I'M HOME! I was afraid I was going to be apprehended in customs because I entirely too happy for someone waiting in a line. Of course, when it was my turn I forgot everything I knew about myself. WHY DOES YOUR BRAIN DO THAT?! Standard questions like, "How old are you?" and "Where are you coming from?" are now daunting and require great mental focus. The pressure of knowing if you take a second too long to think of your age could mean you get apprehended for being a threat to national security was almost too much for my exhausted brain.


Okay. If you're easily weirded out, go ahead skip past the next totally random and unrelated gif. It wasn't really something I planned on doing, it just happened. I started out strong with No-Shave November and then I just didn't have a reason to shave once I was abroad because I wore pants or tights. So here I am, three months later and I still haven't shaved my legs. Let me tell you my showers have been significantly shorter and much more relaxing. Tragically, I know it'll take forever when I actually bite the bullet and decide to take care of this mess.

Everyone is asking me how it feels to be home and it feels pretty good. However, after one day of relaxation and no responsibilities:

Seriously. I'm looking for and applying for jobs, but in between there is nothing to do. Normally, with this much leisure I'd sleep in until noon everyday, but jet lag has me up at the crack of dawn. So if you need anything done around your house like, books organized by genre, movies alphabetized, pets exercised, floors vacuumed, children entertained, I could follow you around singing "Uptown Funk" like your own personal theme music, anything really, feel free to give me a call! In the meantime, I'll be

AND

AND

Okay. I don't feel like writing everything that has happened the past month and a half so I'll just give you the highlights.

Step One: I feel like I left some loose ends in that last blog post about missing my parents, Mac and Cheese and Bloody Mary's. Really, what else do you need in life ya know? BUT I don't want this turning into the TV show, Lost, where all you have is confusion and more questions. SO. My parents brought me Kraft Mac and Cheese with all its processed cheese goodness. AND I got one of the most thorough care packages from the coolest person I know, Mr. Cory Hart, containing everything I needed to make a Bloody Mary. The world is full of heroes. I am forever indebted to him.

Moving on. Want me to tell you what's weirder than walking through Amsterdam's Red Light District with your parents? NOTHING. Seriously. If you had me asked me at any point in my life if I'd find myself in that position I'd have laughed for about 15 minutes. FABULOUSLY, OF COURSE.

AWKWARD TRANSITION

We also visited Anne Frank's house. The Frank family had moved to Amsterdam from Frankfurt, Germany because they thought they'd be safe there from the Antisemitism that was spreading throughout Europe. As you walk through the house, you start in the lower floors where Otto Frank and Hermann van Pels ran their business. Otto Frank had to transfer the business into Jo Kleiman's name so it wouldn't be taken. As you go up the stairs and walk through the hidden doorway, you enter the Frank family room. Through another door is Anne and Fritz Pfeffer. On the walls, are pictures and comics from magazines that Anne put up to brighten the room. Up the skinny, steep staircase is the living room, kitchen and bedroom of the Van Pels family. Eight people went into hiding, after they were betrayed all but Otto Frank perished in camps. Miep Gies (one of the office workers who helped hide and provide for the people in the annex) had saved all of Anne's journals, diaries, and papers and gave them to Otto Frank, who had them published.

What I didn't know, was that Anne had wanted to be a journalist. In publishing her diary, her father fulfilled her dream of being a writer. Today, her diary has been translated into more than 60 languages. I'm going to be completely honest, when I was her age my thoughts were not nearly that complex. To be fair, our life experiences were vastly different. Visiting her house had a profound impact on me and it really isn't possible for me to explain it, so I'm going to stop now before I begin to ramble.


Rotterdam (the city I've called home for about three months now) is a much more modern city compared to Amsterdam because it was bombed pretty heavily during the war. By "bombed pretty heavily" I mean the only building left standing in the center of Rotterdam was St. Lawrence's church and even that was heavily damaged. Now I'm not a huge history buff by any means, but I think its pretty cool. Throughout Rotterdam, are red lights on the sidewalk showing the place where a bomb hit during the Rotterdam blitz on May 14th 1940. I think it's pretty neat.

After showing my parents around Rotterdam, we flew over to the UK. We landed in London and I immediately wanted to re-watch every movie set in London ever. In the meantime, I settled with sharing Monty Python's Ministry of Silly Walks with EVERYONE.

BLEGH. Okay. That's all I've got on our UK adventures. I've noticed that the longer I leave things the less motivated I am to write about it. Sorry?

The cold makes biking to school interesting. Any part of that is exposed is like

But then all my layers have the rest of me like

So there's that. 

Sometimes I get to school right when the elementary school students are being dropped off next door. Now at home in the US, that means parents and their minivans with kids piling out, but we're in Holland so its a little different here. I saw one mom with a toddler in a seat on the front of her bike, a kid on the luggage rack, and another one on a trail-a-bike behind her. There are also three wheeled bikes with an area for cargo i.e. children. It's amazing.

Now that the students know I'm leaving they're throwing out more random questions for me:

• Is that your real hair color?
• Is there lots of crime, like on tv?
• Were you a cheerleader?
• Looking at a map of Minnesota How far is it from here to New York by bus? 6 hours?

After three months, some of the students still don't believe that I can't speak Dutch, so they try to test me by asking me in Dutch if I can speak Dutch. Now I've learned enough that I know when they're doing this, so I tell them the truth, "No. I can't speak Dutch." But I understood them asking me and responded with a contradictory answer, so now I've created a vortex of confusion that they are unable move beyond. 

Welp. This is my last post from Holland! It's been real. 

I really suck at goodbyes.

(I have decided that I am going to write about this past month in separate posts because its easier for me to focus and get everything down that way.)

Alright. It's been over a month since I've written, so grab a snack and settle in for what I assure you will be a wild ride. When I last left off I was missing my parents and Mac and Cheese and Bloody Marys. Let me tell you all of these need were fulfilled and I will tell you about them in due time.

PARIS

Allix and I went to Paris for the second weekend in December. It was honestly one of the most surreal experiences of my life. I never imagined I would ever find myself in this beautiful city. Since I'm writing this a month later, I've had to check out Allix's blog for some fact checking (myeuropeanadventuresab.blogspot.nl/  if you're interested). We arrived late Friday night and took the Metro to our lodging for the weekend. After being in the Netherlands and experiencing their public transportation, we were spoiled. A one hour ticket in Holland is 3 Euro. In Paris it is 1.70. You get what you pay for, folks. We are staying with a young couple that Allix found through AirBnB. It's a site kind of like Couchsurfing, only you pay for it. It's still way less than a hotel and you get a bit of the local flavor from your hosts.

First stop Saturday was to the Louvre, where we saw the Mona Lisa. It was pretty cool, but pretty underwhelming and anti-climactic. We saw the Venus di Milo and a lot of other iconic pieces that I'm not going to go into detail on.

NEXT STOP. Notre Dame Cathedral. I wanted to throw myself on the steps and shout, "SANCTUARY! PLEASE GIVE US SANCTUARY!" but Allix wouldn't allow me to, so I just sang The Bells of Notre Dame in an obnoxious manner. Classic.

Okay. Back to business. From the top of Notre Dame we saw a Christmas market so we stopped there next. The most bizarre thing was that there was a man dressed as Santa who was greeting people as they entered. We expected a jolly "HO HO HO MERRY CHRISTMAS!" Nope. Santa said "Bonjour!"

It was awful weather so Allix and I planned on visiting the Arch and the Eiffel Tower the following day. After dinner, we picked up a bottle of wine or two to take back and drink at our lodging. We decided since we were in the city we wanted to see the Louvre all lit up. When we got there we could not only see the lovely lights of the Louvre, but also the Eiffel Tower in the distance. Long story short, we trekked the two miles to the Eiffel Tower, grocery bags full of wine in hand. It was worth it. Strolling by the Seine with the city and tower all lit up was unforgettable.

The next morning was foggy so the top part of the Eiffel Tower was obscured from view, but we saw the Arc du Triomphe in all its majestic glory! On the walk we had an authentic French croissant, and I'm now ruined for life. It was so buttery and flaky and delicious.

Even though we were only in Paris for two days, both Allix and I agreed that we missed "home". We were spoiled by the beautiful public transportation and English speakers in Holland.

Coming next....Momma and Poppa O arrive

Today, one of the girls in class hit her friend in the face with a workbook and yelled, "FACEBOOK!" I almost died I was laughing so hard. How am I supposed to teach these adolescents when I'm at the same level of maturity?!

Now that I've mastered the art of biking in the city, I'm thankful that I don't know Dutch. Basically, when people aren't paying attention and cross the bike path in front of me I can't say the things that I'd like to and cause road rage. Instead, I simply manage a sassy "HALLO!" like the natives. Yes. I'm blending in quite well. The new goal is to look as elegant as Audrey Hepburn while I'm out of breath and sweating profusely. 

The weekend before this, I went and visited Allix and Mallory (two other COST teachers) in their home in Oud-Beijerland. We went out to a club to meet up with some of Mallory's friends. Let me tell you, clubs here are VERY different. They are so packed you cannot move, which is mostly okay, since they don't really dance either. If you know me, I am a dancing FIEND. I dance like a complete loser, but I still love to shake it. 

Also, they play a really eclectic selection of music. There was a lot of 90's and no lie, they played a medley of music from Grease the musical.Seriously, "You're the One That I Want" blended into "Greased Lighting" so what was I supposed to do but 

They say culture shock tends to be gradual and then something is a catalyst and makes you hit rock bottom. Let me tell you, I'm doing pretty well here considering the face that the grass is STILL GREEN, the money is pretty colors, and THEY DON'T HAVE BOXED MACARONI AND CHEESE! I tried making it with actual cheese like an adult, but NOPE. Nothing can match the delicious-ness of the artificial orange processed cheese powder. Seriously though, I'm not really homesick. I had one moment, but that was simply because I missed Thanksgiving and I'm a sentimental weirdo. The day after Thanksgiving I got a card from my dad and I opened it and I was a puddle.

BUT my darling parents are coming to visit me next week and are bringing boxed Mac and Cheese, so all will be right in the world! 

I know I'm kind of rambling on and on, but that's what happens when I don't blog for two weeks...

So this weekend Allix and I took two day trips. Saturday we went to Delft and had the most perfect sunny day! We climbed the 376 steps up the tower of the Old Cathedral and got some awesome pictures! (I'll post them...eventually) Mad props to Allix for making it all the way to the top and for going out on all the outdoor ledges even though she's terrified of heights. We ate stroopwafels and walked through the market an quoted The Grinch and had a marvelous time.

Sunday, we visited the local COST Coordinator in his hometown, Utrecht and met two other COST teachers. He showed us around and then had us over for dinner. This weekend seriously could not have been any better. 

I think that's all I've got for now. If you've made it all the way through, I'm impressed. Here's to you.

Hello friends!

I have been here two weeks already! Some lovely people have requested my address, so if you'd like it send me a private message on Facebook and I'll give it to you!

My most recent accomplishment has been riding "my" bike to and from school every day for the past week and a half! It's five miles one way, which means when I arrive at school around 7:45, I have gotten more exercise before 8AM than I usually do in a week month at home. I love it though! I get to watch the sun rise and it's simply stunning. Part of the route that I bike was the prologue and opening stage of the Tour de France in 2010, so I'm pretty much the female Lance Armstrong. Minus the doping charges, of course.

This weekend I was mistaken for a Dutch person! They tried to ask me for directions, I think. Whenever people on the street talk to me in Dutch I say "I'm sorry?" in the most American accent I can muster and that seems to work. They usually switch to English with no hesitation.

The weekend before last I went to Antwerp, Belgium. (which I fondly call Antwerpin'...get it!? like Twerkin'?!) I went with two friends from UWRF and a new friend from Ohio State. They are all here with COST (Consortium of Overseas Student Teaching) as well, teaching in different areas of the Netherlands. In Antwerp I got my first taste of the nightlife. We may or may not have found ourselves in the Red Light District. It wasn't very exciting, more surreal. Anyway, you know how in the US when women go out they sometimes wear low-cut shirts? Well that happens in Belgium, except its the men. There were so many deep vee tees and unbuttoned shirts. As a lady of shorter stature, there was chest hair everywhere I looked. Bars and clubs don't close until after 4AM and by that time you're hungry so of course you have to stop and get Belgian fries. Most people know that I have an affinity for French Fries, so these thick cut fries with any sauce imaginable was a dream come true. Of course, we also did touristy things like visiting cathedrals and an awesome museum with a panoramic view on the roof. We also went to the "Bird Market." I know what you're thinking and yes, there were birds there. There were birds for sale from roosters to cockatoos, as well as bunnies, guinea pigs, hamsters, and mice. I pet every single one of them. It was hard for me to resist purchasing a travel companion, but I was soon distracted by the delightful food smells wafting from the next street. One cannot leave Belgium without partaking in a Belgian waffle and let me tell you, it was magical. Whipped Cream, Powdered Sugar, and Strawberries. 

Ah. Yes. It's not really that interesting of a story, but it was in Belgium that I convinced two Dutch guys that I was from the UK with my English accent from Acting 2. David Allen Stern would be so proud. There's probably one person who will read this and know what I'm talking about. *ahem*LISA*ahem* They demanded proof that I was indeed American.

Since this is supposed to be a blog about my teaching experiences, I guess I'll include some of those. 

My name can be tricky. I've gotten Ms. Obstacle, as well as Ms. Stop-Over. I give them credit for trying? Then there's the ones who think they're clever and have found me on social media. They tried to call me Brittany...once. 

Before I got here, most people I spoke with said that my experience here would probably be better than the US because European students are so much more disciplined and respectful. Let me tell you, they are European but they are still kids. They like to talk and goof around. Sometimes they forget their homework or just don't do it. No matter what country they're from, 10-14 year olds are pretty consistent.

My students LOVE One Direction! Obviously the girls are a little more vocal about it than that guys, but that's probably just because they're jealous. I told one of the first years that I didn't know a lot about them, so she spent the next ten minutes telling me everything I need to know. Good news! I now have a favorite one. It's the one pictured below. I have been informed that his name is Zayn. It brings me back to the good old days of my obsession with N'Sync and the Backstreet Boys. 

Last week, one of the classes was listening to a recorded dialogue. In the dialogue, an individual from the UK made a comment about an American exchange student being a "stupid foreigner." This was met with shouts of "That's discrimination!" and various other dissenting opinions. My favorite was "That's not true! Americans have swag and can do what they want!"

Finally, I posted this on FB earlier but I wanted to share it here too.

Today, one of my students here in the Netherlands asked, "Is there racism in America?" I wanted so badly to tell them that my home is a place where equality reigns. Some day, I hope the answer to that question will be a definite "No" but today it was not.

I'm pretty sure I remembered everything I wanted to include.

BYE!

Hello Holland!

So. I'm here. I have reached my home for the next three months. In order to keep my blogs interesting, I plan to highlight my daily successes and also my ignorant mistakes as I learn how to live here. I will try to keep exposition to a minimum.

Day #1: I arrive

Even as I was de-planing I recalled why I appreciate European men. Seriously. Do they just do squats in their downtime?!

Anyway. One of my cooperating teachers picked me up and took me to the place where I will be staying. It is an apartment that a couple that rents out on the ground floor of their home. I have my own kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. For all intents and purposes, I live alone.

The host lady took me on a bike ride around the city. I managed this with minor incident. Apparently I did not start quickly enough when the light changed and annoyed a Dutch man. From what I'm told, that happens to people who live there as well, so I shouldn't feel too bad. Let me say, biking in the city is very different than biking in River Falls or Inver Grove Heights.

Day #2

I was not required to report to school until the afternoon, so I slept in until noon. Jet lag had woken me up at 2AM and I was up until 6AM. 

The biggest success of this day was figuring out how to take the tram (light rail) to and from school. (Thanks Google Maps)

On my walk home from the tram station, someone yelled out their window at me in Dutch, something about American...do I really stick out that much? It was dark. I think I'm glad I couldn't understand.

So, I was talking to the teacher who had picked me up from the airport. We were at the grocery store and I mentioned I had brought peanut butter from home because it was hard to find in Europe. She told me why that was and I thought I'd share it with you. A long time ago, people would make butter out of things other than milk in order to lower costs and raise profits. They had to pass a law saying that if its not made of milk you can't call it butter, so they had to rename it. Logically, you'd think they would call it peanut spread, like Nutella is hazelnut spread. NOPE. Want to know what they call it? Are you sure? Peanut cheese. YUP. I like peanuts and I love cheese....but the implication that they are mixed together might be too much for me to handle.

Day #3

Today I met some students. They were the first years (12 years old). After I introduced myself, I said they could ask me questions if they wanted. Two classes asked how old I am. In the second class they started guessing things like 16, 18, and 20. I didn't respond until a student said 72. "Yes. I am 72." And that was the end of question time in that class. Some of the other questions were:

1. Do all Americans like donuts? What about cops?

2. Is there a Starbucks on every corner?

3. How many McDonald's are there?

4. What is Target?

5. Do people say ain't? (and then she dropped the N word "n_____ ain't shit but hoes and tricks")

This is going to be an adventure.

Alright. That's all I've got. Have a lovely afternoon and evening friends!!!

WOW. I'm reeeal bad at this whole blog thing. Let's get caught up! In the last post I was in the final days of an English Language Program in Taiwan as part of my study to become an English as a Second/Foreign Language teacher.

The last days in Taiwan were spent adventuring about the city of Taipei. One of these adventures included me tagging along with Dan, Charlie and some of their students on a bike trip. We rented bikes for a day for less than the equivalent of $10USD. It was so fun! More importantly, thank goodness for ice cream. It was a staple of my diet while I was in Taiwan because of the heat. Also....it's delicious.

This trip was absolutely invaluable to me. It helped me to grow not only as an individual, but also as a teacher. It cemented my decision to change my major officially (even though I'll be in school for an additional year and a half)! Also, it revealed to me the gaps in my knowledge. Knowing where I need further development and more experience has helped motivate me through my classes. Even though some things may be tedious, I now have a goal that I am passionate about and invested in that I am working towards. BOOOOOOOORING. Sorry. I just had to get it out.

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!!!

Good News! I passed the Praxis I! If you're not familiar with it, this is the test that teachers need to pass in order to get into university education programs. In addition to that, today I received the grammar reference book that I bought online. In summation, one, no TWO STEPS closer to being a REAL teacher!

Now on to more exhilarating events. It happened. The moment I had been waiting for. I actually felt old for once.  Most of the time I feel like I'm still sixteen years old and I hate it. Now I'll most definitely regret saying this when I am older but right now, I don't. So it was in my class TED 120, Introduction to Education and Technology (or something along those lines). The teacher made a comment about September 11th and then said, "You guys were in what, 3rd grade when that happened?" Everyone in class was like, "Yea, that's right." As I mumble to myself, "I was in 5th grade." Now this made not seem like a big deal to you, but for me it was monumental, cataclysmic even. Of course, I should have expected it being in a senior in a 100 level class... Don't ask me to explain it because I don't really understand it myself.

Since Thanksgiving was last week, I had the opportunity to spend quality time with my family. (See above image for a brief summary of my holiday) I've apparently reached the point in my life when it's appropriate for people to ask if I'm currently seeing/dating someone or if I have a boyfriend. Maybe it's not appropriate but either way, people do it. A LOT. When I respond with a no or not right now. There is one of four reactions and they are as follows: 1) "Smart! Boys are trouble." 2) "Don't worry. There's someone out there for you." 3) "Good for you! Focus on school for now!" and last but definitely not least 4) "So you don't have a boyfriend? ....Do you  have a girlfriend?" Now I'm perfectly comfortable in my singleness. To quote Kelly Clarkson, "It doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone." But seriously, I'm really happy where I'm at right now. I hate that people react like it's a bad thing. In some ways, it's way better than being in a relationship! Plus I get all the love I need from my wonderful friends and family.

If you didn't notice, I learned how to insert cool things like gifs into my blog. Sorry, I'm not sorry.