's many small ones all added up but isn't that how culture shock works? I think I might be hyper-aware of all that right now, being overtired and somewhat homesick but that is generally when I get ambushed by these sorts of things.
Everything that has a negative impact seems worse than it actually is and you worry more than you need to even as you're telling yourself "it's really not that bad". I miss the familiar. The odd familiar. The right trees, the right tones and intonations. Or right for me anyway.
At the same time I can enjoy things. The people I'm meeting, how pretty it is, how old somethings are, the transit system (or what I've seen of it). But I'm still tired and over-experiencing, over-processing, over-feeling, whatever you want to call it. It's not comfortable. And even when you know intellectually that it'll be better with sleep and should mostly go away eventually you still cry and say "It's not better now!"
All I can do is read a book to distract myself and go to sleep. And hope it is better in the morning.
Sometimes a year can seem like an eternity. Especially at the beginning.
I'm not thinking of any one thing in particular at the moment so I suppose that it's many small ones all added up but isn't that how culture shock works? I think I might be hyper-aware of all that right now, being overtired and somewhat homesick but that is generally when I get ambushed by these sorts of things.
Everything that has a negative impact seems worse than it actually is and you worry more than you need to even as you're telling yourself "it's really not that bad". I miss the familiar. The odd familiar. The right trees, the right tones and intonations. Or right for me anyway.
At the same time I can enjoy things. The people I'm meeting, how pretty it is, how old somethings are, the transit system (or what I've seen of it). But I'm still tired and over-experiencing, over-processing, over-feeling, whatever you want to call it. It's not comfortable. And even when you know intellectually that it'll be better with sleep and should mostly go away eventually you still cry and say "It's not better now!"
All I can do is read a book to distract myself and go to sleep. And hope it is better in the morning.
Sometimes a year can seem like an eternity. Especially at the beginning.
Wednesday, 21 August 2013
Back from the realm of no internet
Ok, this might be a long one.
So having traversed the customs officials and security of Heathrow, I made my way to Paddington Station where I found Dad falling asleep at a table at the pub I was meeting him at. So I woke him up and we began the process of finding our way to Leatherhead. I can't quite remember how long it took to get there because I spent most of the commute in a jet lagged daze, but we did get there eventually and checked in to the hotel. Beds! Huzzah! But dinner first. Most everything was closed by the time we'd got our room and dropped the bags off so we went to Sainsbury's and found some "just add water" soup and oatcakes and jam. Dad also found some alcoholic ginger beer, so he was happy. Back to the hotel, ingest food, and collapse into bed. Only to wake up at 4 am unable to go back to sleep (not Dad, he was snoring away). So I gave up and read until I noticed the sky was beginning to get lighter, at which point I decided that a small amount of sleep might be a good idea if I didn't want to go all zombie later that day.
I got up properly at a fairly reasonable hour and we went exploring. We found the theatre Frost's show was happening in, went to a local bookshop, found the nearest pub, and the nearest Italian sandwich shop where we had lunch. Then I crashed. Until dinner, which was had at the pub. They show much more interesting sports on the pub/restaurant tvs here than they do in Canada.
Saturday was another mostly crash day for me, except that we were seeing both shows that day. So the matinee was with the understudies playing the leads and the evening show was the main cast. The afternoon show was good enough to make me decide I might not mind West Side story after all, and look forward to the evening show. The brother and two of his friends came out to say hi after it finished. I have not been tackle hugged in a very long time, and Frost is no light weight. Him and his dancer muscles... It was great to see him and Em though. Had a very nice dinner chat with Em's Mum between shows, and headed back for West Side story take two! This was also very good. I liked the fact that there was live music, The audience was very full and certain family members cheered loudly, and I noticed that there was no understudy for the role of Tony. There was an absolute crush of people waiting in the front afterwards and people coming in and out to try and get the parents to grab their child's bag, and then the cast emerged. I don't think I have ever been in the middle of so many crying and post show buzzed people before. It took two hours for everyone to get outside, let alone head off to bed, but it was quite fun to watch. And of course, even after we were back in the hotel room that did not mean we were winding down. Oh, no, we couldn't possibly! Frost chattered for another hour at least, so none of us went to bed until 1:30 or so.
Sunday we slept late. Of course. We still managed to get everything packed up and downstairs in time for checkout, whereupon we headed to the pub for brunch and to wait for our pick up, and talk about Frost's last three weeks some more.
D arrived to pick us up with Cal in tow as they had just arrived from a trip to Canada to see D's Mum. it is rather funny that we arrived in England about the time they left. We got to their place, a lovely house on the North Downs ( I think ) and hauled our bags upstairs and had a cup of tea until R had to go get Im. I then went and got my laptop set up whereupon Frost took it so he could chat with his new friends, after which we had a very, very good dinner of barbecued salmon and vegetables from their garden and a pudding of fruit (from their garden) and yoghurt. And then we went to bed.
On that note I shall leave you. Good night all.
So having traversed the customs officials and security of Heathrow, I made my way to Paddington Station where I found Dad falling asleep at a table at the pub I was meeting him at. So I woke him up and we began the process of finding our way to Leatherhead. I can't quite remember how long it took to get there because I spent most of the commute in a jet lagged daze, but we did get there eventually and checked in to the hotel. Beds! Huzzah! But dinner first. Most everything was closed by the time we'd got our room and dropped the bags off so we went to Sainsbury's and found some "just add water" soup and oatcakes and jam. Dad also found some alcoholic ginger beer, so he was happy. Back to the hotel, ingest food, and collapse into bed. Only to wake up at 4 am unable to go back to sleep (not Dad, he was snoring away). So I gave up and read until I noticed the sky was beginning to get lighter, at which point I decided that a small amount of sleep might be a good idea if I didn't want to go all zombie later that day.
I got up properly at a fairly reasonable hour and we went exploring. We found the theatre Frost's show was happening in, went to a local bookshop, found the nearest pub, and the nearest Italian sandwich shop where we had lunch. Then I crashed. Until dinner, which was had at the pub. They show much more interesting sports on the pub/restaurant tvs here than they do in Canada.
Saturday was another mostly crash day for me, except that we were seeing both shows that day. So the matinee was with the understudies playing the leads and the evening show was the main cast. The afternoon show was good enough to make me decide I might not mind West Side story after all, and look forward to the evening show. The brother and two of his friends came out to say hi after it finished. I have not been tackle hugged in a very long time, and Frost is no light weight. Him and his dancer muscles... It was great to see him and Em though. Had a very nice dinner chat with Em's Mum between shows, and headed back for West Side story take two! This was also very good. I liked the fact that there was live music, The audience was very full and certain family members cheered loudly, and I noticed that there was no understudy for the role of Tony. There was an absolute crush of people waiting in the front afterwards and people coming in and out to try and get the parents to grab their child's bag, and then the cast emerged. I don't think I have ever been in the middle of so many crying and post show buzzed people before. It took two hours for everyone to get outside, let alone head off to bed, but it was quite fun to watch. And of course, even after we were back in the hotel room that did not mean we were winding down. Oh, no, we couldn't possibly! Frost chattered for another hour at least, so none of us went to bed until 1:30 or so.
Sunday we slept late. Of course. We still managed to get everything packed up and downstairs in time for checkout, whereupon we headed to the pub for brunch and to wait for our pick up, and talk about Frost's last three weeks some more.
D arrived to pick us up with Cal in tow as they had just arrived from a trip to Canada to see D's Mum. it is rather funny that we arrived in England about the time they left. We got to their place, a lovely house on the North Downs ( I think ) and hauled our bags upstairs and had a cup of tea until R had to go get Im. I then went and got my laptop set up whereupon Frost took it so he could chat with his new friends, after which we had a very, very good dinner of barbecued salmon and vegetables from their garden and a pudding of fruit (from their garden) and yoghurt. And then we went to bed.
On that note I shall leave you. Good night all.
Tuesday, 13 August 2013
Almost Lift Off
I'm skating perilously close to panic. Well, maybe not full panic, but freaking out for sure. I'm tired. The past couple of days when I hit tired I start thinking "I don't WANT to go!" Or, "I can't do this!" Even if another part of my brain is going "Pshaw! Of course you can! It'll be fun!" and "You're just tired. Deal." The various opinions in my head can be quite unhelpful at times.
The other thing that's happening that is making it harder is saying goodbye to people. A friend helped me out with the money for my new laptop, and unfortunately I saw him about ten minutes after I'd hit the crash point yesterday. I kinda feel like I didn't say goodbye properly which is disappointing for me. And entirely my fault. Lesson learned.
And my cousin. Cousins, actually. Last night I had an awesome visit with two of them and went home thinking "My god. I don't get to do that again for a year. This is gonna be hard." I had a vague sad feeling for the rest of the night.
Now, the other side of all this, of course, is the fact that I won't be completely cut off from them all. The friend who helped with the laptop? I can chat with him using my lovely new machine. Same with my cousins. In fact, one of them was talking about buying herself a webcam so we could actually see each other! Woo! In all seriousness though, just being able to talk to all of them will help. It won't be quite the same as speaking face to face but the anticipation will make coming home that much sweeter.
The other thing that's happening that is making it harder is saying goodbye to people. A friend helped me out with the money for my new laptop, and unfortunately I saw him about ten minutes after I'd hit the crash point yesterday. I kinda feel like I didn't say goodbye properly which is disappointing for me. And entirely my fault. Lesson learned.
And my cousin. Cousins, actually. Last night I had an awesome visit with two of them and went home thinking "My god. I don't get to do that again for a year. This is gonna be hard." I had a vague sad feeling for the rest of the night.
Now, the other side of all this, of course, is the fact that I won't be completely cut off from them all. The friend who helped with the laptop? I can chat with him using my lovely new machine. Same with my cousins. In fact, one of them was talking about buying herself a webcam so we could actually see each other! Woo! In all seriousness though, just being able to talk to all of them will help. It won't be quite the same as speaking face to face but the anticipation will make coming home that much sweeter.
Sunday, 11 August 2013
So we're almost at the 11th hour here. I leave Wednesday and it feels like there's a mountain that still needs to be dealt with. Possibly accurate. We shall see.....
Anyway, getting the birth certificate legalised tomorrow (fingers crossed!) and I must get a copy of "Verily, a New Hope"! It will be excellent reading material for the flight.
Anyway, getting the birth certificate legalised tomorrow (fingers crossed!) and I must get a copy of "Verily, a New Hope"! It will be excellent reading material for the flight.
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