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!