what's it like there, anyway?

Last week my mom, dad, and little sister Becky came to visit, and I got to share with them some of my life here and some of the things I've learned and noticed. In light of that, I figured it would also be an opportune moment to share these things with you while they're fresh in my mind. 

So here's a little intro to life (specifically my life) in Amsterdam...

Where do I live? I actually live just outside of Amsterdam in a suburb of sorts called Amstelveen, but I only have to cross a single canal right outside my building to actually be in Amsterdam. The building that I live in is student housing from my university and is mainly international students. I live on the eleventh floor, and the elevator not only is exceedingly slow but has also malfunctioned leaving a friend stuck between two floors before. But I would not give up living on this floor; the view makes any inconveniences worth it. 

I have my own room with my own bathroom. It's small, but I've never felt short on space. It's basic, but it has become my home. We sometimes joke that they are like prison cells. In fact, my mom came in and told me that while they were here, we would have to find some posters to hang on my walls. But I had pictures that I could hang up instead. She'll be glad to know that I finally got around to hanging them up, and my room has a little more color and joy to it now. 

And then there's the kitchen. I share with the other twelve people on my floor. With that many students, it gets very gross very fast. There's no garbage disposal, and often an overflowing garbage can. Only half of the stove elements work correctly, and the oven is non-existent along with the microwave. The washer and dryer are also found in the kitchen, but don't use the dryer and the toaster-oven-like-thing (which I can't figure out) at the same time - you'll blow the fuse. Also, I can never expect to just "do a load of laundry quick". From start to finish, it usually takes about 4-5 hours per load, and that has no guarantee of dry (or even dry-ish) clothes at the end. Regardless, I have managed to have clean clothes when I need them and have made some pretty delicious meals, despite not having extremely functional kitchen tools. And it's been fun to get to see and talk and cook with other floor mates, so all in all, it's a good thing.

What are some of my weekly activities? Well, let's start with the "main" reason I'm here: studying. I attend the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam, which is about 3 km from my building and facilitates about 18,000 students. The school system here is different in that the school year is broken into 8 week periods rather than semesters. So right now I'm taking two classes (British Literature and American Film), but very shortly the period will end, and I will be taking Electricity and Magnetism at the VU (pronounced "foo"). In addition, I also have a Calvin professor taught class on Sustainability. So I read A LOT, especially in comparison to a typical semester for me. Every Wednesday, our Calvin group (15 students plus our professor, his wife, and their 3 kids) has dinner together at our professor's apartment. Then, once the kids go to bed, he and his wife facilitate a Bible study on Romans. Every once in a while, some of us will go to Bagels and Beans after class for a bagel or some hot chocolate (which is made with chocolate chips rather than powder or syrup); otherwise, the middle of the week entails a lot of just reading and hanging out. 

Weekends are a mixed bag. Sometimes our class has whole group excursions (like to the Hague or Zaanse Schans), other times we'll just do things in Amsterdam (like go to a museum, visit a microbrewery, go out to eat, or do some shopping at markets), and yet other times we'll plan our own trips around Europe (like to Milan and Berlin or my upcoming trip to Brussels and Barcelona!). When I'm here, I've split my time between two churches: a more traditional Anglican church in the heart of the city and a more contemporary church in Amstelveen (but this is not at all something you'd find in a "typical" Amsterdammer's weekly routine).

Enough about me. What about the Dutch culture itself?

How is communication? Although most everyone can speak English, Dutch is exceedingly more prevalent. Every sign and anything written is in Dutch. Dutch is spoken over the loudspeakers, is the language your first spoken to in, and the one people use for just about everything. If you ask people to speak in English, they will, but I often feel like I'm causing them an inconvenience. I just wish that I could speak a little more conversational Dutch or understand just a few more signs. On the plus side, I'm getting better at not knowing the language. Let me explain: I'm not learning much more Dutch other than foods at the grocery store or on menus (at which I've become quite competent). I'm getting more comfortable with not being able to understand. But I'm also recognizing more of the simple phrases and gaining the humility to ask people to speak English to me.

What are some useful phrases? [First and foremost] Do you speak English?: Spreekt u engels? Hello: hallo. Goodbye: dag (pronounced "dah-g [hard 'guh' g sound]"). Thank you: bedankt. Sorry: sorry. Please: alsjeblieft (pronounced "ash-uh-bleef-t"). Hot chocolate: warme chocolade. Bike: fiets. Can I pet your dog?: Kan ik je hond aaien?

Is everyone blond haired, blue eyed? No, Amsterdam is extremely multicultural. In fact, by standard of looks, I fit in far better at Calvin.

What are some common or traditional Dutch foods? Cheese. Lots and lots of delicious gouda cheese (pronounced "how-duh"). It's actually hard to find anything but gouda. They think they like coffee and theoretically somewhere they drink four small cups per day, but I have yet to find that practiced, buying coffee/espresso drinks are very expensive for a basic (very) small cup, and all of the Dutch coffee I've had has been incredibly mediocre at best. Potatoes are a staple food here. One traditional Dutch dish based on potatoes is called Stamppot and is essentially mashed potatoes with veggies and meat mashed in with it. From what I understand there are specific types of Stamppot, but I tend to just throw in random veggies and meat as I have them. There's also a large Indonesian influence here, so rijsttafel is also common. Beer. Oh! And their known for pickled herring, which I just tried for the first time (with my dad).

My conclusion was neutral - it's not something I would get again, but it wasn't actually bad at all! And they eat fries (called "frites") with mayo instead of ketchup usually. Last but certainly not least: vla (pronounced "flah"). It's Dutch custard that's essentially pudding; it comes in a carton, and I've become thoroughly addicted to the chocolate one.

What else? There are bikes everywhere, and many a bike lot or parking garage. People bike almost everywhere it seems, and bikes almost always have the right of way. The public transportation system is great and can get you just about anywhere; just "vergeet u niet te uitchecken" ("please remember to check out!" - they use scanning cards for trip fares, and if you forget to beep your card when you get off, it charges you around double what you would have otherwise paid). Good luck finding a drinking fountain (or a bubbler, for my fellow Wisconsinites!) - you won't. I have been here almost two months and have still not seen a single one. People in Europe just don't seem as interested in drinking water; if you go to a restaurant, you have to ask for tap water very specifically or you'll be charged about the same price as for a soda. Along with most of Western Europe, the Netherlands uses the euro (€1 EUR = $1.30 USD, give or take a few cents) and does not expect tipping at restaurants. The price you see is the price you pay (even tax is included). Orange is a national color riddled with pride, and from what I've heard the Queen's Day celebration is incredible. And the queen is a relatively normal person, who even attends a church with maybe 2 or 3 body guards, and policemen really are your friends. Canals are everywhere. Downtown, the smell of marijuana seems to often be lurking. "Coffeeshops" are places where you can buy and smoke marijuana; if you want actual coffee, you need to look for a "Cafe" or a place that serves koffie. Flowers are abundant, beautiful, and very inexpensive. Everyone (men, women, everyone) wears scarves here to stave off the biting, wet cold that seems to rip right through you.

Because land is scarce, buildings go up and stairs are extremely steep. There are lots of windmills that scatter the countryside, but personal recycling seems to be less of a focus based on the difficulty of finding places to recycle glass and plastic. To use the restroom in public places or pretty much anywhere but restaurants it costs money, sometimes up to a euro per use. To go in, you push the door, and to come out, you pull. Things are often closed on Sundays, despite the secularism of the culture. With each cup of hot drink (coffee, tea, hot chocolate), you are entitled to one koekje ("cookie") - often a stroopwafel, speculaas, or a biscuit, all of which are marvelous.

So there you have it. I'm sure I've missed things, but I can't remember anything else interesting at this point. If you have more questions, though, post them in a comment or send me an email, and I'd love to answer!

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. EPHESIANS 2:19-22

is there such thing as too much adventure?

Even when it leaves you no time to post a blog to share said adventures? Even when you get a little language confused, think you might understand Italian because you know Spanish, and start to mix up grazie, danke, bedankt, and thank you? I'm not sure there's such a thing as too much adventure.

So I guess this would be a great point to address the title of this blog. Where's Wendy? Well, in the past two weeks, I've been to Milan, Berlin, back to good ol' Amsterdam, and even to a traditional Dutch village called Zaanse Scans. Let me tell you about them!

(Milan, Italy) some great coffee, some delectable gelato, some amazing pizza, and a few too many pigeons.
Bonjourno! Hello Italy! I was immediately disappointed when we had no customs and my passport wasn't stamped, but that was the single disappointment Italy had in store for me.

We checked into the hotel and went out to hit the town. Although it was 7:30pm, it wasn't yet dinner time for Italians. So we tried to do as the Italians do and had aperitivo. This entails buying one (more expensive) drink and having unlimited access to a free appetizer buffet that went along with it. As starving travelled college kids, we turned this into a dinner of sorts. Then we capped off our meal with some delicious Italian gelato at a neat place, explored a bit of the city, and called it a night.

After having the first good cup of coffee I've had in Europe and a flaky croissant  I was ready for another great day in Italy. Coming up from the metro at our first stop, we were flocked by Senegalese men trying to give us "free" bracelets, stuff our hands with bird seed so the pigeons would come to us/attack us, then ask for "donations". Like I was going to give them money; I still cringe seeing the birds come even near me.

But our first stop! The Duomo. It's a grand cathedral that took 600 years to build and remains the 5th largest in the world. Honestly, the architecture, the stained glass, the detail - impeccable. What creativity! What intricate skill!

And we couldn't go to the fashion capital of the world without seeing some high end stores like Prada, Louie Vuitton, and Ferrari. I even got a scarf hoping the rest of the fashion sense of Milan would come with it.

We explored a castle, found meat and cheese and rolls from a local grocery store for lunch (in packs of five in our luck!), looked around an aquarium, took pictures by one of the many arches, and walked through the modern art museum.
After such a busy day, we were all quite hungry. We stumbled upon this great little pizza place called "The Kitchen" that had a yummy house wine and incredible pizza and calzones, all on a tight budget. Gelato for the second night in a row did not disappoint - especially the coffee flavor. Then it was time for bed; the next morning promised an early trek to Berlin.

(Berlin, Germany) a whole new city, a whole new perspective. 
Berlin seemed to be a city of a whole new breed. There was definitely less graffiti, the architecture completely different, the streets were much bigger (and more Chicago-esque) and the focus of our travels turned from high fashion and art to a little more history.

We hit all of the big things in Berlin - the Brandenburg Gate, the Tiergarten, the Victory Column, the modern church with a very modern looking Jesus next to the Kaiser Wilhelm Church that was bombed during WWII (though the bombed church itself was closed for restoration), the East Side Gallery, the Holocaust museum, a couple famous squares, Checkpoint Charlie, the Topography of Terror Museum dedicated to educating about the German SS around WWII, and the Bundestag Parliament building with it's glass dome top.

On top of that, we found a small microbrewery off the beaten path where we had superb German beer. It was a quality pale ale that had a complex flavor, complete with a fruity undertone. Easily the best beer I've ever had. We had the good fortune of finding another metro deal - a group day pass for up to 5 people, which per person came to what a single fare would have cost. We tried some German streusel, and some sausage and mashed potatoes. We stocked up on German chocolate. We used our tetris skills to stuff a locker full.

But let's go back to the history for just a moment. Let me start by saying that I've always found WWII history interesting, especially with regards to the Holocaust. Yet all that I had read, all that I had thought about could not have prepared me for what it was like to be in Berlin, to walk through the Holocaust Memorial and Museum, to read about the SS officers. Were they so different than me? In the SS museum, there was a picture of the officers and some girls on a kind of retreat from the exterminations. The girls were posing how I had just posed in pictures. In the Holocaust museum, it hit me more clearly how every person who died or suffered in a concentration camp had a story. And it's so easy to look and feel utter pity for the Jews and utter hatred for the German officers, but am I so different from them?

"It happened, therefore it can happen again: this is the core of what we have to say." - Primo Levi

How easy it is to forget. Forget what happened. Forget that it really happened. Forget that I'm not the only with a story. Forget that I'm no better than they. And I just read in the news the other day that they're tearing down the remaining part of the Berlin wall that forms the East Side Gallery to turn them into luxury hotels and apartments. Sobering.


I have gained a new perspective,
a new appreciation.

All in all, it was a great trip. (Even after a five hour layover in the middle of the night outside in the freezing cold. Lesson learned: even some major train stations close at night.) After all we did, not only did I get to bond with the fantastic people in our small group of 5, but I had incredible experiences in both cities.

[Whew! Two cities down, two more to tell of. I'll be more brief now, I promise. But you're allowed to take a brief intermission at this point. Only if it's brief. ;)]

(Amsterdam, the Netherlands) Home? Had it finally become home?
We came back home, yes home, to Amsterdam. It's now been just over a month, and coming back from the trip made me realize just how much it really has become just that.

Notable things done recently in Amsterdam: visited the NEMO Science Museum, took a tour at a local microbrewery and tasted many of their beers, took a little bargain shopping trip with a friend downtown, and becoming a Bridge fanatic (the card game, not the structure, though those are quite fascinating as well).

(Zaanse Scans, the Netherlands) typically Dutch: windmills, klompen, and some Delft blue souvenirs. 

Last Saturday we took a train outside the city to a somewhat touristy city, which is known for it's plethora of windmills all in close proximity to one another and it's "typical Dutch" feel.


I learned the history of Dutch wooden shoes called klompen. I sampled some cheese, pet some goats. We even got to look at how a certain Dutch company (Verkade) makes chocolate. It was adorable.


(Clara Maria Farm and Clog Factory, Amstelveen, the Netherlands) Wisconsin girl meet Dutch cheese? Yes, please!

Cheese. SO much yummy cheese. The specialty is Gouda (pronounced "how-duh" with a little throat in the initial h): italian herb gouda, garlic and chive gouda, and stinging nettle gouda, just to name a few. Not only did we get to sample all of these cheeses, but they also gave us a detailed explanation of how they made it. And we got to watch klompen actually being made. And they had cows.

We then went to Amsterdamse Bos, a famous forest/park in Amsterdam. What a nice bike ride! And we stopped for pannekouken. YUM.

So that's where I've been lately. (And if this long post has not yet bored you with all of my travels, there are/will be many-a-picture on facebook to look at!) Thanks for indulging me and listening to all these tales! 

[By the way...] Upcoming in the life of Wendy: the visit from the family! Stay tuned. :)