Ik Woon Nui In Nederland! (I now live in the Netherlands!)

This is my first official European blog entry, and I know it is long overdue. I have been busy getting settled and participating in mandatory programs for the past week and a half, but now I think I can start, and continue to update, my travel blog.
I began my journey on the 5th of January. It started off swimmingly, as my plane was fit for royalty: two seats on either side of the plane, incomparable leg room, leather seats, multiple reclining positions, a full media center, and a three course meal. And this was economy!
Getting from the plane to University College Utrecht was a quick and painless, because luckily for me, Amsterdam’s Schipol airport is magnificently designed and easy to navigate. Casey, you were right.

I arrived in a taxi to school– a lovely campus just minutes outside the city center. The buildings are made of brick and stone, and are strategically placed in a rectangular formation around the campus grounds. I checked into the Netherlands EAP study center in one of the academic buildings, and was greeted by two lovely Dutch EAP faculty members, Esmee and Patrice. They provided me with materials for my stay in the Netherlands and for the Dutch Culture and Language program, which I was to participate in for the first two weeks.

I had a farcical journey to my dorm as the cobblestone path was covered in frost and ice; I could barely walk solo, and with a 70 lbs suitcase it was nearly impossible. I was able to get to my room with only a few pathetic stares from passers-by. I made it to my apartment after another ridiculous feat – lugging my suitcases up a flight of stairs. Of course my unit had to be on the second floor! And little did I know at the opposite end of the building there is an elevator. Oops!
Frantic and frazzled, I finally got to my apartment.

When I got inside the set-up seemed pretty cool: A living room with colored couches and huge windows with curtains to match, a kitchenette, a room and a bathroom. I checked the room letter to see if it was mine. Nope. I then looked up to see that on the left and right of me were two narrow winding staircases. Oh yes, I would have to defeat another round of stairs. Luckily a man came out of the room downstairs. His name is Oscar, he tells me, and he is from the Netherlands and in his second year here at UC. He’s been living in this unit for a semester already. Then he turns himself into a saint when he offers to help me with my bag. I love this guy! He helped me to my room, and it’s huge! Well, for a single anyway. We talk for a little bit and then he leaves me to my unpacking,
I have the epiphany at this moment that this is the first day of my European adventure, and I turn on my computer, play “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” by Stevie Wonder, and have myself a little victory dance.

That night after I unpack and settle in, I go to the EAP room to meet up with my fellow DLC participants for an Italian feast. I should explain here that these students are all the University of California studying at various universities in the Netherlands. This was the beginning of a mandatory program called the “Dutch Language and Culture Program”.
I go out to dinner and begin socializing with the group, and that night a few boys and myself are shown an excellent pub by an EAP part-time employee.

The Dutch Language and Cultural program was a blast. We had several social activities planned for the first few days, such as the dinner and a city tour of Utrecht. Then we began our classes. Every weekday we would have a Dutch language course, which was the definition of a crash-course, because there is no way to learn a significant amount of any language in such a short time. Then we would have a seminar where we would discuss the lecture given the day before. There lectures happened in the evenings, and were given by a slew of Utrecht University professors on a variety of subjects pertaining to Dutch culture such as their monarchy, geography, history, economy, etc.

In these two weeks, in addition to the classes, we had several assignments. For one assignment we had to go to a different city in the Netherlands and report back on a museum we had visited. Another was to visit the multi-cultural and poorer area of Utrecht called Lombok, and record our observations and again, report back in class. A fun exercise was when we were told to go to a restaurant and order in Dutch. This was amusing, because the despite the fact that I could say, “I will have”, I couldn’t pronounce anything on the menu because we had chosen a Vietnamese restaurant for our assignment. The whole group of us had to continually say: “I will have... that,”

I made a lot of good friends in the short span of the program. We learned information that I now find invaluable, and have a ton of people to visit all over the Netherlands.

Beginning last Monday was UCU’s Introweek. This is the week before school begins where first-year students and those on exchange have a week full of activities and social gatherings to get us acquainted with the socil aspect of school, mainly. We were first split up into “families”, which are a group of about twelve or so first-year and exchange students. We are given “mommy’s” and “daddy’s”who are volunteer students who have gone to UCU for anywhere between a semester and a few years, who "look after us". My group is incredibly diverse: There are students from America, South Africa, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Aruba, Austria, and Bulgaria. The whole group of us, all families included, is even more diverse, with students from places are far as Israel and Kenya. I love my family, and unlike some of the others, we spend the majority of our time together.

Introweek just ended, and it was a blast. Seriously, I haven’t had so much fun in a long time. We did all sorts of activities such as a bike tour of Utrecht, lead by our dean Rob van der Vaart, an array of themed parties at our very own student bar, a Sports day, a pub crawl, a Formal Dinner, a Karaoke Night, and much more. It was a really fabulous week.

Now, in addition to the events that have happened throughout the last two and a half weeks, there is also the environment to consider. I am in the Netherlands! I just love saying that. This means for a few weeks I have experienced some pretty marvelous scenery.

Holland (my particular province) and Utrecht specifically, is beautiful. The city center is a lively area where shopping and restaurants wind around the picturesque canals, many built in the Middle Ages. For example, the Nieuwegraght, meaning “The New Canal”, was built in the 1400’s. And that one is the newer of the main canals! They are spectacular. There is also a church in the middle of the city center called “The Dom” and it lends as a navigational center-point as it hovers above the rest of the city.

The Dom is split into two pieces however, because in the 1600’s a hurricane blew just the middle segment to bits and left the rest standing. Therefore, in the middle area where there the church’s middle used to stand, they color coated the bricks they lied down in the street to represent pillars and planted trees to give the feeling of a roof to connect the two pieces. There is even a mural on the side of one of the buildings displaying what the inside would have looked like because apparently when the middle fell, it fell in such a way that its architecture could be seen.

The buildings in town are also all stunning. It’s classic Dutch architecture from the 1400’s generally. Something also classically Dutch is the bike culture. Because the Netherlands in flat in a way few Americans can't even imagine, it is perfect for bicycling. Everyone rides a bike: the Queen, the Prime Minister, the students, the children, the rich and the poor. It reflects the Dutch egalitarian culture where they strive for equality, are very pragmatic, and frown upon show-offs and gaudiness. I can safely say, nothing like America. It makes much more sense in my mind.

I have also been to Amsterdam twice now, which is a stunning city. Many would disagree with me, but I find it quite romantic, even despite the seedy areas such as the Red Light District, which yes, I did investigate awkwardly.

The canals sweep through the city and their beauty is breathtaking. There are many large majestic buildings that hover, as the Dom does in Utrecht, over the city of Amsterdam, such as the Palace (where royalty visits but does not live), and numerous others… (I haven’t quite gotten a handle of the city yet, but I’ll get there).

To finish off the longest blog entry in existence, I must first congratulate you if you finished! That’s dedication. And secondly announce how happy I am here. Oh! And I start my first day of classes, or rather, my first class, today. In less than an hour. Yikes!
Wish me luck!

Doei!