Oops.

My poor, abandoned blog. I left it for a Tumblr account, which I've also deserted. I've been too busy skimming other blogs [mostly food blogs] to even bother with this one. After reading a few past entries, I've decided to give it more attention.

My travels since my last post include Utrecht, Rome, and Tübingen [again]. I still vote that Germany is so far my favorite country.

When I returned to Tübingen, I brought Evelien with me. We explored Stuttgart and Ludwigsburg while Sam studied [something I should be doing now], mostly spending our time wandering Christmas markets with a mug of warm glühwein in our hands. We were lucky enough to catch the chocolate art fair in Tübingen as well.

My favorite part of my trip back was a small gypsy residence outside of French Quarter. Every Tuesday night, they host a quiet dinner in a small tavern lit only by candles. Vintage nude pictures were tacked up tastefully against one of the far walls. Sam and his friends ordered vegetarian plates, while I ordered the chicken. For €3, I received a marinated chicken leg with bulgur and a small salad. Delicious. The vegetarian meal consisted of thick slices of roasted eggplant, smothered in peanut sauce and topped with pine nuts. So much for thinking the veggie plate would be a scarce meal. The specialty that night was homemade feuersangenbowle, which is glühwein with rum-caramelized sugar melted into it.

Delicious. After our meal, we washed our dishes [after a harsh reminder from the owner] in warm water and soap. I couldn't get over how much I loved the idea of a cheap, homemade meal in a cozy [as the Dutch say, gezellig] tavern.

Unfortunately I had to leave the next morning, but not before loading up on fresh German bread. I need to find a bakery that sells something similar when I return to San Francisco.

Due to the freezing temperatures and snow, the trains were somewhat inconvenient. However, Die Bahn knows what they're doing [unlike most transportation agencies in SF, ahem] and if they required the passengers to change trains due to technical issues, a new train was waiting for us across the platform. Again, I love Germany. They've got everything: good transportation, delicious food and beer, and Christmas markets.

Gourmet Cooking for the College Student (Abroad)

This Christmas, all the students (‘orphans’) who couldn’t return home for the holidays gathered in our lounge for a potluck. I found a recipe for a cassoulet in my trusty Cooking Light magazine, but saw it called for 3 types of different meat sausages (pork, lamb, and duck), 4 links each! It also called for cognac or brandy, and for 3 types of herbs to be wrapped in a cheesecloth bag and soaked in the mixture for a while. After I woke up from a faint, I decided to modify the recipe to fit my budget and a vegetarian diet.

It was a hit. Despite some difficulties in attempting to figure out how the hell to work a cheap blender from Blokker, it was an easy and delicious dish.

Here’s my modified version:

2 tablespoons canola oil
4 Italian sausages (or veggie Italian sausage)
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon thyme
1 cup chicken broth (or veggie)
2 or 3 (15-oz) cans cannillini (white) beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (4 oz) piece French bread baguette
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 bay leaf (optional)
2 cloves (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add sausages (sliced or crumbled); cook 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove sausages from pan. Add more oil to pan, add onion and next 5 ingredients (through salt). Cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add wine, bring to a boil. Add in thyme; cook 10 minutes (until liquid almost evaporates).
3. Add broth, beans, and tomatoes to vegetable mixture. Return sausages to pan; stir. Bring mixture to a boil, and remove from heat.
Note: If you want to get fancy, I added the bay leaf in after and let it soak into the mixture for a few minutes. I also smashed the cloves with the side of my knife and carefully chopped it up, scraping the bits into the stew. Don’t forget to remove the bay leaf!
4. Place bread in a food processor (or a blender), blend until fine crumbs measure 2 cups. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add crumbs to pan, sauté 5 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently.
Note: If you’re like me and dealing with an oven the size of a large turkey, I transferred the stew into a baking dish. Also, if you don’t have a Dutch oven, the baking dish is an alternative.
5. Sprinkle breadcrumbs evenly over mixture. Bake at 325°F for 40 minutes (watch out where you place it in the oven so the breadcrumbs don’t burn!).

Eet smakelijk!

Thanksgiving in Amsterdam

Finally, the day everyone had been waiting for. The day I had been anxiously awaiting, the day that would put my cooking skills to the test. Thanksgiving in Amsterdam. I would be serving about 20 guests (including myself), a majority of them international students who had never seen a Thanksgiving meal in their lives.

With the help of my oh-so-reliable mother and Cooking Light magazines, I was able to cook 2 chickens, cranberry sauce, green beans, stuffing, sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes with marshmellows, and gravy.

Around 1 PM, Harry, Evelien, and I began cooking. We roasted a chicken in Evelien's mini oven while Harry and Evelien prepared the green beans, Igor peeled and diced potatoes, and I began sauteing shallots and mashing sweet potatoes. Harry has a Slingbox account, so we were able to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade while preparing dinner.


Lots of veggies.


Tiny Dutch fridge put to the test.


Our preparation "table".


My assistants (Harry and Evelien) have turned against me!


Go conventional oven, go!


Lots of food & hungry Europeans.

Eet smakelijk!

Thanksgiving has to be one of my favorite holidays. Lots of food, and a time to gather with family. This year I was fortunate enough to share Thanksgiving with my new family: the amazing friends I have made here. Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Amsterdammer

Recently, I've been too busy with homework or traveling to even remember I had a blog. I'm actually supposed to be working on two class assignments right now, but homework on a Friday night just doesn't exist.

But here's a few things I've learned after living in Amsterdam for over two months:

• Milk spoils ridiculously fast, mostly because it isn't pasteurized. I'm not a big fan of milk, but I must admit milk products are much fresher tasting here.
  
• The Dutch love to drink yoghurt. Flavored or plain, it usually comes in a milk carton with a screw cap. Again, better than our Yoplait crap we try to pass off as yogurt.
  
• As Thanksgiving draws closer, I've realized the Dutch don't eat turkey. No deli slices of turkey, no ground turkey, nothing. Looks like I'm eating chicken for Thanksgiving.
• The Dutch can be rude if you're (only somewhat) blocking their way in the bike path, they aren't very organized (especially the University of Amsterdam), don't always want to stop and give directions, and don't dance at clubs. However, at crowded concerts they are more than happy to let you squeeze by for a better spot.
• Blackface is accepted in the Netherlands, seeing as everyone piles up hundreds of stuffed or carved figurines of Zwarte Piet, Sinterklaas' helper. Zwarte Piet usually has a painted black face, red lips, a poofy black wig, and is stuffed into a silly outfit that looks like it's from Disney's The Prince and the Pauper.
• Christmas markets are probably the best thing ever to grace this earth, yet the Dutch only halfheartedly partake in the culture of warm gluhwein and kartoffelsuppe.
  

Of Montreal

I was thrilled to discover that of Montreal was playing at Melkweg, my new favorite venue. A few years ago, I had attended their concert in San Francisco but sat at a table on the second level because my friend despised everything about of Montreal and refused to stand in the crowd with me.

Kelsey, Eli (both from SF), Brooke, and Kayli (also studying in Tübingen) met at Melkweg half an hour before the concert began, but we still were able to stand directly in front of the stage. When of Montreal finally came onstage, Kevin Barnes was directly in front of me. During one of the songs, I looked up and he was looking and singing directly at me. I froze, and all lyrics flew out of my head. He grabbed my hand and kept singing, while I stupidly danced around. The next song, he handed the microphone to Eli, who got to sing a few lines.

Overall, amazing concert. Damien and Andrea wanted to meet up at Melkweg after the concert, but Eli and I decided to go to the Waterhole for some cheap drinks. Brooke and Kayli were tired, so Kelsey headed home with them. Eli and I stopped at Maoz to grab falafel as a midnight snack, then headed back to our bikes in hopes of finding a cheaper bar outside of Leidseplein. However, we saw the violinist standing outside of Melkweg, near the tour bus. I walked over with the set list I had grabbed offstage, and asked for him to sign it. He didn't have a pen, so I walked over to Dottie (the keyboardist) and asked if she had a pen and could sign the set list as well. She signed it, handed me the pen, and pointed me towards Kevin (lead singer).

I mentioned to Kevin that Eli and I were from San Francisco State, and Eli added he grew up in Tallahassee, Florida. Apparently half of the band is from Tallahassee, so Kevin introduced them to us. Eli and the band chatted for a bit, reminiscing on their town and discovering they had mutual friends and acquaintances. The band only had an hour or so before they had to head to Berlin, so they headed off to a bar and coffeeshop. As Eli and I turned to leave, Kevin said, "You're coming with, right?"

Eli and I giggled like two little schoolgirls. We got to hang out with Of Montreal! In Amsterdam! We wandered around Leidseplein, discussing 30 Rock and our studies and how we liked Amsterdam. We found a small, quiet bar a few blocks away from Leidseplein, and the drummer (Clayton) hung out with us for a majority of the night. He bought me and Eli a beer, and we discovered a game of Scrabble sitting nearby. Naturally, we had to play. We didn't get to finish the game because the band had to prepare to leave for Berlin. Not before stopping for some Maoz falafel, though. I had to instruct Kevin and Clayton how to make the perfect falafel, making sure the garlic sauce reached the bottom of the pita bread. I still can't believe I stood next to Kevin Barnes, chatting about nothing and joking about falafels.

Me, Kevin Barnes, Eli, and Clayton

Clayton hugged us good bye, and the band boarded the bus. Eli and I turned around and poked one another, squealing like little school girls. God, what a perfect fucking night.

Back Home

After waking up at 4AM to catch a train out of Tübingen by 6AM and catch my 7:45AM train to Amsterdam, I arrived back home around 1:30PM. As I walked out of Centraal Station, I was greeted by the sights of taxis, lost tourists, bikers, familiar buildings, cold air, and (my favorite) a Eurotrash teen biking while drinking a bottled beer that was overflowing with foam.

Amsterdam. I was home.

I lugged my suitcase past familiar sights; the haring stand right before Haarlemmerstraat, the coffee shops on Haarlemmerdijk, the houseboats on Prinsengracht. Puddles and raindrops on parked bicycles also reminded me that I was back home. It's strange that I consider Amsterdam my home, especially since I recently claimed San Francisco as my new place of residence. And as bicyclists passed by me speaking in Dutch, I somehow felt familiar with the language I couldn't understand.

I arrived home and immediately prepared for my 3PM class. I hopped back onto my bike, which I had abandoned for about 2 weeks. Every time I traveled to another city without my bike, I felt guilty. I also felt miserable, because I had to either walk or wait for a bus. However, riding my bike to class was liberating, a feeling heightened by the wind whipping through my short hair.

After class, I ran to Albert Heijn and loaded up on groceries in order to prepare dinner. Even though I had eaten Schwäbish food all week, my stomach panged for it. Albert Heijn offered no remedy, but I remembered I had a pack of spätzle at home. I bought some cheese to top it with, and baked Evelien and myself a Schwäbish dinner that night.

Of course the smell of cooking drew everyone into the room, who immediately wanted to try my käse spätzle. My roommate Jen asked, "What is this again? Helfer skelfer?" then caught herself and said, "Oh wait, that's a Beatles song."

Ha.

Russell called, and asked if I wanted to head out to the bars that night, since his friend Sean (also studying in Tübingen) was leaving tomorrow. Even though I was running on very little sleep, I met them downstairs and biked to Soundgarden, a bar we had been meaning to check out. It was a small bar, with a foosball and pool table crammed into the backroom. A white and orange cat was napping in a small nook, on top of magazines and newspapers. And of course, I stood there, petting the adorable and probably deaf cat, while everyone else played foosball. I am not a crazy cat lady! Yet.

When Soundgarden closed, we biked to The Waterhole, in Leidseplein. It's a cheap dive bar with even more pool tables, and a small stage where an aging rock band was playing cookie cutter rock songs that were as dated as they were.

Tübingen

Back to Tübingen! It was a nice break from Amsterdam; no tourists running into you or bicyclists running you over. Sam and I took a day trip out to Horb, a sleepy town with a great biergarten atop a hill. Sam and I split a "das boot" and I indulged in a half chicken (very popular in Germany). To work off our lunch, we walked through a small road that lead through corn fields. When the road intersected a much busier street, we turned around and walked back down to the city.

Down in the city center, Sam introduced me to Kaufland, Germany's answer to WalMart. I don't know if they too exploited third world countries in order to produce cheap goods, but they had an economy size pack of schpätzle, which I immediately bought. Unfortunately I brought my small suitcase, so I wasn't able to buy a bulk stock of Jäger.

The next day we took a bus out to a part of the Black Forest, where we walked two kilometres to Bebenhausen. Bebenhausen was an even sleepier town with typical German cottages and front yard gardens, complete with apple trees, chopped firewood, and crumbling stone walls. After another peaceful hike through nature, we took a bus to the nearest Aldi. I didn't find what I needed, but I found a bread "vending machine." You pressed a button for which bread you wanted, and it came tumbling down a chute, still warm from the oven. Then you placed the bread in a paper bag and paid for it at the cashier. For 90 cents, I received a loaf of the most delicious bread I've ever tasted.

After a short bus ride back to Tübingen, Sam and I further explored the cobblestone-lined city. This included walking through the Tübingen castle, eating and drinking at the Neckarmüller (my new favorite brewery), finding the bar Shooters and ordering Sam a "Conan" shot (ramen broth and vodka), cutting his friend Paul's hair, and multiple visits to the student bar Kuckuck's.

I missed the ability to go anywhere at any hour of the night, but Tübingen holds a special place in my heart. Maybe it's just a bit of the Schwäbish food sticking to my arteries, but I really enjoyed Germany. I think heaven on earth would be a cross between Amsterdam and Tübingen.

Volksfest

Sam and I left Tübingen in the early afternoon to meet Wesley in Stuttgart. After an hour on the train from Tübingen to Stuttgart, then 15 minutes from Stuttgart to the hotel, we arrived. We threw down our bags, grabbed something to eat, and headed to Volksfest.

After pushing through crowds of drunk Germans dressed in lederhosen and dirndl, we entered a bier tent. We were overwhelmed. Searching for a place to sit, we couldn't help but stare at the thousands of drunken people standing atop benches and tables, swinging their litres of beer and singing German drinking songs. After about 2 minutes of chaos, we decided to find beer outside of the tents. After quite a few beers and bratwursts, we decided to call it a night in order to wake up bright and early to get a seat at a tent the next morning.

The next morning, we arrived in Stuttgart around noon and met up with Sam's friend Grant. Their friends had arrived an hour earlier, and saved a table for us. However, the security guard outside refused to let us in because it was too crowded. After trying to explain in broken English that our friends were inside, we decided to walk into the back entrance of the tent. A friendlier security guard let us in, so we found our table and ordered some beer.

After this point, only pictures can describe Volksfest better than words.

After three hours of drinking and three litres of beer, we decided to leave the tent for a breath of fresh air. Grant was tired and hungry, so we sat while Sam and Wesley left in search of food. Somehow Grant fell asleep against a fence, so some Italians asked me if it was okay to take a picture with him. I was too drunk and tired to care, so I agreed. We decided to head back to the hotel and take a short nap, then head back to Volksfest. Of course we couldn't get into a tent again, so we just drank some more beer and ate some more bratwurst.

Oh Deutchland, ich liebe dich.

Deutschland

After arriving back in Amsterdam, I packed up my bags once more and headed to Tübingen, Germany.


I finally arrived in the afternoon, and was a little disappointed with the weather. After a week in the sun, the gloomy weather finally caught up with me. Sam and I walked through the quaint town of Tübingen, admiring the cobblestone streets that carved through the cottage town.


Later, we met up with Sam's friends at Neckarmüller, a local biergarten that also served as a restaurant. There we ordered dunkelweizen, which was the best damn beer I've ever had. And it was cheap! Especially compared to Amsterdam. We also enjoyed a cheap dinner there, the menu consisting Schwäbish food. Which is by far my new favorite cuisine. So comforting and filling, I was surprised the kitchen didn't consist of a handful of German grandmothers baking our meals.
I got to meet a majority of Sam's friends, and we all enjoyed beer and pretzels (served with butter!) while chatting away. Sam was tired, so we headed home to prepare for Stuttgart's Volksfest.

Vueling: You Don't Even Get What You Pay For

After waking up at 9AM to catch our 1PM flight, we encountered another difficulty at the airport.

Even though Elisa explicitly told the woman at Vueling that she, Neftalie, and I wanted to change our flights to the 28th, Elisa was left off of the flight change. We spent an hour or so walking back and forth through ticket counters, trying to get someone, anyone to help Elisa. Every Vueling employee shrugged and said they couldn't do anything, and blatantly lied about their "absent" supervisor. After another Vueling customer charged to the ticket counter and asked us to stop wasting her time, the employee finally called his adviser to "help" Elisa.

I'll go into detail here because Vueling has the worst customer service I have ever experienced. I hope they go bankrupt. Anyway.

First, the employees didn't offer any solution whatsoever. None. He could care less. Second, one of the employees said that "you can't change tickets over the phone," to which Neftalie and I answered by waving our tickets - which we had changed over the phone - in his face. Then, said employee pretended to call his supervisor to help. He picked up the phone on his desk, didn't even wait for a dial tone, and began "speaking" to his supervisor. I couldn't understand a word he said, but even I knew there was no one on the other line. The second employee also lied about his supervisor being gone. When the supervisor finally (and mysteriously, since she was supposed to be gone, right?) appeared, she offered no solution, even when Elisa waved the passenger rights bill in her face.

Our flight called for people to board, so Neftalie and I had to leave Elisa with people who didn't even want to help her in the first place. She had no minutes left on her phone, and no access to a computer. I panicked; how was I supposed to know if she got on a flight? She finally left me a Facebook message a few hours later, writing that she wasn't going to arrive back in Amsterdam until two days later.

Update
Thankfully, Elisa made it home, even though most of Barcelona was rioting. Somehow she made it to the airport, got on her flight, and arrived home to Amsterdam safely. Phew.

Barcelona: Day Four

Yesterday we received an email from Vueling, our airline, which warned us of a transportation strike on September 29th. We had all planned to fly back at 6:45am on the 29th, but were forced to change our flights to the 28th. Since this was our last day in Barcelona, we attempted to make the most of it.


We headed back to Plaza Espanya, this time in the daylight. We hiked up hundreds of stairs to reach the palace, which boasted a gorgeous view of the city. By this point my feet and legs were screaming with every step, crying for my bicycle. But I pushed them further and further, promising them that I would return to my bike soon. We continued past the palace, towards a castle up the hill. There we witnessed another gorgeous view of Barcelona, spanning from the city center to the sea.


The castle wasn't anything special, but the view of the city became more and more beautiful with each step. We all sat on a bench for a few minutes, sitting in silence as we admired the shining blue water. Neftalie soon retired back to the hostel, due to a splitting headache from the sun and lack of water. Elisa, David, and I decided to wander the city and explore every corner until the sun went down. Our poor feet were dying, so we trudged back to the hostel where I cooked pasta and we sat on the patio, eating and watching traffic go by. For the third time, we skipped the nightlife to save up on energy for the early flight back.

Barcelona: Day Three

Coincidentally, we arrived in Barcelona during the festival Mercé. Today was the day where teams competed to create the best human pyramids. We watched in awe as we saw people from all ages stack on top of one another to create a human pyramid 10 people high. Of course, we couldn't spend the whole day watching teams compete, so we left to look at churches and other areas.


I found a street sign that pointed towards the "Arc de Triomf," which turned out to be a brick replica of the Arc de Triomph in Paris. We walked through the Arc and found a park which also hosted Mercé events. After wandering around, we decided to take a quick siesta at the hostel. Keep in mind we had been walking around and sightseeing since 9AM.


After a short siesta, we took the metro to La Sagrada Famila. All I have to say is that Gaudi is my new favorite architect. La Sagrada Familia was astonishing, to say the least. Every inch of the church had detail, including fruit-like statues topping the church. Of course we decided to save money and not enter the church, even though you could climb to the tallest tower and look out.


We decided to grab dinner and head back out. Two jugs of sangria later, we headed to a skateboarder's bar near La Rambla. However, we were all exhausted from walking around so we skipped the night life once more and went to bed.

Barcelona: Day One &Two

I finally have interesting things to write about, but haven't had the time to sit down and type everything out. Mostly because I've been traveling for two weeks straight.

First stop: Barcelona! Words cannot describe how beautiful this city is. We first arrived in the worst conditions possible. Elisa had been stranded by the airline (Vueling), it was pouring rain when we walked around the city for 2 hours trying to find the hostel at 1 AM, and somehow we lost Neftalie on our way to the hostel.

The next morning David and I woke up early to walk around the city, while we waited for Elisa to fly in. Vueling, the amazing airline that it is, delayed her flight (again!) and she finally arrived around 13:30. She dropped off her bags, changed, and we were off to Park Güell. Park Güell was absolutely breathtaking. After a short metro ride and a hike up a hill that made me miss San Francisco, we were stopped dead in our tracks by the gorgeous view. Surrounded by rustic Spanish houses and cacti, we turned around and around looking at the Barcelona topography.


With every step Park Güell became more and more incredible.


After a few hours in the Spanish sun at Park Güell, we decided to head to the beach. There we discovered a mini fair, featuring a Titanic fun house and a kid's ride called "Euro Disney" in which "Mickey" greeted you and took your ticket. We walked along the midway until we reached the sandy beach. I ran to splash my feet in the Mediterranean Sea, which was surprisingly warm.


We finally got ahold of Neftalie, so we met at Tapa Tapa, a tapas bar near Rumbla de Catalunya. I didn't realize that the rest of Europe has delicious food at modest prices. After filling ourselves with paella and sangria, we headed towards Plaza Espanya to celebrate the festival Mercé.

As soon as we got on the metro, I was reminded of LoveFest. Hundreds of teenagers drinking and singing loudly, then packing into a square to listen and dance to techno music. The first five minutes were fun, until we realized we were the only ones over the age of 17. After a few minutes of dancing, we decided to head to the hostel to have enough energy for the next day.

Oktoberfest!

Last night, a few students threw an Oktoberfest party at one of the flats. It was only €5 for unlimited beer and bratwurst, so hey, I think it was worth it. Stereotypical German music was blaring, and broken beer glasses and trash were littering the floor. So it was almost like experiencing the Munich Oktoberfest.

I'm so ridiculously happy here, I never want to leave! All of my friends are amazing; we always have a good time and I can always rely on them. And I'm fortunate to have a good roommate too, we get along really well. We're in a great location too, everything is just a short bike ride away. Oh, I'm going to miss my bike too. I really want to ship it home, but I may have to work in the Red Light District for a few weeks in order to pay for shipping. Kidding.

Did I mention how much I love these people? Oh and Elisa persuaded me to buy a plane ticket to Barcelona for next weekend. I've never made such an impulsive, spontaneous decision! So David, Elisa, and I are headed to Barcelona on Friday after classes. I'm definitely looking forward to the warm summer sun.

Rainy Days

There's nothing better than a cup of tea and reading a book in bed on a rainy day. Classes have finally started and I'm procrastinating on doing homework because I realized I haven't posted a blog in a while.

I've been doing nothing but biking and eating my way through Amsterdam. Here's a better picture of my bike, even though you can't see the pink. I can't wait to spray paint the fenders pink!


And here's proof that the Dutch love sugary and fatty foods. We went to the Pancake Bakery one morning, and indulged in pannekoeken. They're similar to crepes, but rather than being folded up, they're served flat and topped with all sorts of sugary or savory goodness. Then you roll it up and cut out bite-sized pieces. Chloé, left, ordered a Thai pancake, while Jen, right, ordered a Greek pancake. I, however, ordered poffertjes covered in whipped cream, strawberries, and powdered sugar. Mmm.

God what fatties we are! The same day we went out for pancakes, we decided to join Jen's friend Xin for Ethiopian food. Here's me and Jen with our platter of more fatty goodness. I've decided to not eat out for the next few days, and bike around Amsterdam whenever I have the chance. Yesterday I biked to the Albert Cuyp market in search for fresh stroopwafles, but had no luck. Instead, they had fresh produce for sale, but I didn't feel like biking home with fresh strawberries; I'd probably end up with strawberry jam once I arrived home.

Oh and how could I forget FEBO? It's a small take-away place that has hamburgers, chicken burgers, and even kroquetts (minced meat roll that's deep fried) in vending machines. I have yet to muster up the courage to buy a kipburger from FEBO, but maybe I should save that for a night when I have a severe case of the drunchies.

XXX Pole

Today was productive! First the boring stuff: registering for a residence permit, grocery shopping, and opening an ING bank account. Evelien went to ABN AMRO with her bike, since you get a free zit zak, or bean bag. However, the particular branch couldn't open an account for her, so she came back empty handed. On the way back, she stopped dead in her tracks and said, "Oh my God. I HAVE to take that!!" Confused, I looked at what she was pointing at and only saw a pole, identical to the ones that border the sidewalks in Amsterdam. She handed me her bike and picked up the pole, which had been dug out of the ground by someone else.

So, in broad daylight, we walked back to our apartment. Evelien carried the pole while I pushed her bike, and everyone stared. Or laughed.


We finally made it home, and Evelien proudly showed everyone her prize. Yesterday the RA's told Evelien that if she brought home an Amsterdam pole (marked with XXX because it's a part of the city's crest), they would bury it in the garden and ship it to California when she leaves. Aren't they in store for a surprise.

Oh and we found a Chinese grocery store in the city center, so now I can have udon noodles and fresh tofu whenever I want! This city is so similar to San Francisco, I'm falling more and more in love with Amsterdam.

Ik Spreek Geen Nederlands

Goede morgen! I'm trying to teach myself Nederlands, or Dutch. I didn't sign up for a course in Dutch because it was about €200! Besides, I'm already signed up for four courses this semester. At least the courses are only 8 hours a week total!

In order to learn Dutch, I've been copying phrases and words out of my phrasebook. I've also been trying to find children's videos online with subtitles, and I'm thinking about buying a few secondhand child's books. It feels a bit silly, but it's the best way to learn. Even going to the grocery store has helped me learn a few phrases and terms.

I've made friends with a few students who speak their native language, such as French, a second language, and English! I feel rather stupid with my limited knowledge of Japanese (which wouldn't help my situation anyway). When I return to San Francisco, I am definitely signing up for a course in French or Spanish.

When I explain how embarrassed I am to only speak English, many international students tell me I should be glad a majority the world knows English, and that America is such a large country that I don't need to know a second language. Which doesn't make me feel any better; it just makes me feel like a stupid American. I wish learning a second language in America was a standard, rather than an elective.

Oh, and I'm trying to learn the metric system as well. Why did the United States have to develop their own measurements? I always catch myself saying "it's 80 degrees back home" and everyone stares at me as if I live on the surface of the sun. Then I have to guess what the equivalent would be in Celcius, which I usually mess up because I'm awful at math, too. Americans can't get anything right.

I Want to Ride My Bicycle

I got a bike! It was spray painted bright green and pink, and it was love at first sight. It's got handbrakes, a light and reflector, a bell, and a chain cover. It was €50 for the bike, and an extra €10 for maintenance. I just need to buy some spray paint to touch up the color and a basket for the back and I'm set!

I don't think I've ever been so happy. I hopped on my bike and flew through Amsterdam with a fat smile on my face, like I was a little kid again. I'm going to miss my bike when I leave Amsterdam, I really wish I could take it back to San Francisco with me.

I finally got my class list, and I'm only in classes 8 hours a week. What a relief! I thought I had classes every day. The University of Amsterdam is very unorganized, and the way you choose classes and your schedule is impossible. You email the University what classes you would like to take, then they choose your schedule for you and email you "timetables" of the classes. Then you have to navigate around the website to find your class list and timetables.

I can't believe I start school on Monday, I feel so unprepared. I don't want to go to school, I just want to travel and ride my bike around the city!

Week One

It's been a whole week since I arrived in Amsterdam! I can't believe it, it feels like it's been two or three weeks. I've met so many new people from so many different places, and heard so many languages. I'm trying to learn a few phrases in Spanish, French, and of course Dutch.

My roommate is Jen from Sydney, Australia. We have a cute place right on Prinsengracht, a short walk from Anne Frank's house. We each have our own bedroom with a teeny tiny kitchen, and we share a shower and toilet. I know it's going to be really cold this winter because there's a heater in the shower!

Last week was crazy busy with orientation, so here's a few pictures to sum up my experiences:

Clockwise from left: David from South Africa, me, Xuso from Spain, Kang Tse from Taiwan, Eduardo from Spain, Evelien, and Peter from Germany.

Patates frites (fries with mayo)

Artis Zoo in Amsterdam.

Peter's birthday party

I still have yet to buy a bike. I've walked all over the city and have blisters on my feet to prove it. Apparently tomorrow at the flea market, there will be plenty of cheap bikes for students to purchase.

Speaking of markets, the city is swimming in them. On Saturday, Evelien and I went down to a small market nearby to buy some groceries. It was incredible, it was small and packed with people. The vendors sold flowers, fresh fruits and vegetables, cheeses, breads, meats, fish, and pannekoek (Dutch pancakes). I bought some fresh arugula, cherry tomatoes, and Greek yogurt. I forgot that the vendors choose the produce for you, but fortunately I did not pick anything up before realizing I wasn't supposed to touch the fruits.

Hopefully Evelien, Sara (her roommate), and I will travel to Delft this week. It's a town about an hour southwest of Amsterdam, where Evelien's cousin lives. I can't wait to get my class schedule, so I can plan more trips around Europe!

Amsterdam!

Hallo from Amsterdam! My first night here was crazy fun. I spent the night in Evelien's room because the housing office was closed when I arrived. She's rooming with a girl named Sara, who is from Spain. Sara's friend Eduardo arrived at the airport at the same I did, so Evelien picked us both up. When we finally arrived to our apartment, Sara was preparing dinner. Somehow dinner for a few turned into dinner for 7! We walked to Albert Heijn, the local grocery store, and picked up a crate of beer. Not a 24 pack, a crate. Peter (from Germany) cooked dinner, opened a beer bottle by placing two beer bottles close together and kicking the bottoms with his feet, taught us how to open beer with a lighter, and brought down some Jagermeister straight from Germany.

Peter made a wall of our empty beer bottles.

Then I introduced the Europeans to East Bay rap, such as Ghost Ride the Whip and Thizzle Dance. Sara and Eduardo taught us how to salsa, and we danced late into the night.

Eduardo and I woke up early to head to orientation, but we got lost and ended up being an hour late. I only stayed at orientation for a few hours before leaving early to get my key and bedding from the housing office. Evelien and I ended up getting lost on the way there as well, then walked across the city once more to return home. God I was tired of walking around the city! But I'm glad I skipped out on the first day of orientation, apparently it was just guest speakers, "intercultural workshops,"and getting-to-know-you games. Why is it that no matter how old you are, you're always forced into those stupid games? But tomorrow we have a city walk, museum tour, boat trip, and karaoke! We all know what happened last time I got up to sing karaoke...