The past week has been pretty busy. On Monday we went to Amsterdam. It was a fun but tiring day, we left the house at 8:15 and didn't get back home until nearly midnight. I was really excited to see the city. It was neat just to walk around, everything looked so old and European. We saw lots of sites too.
First we walked to an old Dutch house that was built in the 1600s. It was furnished with all of the old styles. Then we saw the house of Rembrant, a famous dutch painter. He had lots of great work, sketches, paintings, sculptures...
We barely had time for lunch but ate sandwiches as we were walking from a shop called Julias. Then we walked over to the palace. Lots of royal events take place here. All of the rooms were beautifully decorated and we listened to an audio tour as we walked around. From the palace we went to the new church which had an exhibit on couture wedding dresses. After that we had only about an hour until our tour of the Anne Frank house. We got drinks on the top floor of a shopping building.
The Anne Frank house was great. I have always wanted to see it and it lived up to my expectations. There were quotes from Anne's diary all over the walls. Videos were playing with people talking about the holocaust and Anne's situation. It was neat to actually be right where she was hiding.
After the tour we had dinner and then took a train home. The next morning we left at 8:30 for Leeuwarden.
Me and my host sister, Stella, visited her grandmother in the city. We walked around a lot and I really liked the place. It was less overwhelming than Amsterdam but still had plenty of shops and cafes/restaurants. We ate lunch in a quiet part of the city and it was delicious. Then we walked to a museum that showed all of the animals of Friesland, the province of the Netherlands that I am living in. After that we went came back and I was exhausted. The two days of sightseeing tired me out.
Yesterday, Wednesday, I went to meet with the dean of my new school. We picked out some of the classes I will be taking, German, English, Dutch, Gym, Chemistry, Math, History... and took a tour of the school. It looks nice and I am excited to start on Monday. I am also a bit nervous, especially since I still don't understand much dutch, but hopefully everything will go okay.
The rest of the day was pretty quiet and today has been as well. This morning we had pastries and since I have been working on my dutch with the two huge binders from AFS. It is a lot of work but I really want to come home fluent.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
In the Netherlands
I am finally here! I arrived last Friday after 3 flights and an orientation in New York. It is beautiful here. There is so much open area/farmland, grass everywhere. I have never considered Gastonia an urban area but after living here, I don't know.
On the way back to my host family's house, a 2 hour drive from the airport, we made a couple stops. First we went to a dutch village where we walked around looking at houses, shops, and the sea. There was one shop where you could dress up in traditional dutch clothing and take a picture which me and my host sister, Stella, did. We were wearing big dresses, white hats, and wooden clogs.
The second stop we made was to look at a famous dike. With the sea on one side and a lake on the other it was a pretty site. I got my first taste of dutch weather here too, it was really windy and slightly cold. After we got back in the car we drove to their house. It has so much land! They have 3 horses, a foal, chickens, chicks, and a dog. I have my own room which is really cute with a bed, a couch, and a desk area.
In the following days we have been pretty busy. We went to an old dutch village where I got a demonstration on how to make dutch shoes. The only problem was that the presentation was in dutch so I had no idea what was going on. I had to rely on my host mom for translations which were good but to far and inbetween. I will be a lot better off here when I can understand dutch. I am working on the lessons that AFS provided for us and making a little progress. Hopefully in a few months I will be able to tell a big difference.
We also went to Westerbork, an old concentration camp. It was really interesting to see. We biked along a trail to where all of the old barracks were and saw 2 different memorials for all of the people killed. There was a museum with lots of blown up pictures and accounts of the prisoners. I have always wanted to see something like this. It was hard to imagine that we were really in the same place that the prisoners stood years ago.
I also went into the city one afternoon with Caroline, my host mom. I bought a phone, school supplies, and a waterproof winter jacket. The city was really cool and I am looking forward to shopping around more. It is really close to my school.
Overall my experience here so far has been great. My host family is really nice and I get along well with all of them. School starts in a week and a half. I am a little nervous but hopefully it will go well.
Anyway I'll write more later. Tot Ziens
On the way back to my host family's house, a 2 hour drive from the airport, we made a couple stops. First we went to a dutch village where we walked around looking at houses, shops, and the sea. There was one shop where you could dress up in traditional dutch clothing and take a picture which me and my host sister, Stella, did. We were wearing big dresses, white hats, and wooden clogs.
The second stop we made was to look at a famous dike. With the sea on one side and a lake on the other it was a pretty site. I got my first taste of dutch weather here too, it was really windy and slightly cold. After we got back in the car we drove to their house. It has so much land! They have 3 horses, a foal, chickens, chicks, and a dog. I have my own room which is really cute with a bed, a couch, and a desk area.
In the following days we have been pretty busy. We went to an old dutch village where I got a demonstration on how to make dutch shoes. The only problem was that the presentation was in dutch so I had no idea what was going on. I had to rely on my host mom for translations which were good but to far and inbetween. I will be a lot better off here when I can understand dutch. I am working on the lessons that AFS provided for us and making a little progress. Hopefully in a few months I will be able to tell a big difference.
We also went to Westerbork, an old concentration camp. It was really interesting to see. We biked along a trail to where all of the old barracks were and saw 2 different memorials for all of the people killed. There was a museum with lots of blown up pictures and accounts of the prisoners. I have always wanted to see something like this. It was hard to imagine that we were really in the same place that the prisoners stood years ago.
I also went into the city one afternoon with Caroline, my host mom. I bought a phone, school supplies, and a waterproof winter jacket. The city was really cool and I am looking forward to shopping around more. It is really close to my school.
Overall my experience here so far has been great. My host family is really nice and I get along well with all of them. School starts in a week and a half. I am a little nervous but hopefully it will go well.
Anyway I'll write more later. Tot Ziens
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
8 Days Left
8 days...
I can't believe it.
It is starting to dawn on me that in slightly over a week I will leave my little bubble and travel all the way to Europe. I will say goodbye to my family, my friends, and even my native language for a whole year. I will develop a life that is thousands of miles away from what I have always known. I am nervous. But for every ounce of nervousness there are at least ten ounces of excitement. I have been waiting for this for over a year now, counting down the months, then the weeks, and now the days. I have never felt such a longing for something, sometimes eight days feels like an eternity. At other moments though, I know I will miss this time when I can so easily communicate with my family. Emailing and Skyping can't give you hugs or shared day to day memories. I will try to enjoy this time for what it is worth, and when it is time to leave, I will not look back but will look forward to the days that I have been waiting for.
We are on vacation at the lake this week, so I spent the last couple weeks packing and getting organized for my trip. I still need to figure out a few things but for the most part, I am ready. I am having trouble fitting everything in my suitcases, especially with the weight restrictions. It is hard to pack for a year on 44 pounds. It helps that I will get some things there like a raincoat and a heavy winter jacket, I have never really needed those in NC.
At this time next week I'll probably be a nervous wreck with less than 24 hours to go. I have a one night orientation in NYC and then the next day we fly to Amsterdam. There my host family will pick me up!
I can't believe it.
It is starting to dawn on me that in slightly over a week I will leave my little bubble and travel all the way to Europe. I will say goodbye to my family, my friends, and even my native language for a whole year. I will develop a life that is thousands of miles away from what I have always known. I am nervous. But for every ounce of nervousness there are at least ten ounces of excitement. I have been waiting for this for over a year now, counting down the months, then the weeks, and now the days. I have never felt such a longing for something, sometimes eight days feels like an eternity. At other moments though, I know I will miss this time when I can so easily communicate with my family. Emailing and Skyping can't give you hugs or shared day to day memories. I will try to enjoy this time for what it is worth, and when it is time to leave, I will not look back but will look forward to the days that I have been waiting for.
We are on vacation at the lake this week, so I spent the last couple weeks packing and getting organized for my trip. I still need to figure out a few things but for the most part, I am ready. I am having trouble fitting everything in my suitcases, especially with the weight restrictions. It is hard to pack for a year on 44 pounds. It helps that I will get some things there like a raincoat and a heavy winter jacket, I have never really needed those in NC.
At this time next week I'll probably be a nervous wreck with less than 24 hours to go. I have a one night orientation in NYC and then the next day we fly to Amsterdam. There my host family will pick me up!
Friday, July 22, 2011
26 more days!
26 days!!!
I can not wait. I have already started tearing my room apart to pack. It is not easy to pack for a year when you are only allowed a 44 pound suitcase but I'm working on it.
:)
I can not wait. I have already started tearing my room apart to pack. It is not easy to pack for a year when you are only allowed a 44 pound suitcase but I'm working on it.
:)
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Host Family!!!
I was so excited to get my host family this week! I will be living in a little town in the North East called Wijnjewoude. The house is on a farm and has horses and chickens. I will be biking 13 km to school every day as the school is in a different town. The family has three kids but only one will be living at home while I am there. I was excited to find out that she is my age.
I can't believe my trip is only two more months away. My departure date from New York is August 17. We will be flying through Iceland on the 18th and arrive in Amsterdam the 19th. There we will be picked up by our host family at the airport.
I can't believe my trip is only two more months away. My departure date from New York is August 17. We will be flying through Iceland on the 18th and arrive in Amsterdam the 19th. There we will be picked up by our host family at the airport.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Change of Plans
So as I'm sure all of you know by now Japan got struck by a massive earthquake a couple weeks ago. This was a huge tragedy and my heart goes out to all of the people in Japan. With all that has followed from the tsunami to the nuclear problems AFS did not feel like it was still safe for us to go right now. They offered to switch me to the semester program starting in August but it is my dream to go on exchange for a year. That is why I decided to switch to another year long program starting this fall.
I decided to go to the Netherlands and although I am disappointed about Japan I am very excited to be going there. It seems like a really cool place and I have always wanted to go spend time in Europe. From what I have read the Netherlands has great public transportation so it is easy to get from place to place even in a small town. It is also common to bike or walk places which will be very different from what I'm used to. Another plus is the cooler temperatures especially in the summer. I won't miss the 100 degree days of North Carolina.
I have already started learning Dutch through a Rosetta Stone program. It is challenging but seems to be easier than Japanese. It is definitely nice not to have all of the characters to worry about. I am hoping to be able to complete the program before I leave so I will have an idea of the language.
I decided to go to the Netherlands and although I am disappointed about Japan I am very excited to be going there. It seems like a really cool place and I have always wanted to go spend time in Europe. From what I have read the Netherlands has great public transportation so it is easy to get from place to place even in a small town. It is also common to bike or walk places which will be very different from what I'm used to. Another plus is the cooler temperatures especially in the summer. I won't miss the 100 degree days of North Carolina.
I have already started learning Dutch through a Rosetta Stone program. It is challenging but seems to be easier than Japanese. It is definitely nice not to have all of the characters to worry about. I am hoping to be able to complete the program before I leave so I will have an idea of the language.
Friday, January 28, 2011
My Host Family!!!
I got my host family!!!! I'm so excited!
They live in Minato-Ku which is a ward of Tokyo. I wanted to be in a city so I am very happy about the placement. The family has two kids, a girl and a boy, who are 11 and 8. I guess I will be a big sister again :)
I got placed in a "Permanent Multiple Placement" which means I will switch host families after four months. At first I was a little disappointed, but I think it will be interesting to have two different experiences.
I'll be going to Aoyoma Gakuin Senior High School. I went to the school's website yesterday and it looks really nice. I'm not looking forward to the uniform though. It's a plaid skirt with a light colored blouse. I guess it's not that bad compared to what it could be though...
I can't believe it is less than two months until I leave! I can't wait!
They live in Minato-Ku which is a ward of Tokyo. I wanted to be in a city so I am very happy about the placement. The family has two kids, a girl and a boy, who are 11 and 8. I guess I will be a big sister again :)
I got placed in a "Permanent Multiple Placement" which means I will switch host families after four months. At first I was a little disappointed, but I think it will be interesting to have two different experiences.
I'll be going to Aoyoma Gakuin Senior High School. I went to the school's website yesterday and it looks really nice. I'm not looking forward to the uniform though. It's a plaid skirt with a light colored blouse. I guess it's not that bad compared to what it could be though...
I can't believe it is less than two months until I leave! I can't wait!
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