Gezellig

On Saturday night I had a dream that I was in Santa Cruz wandering down Pacific Ave with some of my favorite people and it was actually a little strage waking up to the misty Dutch Sunday. It was very disconcerting to wake up believing I was in Santa Cruz and realize I am nine time zones away.

The semester truly has started, I had my first quiz today and I turned in my first essay on Friday. The nice thing is all the papers and assignments are pretty spread out since there are about 5 more weeks in the semester. I just finished reading my first novel for my Gothic Literature class. The novel is called A Heart of Stone. It is by a Dutch author named Renate Dorrestein and it was a really engrossing and quick read. It is one of those novels that you go into knowing nothing about and become completely pulled in to find out the backstory of the plot. It is a very depressing story, but what story in a Gothic Literature class isn't? If you come across a copy I definitely recommend it. I have also learned a ton about Dutch politics from articles I've been assigned for journalism class, I don't think I will go into it here but if you really want a Dutch civics lesson you can always just ask! Also as far as Dutch need to know things go if you [whoever you are] ever go to the Netherlands you need to know the word gezellig. This is a word that is impossible to translate but loosely means cozy. But that's not right because it's much more than that it can mean a cozy time with friends. It has a very friendly, warm and happy connotation.

My departure from the bubble this week came in the form of a trip to the Dick Bruna House. On Friday Cherry, Sarah and I went to see the exhibit that showcases the work of cartoonist Dick Bruna. He is the creator of Miffy, the main character in a series of children's books. The museum was a fun way to unwind after a week of classes because it mostly involves looking at adorable drawings and playing around with things on the wall. We stopped for coffee in the museum cafe of the adjoining Centraal Museum to wait out the rain before we rode home. I really like the format of the Centraal Museum because they have exhibits continuing into the cafe as well as the locker storage.

This weekend I learned how to bar-tend for the campus bar. A lot of the activities were bonding ones with our team for the weekend. For instance on Saturday we raced through an inflatable obstacle course that was covered in water and soap. Then we had time to dry off in the sun, which was a delicious treat. My first shift is in about 2 weeks and I hope it's fun.

Also this weekend I might *fingers crossed* get to Brussels!