This past week I experienced my first Dutch Birthday for my little host sister Marith. She turned 10. At 8 am, still in our PJs, we put on birthday hats and entered her bedroom singing "Lang zal ze leven." We brought gifts and breakfast to her room and gave hugs and kisses around to wake her up. This was such a sweet tradition and reminded me again of what a blessing it is to be staying with a host family. Not only does it provide me with a place to call home and a family to get to know and be a part of, but it also gives me an authentic look into the culture, family structure, and fun traditions like this.
The daughters are starting to open up to me a bit more. The youngest daughter, Amber, now asks to cuddle on my lap after dinner sometimes and the older daughter asked me for help on Bible homework..we used google translate and it turned into a conversation about school rather than helping with homework.
Currently, I'm sitting outside in beautiful sunny 65 degree weather, maybe I'll finally get a little color! This week has been slow paced which has given me plenty of time to catch up on sleep and homework after traveling so much! I cannot believe I only have a month left here. Especially after this weekend of relaxing outside and spending time with the SPICE group and some of our Dutch friends, I'm not ready to leave!
Monday, March 31, 2014
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
When Steph came to Holland :)
The past two weeks, one of my close friends from college came to visit. I wanted to give Steph a good taste of some Dutch culture, but knew it would be pretty busy. She went along with us on our school bike tour of Rotterdam and we went on our own to Amsterdam. Rotterdam is the second largest port in the world and due to this importance it was heavily bombed during WWII. Much of Rotterdam was destroyed and since then has begun to be rebuilt; there's a strong influence of modern architecture here.
In Amsterdam we gave her a quick 3 hour tour of the red light district, Anne Frank House, Rijks Museum, Heinekin Museum, and just walking through Amsterdam. We also spent time introducing her to our host families, Dutch friends, and the student life in Zwolle. It was fun showing Steph around and introducing her to people, as it reminded me of my first time exploring the city....and since I love it here :). Of course, one of my favorite parts about her visiting was just catching up and hearing all about her life and getting caught up on things in Iowa. I feel so detached sometimes as my only interaction is Skype dates with close friends and family or news articles shared on Facebook.
Harbor in Rotterdam
Some views from old town Rotterdam
Berlin and Prague
We visited Berlin as a business school trip. We traveled to hamburg first and visited the Volkswagen factory and got to tour the many showrooms for their associated companies such as Porsche and Audi. I'm really not into cars, but I still thought the tour was interesting. And I picked out my dream cars as seen below!
The next day we visited the historical and cultural areas in Berlin. The Berlin Wall, parliament, a couple small businesses, and the holocaust memorial. I love history especially from the WWII era. Visiting these monumental sites was extremely interesting. In the holocaust memorial, they have a short remembrance written for each Jew that was identified as having died at the hands of the Nazis. They play them 24/7 for all 6 million Jews murdered and then replay it. The whole cycle takes about 7 years to complete. I was so moved and impressed at this act. Another room was displays of diary entries and letters from persecuted Jews during the holocaust, the real thoughts of those directly involved.
The next morning we visited in a tourism expo with about every country in the world present. We spent quite a bit of the time speaking with travel agents from places we planned to travel to and about half the time in the American tourist display. It was comforting to speak to some Americans and get a little feel of home. It was also quite interesting to speak to them about how their marketing strategy differs for American and European tourists. Each night, the SPICE group went out for supper in the town and then played games and talked at the hotel, it was a good time getting to know each of them a little better.
Friday night we left for Prague by train. I've found that train rides can be a pretty good time of asking goofy questions like "would you rather.." to discussing theological topics with members of our group. Once we reached Prague five hours later we walked to our apartment and went out for fancy cocktails since things are so inexpensive there, my piña colada was only $4.
The next morning we took a walking tour of the old town. Prague is beautiful and so well preserved. The city is in Eastern Europe and was under nazi control, then communist control, and is finally free. Our tour guide spoke a lot about how these dictatorships influenced the lives of his ancestors...very informative!
That night we went to the one of the biggest clubs in Europe (I think..) it was 6 stories high, each floor having a different dance theme, such as oldies, pop, techno... Dancing with our SPICE group and just people watching too was a great time!
The next morning we took a tour of the newer part of the city where the castle was and did some shopping in the market. We were a bit more pressed for time so I wasn't able to enjoy it as much as I'd have liked, but overall a wonderful trip!
Monuments in Berlin
Such a moving statement by young Jewish girl. This was in the Holocaust Museum
Holocaust Monument. The cement blocks represent the strength of prejudice and
how it can become overwhelming and encompassing, as if there's no way to escape it.
That night we visited a marketplace of food stands from talented chefs.
My chinese meal was only 6 euros, but tasted as if it was from a high scale restaurant.
Friday night we left for Prague by train. I've found that train rides can be a pretty good time of asking goofy questions like "would you rather.." to discussing theological topics with members of our group. Once we reached Prague five hours later we walked to our apartment and went out for fancy cocktails since things are so inexpensive there, my piña colada was only $4.
The next morning we took a walking tour of the old town. Prague is beautiful and so well preserved. The city is in Eastern Europe and was under nazi control, then communist control, and is finally free. Our tour guide spoke a lot about how these dictatorships influenced the lives of his ancestors...very informative!
The next morning we took a tour of the newer part of the city where the castle was and did some shopping in the market. We were a bit more pressed for time so I wasn't able to enjoy it as much as I'd have liked, but overall a wonderful trip!
View of the new part or town from the opposite side of the river.
View from a top the castle in Prague
Friday, March 14, 2014
Time Flies! Halfway through my semester in Holland
I've been in Holland for about two months, half of the semester. It's hard to believe bc so much has happened, yet time seems to be going so fast! Thankfully, now I feel like this is home. I'm really comfortable with my host family as they've made such an effort to include me in their family. I've gotten used to public transportation and riding my bike in zwolle and the Netherlands. I've only been in a car three times in the past two months, quite the switch from life in America. It's refreshing spending so much time outside especially with the beautiful 50 and 60 degree weather this week. One of my favorite parts of the day is running around the lake right before sunset, the sky is beautiful as the sun peaks through the clouds and reflects off the water. These moments have been comfdorting/reassuring as they remind me of the presence of God in my life no matter how far away I am from normalcy, convenience, and home comforts.
One thing I always enjoy is when people ask me a question in Dutch, I really feel like a local (until I have to respond that I only know English). In Italy someone told me I had Dutch eyes, a good thing I'm hoping. My travels around Europe so far have shown me that I do look Dutch compared to the other ethnicities...which I love :) still the most difficult part is the language barrier, while most people speak English well, the tv news and newspapers are in Dutch and labels in the grocery stores- I spent almost an hour in the store one night before I cooked for my family bc I couldn't figure out what things were.
This semester is a good transitory time, While I'm living with a family, I still have a lot of independence in choices and travels. I'm without the direct influence of family and roommates yet have support here. It's been interesting to reflect on how this has affected me. I look forward to devotions more than I ever have, just having my quite time. I'm challenged much more to stay in contact with friends and family from back home. I recognize small conveniences and things I miss from home. Being here has made me so thankful for my life in America, yet has opened up my eyes to the opportunities and possibilities in the rest of the world - I think I've got the travel bug!
One thing I always enjoy is when people ask me a question in Dutch, I really feel like a local (until I have to respond that I only know English). In Italy someone told me I had Dutch eyes, a good thing I'm hoping. My travels around Europe so far have shown me that I do look Dutch compared to the other ethnicities...which I love :) still the most difficult part is the language barrier, while most people speak English well, the tv news and newspapers are in Dutch and labels in the grocery stores- I spent almost an hour in the store one night before I cooked for my family bc I couldn't figure out what things were.
This semester is a good transitory time, While I'm living with a family, I still have a lot of independence in choices and travels. I'm without the direct influence of family and roommates yet have support here. It's been interesting to reflect on how this has affected me. I look forward to devotions more than I ever have, just having my quite time. I'm challenged much more to stay in contact with friends and family from back home. I recognize small conveniences and things I miss from home. Being here has made me so thankful for my life in America, yet has opened up my eyes to the opportunities and possibilities in the rest of the world - I think I've got the travel bug!
Monday, March 3, 2014
Spring Break 2014, ITALY! Part 3
Tuscany! Wine, pasta, art, history, rolling hills, and beautiful landscapes! We saw it all.
We spent Friday afternoon in Florence just exploring the city of art and returned to our tower to a delicious, homemade Italian meal from our hosts.
The second day we walked around the town a little but spent most of it playing games, talking, and relaxing until we made our own authentic pasta meal at night.
The wine in Tuscany really was delicious!!! I think we had a glass each night in Italy. The coffee is equally delicious, unfortunately at the cafe they serve about 1/4 of what I normally drink in the morning so I decided to try making it myself and it ended up tasting pretty good.
Both nights after supper we sat at the table for a couple hours just talking. I've realized during my trips that the people you travel with are about as important as the places you visit. Especially the last two nights in the tower our several hour long talks, just learning more about each other, was a highlight. I'm now on the train back to the Netherlands, I cannot wait to be back, all this traveling is tiring! A two day rest and then off to Berlin and Prague for a school trip!
We booked an apartment at the top of a historic tower which was built over a thousand years ago and actually was a hiding place for Jews during WWII. The tower was a half hour outside of Florence in a small village surrounded by olive tree farms and vineyards. It was the picturesque Tuscan village. The top of the tower had a beautiful view of the rolling hills by day and Florence lights and the starry sky by night. Unfortunately the weather both days was a little cold and rainy so we didn't enjoy this view nearly as much as we had hoped.
We spent Friday afternoon in Florence just exploring the city of art and returned to our tower to a delicious, homemade Italian meal from our hosts.
St. Mary's Basilica
Florence- center of art: sculptures and paintings
Delicious, homemade Italian meal.
The second day we walked around the town a little but spent most of it playing games, talking, and relaxing until we made our own authentic pasta meal at night.
The wine in Tuscany really was delicious!!! I think we had a glass each night in Italy. The coffee is equally delicious, unfortunately at the cafe they serve about 1/4 of what I normally drink in the morning so I decided to try making it myself and it ended up tasting pretty good.
The final morning we had to leave early, but finally the weather was nice enough to sit on the tower and watch the sunrise!
Both nights after supper we sat at the table for a couple hours just talking. I've realized during my trips that the people you travel with are about as important as the places you visit. Especially the last two nights in the tower our several hour long talks, just learning more about each other, was a highlight. I'm now on the train back to the Netherlands, I cannot wait to be back, all this traveling is tiring! A two day rest and then off to Berlin and Prague for a school trip!
Spring Break 2014, ITALY! Part 2
Skiing in the alps was amazing! The runs weren't quite as difficult or long as the runs in Colorado that I normally go to with my family, but the view was gorgeous and the snow was thick and soft. I sometimes felt like I was skiing through Italian gelato. The mountains seemed to go forever and had huge valleys between them. The weather was warm and it had been quite sunny there recently which caused several small avalanches before we arrived and even during our time skiing. Because of these avalanches, the resort decided to close the top part of the mountain which is why we couldn't ski the more difficult and longer runs at the resort. Cam and I skied from 9 am to 5pm everyday, taking a noon break to enjoy the warm sun and beautiful view on the top of the mountain.
The long skiing days tired us out though, so each night we relaxed a little and then walked to the local pizzeria in the small ski village. The entire menu was in Italian and the waitresses hardly knew any English. Each night we spent about a half hour reading over the 71 pizzas trying to decide what each topping was. In the end it was more fun just to pick a random pizza and be surprised. One night we ordered one with horse jerky on it and another with blue cheese on it...they tasted interesting but still delicious.
The second day of skiing I told cam I'd be a little more adventurous and go through some of the tree trails he had found the day before. He said his goal was to make me fall- I thought he was joking... The second run of the day, he takes a quick turn into the woods and sticking to my word I followed him....the snow was pretty thick and was covered by a layer of thin ice. I was doing alright until my ski caught under the ice during a turn and I face planted. I got up and continued skiing until I reached an area with several 8 or 10 foot drops in a between trees. I knew I would end up falling several more times so I took off my skies, slid down the drop offs on my bottom, and walked during the flat portions between each drop off..with each step the snow hit around the hips making walking through the snow quite difficult. About 20 minutes later I emerged from the forest and spent the next 10 minutes knocking clumped snow and ice off my ski boots so I could put my skies back on. I hurried down the rest of the mountain hoping to catch Cam before he went through the trail again in search for me, but I just missed him!! In the end we only lost about a half hour of skiing and I had some extra sore muscles from walking in the deep snow..the laughs were worth it though! The afternoon of the second day we were skiing in snow clouds. It was so neat.
At the top of each run it was so foggy I could hardly see my skies and poles, we didn't get to the end ski trip with last looks of the gorgeous view, but had some fresh powder for our last couple runs!
All the snow we had outside our resort
Wish I could claim we built this igloo...
Some of the small avalanches can be seen in this picture
The long skiing days tired us out though, so each night we relaxed a little and then walked to the local pizzeria in the small ski village. The entire menu was in Italian and the waitresses hardly knew any English. Each night we spent about a half hour reading over the 71 pizzas trying to decide what each topping was. In the end it was more fun just to pick a random pizza and be surprised. One night we ordered one with horse jerky on it and another with blue cheese on it...they tasted interesting but still delicious.
The local Pizzeria was packed!
The second day of skiing I told cam I'd be a little more adventurous and go through some of the tree trails he had found the day before. He said his goal was to make me fall- I thought he was joking... The second run of the day, he takes a quick turn into the woods and sticking to my word I followed him....the snow was pretty thick and was covered by a layer of thin ice. I was doing alright until my ski caught under the ice during a turn and I face planted. I got up and continued skiing until I reached an area with several 8 or 10 foot drops in a between trees. I knew I would end up falling several more times so I took off my skies, slid down the drop offs on my bottom, and walked during the flat portions between each drop off..with each step the snow hit around the hips making walking through the snow quite difficult. About 20 minutes later I emerged from the forest and spent the next 10 minutes knocking clumped snow and ice off my ski boots so I could put my skies back on. I hurried down the rest of the mountain hoping to catch Cam before he went through the trail again in search for me, but I just missed him!! In the end we only lost about a half hour of skiing and I had some extra sore muscles from walking in the deep snow..the laughs were worth it though! The afternoon of the second day we were skiing in snow clouds. It was so neat.
At the top of each run it was so foggy I could hardly see my skies and poles, we didn't get to the end ski trip with last looks of the gorgeous view, but had some fresh powder for our last couple runs!
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