.

Run, Run Away, No Sense Of Time.

2010-06-22T13:15:00.000-07:00

I leave here in about 3 days! It's kind of crazy, actually it's really crazy. It seemed like the longest year of my life, but also the shortest. It was like 10 years in one. I didn't come here to be an au pair, I came here to meet new people, and to get a breath of fresh scenery; which I got. I feel like I grew up a lot too. I'm turning 19 soon, and I think that my year of 'being 18' was a good one; in a sense that I got a huge kick in the ass from the real world. I think a lot of people, MAINLY MY PARENTS think that is a good thing. There were times during this year when I just wanted to fall in a trap door and never return, but looking back on it now it was the best thing I've ever done. I think that I grew up in a different way most people do when they go to University. I feel like your first year of University is still like Highschool because everybody is trying to impress everybody and it's just annoying. I loved living here and I think that I'll eventually be back here one day...maybe.....I've had a big enough dose of Dutch people. I complain about them all the time, and the younger generation are really really great people, it's just the older people that annoy me! The saying "If you ain't Dutch, you ain't much" doesn't really have an affect on me......although I am bringing a Dutch bike home so I think Dutch culture had somewhat of an impact on me. The Hagelslag did not. We call it Hagelshit because it's so gross. It's chocolate sprinkles, and Dutch families will eat it in the morning on white bread with butter. Tasty? No. I think for little kids it's fine, but when grown men and women are eating it for breakfast that is a problem for me........anyways I have to get packing because my mother isn't here to do it for me, and I've got a lot of mess to clean up (only she can imagine and be accurate of how much that is.....)

I'm adding some pictures I took last weekend, it was my last weekend out in Amsterdam since this last weekend I was away at Kellys (which was really really great). A group of 4 of us went out, the choice of place to go out was Melkweg, which only one person in our group had gone before; and he warned us that it was definitely an event. Melkweg isn't for the faint hearted, you fist pump all night long until 6am. I went out with a 'bang' literally. The song 1901 by Phoenix came on, and it's one my favorite songs, and at this point I was just so glad to be hearing something that wasn't pounding techno so loud that I had a headache and almost couldn't see anything. The floor was a slippery mess, people went crazy, I jumped, and got knocked down. I fell FACE FIRST on the dance floor. I was fine and apparently people thought it was funny because when I got up someone screamed "THAT WAS AMAZING!!!!!!!!" At least someone thought so.......hahahahhahahaha

Tot snel,

Laura

We're Making Up For Lost Time.

2010-05-25T13:04:00.000-07:00

This post is irrelevant...I don't have anything special to share. I've just been taking some pictures because things are finally getting green again, after the EPIC WINTER OF TWEE THOUSAND TIN!! (2010). Yeah, 'epic' alright. I love ice biking and stacking it every time I got on my bike, and every day ever so slightly I wanted to KILL MYSELF! I basically hibernated for 4 months straight...as well as everyone else in the Netherlands. The weather really sucks here. I was looking at the weather patterns the other day because it was raining so hard and I needed to go get groceries, so I was going to see if the rain was going to move out or stay...well, there was a huge rain system RIGHT OVER the Netherlands, and of course it was bigger than the Netherlands, and all other surrounding countries were sunny....even mother nature doesn't like the Dutch.

This are getting pretty and green, which suprises me because I thought that this winter might have froze all possible vegetation, permanently. People seem to go crazy once the weather starts to get warm. There are so many crackhead tourists. I literally was almost an inch away from running over 3 people the other day in vondelpark. The funny thing is though if I had run over them, the police would have sided with me because they shouldn't have been in the bike path. Ha. Anyways....I'm done here in a month....weird....

Oh and my new claim to fame is that I was in the background of a movie being shot in Amsterdam. Ha.

---IF you're having trouble seeing the photos (because they look kind of grainy) you can click on them to make them bigger)

vondelpark

Opa takin' a ride

vondelpark

a canal in the Jordaan

I'm going to miss this...

free books?

movie set...

One Day We're Gonna Live In Paris; I Promise, I'm On It.

2010-05-18T12:32:00.000-07:00

Credit to the Friendly Fires for that song. Anywhoooooo, I just got back from Paris a couple days ago; and took Eurolines again - which I will NEVER do again. This time there was a child vomiting 3 seats behind me, on the way back. Super.

I did some different and new things this time I was in Paris. I went with my friend Delaney, and it was her first time in Paris so we decided to be super-tourists and do a bike tour. The tour guide was Dutch. Suprise? No. Everywhere I've gone there have been heaps off Dutch people. You just can't escape them. I went to the Sacre Coeur this time, which it was an AMAZING view, I went all the way to the very top of the eiffel tower which I've never done before, I watched little kids play innocently with sailboats in the sun which just happened to be the cutest thing ever. We stayed at my aunts house which was very nice (thanks again if you're reading this, Kelly) after a long day to come home and kind of unwind. I really really love Paris.

The pictures of the little kids are so cute; they had sailboats and sticks and pushed them around the little fountain. There were some sassy kids, let me tell you. Don't get in the way of their bateau.

oldest street in paris

view from the sacre coeur

cutest little kid !!!

me @ pont neuf

Berlin

2010-05-10T07:48:00.000-07:00

I just went to Berlin from May 3-9th and it was so much fun. It's definitely a neat city. Getting there was hell though. I took Eurolines and it's just the worst thing ever. Weird people/it smells/the seats BROKE MY BACK.

The food was cheap and amazing though in Berlin...and the beer(!!!).....so much better than Holland. One night we stopped at this Mediterranean place and for 4 euro 90 cents you got a "small" plate with up to 4 dishes on it. I got the best cous cous I've ever had, humus that melted in your mouth, and this stuff what was ground chickpeas with a good seasoning and cilantro....not sure what it was called. A huge glass of fresh squeezed apple and banana juice came with it, and the store owner was closing so he gave us a piece of cheesecake too......all for under 5 euros !!! Every morning for breakfast I went to this great cafe and had a nice piece of bread or a croissant. There was this other place called "Fresh N' Friends" which was a whole foods type store that had amazing food - AND it was open 24/7. It was a good place to stop after we came back at 6am from going out.... but um anyways I loved everything about Berlin. It had the coolest grafiti and music scene. It was a huge city and there is so much to do. I also went to the Jewish museum/holocaust museum and one of the many modern art galleries. I want to go back! I'm going to Paris on Wednesday .

Don't forget to see my post from Tokyo down below!

hostel...it looks like prison.

Lomography store!

I had frozen Yogurt for the first time in 10 months! So lekker!

Brandenburg Gate

Holocaust Memorial

Former air nazi ministry......now a financial office

Checkpoint Charlie

Humboldt-Universität

Where Michael Jackson dangled his baby

GERMANY.

Jewish Museum

Modern art gallery

Best food EVER!!

East Side Gallery - part of the Berlin wall

Tokyo !!!

2010-05-10T07:11:00.000-07:00

Okay, so, here is my post from Tokyo. I went to go visit my parents and it was everything cool/amazing/and weird in one place. It's a really cool place; but a whole different world. The people are nice but really weird, and it's almost impossible to communicate with anyone. Some of the things you see people wear you kind of just wonder what is logical or cute about it. They're into the weirdest crap, and there is so much of it. ONE thing I don't have a picture of is this store called "DONK!" Pronounced "Donkey" The store is packed with EVERYTHING, literally everything you could ever need and it has an info commercial on a tiny screen for every product. Ahhhhhhh. Sensory OVERLOAD. I also went on a trip with my dad to Fukuoka, so there's pictures from that too.

all day every day.

Fukuoka:

MOCHI !!!

Back in TYO:

being Japanese...duh

Take your dog to "Iam Candy" to get it groomed.

"The Cho"

...probably works so well

Is This Real?

2010-04-12T05:53:00.000-07:00

Today I went to Vondelpark and took some pictures. I can't believe there are actually flowers out, and that I survived this winter.....because I kind of wanted to kill myself every day. No joke. Anyways - here, enjoy. I go to Japan on Wednesday and have a lot to do.

Barcelona.

2010-04-11T07:14:00.000-07:00

I just got back from Barcelona this morning, and it was amazing to say the least. It was probably my favorite place that I've been so far. Everything was just so beautiful, and I felt safe at all times. People told me that I was probably going to get mugged and die - obviously, neither of those happened, thankfully. The two girls in my hostel room said they saw someone get pick pocketed on the train. But, the guy had a fanny pack and it was unzipped. I went alone, which I think was better in terms of getting attention drawn to me. It was easier to look like I lived there - or knew where I was going at least because for obvious reasons I don't look spanish. I preferred traveling alone actually. I could do whatever, whenever I wanted to.

THE WEATHER was amazing. It was 70 and sunny. I had some of the best fruit I've ever had there - and so cheap as well. For lunch every day I went to the big market 'La Boqueria' which just has stands and stands of fruit, vegetables, meat, bread, candy, chocolates, and just about everything you can imagine. I would get a huge container of fruit for only 2 euros, and all the stands that had fruit had fresh squeezed juice of every fruit imaginable, then they would have another kind mixed with coconut. The best I had was probably Mango juice with Coconut.

I did a bus tour and a walking tour one day - two things that I'm highly against. But I thought it would be a good way the first day to see everything and get a general idea to where everything was. I walked one day to Park Guell, which was designed by Antonio Gaudi. It was an amazing view, and a LONG walk up there, uphill, but definitely worth it.

Under are pictures - they aren't that good because I didn't bring my SLR camera because I didn't want to chance getting it stolen. It's probably the one place that I've wanted my camera the most though - ahh.

I am going to Japan in 3 days! I will most likely have lots of pictures from there - and I plan to buy a film camera before I go.

I Am For Real.

2010-03-31T05:28:00.000-07:00

So, my friend Abi was here this past week and we had a lot of fun. I showed her around Amsterdam (which you can do very quickly), and then one day we hopped over to Antwerp, Belgium for a day. I had real Belgian chocolate, and real Belgian wafels. They were delicious. The weather was really, really, really nice when Abi was here. She must have brought the good weather with her, because up until then it had only been about a high of 50 degrees. Today it's sunny but windy as hell. Windy as in you can barely stand up straight outside. It definitely makes riding your bike fun. I shouldn't be still wearing my pea coat at the end of March. But, I'm currently not because it's at the dry cleaners because I got shat on by a pigeon. I hate hate hate pigeons. They freak me out. So getting pooped on by one was just the icing on the cake, let me tell you.

I, in 8 days am going to Barcelona. From 8 April to 11 April. I don't speak any Spanish. Uno, dos, tres. That's about it. I'm just going by myself because I always have time off that no on else has off, so I just decided to go for it. Then I come home and on 14 April I go to Japan to visit my parents in Tokyo, untill 22 April. I then have more holiday from 1 May to 9 May, and then from 12 May to 16 May I'm going to Paris again with one of my friends Delaney. We're taking a bus. It takes about 7 hours, but it was the cheapest way of going and I think it will be fun if you go with someone you know. Pretty scenery. Then it's June. And then I come home.

Anyways, here are pictures from Belgium and Abi's visit.

This was a design store called "Droog" it was really cool and it features young designers trying to get their work out there.

Chocolate shop in Amsterdam. The lady was SO nice in there that she scolded me for taking a picuture and wouldn't let me take another one. (??)

Lunch by a canal because the weather was so nice. I do this everytime the weather is nice. It's great.

Huge houses behind Vondelpark!

Antwerp Centraal Station

mmmmm.

P.S.

2010-03-16T05:29:00.000-07:00

I hate blogging...and uploading those pictures took me forever. So I'll most likely only blog from now on when I have something to say or post....which is usually not so often because nothing interesting ever happens in my life...so...doei doei.

England

2010-03-15T05:21:00.000-07:00

I went to England a couple weeks ago, and here's a lot of pictures. I went to go visit some family in Emsworth, which is about 40 minutes outside of Southampton. I went to London for a day by myself, and the weather was about 50 degrees and sunny....I haven't seen the sun in 4 straight months, so it was nice to say the least. I did all the "touristy" stuff like Buckingham Palace, Green Park, London Eye, Big Ben, etc, and I ended my day with shopping on Oxford Street, which did some major damage to my wallet, but oh well. We then took an overnight trip to a small town in the Cotswold called Painswick. Long story as to why I wanted to go there, but it's the cutest town. On the way home we also went to Bath, which was beautiful, and Stonehenge. I also did some other things that would make my father jealous...like having beer and lunch in a pub from 1140. No big deal. Anyways, I had a lot of fun and it was SO nice to get out of The Netherlands for a bit (because it WILL drive you insane.) I hope to get back to London again before I leave...or my parents can pay 20,000 a year for me to go the University of The Arts London. Yah. No problem, right Mum & Dad...??

My friend Abi is coming soon. Soon as in the 23rd, so in under 10 days. (!!!)

Enjoy. Yahhhhh?

Good beer in the pub from 1140!

----Painswick----

----Bath----

----Stonehenge---

Ahhhhh

2010-02-26T23:26:00.000-08:00

Took some pictures around Amsterdam the other day. I'm sitting in the airport waiting for my flight to London Gatwick. I'm going to visit some family in the UK for a bit. Should be nice. I'll post more when I return with pictures and what not. Not much has been happening here, just excited to get out of the netherlands for a bit, and speak english to people who UNDERSTAND AND SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE AS WELL.

OH - And my friend Abi is coming on 22 March! Yay!

Around the Jordaan (pronounced like your-dahn) area, which is my favorite.

This is also in the Jordaan area.

BEST juice shop you'll ever come across. The guy 'Jay' is some man from an indian tribe who was involved in crime for 20 years, then turned his life around, and cleansed himself through juices. They're so good, and they can fix all you problems!

Double Post. Win.

2010-01-14T11:38:00.000-08:00

I've decided to make two posts...because I'm bored...and I feel like it? And I gave my blog a "makeover."

I think that I'm going to Berlin soon, which is awesome because I've really been wanting to go there!

I've been really really addicted to good music lately. Specifically, Beirut. Amsterdam has such a good music scene.

Check out this magic --> So leuk

Heel Mooi

Bingo

Lekker

Also, I was interviewed for a Dutch TV show, kind of like MTV, called TMF. (HAHAHHAHA.) I was walking to go pick up my computer and see a man in lab coat, with a giant grey wig (?) and all of a sudden there is a giant camera in my face. I kind of just said "uhh, what are you doing?" Then a microphone is also in my face, and I see the "TMF" symbol on it, and then realize what is going on. I started laughing really hard, and told them "Ik spreekt engels" which means, I speak English. The guy told me that obviously I'm wrong, and speak enough Dutch to do an interview. He asked me something and I had no idea what he said, so I then said again, Ik spreekt engels" and he was eventually like "Oh, well, okay, I'll let you go." Hah. It was probably the funniest thing that's happened in a while.

Blogging Fail.

2010-01-14T10:32:00.001-08:00

Helllllo.

I'm back in the world of blogging. My computer broke over a month ago, and I just got it back. I don't think I've ever been so happy to be reunited with something, than my computer. Sad, really.

Christmas and New Years was fun. My mum and sister met me in Paris at my Aunts house. Our Aussie friends happened to be in Paris at the same time as us, so it was nice to catch up with them. My dad couldn't come over from Japan which sucked...but, I'm hoping to make a visit to Japan while my parents are still there.

My friend Meg, from home came and visited me while I was here too. She flew into Paris on the 26th, and then she came back to Amsterdam with me on the 29th, unti the 3rd of January. It was really good to see her.

I also got a new lens for Christmas (that I bought myself) and so I've been taking a lot of pictures with it, because I love it.

I'm trying to figure out travel plans from now until I go home...I think in the spring that I'll get to quite a few places! I don't have much time left. :(

We've had hard packed snow on the ground here for about a month. It's my first "real" Winter...and on a bike it's interesting. I think that I've wiped out about 6 times now, and hopefully not counting.

Anyways....he are some pictures that I took over the Holidays. Enjoy. Happy belated New Year.

-xx.

Sculptures at The Louvre.

Jardins of Versailles

Christmas market around La Defense area.

Hall of Mirrors, in Versailles.

View from the top of the Eiffel Tower.

Fountain at The Louvre.

Best thing you'll ever eat.

Notre Dame.

Mum and sister at Notre Dame.

Vondelpark (main park in central Amsterdam.)

Outside my bedroom window.

Amsterdam canal.

Mother Nature Hates Me.

2009-11-30T10:24:00.001-08:00

Sooo, definitely haven't updated this in a while. Decided to after my grandmother has been asking me about it at every chance she gets. Kidding, Grandma..but really. That's okay I realize that I've been one giant fail about updating this. Lots has happened between now and then. It's December TOMORROW. INSANE. I don't know where the time has gone.

My sister and mum are coming this year for Christmas. They're meeting me in Paris because we're spending Christmas with my aunt, which should be really fun. Our Australian friends are also coming and my dad is going to try and make it from Japan so that should be a good time. After Christmas (on the 26th) I have my friend Meg coming from home. I'm really excited to see her. It should be good to see someone from home, and she's never been to Europe before. We're going to tour around Paris until the 29th, then she's coming back to Amsterdam with me until the 3rd. It's crazy, I remember her and my parents booking their tickets well over two months ago, and now it's 20 days or something crazy like that.

I've been meeting some really cool people here. Check out --> Amsterdam Acoustics. My friend and I met the guys who are behind that project last Friday night. They were really cool and invited us to come to a session next week when they're shooting Kings Of Convenience, and photograph for them. So, we'll see where that goes. Should be a cool experience.

It's gotten wickedly cold here. Every time I ride my bike I think that one of my limbs is going to fall off. The wind is horrible too. It stops my bike sometimes. Usually I'm on the way to swimming too, so by the time I get there I've gotten a 30 minute spin class in. DEATH. And, you think if the wind was ahead of you on the way there, it would be working with you on the way back..right? NO. Definitely not in this country. Mother nature hates me apparently, and loves the idea of making it rain ALL THE TIME. I'm really ready to get one of those bike poncho's. I swore to myself that I would NEVER get one, but they are looking pretty good right now.

I've discovered that Dutch people are very, very strange. I can't describe it really. It's just something that you have to experience. I saw a male teenage boy wearing ugg boots the other day. Yeah. That's exactly what I mean.

I'm going to put up some random pictures that I've taken. Most are crazy lighting pictures that I've taken in clubs...that's not all I do...I swear

This is my friend Faith. We went to a VICE Magazine party a while ago, and it was awesome!

This picture is insane because I have a mode on my camera that is really slow, so when people move it catches all their movements...that's why there is like 4 shadows of each person.

There was a GIANT random carnival in the middle of Dam Square. Weirddd.

Cool picture of the sunset I took the other night.

Maastricht.

2009-10-19T10:50:00.001-07:00

I went to Maastricht (Mah-streekt) this past Saturday and it was such a beautiful city. It's the first city that was built in Holland, so there was tons of history. People say it's like a "Little Paris" and it definitely is. It was only 26 euro round trip, and we got there around 10am and left around 9:30pm. We rented bikes around 4pm, but wished we would have rented them earlier in the day. It really is the best way to get around. It's faster than walking and we just turned down random streets and found some really cool things. By about 8pm we were all starving, and we found this delicious place to eat. We had this gigantic feast, all for less than 20 euro a person. I had the best salad that I've had in my entire life. One of my friends got a smoked salmon, almost cream cheese like sauce w/pasta. We were all soooo full afterwards and we decided that we're definitely going to give up going out once or twice a month and eat somewhere that is really nice.

There were so many churches in Maastricht, and we went in an especially beautiful one that was GIANT. You weren't supposed to take pictures, but I did. I didn't really realize it until we left and I saw the sign. It was also kind of creepy because the church was just so huge and silent. We sat down for a while and just looked at all the stained glass, and detail in the artwork.

All in all, Maastricht was a blast and we saw some really weird/cool things. On the way back there was a boy on the train that had the worst hair I've ever seen. Most Dutch people always use too much hair gel, but this was extreme. I got a picture of it. Don't worry.

I have this whole week off, and I'm really excited because on Friday my friend and I are going to a VICE Magazine party. We got FREE tickets. We go to anything that is free. VICE Magazine is known for being quirky/weird so I have to find something to wear. I tried to find something cool today but didn't really find much. I did just wander around, and managed to get lost, but then had the best piece of Banana Bread that I've had in my entire life. I chose to turn right down a small alley way, and ended up right back where I needed to be to catch the trem. It was fantastic. I think that I'm going to do the same thing tomorrow. I don't really have anything specific to do, I just go and spend money that I probably don't need to spend.

These past few days I have been dying, and now I feel better, but sound like I'm dying. I don't have a voice really anymore. Our neighbor from home was here for work again, and my mother sent a package full of drugs and hand sanitizer. I don't think that I've been that happy in a while. It was amazing.

LOOK AT HIS HAIR. OH MY GOD.

Feast.

These were French boy scouts. This was the funniest thing I've ever seen.

These are the first city walls.

This grave stone was so old, you couldn't even read the date.

A Small Bed Never Felt So Great at 9AM.

2009-10-12T14:27:00.000-07:00

So, the other day my friend and I, Melanie found these houses near Leidseplein area that represent the architecture of seven different countries, but there was only actually 6(??). It was really cool, but honestly, looked kind of out of place and weird because they were "new" buildings, on a street with old buildings. I guess it's not something you see every day that's why it's cool. Before seeing the houses we had met up with another au pair, Tanya (who's from Australia, and is a blast) and went to the Rijksmuseum. I'm not a huge museum/art person but I found it interesting. You cannot have phones or cameras out, security will literally tackle you. It's strange. I guess because the "Nightwatch" painting was sliced a long time ago, and ever since then they've been anal about security, because you never know who has a knife in their phone OR camera.

I'm missing lots of small things right now. I'm having my mother send me a special type of chapstick that you cant buy here, my curling iron, dental floss, dental threaders, GUM, hand sanitizer, and crest white strips. So sad, I know.

I'm going to Maastrict this Saturday. It looks to be a beautiful city, so I'm sure that there will be some pictures to follow. We're departing at 7am on Saturday, and then catching the last train at midnight. This past weekend I went out, and didn't get home until 9am. Due to wrong information on the official GVB website. My friend and I took at nap at 5:00am in Central Station because it was freezing, then thought the trems (trams) came at 6:00am. Nope, mine definitely came at 7:34am. I was dying, basically. It was freezing. While we were waiting we saw the weirdest people, but then there are totally normal people like us waiting to catch their trem home because they've stayed out all night too. Usually I go home earlier than 6am, but we thought we'd stay out because there were a couple special events going on at a club. My Mother is probably freaking out right now. But don't worry Mum, it's safe. I promise.

England

Nederland

Italy

Russia

Spain

Germany

Well, duh.

Ik ben Laura. Ik komt uit Canada. Ik woon nu in Nederlands.

2009-10-06T05:57:00.000-07:00

The window washers came again. Yep, the other day I was doing some e-mail, and who shows up at the window? The same man with missing teeth, chains, and baggy jeans. Charming. I'm sure that I didn't look so awesome either as I just rolled out of bed. But at least I have teeth. This time I was semi-ready because I heard them in the front so I put down the blinds, but you could still see through. Not much has happened since I last updated. Which was 948393 days ago. Sorry.

I've just been doing random stuff, and I have officially started Dutch classes. They are a mess. I entered into a class that had already been in session, so I missed two classes. I walked in and told the teacher my name and started to tell him that I forgot my sheet in the mail that confirms that I'm in his class. He cut me off halfway and said "NO ENGLISH! NO ENGLISH!" Oh wait, okay, let me tell you IN DUTCH how I forgot my confirmation slip at home. Sure. Dutch is the weirdest language you'll ever some across. Half of the words sound like you're trying to cough, and I'm pretty sure if you went up to someone that didn't know Dutch they would pat you on the back thinking you were choking on something. I'm not even exaggerating. There is the "g" sound which sounds mostly like you have Swine Flu and you're trying to clear your throat. G is a common letter in dutch, therefore, in at least every sentence you sound like you're dying. It's just odd. the letter "W" is actually a "V". When I look at a word that starts with a "W" it shouldn't sound like a "V." There are too many cases where two letters make the sound of another letter that doesn't really seem logical. Oh, Dutch people. That seems to be a common saying.

I got a Snuggie in the mail from my friend Abi. It's kind of growing on me. I told her I would barf if I got one because they are so ridiculous, but I've found that it's warm and you can literally do anything with a Snuggie. It's a blanket with sleeves! It's also Leopard print which makes it totally fashionable. I might even wear it biking. Or not. It's not that cute. But it does make a nice blanket. It's already gotten so cold here and it's only October. The weather is rain, rain, and more rain. I love the rain, and I'm not a huge fan of Summer, but I have now found that I don't like riding my bike into the rain and wind so, never thought I'd say this but, I LOVE SUMMER. And, it gives me a little bit of color, instead of being the color of Casper. Scary.

I have a cold now, but I definitely brought this one on. Last weekend my friends and I were in Leidseplein having some drinks and huge trailer pulled up and the back opened and Techno music started blaring. So, naturally, we walked over. It soon turned into a rave. It started pouring. I was soaked within 5 minutes. I mean SOAKED, no umbrella could save me. Everyone was raving in the rain, so we stayed for about 30 minutes or so, then I had a swim meet the next day so I went home. I didn't dry out and it was cold as ever on the bike ride home. So, I woke up not feeling so well the next morning.

I participated in my first dutch swim meet this last weekend too! It was interesting. It was only about 3 hours long, which is short to me. At home they would be ALL DAY which I think is too long. It was just the right amount of time. I only swam 100m in a relay. I did enjoy talking some kids on my team inbetween events. Everyone is very nice. A girl in my lane that often translates for me, I found out works at Jamie Olivers restaurant "Fifteen" in Amsterdam, so I'm definitely going because the menu looks DELISH.

Here are some pictures from Museiumplein/Rave in the rain/Good cheap pizza.

Enjoy.

Good cheap pizza. 5€.

We are soaked. I'm pictured in the red coat, and that is Melanie (whom is also Canadian) in the back. As you can see, we are drenched.

PARIS!

2009-09-21T12:16:00.000-07:00

So, I just came back from Paris. I went from this last Thursday through this Sunday night. It was really amazing, and I'm in love with that city. The weather was beautiful, and this time I went I actually saw the Tour Eiffel. Both in the day and night. I went up at night, and the view was spectacular. There was also an Australian girl, Lauren staying at my aunts house for a mini vacation and a chance to "improve" her french. So, it was nice to have someone to go out and do stuff with. I did lots of other fun things, including, attending a Techno Parade downtown Paris. I went with my cousin, one of his friends, and Lauren. It was basically a bunch of drug addicts and 15 year olds that drink too much following busses throughout the streets of Paris that play too loud of music. It was definitely some "French Culture". There were passed out drunk people just laying in the streets, and the ambulance just did laps to pick them up and take the to the "a coma tent". I had some weird encounters, and have learned there are some realllllly odd people on the metro/RER. Oh, and I got a huge "EFF YOU" on the Champs-Élysées, because I refused to talk to some man about his scam. Anyways, Enjoy the pictures below, I took lots...but these aren't all of them. The city is just sooo beautiful!

ps. To view the pictures, click on the actual "window" the pictures are in. It will take you to my picsa web page where you can view them as a slideshow.

Paris

I Love Waking Up To The Smell of Manure. Soo Awesome.

2009-09-08T09:15:00.000-07:00

I'm leaving for Paris on the 17th of this month, to visit my aunt. It was kind of short notice, as I had time off and my aunt offered to buy me a ticket. So, essentially it being 'free' for me to go, kind of made the decision for me. I'm really excited, I haven't seen her or my cousins for a while now, and now that I'm over here in Holland I'll probably see them often, which is nice. It's really awesome that she booked me a ticket on her her points, because on short notice plane and train tickets were fairly expensive. I'm also going to meet an Australian girl that is staying with them while I'm there. She's an exchange student for a couple weeks there, so I think that it will be fun. I've only been to Paris once, and I didn't really do any of the "touristy" stuff, because unfortunately my cousin was sick in the hospital. But I knew that I would have the chance to go back someday, so it wasn't really an issue. I'll be seeing Tour Eiffel for the first time, and all the other obligatory places. Yayyyy. So excited. Oh, and I'll also apparently have a cab waiting for me, with a sign with my face and name on it. My life sucks, right?

I started swimming last night. It was really fun, I'm really glad that I'm joining. Everyone was very nice, and a few of the girls in my lanes were awesome about telling me what the sets were. It's VERY relaxed here. Practice is only an hour long, and the sets aren't even that hard. It's a good workout though because there really isn't much rest. I am apparently being signed up to swim in my first meet on October 4th, so we'll see how that goes. The meets are weird here. I was explained that they are only about 2 and a 1/2 hours long. And, only two events. Everyone swims the same one. This one I believe is a relay, and 100 meter breaststroke..so we'll see. There is just one weird part. Everyone showers and changes together (like, coed I mean)...? The change rooms look like jail cells. Seriously. You walk in and there are pink & blue lockers "separating" the girls and boys. And you have to lock down a bench to secure the "door" that is see-through. It's very odd. Once you lock it, there is another room surrounded by walls so when you're actually changing it's separated into girls and boys. But, the showers are all unisex, and it's like one big group shower and changing room. I guess I'll get used to it. But uhhh, okay.

Apparently the first Monday of every month at 12:00 pm a "town alarm" goes off. This was kind of like the window washers..how I found out they come AFTER the dude with chains was standing at my window with a ladder. I heard this "alarm", really it sounded like carnival ride starting up. It was weird. I had noooo idea what this was, so I went outside. Only, no one else was outside. I was starting to imagine if I was the only one hearing this. People we're still going about their business like nothing was happening. Umm, HELLO is there a giant carnival in town that I didn't know was coming? It finally stopped. When Marja got home I asked her about it, and it's basically the same thing as the tsunami warnings in Hawaii. Except here it's obviously not for tsunami's. I really have no idea what it is for. What could you possibly need a giant alarm for? This town is surrounded by farms. Which REALLY stinks in the morning. I love waking up to the smell of manure. It's actually really awesome rolling out of bed, and feeling like you want to vomit. It's very strong. Something like a cow is actually in your house, or came by to drop off a goodie for you. I've kind of gotten used to it by now, but it's bad when it's windy.

I have also grown a giant love/HATE relationship with the wind. For many reasons.

I love the wind because:

a.) When you're biking with the wind, you don't have to pedal much.

I hate the wind because:

a.) When you're biking against the wind, it's pure hell.

b.) It makes the 'manure smell' come in wafts. Unpleasant.

c.) When you're riding your bike and maintenance is being done, aka cutting grass, it blows into your eyes. Sunglasses don't help. Same goes with street cleaners for the bike paths (?) Yeah, I also questioned that. You have no choice but to pass them, and you get a giant gust of exhaust/dirt/stench/whatever was on the ground in your face.

d.) It can be cold.

I think that it's safe to say that I HATE THE WIND.

September Sunset

2009-09-05T13:58:00.000-07:00

Today the weather was sheets of rain. I loved it. I love when it's dark and rainy outside. Yes, I know most people enjoy the sun, I do too, but I love when it gets dark at 4:30 p.m. and it's cold. I've been going for bike rides every night after dinner, it's awesome. It's actually really relaxing by the river with some good music. Some nights, when the sun has been out (like tonight) I bring my camera and take some pictures. The ones that you see above are on the way into town. The tall pointy building is one of the churches. It's so cool, it's really old and medieval looking. Surprisingly, there are about 3 churches in this little town. The other pictures you see are of a little restaurant in town. I think there is only one decent one. There are tons of little cafés, but this one is an actual sit down restaurant. It smells good, maybe I'll have to try it sometime. I usually get some pretty good pictures when the sun is setting, except when it's been cloudy then don't turn out very well. I made a flickr account. For those of you who don't know what that is it's a photography site that you can post on. There are some superb pictures on there. I can spend hours just looking at random photos. People are so talented. My link is here. The pictures are able to viewed larger, and I have more on there that I don't post on my blog.

I was informed yesterday by Marja (my host mum) that I need to go to the 'City Hall' and register with 'them'. I questioned her in this and asked "What do I need to register for?" She said that they basically just have to keep tabs on you. Why the hell someone would need that information, I don't know, and for 'them' to know where I am at all times is pretty creepy. I really don't understand why they need to know all my information. Talk about invasion. I go on Monday, so I'm sure it will be interesting. If I decide to move cities within Holland too, I have to take all my information to 'them' and register again. I've never heard of this. My mum will probably read this and know all about it, since she came from a farm town in The Praries with a total of probably 100 people. I just think it's extremely weird. A lot of things are extremely weird here. On my bike ride down the river, every night, I see a rabbit on the side of the road in a cage...across from someone's house. Why wouldn't you just keep your pet in your house? Or on your lawn? Not ACROSS the road in a cage. Beats me. It's really cute, I just want to let it out because I feel bad for it. Maybe I'll bring it some carrots next time or something. The people here are weird too. I was taking pictures the other night at some horse stables because they had really cool gates with awesome detail and I looked up and a man was standing there just STARING at me blankly. I kinda just put up my camera to show him I wasn't trying to break his fence or something because I was hidden behind a bunch of flowers. He stared me down, and I eventually just left on my bike. I think he thought I was doing something to his fences because it definitely wasn't a friendly look.

Rain, Rain, Rain.

2009-09-03T11:30:00.000-07:00

There has been INTENSE thunderstorms this week with hail and tons of lightening. It's actually really awesome when you're inside. I start swimming next week, and have been in contact with the coach via e-mail and she actually graduated from WSU. Small world. I'm looking forward to meeting her, she seems really nice and I'm sure there will be people on the team the same age as I am. Apparently, as she stressed to me, the teams here are really really relaxed. Not sure what they mean by "relaxed" because The Netherlands spits out some of the best swimmers in the world. So, we'll see. Practice is only an hour long..so I may come back without an arm or something. Who knows.

Are You 10?

2009-09-02T11:36:00.000-07:00

It's so scary here when you kids (10-14) driving scooters or mopeds. It just looks weird when you pass someone, and they are literally 10 driving a moped. There are also these weird ghetto bikes people have made them into a moped by attaching a motor. It's really strange. I'm trying to plan my first big trip since I've been here. Right now the options are Croatia, Budapest, Istanbul, or Switzerland. I'm not sure. Whatever is cheapest is what I'll take. I really would like to go to Croatia, but I think in October would be iffy, and if I was paying I'd like to go when the weather is nice. One of my good friends is planning to come visit in the spring, so maybe we'll go then when the weather is decent. If you have any suggestions, or input please e-mail me because I'm having a hard time narrowing it down!

Stroopvafels

2009-09-01T00:43:00.001-07:00

These are Stroopvafels (strooop-wafels). They are extremely addicting, especially when they are warm & fresh. They are thin "wafels" with a carmel like syrup inside. I'm sure they are really healthy for you. It doesn't help much that there is a bakery in my town that makes them fresh every morning. I think that by riding my bike 7 minutes each way it will make up for a couple bites of them. I always get the mini ones that come in small packages, but they are so good I end up eating almost all of them. I've only done this twice, so it's not THAT bad. I really enjoy going to the bakery to get the fresh bread. It's so much better here. Ahhh I could live here forever, off bread & cheese. Swimming for me starts next week, THANK GOD.

Today Was A Weird Day.

2009-08-25T08:19:00.000-07:00

Okay, It's official, I definitely feel very foreign here. A simple trip to the grocery store, and by the end the whole store is staring at me. The cashier speaking very loudly in Dutch after I told her "I only speak English, sorry" Didn't really help the situation much. I'm making dinner for tonight, so I just needed to go grab some stuff from the store. Simple, right? NO. I needed chicken broth, and it only comes with chunks of chicken floating in the bottom. Gross. So, I had to get the concentrated cubes that you stick into water. I decided to go with what I know. I almost grabbed pork, instead of chicken. Luckily I saw a lady I knew at the grocery store so she could help me, or we would have been having a pork dish tonight. I found everything else okay, but when I went to go check out the cashier said something in Dutch, and put out a sign. I said "Are you still open?" Because this was AFTER I put my stuff down. She just rolled her eyes. I had to pay, and had to use my card. I scanned it, and it started beeping at me. She said something again very loudly in Dutch, and this is when her that "I only speak English, sorry." She then proceeded to talk to me in Dutch very loudly. I have no idea what she said, because by the time she was done the whole store was apparently checking out at that time, and staring at me. I wanted to scream. I'M SORRY THAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND YOUR LANGUAGE. Anyways, I got all the stuff I need so I can make dinner. After a 30 minute search around the store for 5 items, and then having the whole store stare at me after god knows what that woman said. I didn't do much today, just biked around. It was rainy today so I used that time to FINALLY unpack, and put away my suitcases. Haahaha. SO late. And, good news! I'll be joining a swim team next week! I'm excited because I kind of miss swimming, and it will be a good way to meet people. It's not that hardcore either, only about 3 times a week which is perfect.

This morning I found out that we have window cleaners that come. I was eating my peanut butter on bread, and I turned around because I saw a shadow. Only to look out the window and see a man with tattoos, chains, MISSING TEETH, and piercings who slightly resembles a naked mole rat. (I provided a link, click it.) Actually, he considerably resembled a naked mole rat. This can be alarming at 9:00 am, freshly woken, and in PJ's. What even worried me further was that he was staring blankly into the kitchen window, holding a ladder. I was concerned for my safety. I quickly put down my food and dashed over to the couch to hide. I thought I was safe. About 20 minutes later I hear a tap on the big window RIGHT BY the couch. I look up, and hey! It's my friend with tattoo's, chains, and piercings. I thought Really? Is this happening RIGHT NOW? at 9:30 AM. I figured out that he was a window cleaner. And then suddenly, he vanished. He didn't go through the back gate, he was just gone. The windows are clean though. This was definitely scary, because I've never had an experience of someone with missing teeth staring into my window with a ladder at 9:00 am.

Wow. So, I Almost Died. And, The Food Is Good Here.

2009-08-24T05:28:00.000-07:00

I biked to Amstelveen again today, which is about 20 minutes outside of my town. It's a nice, calm ride along the river. My final destination was the V&D. It's the most amazing place ever. It has a giant food court, a FLOOR of jewelry & bags, very nice clothes, and a Sephora is connected to it. What more could you want? There are so many bike paths, and bike stop lights here. And, for every stop there are two lights, one for if you're going straight, or if you're turning. Makes sense. I missed the stop light where I was supposed to turn, because it looks like a game of connect the dots on the ground, only with cars and motorcycles (or "donor cycles" as my Dad would say) whipping past you faster than you can pedal. So, I decided I would turn at the next stop light, only to get closer and realize you can't turn at that one. Great. This is apparently when satan took over my mind. So I made the quick decision that I would turn at a crosswalk, where there is no right of way, or stop light. Helllllo? Yes, stupid in the first place. But then I decided that I was a biker, so I OBVIOUSLY have the right of way. WRONG. Cars move fast here. I did look before I crossed - no cars but, when I was crossing a car was coming faster than ever and slammed on it's breaks so close to me, and the driver honked his horn so loud. I think it's safe to say, pardon my french, that I almost shit my pants. Maybe I did. I don't do well in panic situations. Ahhhh. It was so scary. Once I finally got to the V&D I took a huge sigh of relief. Then, on the way home I didn't turn where I was supposed to and ended up biking 10 more minutes than I had to. I had to back track and use my great sense of direction to get my back to where I was supposed to be. For those of you who don't know. I SUCK AT DIRECTIONS. Oh well I got back home, and stopped at the super market to get some fresh fruit & veggies. The food here is so good, and there are totally different things than at home - it's so much better.

Typical lunch. Mmmm, so good. The bread & cheese is so good here!

REAL Gouda. SO good.

These are amazing. They are basically extremely light & thin graham crackers. They are specifically good in the morning with peanut butter on them. And, people put sprinkles on their toast here. It's weird, but good.

You THINK these are "American Marshmallows." However, they are not. They have a taste of marshmallows as we know - and cake batter? Weird combination but it works. They are addictive. They are popular to put out at parties, I have found out.

This goes out to you, Mum!

2009-08-23T11:09:00.000-07:00

Beer - With Dinner?

That's right Mum, no milk! I'm on my own now, so I don't have my mother nagging me to drink milk so I won't get osteoporosis when I'm older. It's awesome. I had my first legal bear with dinner last night. It wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be. Maybe that's because if I made a deal about it people would think I was a freak. Today I took a bike ride to Amstelveen which is about 20 minutes or less from my town. There is a nice shopping mall with a few things to do there. Lets face it. Anything is better than Salmon Creek. Aka..most boring place on EARTH. It was nice. The ride along the Amstel river is so pretty, but it STINKS. There are farms and dairys..but no fences. I was met on the bike path by a horse. I thought I was going to get kicked in the head. The horse started to neigh really loud as I rode past. Scary. There are also no fences for the animals, you can reach out and touch them. This is not a good thing, because there are also goats on the side of the road. I don't have a good relationship with goats. I am apparently their enemy. I was bucked by a "watch goat" in New Zealand. It was traumatic. My parents think it's funny. I hate goats. Period. Let's just say I won't be feeding them or petting them anytime soon.

Pancake Huis

2009-08-19T02:45:00.000-07:00

Walk to the Pancake Huis.

Walk to the Pancake Huis

Pancake Huis.

This peacock was just roaming around eating pancakes that the waiters gave them. It came so close.

It was Kaya's birthday yesterday, so we went to the Pancake Huis for dinner. It was so good. The pancakes are huge and thin, and come with anything you'd like on them. Or under them, apparently. I had a dead steamed fly under my pancake. It was gross. So, I got a new one. I rolled my ankle a couple days ago, so I went for a long bike ride this morning around town after I dropped Kaya off at school.

Bikes, Bikes, Bikes!

2009-08-15T12:16:00.000-07:00

We went to the beach last night for dinner. It was very nice. I put my feet in The North Sea! And, really it wasn't all that cold. It felt good. Bikes are seriously EVERYWHERE here. If you don't own a bike, you probably shouldn't live here. People use them as their main mode of transportation, no matter the weather. Today, I went for a ride to the supermarket by myself, I thought I was going to die. The cars pass you only a few inches away! I was surprised that I didn't get lost either!

I'm Here!

2009-08-12T22:33:00.000-07:00

I've arrived, and I'm slowly getting over jet lag. Ugh, I hate it. I'm still trying to unpack as I didn't get much done yesterday. The flight was pretty long but I slept most of they way so it wasn't too bad. I thought customs was going to take a while but it sure didn't. I handed the guy both my Canadian and American passports and he held up the Canadian one and said "What is this?" Well, that would be my other passport. Then I went to baggage claim, and I'm sure that I looked like an idiot. I thought you had to pay for the carts, but I couldn't find a price anywhere and it said "brake release" so, I pressed down on the handle but the cart wasn't coming out so I'm basically thrashing this whole line of carts trying to get one out. Then someone came next to me pressed the handle down hard, and got one out. Phew. Everyone was staring at me, which made it awkward. Oh well. At least I got the cart.

9 Days...

2009-08-02T18:53:00.000-07:00

So, I'm leaving in 9 days and moving to Amsterdam to be an au pair for about a year. I'm really excited and I think this will be a good thing. It's kind of crazy though because in less than 10 days I'll be leaving Vancouver (thank GOD) and moving to a land of windmills and cheese! Anyways, I'll be updating this frequently throughout the year with random stuff I do during the day, and where I travel to and from. I'm trying to pack right now - NIGHTMARE. I think my mother would agree with that.