Bike Update: Appreciation to the MAX

The guy from Damn A Flat Tire came all the way to my dorm, knew which building I was in because he is experienced, was able to fix the shoddy job Flying Dutch did (some things were put on backwards and they either hadn't tightened the screws enough or the amount of WD40 they applied loosened the screws while I rode), said he would fix it for free if the same problem happened again, and only charged me 8 Euro. GOD BLESS THE DUTCH.

https://www.facebook.com/damnaflattire 

Today I played a game called "my bike broke again so I walked home from class and took pictures"

Kind of a blessing in disguise because I've wanted to be outside and take pictures but keep using the homework excuse to confine myself to the indoors.  Currently waiting for Damn A Flat Tire to come and fix Bikey's bum wheel for me.  In the meantime, enjoy these snapshots from my route to/from school!

New statues they've put up within the past two weeks

I NEED A HUNDRED BLACK DOLPHINS

If anyone could convince me to do so, it would be you, little guy :)

Okay I've wanted to post about this for a long time: this is a urinal.  They're all over the city, and they are only for dudes.  They are also free.  DISCRIMINATION.

100 Years of English

While it turned out that the majority of guests were alumni, I really enjoyed attending this event on Saturday.  Basically, the English department invited professors to come and speak about English as a course of study.  

Prof. David Crystal's lecture included a tangent about how Shakespeare needs to be performed in the original pronunciation (OP) of English, because so many puns are lost otherwise.  For example, one scene in As You Like It involves a character talking about the hour and another character saying he laughed for a good long time about his companion's comment.  This doesn't make sense until you realize that the OP of "hour" is the same as the OP of "whore," and then the comment becomes this fantastically dirty joke. 

Jillian Barker commissions poets to respond to various works of art she helps to obtain for the National Gallery in London.  One of the more interesting scenarios she mentioned were Helen Chadwick's Piss Flowers, sculptures based on patterns made by the author peeing in the snow.  Poet Jo Shapcott responded by writing a poem about farting in the bathtub.   High society for sure!

During the little breaks between speakers, we could have snacks and tea.  You would go to the bar, get a cup of hot water and a saucer, then find a spot at one of those white podiums and mingle with academics and sip your Dutch blend and nibble on a delicate sandwich.  Or, if you were me, you would scarf down olives and take pictures of the venue.

This little dude was outside the venue. 

Events for this week may include: movie night downstairs, a scavenger hunt around the city, and a possible night of dancing to Kill All Hipsters at a club called Bitterzoet.

Mwah!

xo

C

Poor Decisions

Just a suggestion to anyone considering this course of action: Stephen King's It probably isn't the best book to listen to in your leisure time, particularly if you often find yourself alone at night.

2 Blessed 2 B Stressed

The nice man at Flying Dutch fixed my bike for freeeeeeee!

"How much do I owe you?"
"Oh, your'e okay."
"Are you sure?"
"Next time, bring a coffee."

Coping blah blah blah

Writing here in hopes of easing my emotional stress.  This is not even a big deal.

Yesterday, right as I got to my building, my back wheel got stuck in the fender and the chain came loose.  Pro: didn't get stranded far from home.

I had to roll my bike on one wheel while holding the back end up to the bike basement, but luckily this guy named Ben came out and offered to kick the tire so it was free again and the bike could roll.  Pro: hadn't seen Ben in awhile and he fixed the tire placement.

I spent yesterday evening chillaxing and getting ready to go to a club with music that I actually know, so I was pretty excited (and a little intoxicated, my mom can tell you because she was Skyping with me).  Pro: got to see Mom and have a chill evening.

At 10:45 I hopped on my bike ready to go...and it wouldn't go.  The chain is still loose.  I have no idea what's wrong with it, but luckily I live 10 minutes away from a bike shop.  Pro: they open in 45 minutes.

I have to be in the center of town at 1 for the 100 Years of English celebration my department is putting on.  Pro: It's only a 30 minute walk if Bikey is not ready, and it's supposed to be about 64 degrees today, at least during the daytime.

This is just another moment of having to be independent and I know that's good for me/ I should just learn how to use the trams but trams aren't free and also you can't control the direction of them like you can with biking or walking...

I'm just having a small moment here that feels like my first week when I couldn't stop crying and just wanted familiarity.  I'm rather delicate, turns out.  Logically I know this is all going to be fine and it is not a big deal at all, but I need to go soon and I just keep hearing Mom telling me it's okay to cry but I can't do that right now because I have to go out in public, yo!

Emotional post: done!

A Collection of Sara Quotes

"I think he thinks that people from Spain are stupid.  We are not stupid!  We are poor, but we are not stupid."

"I was going to suggest the same place and time!  You are a really good telepathy."

"Ah, I learned a new verb in English!  It is: 'roll with.'"

Sara Appreciation Post

Sara's apartment had a hole in the wall where the internet connection should've been, didn't have sheets, and had a broken refrigerator when she arrived.  This weekend, she accidentally found herself in the middle of a bicycle race she couldn't get out of because of barriers along the road.  Last night, she was ditched by a guy at a party who didn't bother looking for her later.  Her bike has broken multiple times, and yet she is always smiling and laughing.

Me: "Everything happens to you, but you're always so happy anyway."
Sara: "What else can I do?  It's my only option."

Pedophilia and the Netherlands

Let me preface this by saying that the following in no way reflects the majority of the Dutch people.  Do not judge the Dutch as a culture for this post. This is a minority group that I find both fascinating and disturbing.

Sara brought this to my attention after one of her Sexuality and Gender classes.  I thought at first maybe she had mistranslated the people around her, but it turns out she was not mistaken.  "I feel so angry," she told me after she explained the situation.  Basically, there is a group in the Netherlands called Martijn that advocates for the acceptance of pedophilia into society and for the legalization of sex between children and adults (wikipedia page).  In wider Dutch culture, it appears that this group is protested and not very popular, but many of Sara's classmates were in favor of this group because they believe we shouldn't limit human relations in any way, including age.

The group thinks that 12 is a good age for kids to figure out whether or not they want to have sex, and wants this to be the legal age of consent (though ultimately they want the age of consent abolished entirely).  12?!  I doubt many 12-year-olds are competent or experienced enough to have a relationship, let alone a sexual relationship, let alone a sexual relationship with someone much older than them!  Should we be educating 12-year-olds about sex?  Absolutely, but not with a curriculum-free hands-on experience!

I understand that pedophilia is a sexual orientation, meaning you don't choose to be attracted to children, but you can choose not to act on your orientation, like gay people have had to do for so long.  The difference between acting on being gay and acting on being a pedophile is that gay relationships are typically between consenting individuals who are old enough to understand the consequences of their actions.  Not always the case, true, but with pedophilia, at least one of those involved hasn't matured enough to give consent.

"If you touch my children," Sara said in her passionate conclusion, "I will kill you.  I'm sorry, but you are gonna die."

Last Night

Last night I went to this event at a cafe near Centraal Station.  They had us sit four to a table and play a game/ get to know each other for about ten minutes.  Then, a bell would ring and two people would have to go to another table.  The "funny Dutch games" were really just pick-up-sticks and Jenga with different names, but everyone had different ways of playing because of all the countries that were represented.  I met people from Austria, Taiwan, Germany, Istanbul, London, Poland, Canada, and some locals as well.

On a slight digression, people abroad really seem to love the show The Big Bang Theory and ask me if I watch it when they find out I'm from the US.  This happened last night, and I said I don't because I don't find it funny.  They were shocked and asked why I didn't find it funny so I just bluntly said I think the show is sexist.  "Are you anti-sexist?" was the question I received in response, so there was probably no chance of getting my point across.

Wanted to spend the day biking around because of the nice temperatures and dry weather, but I woke up with a nasty cough and a head full of snot so I've confined myself to the indoors.  Perfect setting for working on my essay about domestic spaces in literature as metaphors for patriarchal oppression of women that I'm working on.  Hell yes, I'm anti-sexist.

Love to you all!

xo

New Van Gogh Revealed!

https://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/13851_729108243781327_1796561632_n.jpg

She was here today.

https://scontent-a-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/534336_10151697800870888_1103440640_n.png

Baking in the Netherlands

This little article pretty much reflects everything I've determined thus far about my attempts to "bake" here (using the microwave or making vegan versions of pancakes).

http://canuckgoingdutch.wordpress.com/2011/08/26/baking-in-the-netherlands/

To summarize:

• Sugar, cocoa, flour, etc. are all in different aisles, mostly because Dutch people don't really bake and use these ingredients for different purposes.  
• The actual "baking section" in the grocery store is reeeeaallllyyy tiny, and mostly has pre-made mixes for pancakes and expensive nuts.  
• Baking soda is nowhere to be found.
• Baking powder here contains aluminum, which is debatably okay for human consumption. 
• Bulk items do not exist.
• Brown sugar is called "basterd sugar."

Luckily,  I've been able to make a brownie in the microwave, french toast on the stove, and cinnamon sugar toast with soy butter!

De Fotohal and Roest

The weather was quite pleasant today, almost got up to 70 degrees!  The sun peeked out a bit as well.  To celebrate the occasion, Sara and I got together for a study break in a semi-outdoors location.

I met Sara in front of Centraal Station.  This is the famous bike parking deck with hundreds of spots to park.

We rode to the place where the Modern Hippies Market was held to check out De Fotohal.  This was a contemporary photography exhibition that featured artists from around the world.  Please look at the website for better depiction of the event as my camera did not do anything justice (website here).  These are my meager attempts at capturing the event...sorry for the poor quality :(

"Why are there toys here?"

"This place looks like the movie where everyone is a vampire and the boy loves the girl and he dies at sunset."

Sara was quite confused about the whole exhibition.  There was a bit of nudity, and people were also taking pictures of the warehouse itself ("Why you want a picture of the wall?  Come on.")  The black shape below was a bass speaker that shook the plastic sheet on top of it and spilled rice onto the floor.  Can't say I understood this either, Sara.

General idea of the layout.

Some business cards I picked up inside:

We walked around outside to enjoy the lovely weather!

My favorite part about the day was when we went into the cafe/ restaurant/ I don't even know what place next to the exhibit.  I live so close, and I've never been in here!  Ladies and gentlemen, Amsterdam Roest:

This was like a breakfast bar.  You can get bread, hummus, gingerbread, packaged snacks, fruit, drinks, blah blah blah in an assembly line on Sundays.  They call it their Hangover Brunch.  The place also serves coffees and alcoholic beverages for the nightlife.

This is a Wonderbar, kind of like Richmond's chia bars because they only sell them in certain places and they're healthy.  Website for the curious: http://wonderbars.tumblr.com/

That woman is giving a man a haircut.

Sara did ask me to take these and did not pose for them,  I swear they're all candid...

This is the way out!

Alright peeps, I have to actually do my homework now.  Enjoy the VA fall, you lucky ducks!  I'm hoping to make myself go out and do more photo-worthy activities during the week, so keep pressuring me :)

Love you all,
C

Why, Richmond, why?

http://rvanews.com/news/va-flaggers-to-erect-15-foot-confederate-flag-on-i-95/100498

Rock n' Roll Junkie

Saw a documentary about Dutch musician Herman Brood Wednesday night.
Wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Brood

GOD BLESS THIS MAN.

Pope Francis: Church too focused on gays and abortion

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24166434

studying up

http://stuffdutchpeoplelike.com/complete-list/

Photodump: Week 4

The rains have begun!  Cold, windy, and wet weather will be the norm from here on out.  That did not deter these kayakers outside my dorm:

Guess who learned how to use the stoooooove?

CHILI.

SURPRISE!  Carolyn and George came for the weekend!  On Saturday, we went to the Eye Film Museum where we saw an exhibit on Fellini.  George is an expert on this Italian filmmaker.  In fact, you may recall having seen George on a game show answering questions about Fellini (if he wasn't answering, "Smith.").  George told me that the word "paparazzi" derives from a character in a Fellini film named "Paparazzo," a photographer who takes pictures of celebrities.    Here is George playing with his new toy eye from the gift shop in the museum while we waited for our canal tour to start.

Not everyone was as amused with George as we were.

While on our canal tour, we saw this guy dressed as a pig.

On Sunday, we hit up the Rijksmuseum, which has been under renovation for 10 years and just opened.  We spent a few hours looking at Medieval art, Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Vermeer, and other similar dudes.  Hopefully I can check out more of the building with my mom and Alex when they come!  Here's a small taste of the interior:

George and his friend Jim couldn't resist giant chess.

Know what this is?  Van Gogh's palette and paint tubes.  We checked out the Van Gogh's museum after lunch at a noodle place called Wagamama.

Carolyn pointed out that VG's painting career lasted only 10 years!  Being the uncultured swine that I am, I only recognized these two paintings, the first one because of that episode of Dr. Who and the second because of Alex's stationary.  The museum has mostly VG paintings, but also has paintings of his contemporaries and other artists who inspired his work.

George and Jim on the top floor, taking a picture of Carolyn and me on the bottom floor.

We cut through Vondelpark to go get grub, and saw this yarn bomb!

Abbreviated representation of my weekend, and doesn't include photos of the delicious food we consumed, but I had a lovely time with my family and their friend, and will hopefully get to see them in December!

Yesterday was another rainy/ sunny day, which resulted in this:

Love you all!
C