Orientation

Scavenger hunt group-Bea, Petra, me, Emily

Luke, me, Petra, Bea, Sean, Stephanie, Emily and Max

The school had a program of activities to help welcome us and to get us settled in and learn the area.  On Thursday we had a short presentation about the Arnhem Business School followed by a tour of the school.  They provided us lunch of sandwiches, potato salad, and soup.  That afternoon was suppose to be spent playing different sports and games but we needed to do some shopping for things like food, shampoo, etc. because the stores close really early.  That night we took the bus and met everyone in the city center. First we went to this place called the Freaky Piano Bar which was okay.  Then we went to this other bar called the Plaza for 50 cent beers! That was really fun but they had this fog machine that filled the whole bar and times you could barely see people five feet away from you! It was a really fun night and meet a lot of new people.  We left the bar around 2:00am and went to look for a bus back to the dorms only to find out that the last bus leaves at 12:19am! (which is weird because all the bars stay open until about 4 or 5am) We thought about taking a taxi but they are kind of expensive and would only fit four people and of course we had five.  We (me and Emily and three guys from Minnesotta--Sean, Luke and Tom) decided to walk back which took about an hour (but surprisingly we didnt get lost though I dont know if we took the most direct way) and was freezing cold and I was wearing high heel boots so my feet really hurt by the end of the walk! The next day we met at the school around one to set up our email account and get our timetable (class schedule).  I have a good schedule with only one class on Monday and Tuesday, classes mostly all day Wednesday and Thursday and no classes Friday.  I got all the classes that I signed up for and I am looking forward to classes starting tomorrow. (I will do another blog later talking more about the classes) Then we all gathered at this pub on campus called Lokall 99 to meet our buddy. They buddys were suppose to be all Dutch students who you can talk to and ask questions.  My buddy is a German guy, Christian, because he said they couldn't get enough Dutch students to participate.  There are four international students to a buddy; but in our group only me and Dani, who is from Hong Kong, showed up to meet our buddy.  We just hung out at the pub and talked about almost everything for about two hours.  Then afterwards, Emily and I went and did a little grocery shopping.  We found this pre-made pasta dishes that you can just heat in the microwave so we each got one.  I had a spaghetti one and it was actually pretty good.  We just hung out and talked the rest of the night in the dorms. Saturday morning we went to the city center for a scavenger hunt.  We split up into groups of five and were give packets with about 6-7 pictures of buildings around the city center with questions about them.  We had to go find each building and answer the question.  In my group was Stephanie and Emily (both from Whitewater) and then Petra and Bea (they are from Solvekia but study in Prague) We found every building and had a lot of time to kill before we had to be back.  It was really cold out so we went to this department store that had a cafe in it and got some coffee.  The city center is very nice and has a lot of great shopping; we cant wait to go back to acctually shop instead of just look around.  One of the places on our scavenger hunt was a little food shop (called Lunch table or something, I cant remember) that sold Stroopwafels that are a Dutch specialty. One person in our group bought one so we all could try and of course it was really good.  Its hard to explian but according to Wikipedia they are "two thin layers of baked batter with a carmel-like syrup filling in the middle (pictured above)." Then we meet the group for supper at Wokparadijs which was a Chinese buffet and make your own woks with all you can eat and drink for ten euro.  The food was good and it was fun to sit and talk to everyone.  Afterwards we went to this bar called Juicy Lucy.  After having 50 cent beer on Thursday night, the beer seemed expensive.  It was two euro for this small glass.  Since there was so many of us the bar gave us all a free shot but only a few people bought any other drinks, instead we just danced.  We had learned from the first night we went out, so we left the bar in time to catch the last bus back to the dorms.  The group that I traveled with to all the orientation events was always late.  We would always meet in the lobby of our dorm and traveled in a group of about 20 and usually none of use knew where we were going and know one knows how to make decisions especially when choosing bars.  We usually just stand around talking for about ten minutes about what we all want to do before we do anything.  It is kind of a funny site to see us all walking around and getting on the bus which we take up usually the whole bus.  I am learning my way around.  I know how to get to the school which is only a ten minute walk and we walk through this nice park but the bus system is still a mystery to figure out but I will learn. Today, Sunday, mostly all the stores are closed so its just a day to relax.  We have to make sure that we go grocery shopping on Starday so we have food for Sunday.  I really wish I would have brought a book to read or my DVD's because there really isn't much to do today.  So far, things have been going pretty well and I am looking forward to classes starting tomorrow so I have something to do!

Me, Petra, Steph, Bea and Emily before going out

Housing

My dorm building

We have our housing provide through a vendor that the school works with.  We had a few choices of apartments and dorms. I am living in dorms called Honingkamp.  I saw a few pictures of the dorms before I came from a girl who studied here last semester, but our room is a little different than the pictures. I thought that I would have a balcony, toliet and sink in my room but there is only a sink which I guess is still nice and it is a single room.  All the other floors have those things and are a little bigger. We did hear that we might be getting some money back because our rooms are smaller and dont have a toliet which would be nice.  There is a desk, a bed,  a closet and sink in our room.  We were suprised that there is not even a dresser.  There are two bathrooms on the floor.  Both guys and girls use the same bathroom which is a little strange, they are just split according to room numbers.  We have keys for everything here; I have six different keys.  One to get into the building, one for my room, one for bike locker and one for the kitchen.  We also have keys to the showers and a different one for the toliet.  It is weird having to bring your keys everytime you want to go to the bathroom.  Also, the door is supposed to be locked all the time so you have to knock before you unlock it because someone could be in there! The showeres are not too bad; at least there is hot water.  There are two kitchens on the floor. Each kitchen is shared by about 6 people. There are two mini fridges (which are full so there is no room for us to buy anything to put in there), a microwave (that is really dirty and disgushting) and a sink.  We assumed there would be a stove in there so last night we bought a frozen pizza make because we have no dishes yet, came back to make it and found out that there is no stove! I haven't really bought much for food.  I guess it is better to buy groceries everyday.  From home I brought a jar of peanut butter and two boxes of mac and cheese.  I also bought cheez-its for on the airplane that I never ate but thats what I had for supper last night.  There is no cafeteria at the school like we have so we have to make all of our food.  My room has a decent view, but it is very cold.  The windows are really old and let in a lot of cold air that the heater can not keep up.  The cold windows are nice for putting my bottles of water on to keep them cold.  I woke up twice last night because I was so cold.  I need to find a heavier blanket or a space heater. It was nice that I was able to buy a few things from a girl from whitewater ahead of time because we didn't have time yesterday to go and buy anything.  I bought bed sheets from her but I dont have a pillow yet besides this small inflatable one that is not comfortable.  I have not unpacked any of my cloths yet but hopefully I will do that tonight.  I did hang up my pictures that I had printed out and brought with to make the room look a little homier rather than four white walls.  There are 5 floors in our building and we (myself and the other two whitewater girls) are on the fifth floor which we heard was the party floor which we found out last night was correct. They like to party in the kitchens because they are kind of a lounge area too as in they have two picnik tables in them.  I went there only for a little while but went to bed early because I was tired from traveling and it was getting really crowded. I think there was at least 50 people there last night but it was nice because I did meet a lot of people though I dont remember many of their names because I have meet so many people.  A lot of people here smoke and they were smoking inside the kitchen which I did not really like.  I was glad that they have an elevator in the building because I would not have made it up the stairs with all my lugage! I think this dorm is just for internationl students; I have not meet any Dutch students yet.  Overall, the dorm is ok I just wish my room was warmer!!

Traveling to Europe

I made it to Arnhem!!

My parents took me to the airport on Tuesday.  We left our house about 11 and had been driving for about 45 minutes when our battery just suddenly died.  Luckily, some one driving by stopped and gave us a jump.  My grandparents happened to be eating lunch in the town that we got stuck in.  We were able to drive to the restaurant and trade vehicles with them.  Dad thought he knew how to get the airport in Chicago but then we decided to follow the GPS which proceed to take us on the seenic back roads and at times we had no idea where we were or if we would ever make it! But we made it with plenty of time to spare to the airport.  My mom came with me to check my bags and get my ticket.  I checked two bags both within the weight limit.  We had no problems going through security and our plane left only about 15 minutes late.  We ate supper on the plane but it was not the best.  The plane ride was smooth though long and boring.  It took us about 8 hours with very little sleep.  We arrive at Schiphol Airport about 9:15 Wednesday morning.  We went through passport security which just stamped our passport and asked us a few questions about our visit and then we picked up our bags.  There were quite a few students on our flight, but most were going to study in Amsterdam.  We did meet one guy on the plane, Stephan, from Canada who is studying at our school.  Together the four of us managed to figure out how to get a train ticket and get on the correct train to Arnhem.  It was a little difficult getting on the train with all our lugage! We were about half way through our train ride when our train broke down at one of the stops so we all had to get off and find the train that we were suppose to switch to.  It was more running around and hauling our suitcases up stairs! But we made into to Arnhem where some one from our school was waiting for us as well as some other students who had just arrived too.  We waited for about an hour for a van to come pick us up and took us to sign our housing contracts.  When we were signing out contracts we had to pay the rest of our balance.  In the email they sent us they told us that is was okay to pay with credit card, but when a few of us went to pay they said that they did not accept Visa.  We could only pay in euros or do a wire transfer and we had a week to pay the rest of our balance.  Luckily I had the contact information for the person at my bank who did the wire transfer for our down payment for the dowms and was able to email her the information and she got it through for me right away. Then we loaded everything back into the van and they took us to the dorms.

Good-bye Wisconsin!!!

Today is finally the day that I leave for Europe!!! It has come really quickly and its hard to believe that I am actually going.  I am really excited; I am not really nervous I just hope that I did not forget something important.  My mom and dad are taking me down to Chicago where I am meeting Stephanie and Emily at 3.  Our flight leaves at 6 and then we arrive in Amsterdam around 9 tomorrow morning (there time).  I think it is about an 8 hour flight and then they are about 7 hours ahead of Wisconsin.  It is really nice that we have a direct flight and do not have to worry about catching another plane.  Then once we arrive, we have to take a train to where we are staying.  Wednesday we dont have anything to do other than to check into our dorm. Then Thursday and Friday is orientation and classes start on Monday.  Some times I forget that I am actually going to school and have to attend classes.  I have mostly been focused on the traveling around Europe part of the trip. I did most of my packing yesterday and just had a little to finish this morning.  I have one large suitcase and one that is a little smaller that I am hoping I can carry on.  Then I also have my backpack.  Everyone told me to pack light, but that was much easier said than done!! I probably packed too much and will end up leaving somethings there.  I hope that my suitcases are not over the weight limit; I tried to way them this morning and I think they should be ok but its hard to tell for sure with this scale that we have.  I have already been talking to three of my friends in Germany and I am excited to go and visit them.  Good-bye Wisconsin, I will see you in five months!!

2011 is finally here!

It is finally 2011 and its hard to believe that I leave for Europe this month!! Finals went well and I finished another semester successfully.  I had a wonderful Christmas and I really can't thank my family enough for all the support they have given me.  I got a few things for my trip such as a video camera, a blanket and pillow for the plane, space saving storage bags for helping me pack, an outlet adaptor and money. At the end of December I moved out of my place at Whitewater.  We were lucky and found two people to sublease it for the spring semester.  My grandparents were especially nice and helped me move out and are letting me store my things in one of their storage sheds which I greatly appreciate.  I am currently in the process of going through my clothes, shoes and everything else and organizing it as to what I want to keep out and what to put away in storage.  My sister is not very happy with how slow this process is going becasue there is barely any room to walk in our room.  I have not really started to pack my suitcase for Europe other than I do have it out and the items that i recieved from Christmas are in it.  I have been talking to a girl from Whitewater who just studied at Arnhem this past fall and she has been very helpful by giving me some tips as what to expect and some packing advise.  I was able to buy some of her things that she does not want to bring back to the States with here which is really nice as it saves me time and money.  I bought her sheets and a blanket, a blow dyer, a laundry basket, clothes hangers, a garbage can and a few storage containers for clothes and things.  She is just going to leave them with a friends and I can go and pick them up once I arrive.  January is going to continue to fly by as it already is less than three weeks before I leave.  This weekend I have Jr. Holstein Convention up in Stevens Point, I am continuing to work at Johnson Controls two days a week, trying orgnaizing my things and pack, and trying to see everyone before I leave.  I have already had a dentist appointment but I still have my eye, hair and doctors appointment yet before I leave.  I hope that I get everything accomplished before I leave!!

Dutch Recipes

The Dutch are not known for there food but are know for their dairy products especially cheese like Gouda.  I decided to try some Dutch recipes before I left. Surprisingly, both recipes turned out pretty good.  The Oliebollen is traditionally eaten on New Years Eve. The donutes, (Oliebollen) make a lot so you might want to cut the recipe in half. 

Dutch Leek Casserole

Ingredients

• 2 lbs potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 lbs leeks, chopped
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 TBS finely chopped green chilie peppers
• soy sause to taste
• 1 8 oz. package shredded Cheddar  chesse
• 6 oz cooked ham, cut into thin strips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Bring large pot of slafted water to a boil and cook potatoes until tender but firm.  Drain potatoes and transfer to a medium bowl.  Mash togerther with milk.
3. Place leeks in a  medium saucepan (The recipe calls for 2 lbs but we only used one leek and it was a lot) with enough water to cover and bring to a boil.  Cook 10 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside.
4. In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook and stir the ground beef until evenly brown.  Mix in the onion, red bell pepper and green bell pepper.  Season with green chile peppers (we just used chile powder) and soy sauce.  Continue to cook and stir until vegetables are tender.
5. In a medium baking dish, mix mashed potatoes, leeks, and ground beef mixture.  Sprinkle with Cheddar chesse and top with ham.
6. Bake 25 minutes until cheese is melted.

Oliebollen 

Ingredients

• 2 lbs (7-8 cups) wheat flour
• 4 cups water
• 1 oz salt
• 2 oz sugar
• 3 oz packaged yeast
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• lemon juice
• raisins
• chopped apples
• oil for deep fying
• powder sugar

Directions

1. Dissolve the yeast in the water.
2. Add the flour to yeast mixture (I just used regular all purpose flour)
3. Add the salt, sugar, cinnamon, a few drops of lemon juice, raisins and apples. Mix well
4. Set aside to rise for 45 minutes
5. Heat the oil to about 350 degress.  Form balls using an ice cream scoop (greese the scoop first) and then deep fry the oliebollen-usually a few at a time, for about 6 minutes each.  You might have to dunk or turn them half way through.  (At first I had the oil too hot and it was cooking the outside too fast and buring it before the inside was complete cooked. Once I turned the oil down to medium heat they were better.)
6. Drain on absorbant paper towl and liberally sprinkle with powder sugar.