Waffles, Chocolate, Beer, Fries- This could only be Belgium

This weekend I finally left the Netherlands. After 6 wonderful weeks in the country, I hopped over to Belgium with my friend Alisha. Belgium is incredible,Antwerp. We stayed with our new Belgian friend Jelle and his family in their home right outside the city. Staying with someone from the city is so much better than a hostel ever could be. First of all you have your very own tour guide who is extremely proud of their city and wants to show it off. Upon arriving at about 930 pm we were taken to a restaurant with DELICIOUS hamburgers (at Alisha's request). At the restaurant, called the Lunchbox, we indulged in amazing hamburgers made with very fresh ingredients, Belgian fries with mayonnaise and of course Belgian beer. Burgers and beer in Belguim, yummmmm. Then after stuffing ourselves to the last possible fry Jelle took us on a tour of the city at night. It was such a cool way to first see the city because a) we are the only tourists so it's easy to get close to everything b) things look magical at night c) we were newly arrived and very enthusiastic about everything. I think Europeans find our enthusiasm for any semi-old building amusing since they are so used to it. Jelle explained the reason behind the name of the city of Antwerp at the statue of the man throwing the hand. According to an old legend there was a giant that used to ask for a toll to cross the river and if people didn't pay he would cut off one of their hands and throw it in the river. Then one day Barbo (the guy in the statue) slew the giant and cut off his hand and threw it in the river. So Antwerp is derived from hand thrown. Something I really loved about the city was how diverse it was, apparently it has the 2nd most nationalities in the world after New York.

On Saturday after a loverly breakfast provided by Jelle's mom we went to the city with her. She took us the the Market of the Foreigners, which was really cool. There were Turkish booths with olives and bread to sample, Italians with pasta, Spaniards with churros and Belgians with waffles. Alisha and I got our first Belgian waffles which were delicious! Also the waffle man and Jelle's mom were surprised by my Dutch which was funny. After that Alisha and I headed out to see the Maire, which is a gorgeous shopping street. It has all these nice stores in really old buildings. The two that stand out in particular are the Festival Hall which is a mall with gold ceilings and the old palace that now has a Belgian chocolate store. So of course Alisha and I sampled the chocolate!

After that we toured the Cathedral of Our Lady, which is completely stunning. It was also really cool to see because we were talking about that type of architecture in my art history class last week. Also the Gothic style goes along with my Gothic class. After that we met back up with Jelle and he took us to see his favorite parts of the city including a pedestrian tunnel that goes under the river. In Antwerp they have tunnels instead of bridges for crossing the river. It was really cool, the escalators had wood on them and we read that the tunnel was made in 1931. From that part of the river we had an amazing panoramic view of the city. That night we went to a typical Belgian night out called de afreckening. This was basically a ton of people dancing to rock and techno music in a tent outside and it was a lot of fun. Most of the music was American so Alisha and I knew it and had a lot of fun singing and dancing.

Sunday after another delicious breakfast we went into the city to have some gelato and take the train home. Antwerp Central Station is gorgeous, its the 3rd most beautiful train station in the world. It was a really good way to come and go in the city because it's a nice place to be and it's very impressive so you leave with a really good last impression. Overall the weekend was fantastic and Alisha is a great travel companion. Jelle was also a wonderful host along with his family. This was defiantly a weekend I will never forget. Even reading Frankenstein on the train could not bring me down, if you do not already know Frankenstein is one of my least favorite books ever.Upon arriving in Utrecht two of our friends rode to the station on their bikes to pick us up and save us the walk so we rode the Dutch way on the back of the bike. I am getting very used to this and it is a really fun way to travel because you get to see the street zoom by and feel the air without worrying about anything except keeping balanced. It is nice to be back in the bubble though, the break from it has made me love it. Also I decorated my room and rearanged it a littl before I left so when I came home it felt very cozy, very gezellig.

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!

Croqette Day

Monday is croquette day. Croquettes are a mysterious fried food that are strangely delicious. They are also served every Monday in the dining hall, and I enjoy my Monday croquette.

Savoring the Sun

Four weeks in the Netherlands and I have learned to enjoy every moment of sunshine I can, so today I read in the sun and then took a delicious nap on this wooden platform outside of my unit. I have decided to take each sunny day as if it will be my last chance to wear shorts until who knows when. Since arriving here most of the Dutch people I know have been constantly asking "Do you hate the weather yet?" followed by, "Does it rain in California?" No one ever believes me when I tell them how much it rains in Santa Cruz, I think they think I don't know what real rain is. I might agree with them since when last week when the sky unleased it's fury in the form of pouring rain on me and I was informed that the rain that day "wasn't that bad."

After the first week of classes I am pretty excited about the semester. My Beginner Dutch class is pretty standard for a language class. It's odd what you learn at the start of taking a language because really what are the first things you should learn? So we have learned how to introduce ourselves and say what time of year we enjoy vacationing. My professor is pretty cool though he is very energetic and runs from person to person demanding things in Dutch. My Contours and Colors class is fantastic. I really love how small the classes are because a real discussion of the works starts up. Its a nice change from just lectures. Not to say that no one ever discusses things in lectures at Santa Cruz, but it is much more personal here. My International Journalism class is so cool. My professor is British and used to work in the AP office in Amsterdam. We are learning how to do all different styles of journalistic writing from features, to beats, to reviews, to straight news coverage. We use our second class of the week to edit each others work and meet with the professor. I haven't actually had a class for Gothic Literature yet but the reading list looks pretty good. It is a lot of stuff I read in high school, Jane Eyre, Rebecca, Frankenstein, Beloved and some others. We are also reading some short stories which I am excited about. We also get to watch some films and listen to opera. Judging from the background reading the class has a feminist slant which will be really interesting. The only thing I am not too excited about is Frankenstein, it has never been one of my favorites. Other than classes life here has been good. I went to Amsterdam yesterday with my friend who grew up there and she showed me around her home neighborhood. It made me like the city a lot more seeing actual neighborhoods and places from her childhood, it makes it feel more like a real place. We also went by the flower market which was very exciting! Since classes have started life here has started to become much more routine. I am trying to not to fall into the trap that many people who go to UCU do of staying inside the bubble. My goal is to do at least one thing each week that is worth of writing home about so to speak. I know I am here to study abroad first and foremost but it seems a waste if I never leave my campus! So now I will have to have something exciting by next Saturday. Also on Tuesday I will have been here for a month, I cannot believe how fast the time has gone by.