1st post from Leiden

This week has been a whirlwind. I am not yet to the point where I feel connected to reality, but wherever I am, I love it.

I left London on Monday afternoon; I had the chance to visit the British Library and see original copies of Jane Eyre, Persuasion, Handel's Messiah, and Beatles music. My mom and I headed to Jess's studio and got to see some recording in progress. We had a short, easy flight to Amsterdam and successfully navigated ourselves to our hotel. The dutch style door was opened via a pull rope connected to the top of the stairs, and the owner gestured for us to come up. The stairs were ridiculously steep and narrow. After hauling our suitcases up to the 3rd floor, we went out in search of food. We found an Indonesian restaurant and enjoyed the Dutch experience of "rijsttafel", or rice plates. There were about 20 different small plates with a variety of meats, tofus, and vegetables. We enjoyed Indonesian beer, which complemented the rich flavors of the meal.

The following day we headed to Leiden to register for my residence hall. I live at Hugo de Grootstraat, a spacious building that was originally a pharmaceutical laboratory built in 1895. My room is the largest room I have ever stayed in- a loft with my bed, large windows, and full furnishings. There are shared kitchen and bathrooms.

My mom and I spent the afternoon walking around the city of Leiden. We went to the supermarket, where all the products were labeled in Dutch. Thankfully I had my dictionary, and was able to look up the difference between laundry detergent "krachtig wasmiddel, kleur", and fabric softener. We ate lunch at a cafe and walked around the canals, and saw De Volk, the main windmill in Leiden. The city is like a child's fairytale book: twinkling lights along the canals late at night, bicycles everywhere, and a generally leisurely pace of life.

Wednesday my mom and I explored Amsterdam. Despite its international reputation, it has a small, familiar feel. Bicyclists yield to nobody, but cars stop for any pedestrian at a crosswalk. I was told by my Dutch friends that in the case of an accident, the cyclists are always right. I will elaborate more about bike culture later. After a typical Dutch breakfast of bread, cheese (kaas), koffie, and a boiled egg, we headed to the Anne Frank museum. It was stark, horrifying, and moving. We walked to a hidden church in the middle of the city, called the "Begijnhof," where women who have not taken vows to be a nun but have devoted their lives to God resided from the 17th century onward. We meandered through the Bloemenmarket, a floating flower market, and bought some excellent cheese. After lunch, we headed to the Rijksmuseum, which displays works by Vermeer and Rembrandt, among other works of art.

Thursday was my first day of orientation. I look back at Thursday and see a sea of faces. I walked into the law building in the morning without knowing anybody in Leiden, and by the end of the day had met so many people I could barely remember faces or names. I met students from: Australia, Turkey, Brazil, Kenya, Hungary, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, South Africa, Scotland, Sweden, Iran, Canada, Pakistan, Ireland, Denmark... and I know I am forgetting some.

Highlights of the day would include learning about Dutch parliament from a Dutch student, discussing films with a student from Ukraine, assuring my Hungarian friends that I do indeed know where Hungary is (and them making me prove it by listing all the countries that border
it- I am glad for my silly online geography quizzes I have been doing!), telling my Italian friends that 37* F is WARM compared to where I live, learning the reason the street I live on is called "Hugo de Grootstraat", and how to pronounce it in Dutch, salsa dancing with strangers who later became friends, discussing the American criminal justice system in relation to the Dutch system (no juries, and the maximum penalty for most crimes is 7 years or so, often reduced. The rationale? Once an individual is institutionalized they can no longer contribute to society. It is better to give the minimum penalty that yields the maximum results.), and laughing with my Iranian neighbor about the irony of an American and an Iranian living next door to each other.

Today was my 20th birthday, and last night I was surrounded by people who I had only just met, but who I felt as though I had known for a long time. The international student organization had rented out a club for an introduction party, and there were hundreds of young students dancing the night away. What better way to spend a birthday than dancing in a European club?

Leiden has an outdoor market twice a week, and today was my first day to experience it. There was cheese, fresh fish, fresh bread, clothes and fabric, toys and sweets. I went with two girls from my floor, and we bought the makings for dinner tonight.

"Keep to the Left!" My two days in London

I arrived yesterday in London and quickly discovered that I stand out. I talk differently, hold my fork and knife differently, and walk on the wrong side of the street. (Although it doesn't seem the Brits can keep it straight either, especially with all the tourists messing everything up.) The city of London was kind enough to post directions at nearly every crosswalk: look right, then left to help us befuddled outsiders. The subway stations have signs telling people which side to walk on, and even then there is a jumble of people.

The city is wonderful. Yesterday after our overnight flight, we spent some time at Jessica's flat, grabbed some lunch and headed to Westminster Abbey for Evensong. It was incredible to be in a building with nearly 1,000 years of voices, prayers, and reflections echoing through its halls. We stopped for coffee afterwards because I desperately needing refueling (only got 2 hours of sleep on the plane, essentially staying up for a whole day, night, and day) and walked around Soho for a bit. We had dinner at the Victoria, a traditional British pub with portraits of writers and thinkers decorating its walls and a cozy fireplace burning near our table.

This morning my mom and I were up early for breakfast at our hotel, including several cups of English Breakfast tea to jolt us awake (it felt like 2am). We then ventured to the Tower of London, the iconic castle and wall bordering the River Thames. We spent several hours walking the grounds and envisioning the thousands of years of history that has occurred within the walls. Later in the afternoon we met up with Jessica and walked around Buckingham Palace and Green Park. We took the tube to Harrod's, a massive high-end department store and gawked at the Food Halls and expensive clothes and shoes. Around 3:30 we went to the Georgian Restaurant on the 4th floor for tea. We enjoyed finger sandwiches, scones, fruit tarts, and several pots of tea.

Early in the evening we discovered that the streets in London are poorly marked, and have a fantastic tendency to disappear for a block, and reappear facing a different direction. We had in mind walking along the River Thames and seeing the Globe Theater (where Shakespeare's work is performed), but instead ended up having a self-guided tour of the business district on a Sunday night. Eventually we found the river, much to our relief. We met up with the girls in Jessica's group and the songwriter for dinner at a hotel, and my mom and I will enjoy some light snacks before descending into a deep slumber.

Tomorrow we will see the ladies practice in the studio and head to Amsterdam! Wish I could stay a bit longer in London, I was just starting to get used to "phantom drivers"- expecting to see a driver on the left side of a car and instead discovering him on the right.

Travel Day(s)

In a few hours I will be headed to the airport to begin my journey. I have miraculously fit everything into a large suitcase, a carryon, and a back-pack. Hopefully my large suitcase will fit the weight restrictions. I keep hearing advice to pack light when going on complicated trips. I have done my best limiting what I bring, but it is difficult when I will be staying 4+ months, experiencing 3 seasons, traveling around Europe, going to classes and studying, as well as dancing in a variety of places. Leaving behind all of my stuff was difficult but liberating. My method? Lay out everything I thought I needed, then go through each item one by one to get rid of half of the stuff.

Itinerary:
1. Fly to London's Heathrow airport via Dallas from Des Moines, leaving 5:00pm Iowa time and arriving 11:00am London time (it will feel like 4 am to me)
2. Drink caffeinated beverages to overcome jetlag
3. Meet up with sister for the weekend in London, Saturday-Monday
4. Fly to Amsterdam Monday night
5. Travel to Leiden Tuesday for registration
6. Wednesday in Amsterdam
7. Thursday begin orientation program, move into room, and begin student life!

Leiden, The Netherlands

Leiden University is the oldest university in the Netherlands. Founded in 1575 by William of Orange, the University was a gift to the Dutch people following the defeat of the Spanish the previous year. Leiden is a traditional Dutch town with canals, bicyclists, and tulips. I will be staying in a residence hall near the city center. (Pictured at left). I will most likely commute by bicycle to my classes, most of which are through the Faculty of Law. Hopefully I will soon have a picture to post of Hugo de Grootstraat in the winter, in place of the one posted here from the website.

The Netherlands vs. Holland vs. Dutch

Jen: I'll be spending next semester in The Netherlands.

A variety of amusing responses:
Response 1: Cool! Wait, where is that?
Response 2: What do they speak there? What's the difference between Holland and the Netherlands?
Response 3: Aaaamsterdaaaaam. Awwwesomme.
Response 4: Why?
Response 5: Is that the place with canals?
Response 6: It will be interesting to be able to study law in a European country. You should check out ICJ in The Hague. And the Rijksmuseum- lots of Vermeer and Van Gogh in Amsterdam.

I figured it would be helpful to answer all those questions in one place. I'm compiling the following from information I have learned through guidebooks, history books, blogs, and other research. (Cited below.)

The Netherlands conjures up images of canals, windmills, bicycles, and of course Amsterdam. But many Americans have little knowledge of the Netherlands beyond this. Many people equate the Netherlands with Holland, and interchange the names. In fact, the Netherlands consists of several provinces, two of which are North Holland (where Amsterdam is) and South Holland (where The Hague, the political capitol, is). The people are Dutch and speak Dutch, which is a Germanic language but different from German. In their own language, Dutch is "Nederlands" while German is "Duitse". However, I have consistently read and heard first-hand that most Dutch speak English very well.

The Netherlands a country that borders the North Sea, and is famous for being flat and below sea level. Indeed, over the past 300 years the Dutch have been ingeniously using canals and windmill powered pumps to double the land mass of the country, effectively "reclaiming" land from the sea. The Netherlands is densely populated and optimally located near the heart of Europe. It is bordered by Germany and Belgium, and only a short flight or train ride from France, Luxembourg, Switzerland, England or Denmark.

I've discovered that the typical American student knows more about the Dutch than they think they do. Remember reading about the Dutch East India Company? This powerful trade group explored, exploited, and ruled the seas during the "Golden Years" of the Netherlands. The Dutch were the first to settle in what is now New York City, in what was originally named "New Amsterdam." The boroughs of NYC reflect the Dutch influence, as does the convoluted street design below Houston. The lower tip of Manhattan originally had canals that have now been converted to subway lines. Haarlem is actually a city outside of Amsterdam, and Harlem, NY was named after this.

Amsterdam is famous for its coffeehouses and red-light district, which are a direct result of the forward-thinking, liberal minded Dutch. Rather than criminalize activity such as prostitution or marijuana, the Dutch regulate and tax the activity. They rationalize that a person is less likely to come in contact with harder drugs if marijuana distribution is closely regulated. Surprisingly, a 1997 study found that only 16% of Dutch had tried cannabis while 33% of Americans had, despite its illegal status in the states. Prostitution is similarly regularized; prostitutes must pay taxes on their earnings and are not allowed to practice if they contract AIDS.

In less than a week I will be able to see the Netherlands without imagining something from a guidebook. The country will no longer be another place on a map; it will become a new home with an array of new experiences offering themselves to me. I will write about my specific city, Leiden, at a later date.

Information from: Rick Steves' "Europe Through the Backdoor 2010", "What Every American Should Know About Europe" by Melissa Rossi, and random facts that are stuck in my head.