1. The whole time I was here I have been using fabric softener instead of detergent, so I am officially washing my clothes for the first time since I arrived.
2. My ultimate Frisbee team (No Nuts, No Glory) won a tournament last weekend. The tournament party theme was "be a character who died in a movie". I wore water wings, goggles, and strapped a shark to my back. A 17-year-old boy bought me a beer.
3. I need to buy some orange garb for Queen's Day because that is simply the way it is done.
4. My family arrives tomorrow despite the volcanic eruption on Iceland that has impeded air traffic for the last week. I am going to take Susan to drag bingo, and it will be epic.
5. I found Dutch Scrabble at a flea market for 3 euros. Needless to say I bought it.
6. I am going to miss being able to buy eggs with double yolks, cheese by the wedge, good (yet cheap) beer, Albert Heijn, and stroopwafels upon my return.
7. There is a park not too far from my place decorated by giant metal hazelnuts. I climbed upon them, and it was wonderful.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Gezellig
These days I am feeling quite gezellig in Amsterdam. Gezellig (pronounced hazella) means "cozy" in Dutch. It is a nice word that feels nice to say.
I have been keeping busy with visitors (such as Laura Gruberg), frisbee (Spongebabes Damsquare), pancakes, new friends, and exploration. Oh, and making/eating more toast than you could shake a stick at.
Speaking of toast, I have discovered a wonderful spreadable substance called Speculoos. Imagine a biscoff cookie (kind of cinnamon/gingery). Now imagine it liquified and smeared on everything in sight. Now you have speculoos.
On Wednesday I leave for Italy where I will stay for 6 days--3 in Genova, 3 in Venice. Sadly, it looks like a gondola tour is out of the question unless anyone would like to send me a check for 80 euros...But I have decided that I will stroll along the sidewalk beside the gondola-poling man and sing "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie..." It's cheaper and more fun. Heck, I could eat spaghetti while I do it!
Also--I have learned why Dutch people feel so tall to me. It's because they are (according to my Dutch friend) the second tallest community of people on Earth, dwarfed only by the Masai tribe in Africa.
I have been keeping busy with visitors (such as Laura Gruberg), frisbee (Spongebabes Damsquare), pancakes, new friends, and exploration. Oh, and making/eating more toast than you could shake a stick at.
Speaking of toast, I have discovered a wonderful spreadable substance called Speculoos. Imagine a biscoff cookie (kind of cinnamon/gingery). Now imagine it liquified and smeared on everything in sight. Now you have speculoos.
On Wednesday I leave for Italy where I will stay for 6 days--3 in Genova, 3 in Venice. Sadly, it looks like a gondola tour is out of the question unless anyone would like to send me a check for 80 euros...But I have decided that I will stroll along the sidewalk beside the gondola-poling man and sing "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie..." It's cheaper and more fun. Heck, I could eat spaghetti while I do it!
Also--I have learned why Dutch people feel so tall to me. It's because they are (according to my Dutch friend) the second tallest community of people on Earth, dwarfed only by the Masai tribe in Africa.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Horchata
I am currently fixated on the song "Horchata" by Vampire Weekend, and have been listening to it non-stop in the midst of doing the following things:
1. Attending an awesome exhibition called "Niet Normaal" (Not Normal) in city center. There were a bunch of short films about weird people--some with disorders, some just doing things out of the ordinary. There was also a cool (fake) commercial for condoms that can genetically test sperm during sex so that only the genetically fit ones get through. Kind of scary.
2. USA vs. Netherlands soccer match. Orange flags waving in unison. Netherlands 2-1.
3. On Friday an ex-sex worker came into our Prostitution class to talk to us. She was cool, down to earth, and genuinely liked sex. It was nice to meet someone who defies the stereotype.
4. Jo visited me this weekend and we biked around the city, ate fresh stroopwafels, and frolicked in the park among other acitivities. She convinced some men in a Malaysian restaurant to put chopsticks in their mouths likes walruses while she did the same.
1. Attending an awesome exhibition called "Niet Normaal" (Not Normal) in city center. There were a bunch of short films about weird people--some with disorders, some just doing things out of the ordinary. There was also a cool (fake) commercial for condoms that can genetically test sperm during sex so that only the genetically fit ones get through. Kind of scary.
2. USA vs. Netherlands soccer match. Orange flags waving in unison. Netherlands 2-1.
3. On Friday an ex-sex worker came into our Prostitution class to talk to us. She was cool, down to earth, and genuinely liked sex. It was nice to meet someone who defies the stereotype.
4. Jo visited me this weekend and we biked around the city, ate fresh stroopwafels, and frolicked in the park among other acitivities. She convinced some men in a Malaysian restaurant to put chopsticks in their mouths likes walruses while she did the same.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Libacious Library
I didn't know what libacious meant until just now, but after checking Urbandictionary.com it means "delicious, energetic and fun" which actually fits quite nicely. How fortuitous.
I love the public library here. Love. It. It is located near Centraal Station on the water across from the floating Chinese restaurant. When you walk in, it looks like a mac store:
The children's section is amazing.
It also has a cafe at the top, a theatre, a museum-type section, a pizza place, an awesome DVD collection, and most importantly edgy furniture...I'm getting excited just thinking about it...
I love the public library here. Love. It. It is located near Centraal Station on the water across from the floating Chinese restaurant. When you walk in, it looks like a mac store:
The children's section is amazing.
It also has a cafe at the top, a theatre, a museum-type section, a pizza place, an awesome DVD collection, and most importantly edgy furniture...I'm getting excited just thinking about it...
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Things I am excited to do
1. Go to the USA vs. Netherlands soccer game on March 3rd. I am usually not a soccer fan, but I can make an exception this one time. I wonder if I should wear by American flag bikini to the game...
2. Visit the science museum that I pass every day. It's called NEMO and it is within what appears to be a giant half-sunken ship out on the water. It kind of reminds me of Pirates of the Caribbean.
3. Play Frisbee when it is warm. Somehow it is not the same when there is snow in my eyes and I can't feel my hands.
4. Receive the Valentine's Day package from my mom. God only knows the deliciousness it contains...
5. Make so much toast in my NEW TOASTER OVEN ahhhhhh! Making toast in a pan shall now be banned from my life.
2. Visit the science museum that I pass every day. It's called NEMO and it is within what appears to be a giant half-sunken ship out on the water. It kind of reminds me of Pirates of the Caribbean.
3. Play Frisbee when it is warm. Somehow it is not the same when there is snow in my eyes and I can't feel my hands.
4. Receive the Valentine's Day package from my mom. God only knows the deliciousness it contains...
5. Make so much toast in my NEW TOASTER OVEN ahhhhhh! Making toast in a pan shall now be banned from my life.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Windy Mills
Tonight I went to Drag Queen Bingo at a nifty bar on Zeedijk Straat. Her name was Windy Mills, which naturally made me chuckle. Her drag queen traits were that she was racist, dyslexic, and drunk (not sure if the last one was actually a drag queen trait or a regular trait). One of the prizes was a toaster, which I REALLY wanted because we don't have toasters or ovens at our housing but I love toast so much. Preferably with peanut butter or nutella on top. It's just not the same on room temperature bread. Alas, I was three numbers away from winning. I almost cried when they gave it away to someone else.
After failing at Bingo, my friends and I were snackish, so we located a place to munch in the red light district. I smiled at a sex worker as we passed by, and she winked at me. I blushed. I had Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie, which reminded me of home and made me happy in general.
After failing at Bingo, my friends and I were snackish, so we located a place to munch in the red light district. I smiled at a sex worker as we passed by, and she winked at me. I blushed. I had Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie, which reminded me of home and made me happy in general.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Van Go-Go Dancers
In case your hopes were up, this post has nothing to do with Go-Go dancers, but I thought it would get your attention.
Today I went to the Van Gogh museum. Our program gave us museum cards, so we can go to a bunch of museums for free and skip the lines. This was especially useful today because everyone and their uncle was there. In the gift shop they had umbrellas with Van Gogh paintings on them, and I'm pretty sure they had sheets with sunflowers on them, and postcard easels for Van Gogh postcards...it was all too much for me.
His paintings were (obviously) way more vibrant in real life. And the paint was really thick and shiny. It kind of looked like frosting, which made me want to lick it, but I feel that that would have been innapropriate. I was slightly disappointed that "Starry Night" wasn't there. Wouldn't you know that the US (MoMa) snatched that sucker right up...
After the museum I ate a tiny portion of tiny pancakes at a Dutch pancake house. They serve them with butter and powdered sugar. After the waitress took the plate away there was a circle of powdered sugar where it used to be. This attests to my enjoyment.
Today I went to the Van Gogh museum. Our program gave us museum cards, so we can go to a bunch of museums for free and skip the lines. This was especially useful today because everyone and their uncle was there. In the gift shop they had umbrellas with Van Gogh paintings on them, and I'm pretty sure they had sheets with sunflowers on them, and postcard easels for Van Gogh postcards...it was all too much for me.
His paintings were (obviously) way more vibrant in real life. And the paint was really thick and shiny. It kind of looked like frosting, which made me want to lick it, but I feel that that would have been innapropriate. I was slightly disappointed that "Starry Night" wasn't there. Wouldn't you know that the US (MoMa) snatched that sucker right up...
After the museum I ate a tiny portion of tiny pancakes at a Dutch pancake house. They serve them with butter and powdered sugar. After the waitress took the plate away there was a circle of powdered sugar where it used to be. This attests to my enjoyment.
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