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!!!