WEEK DRIE, VIER, VIJF

It has been nearly 3 weeks since I last posted.  So much has changed now that I have been in Amsterdam for over a month:  I no longer have to look up how to say the week numbers on Goodgle because I can count in Dutch and I have discovered the Stroopwafel McFlurry!  The last couple of weeks have been very cold and rainy (even snow!) and I desperately miss LA winters. Here's what I did:


The weekend after I last posted a bunch of USC students were visiting Amsterdam and I enjoyed hanging out with them and running in to more people than I wanted to see when we were out at night.  Other than that, it was a had week for me in school and spent a lot of time catching up on school work.

Frozen Canals in Copenhagen!

THEN, the next weekend we went on our first trip to Copenhagen, Denmark!  I traveled with two of my good friends from USC (Alex and Laura) and Alex's cousin Jeff who came to visit.  We took the train to the airport where they tried to tell me I had to pay to check my luggage.  She claimed that my luggage was too long and I had a hard time believing that after Dad bought me the supreme traveler's suitcase from Eagle Creek and I'm sure they knew the correct size a European carry-on had to be. Alex and I fought with the lady who finally said that I could take it on the plane and try it... it fit without a problem.  We got to Copenhagen in the late evening and instantly noticed the harsh cold weather and the surplus of 7-Elevens.  We walked straight to our hostel to put our luggage down and walked in search of food (I tried my first Shawarma and fell in love).  We fell asleep early to get ready for our big day of touring.  Saturday morning we got an early start and bundled up with two pairs of pants, wool socks, and every other layer we could think to wear.  It was so cold that the rivers were completely frozen with the boats still in them and after half an hour of walking your muscles would tighten, shortening your steps.  On our way to the Royal Palace we saw Christiansborg Palace where the Danish Parliament is held and stumbled upon the adorable street of brightly colored houses along another frozen canal called Nyhavn.  At each stop Jeff would take out photocopied Lonely Planet pages from his back pocket and read us the paragraph description of the monument we were taking pictures of.  Nyhavn is a common touristy area, but of course we were the only crazy people outside that day.  We stopped here for some Irish Coffee to warm up!

Christiansborg Palace - Danish Parliament

Nyhavn

Next we saw the Royal Palace where we took pictures with the guards and continued to Frihedsmuseet - the Museum of the Danish Resistance.  You really enjoy taking your time and reading every description at a museum when you are avoiding going back outside.  Close by was the famous Little Mermaid statue.  The Danish author and poet Hans Christian Andersen wrote the tale and the city is filled with small tributes to him.

Hanging out with Hans Christian Anderson

Me with the Little Mermaid statue

Our final stop that day was the Rosenborg Castle.  It was built in 1606 and has been left practically the same way as it was built and decorated.  We saw inside and also saw a bunch of artifacts from Christian IV and the royal treasures!

After our 6 hr walking tour of Copenhagen we went back to the hostel for a long nap then navigated the streets for local bars we could sit in and relax after out long day.

The Round Tower

Sunday morning we had to leave in the early afternoons so we got up early once again and after having a breakfast of "danishes" we headed to the Round Tower where we climbed to the top and saw the most beautiful view of the whole city!  Finally we walked to Christianshavn, which is a artificial island off of the city with lots of canals and a beautiful church.  It is supposed to have an incredible view, but the tower was closed for the winter.  The inside of the church was enough of a sight though and the giant organ was carved from wood with the most delicate details.

View from the top of the tower

The church in Christianshavn

more frozen water

Finally we headed back to the airport and back home to Amsterdam!

The next week I recovered from the long weekend and caught up on school work.  It snowed on Wednesday as I was doing homework at my desk with the view of the courtyard and I couldn't stop talking about it to my roommate and friends.  They laughed because its no big deal to them, but I've never lived in a place where it snowed.  

This weekend Laura and I visited the Albert Cuyp Markt, the largest flea market/farmers market in Amsterdam.  It was so fun and we had tons of good cheese samples and explored the different tents.  They have everything from produce and fish to clothing and wigs.  We went because we were told that they make fresh stroopwafels, which are Dutch cookies they sell everywhere.  They are two thin wafers with a maple-y caramel in the center.  We watched the man make them for a while, but decided to end our day with Pofferjes (the mini pancakes I wrote about last week) that were made right in front of us. 


That's it for now, but next week we are headed to Prague for our second adventure!





How could I forget to mention the many "Jensen" sightings around Copenhagen! I never forgot to tell the people I met (including 7-Eleven cashiers and the Pizza guy) that I was Danish and my last name was Jensen.  Here are a few...

WEEK TWEE

 Classes have officially begun.  I have class three days a week with Wednesdays and Fridays off.  I'm taking a Dutch Language and Culture class twice a week and three social sciences classes: Intercultural Communication, Ethnic Diversity and Popular Culture, and Introduction to Argumentation Theory.  So far they are pretty interesting and in small classrooms set up for student discussion rather than all lecture.  Two of my classes have the same professor and our final paper actually counts for both courses!  The grading system is set up in numbers here 1-10. A 10 is the highest, but is never given out and 9 is almost as rare!  The Dutch don't mind it though because their goal is to merely pass their class.  Those who actually make it to the universities are already a very tiny percentage of the population and with a degree they are already part of an elite group so they don't need to compete within that group.  Laura and I were talking to another student from Belgium who was astonished that we pass all four of our classes every semester.  She said that only the smartest students pass all of them and they are even given make up finals in August if they don't do well the first time.  We want the university to send a letter home to our parents explaining this.  We are trying to assimilate into this new culture and it is not Dutch to get perfect scores!

After my first week of classes three of our best friends from London came to visit! Jane, Maggie and Grayson flew in Friday afternoon and we met them at Centraal Station.  That we had a long reunion dinner at a delicious Italian restaurant and then explored Amsterdam.  Our guests were tired from a long day of traveling so we decided to sit and rest at a cafe in Rembrandtplein (Rembrant Square).  Little did I know that my life would be changed forever in a few minutes.  I picked the first thing I saw of the desert menu, a classic Dutch desert called poffertjes.  Poffertjes are similar to mini pancakes and usually come with powdered sugar, butter, and/or chocolate.  The order that was brought to me was smothered in a sugary butter and powdered sugar.  I cannot even describe how delicious these little pockets of heaven were.  I am tempted to call up one of my favorite shows "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" on FoodNetwork and beg them to put these (and me) on the show.

The next day we went on a day trip with the CIEE program and explored the NDSM warf where a bunch of abandoned warehouses have been turned into studios for all types of artists.  We took a ferry there, had lunch, and endured extreme winds as we explored the area.  After the tour we ran across town to make it to the Heineken Brewery before closing! We learned how to drink beer correctly and went on a ride that shows the process of making the beer.  Laura and I were very excited to buy personalized engraved glasses (of course the gift shop conveniently located after the tasting room).

At the warf inside one of the warehouses.

Outside of the Heineken Brewery!

Sunday morning we first went to the Van Gogh museum, but of course stopped at the famous I AMsterdam sign for many photos.  Through my program have free access to all the museums!  Never thought I'd be so excited about that, but we are excited to save any money these days.  Euros just disappear.  That afternoon I had to do a group project and explore a neighborhood outside the city center.  My group was sent to the Bijlmer, which is a desolate area with many high-rise apartment buildings.  It was built to attract middle class families, but didn't do so well.  As the extreme winds continued, we wandered through the neighborhood and despite large amount of housing not a single person was outside. 

Group shot at the I AMsterdam sign. 

M for Maggie and Michelle

The only noteworthy thing so far this week would be my lunch today.  Alex and I started the day of on a bad note getting lost once again.  We finally found each other and were cranky and starving so we dropped in a little sandwich shop called Broodje Bert.  We saw the other customers eating what looked similar to a hamburger so we ordered it.  It came on a huge plate with an open baguette topped with lettuce, tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, and red peppers, an amazing seasoned mayo (and everyone knows how much I hate mayo) and these meatball sized patties.  The cook said it was beef, but it was no ordinary beef it was seasoned perfectly and super tender.  This can't even be categorized as a burger because it was so unlike anything I have ever tasted.  Alex and I talked about this hamburger for hours after we cleared our places (and I was just telling Mom how I didn't have much of an appetite here).  We decided that happy cows must actually come from Amsterdam.  Twice in one week I had meals that topped anything I had ever eaten.  Can't wait to bring all my visitors there!