Christmas Prep ;)

This post isn't so much of a complaint as just explaining how some things are here that aren't "so fabulous." First of all, it's freezing. It rarely gets out of the 40s. It's so cold when I bike that goes straight through my fleece and it feels like I'm wearing a tanktop. It rains all the time. The Dutch forcasts actually show Chance of Sun vs our Chance of Rain forcasts. We had about 15 minutes of sun yesterday and almost everyone went outside to see it. If you know how "not fabulous" my last winter was, you might know why this worries me a little. And everything is insanely expensive. If I ever did laundry, it would cost $9 for a small load. Tights tend to run about $10 a pair for a cheap pair. I've heard your average warm pair of gloves costs about $70, but I managed to find a kinda warm pair for only $15, so we will see how that works for me. I did invest in an insanely expensive pair of boots. I don't even want to think about what they cost in US dollars, but I was tired of freezing in the shoes I have here and I just couldn't hold out 6 more weeks until I get back to the fabulously cheap US.

Annie

Wow, I just spent 3:30 hours watching Annie in Franklin :). That was so awesome. If I hadn't already had such a great 24 hours in the Netherlands, I would probably already be on a plane home. As is, I just miss everybody terribly and cannot wait until Christmas.

Last night I went to Museum Night, which is the night that all 40+ museums are open in Amsterdam from 7pm-2am. I went with a girl I have met here who works at the European Space Agency, and we managed to see 9 museums, which from talking to others around us, was quite a lot. These photos are from last night, and one of these photos is specifically for Ric and Andy of course. The most amazing place was teh Portuguese Synangog, because it does not have electricity so is totally lit by candle light.

Then today church was fantastic. I first attended my second of four Unique Design classes, which was fabulous, and then went to service. I really have several friends here at church now, including one who is a super go-getter, NCAA type former athlete, who recently started going to church after meeting a haricrishna while waiting for a train and inviting him to come back and stay with her for a few days. The other I believe was recently saved, but at least was recently baptised and is really really struggling with having had an abortion less than a year ago. I mention these two people, because prayers I needed. And as a minor asside, Wow, do I ever have good friends in Franklin/Colorado. I so appreciate all of you who have left comments about praying for me here. It is just so good to know you are there where my roots are.

But the last few days I just kept thinking how awful it was not to see Annie, and how I wish someone would post a video or two for me, because it's just so strange not seeing a show at all. And as I kept saying on facebook, it was like missing Christmas with your family and them ot even sharing photos, except at least I'd seen Christmas before, so somehow in our odd little theatre community, I think a new show is bigger than Christmas. When Mom suggested showing it to me on skype I really didn't think it would work, but sure enough, this afternoon, I was in Franklin watching Annie AND even more, talking to everyone.

The show was fantastic and I'd wish I'd seen it earlier so I could have forced more people to see it. Though from what I hear it was quite full every night. The sound was perfect. The bright stage lights tend to wash everyone out. I can tell who the adults are by their voice or how they move, but I could only distinguish a few children so next time guys, I'm coming for reherasal, before the lighting "crew" starts to work.

Congratulations guys!!! See you in 6 weeks!!!

updates

So my mother think I should be blogging about something more interesting than laundry, so I should probably try to think of something to write about besides bicycles, parties and the rain. However, for those of you who have asked for a photo of my lovely bike, here it is. It's not quite a street racing bike. The other photos are from when Ruthi came to visit me. We had quite a huge party in my tiny container. My friends from school were there along with friends and neighbors from Diemen. All in all, I'd say there were about 20 different nationalities represented.

Overall, things are super fantastic here. We are almost through with the second week of the second period, and basically I am slammed. We are supposed to take 3 classes each period, but I've found 4 that are really interesting, so I am trying to handle 4. Plus I am taking a Dutch class FINALLY that meets 6 hours a week, and has at least 6 hours of homework, so basically, I am taking 5 classes. So if I figure 6 hours of studying for each class, that's 30 hours a week, plus 14 hours of classes, I'm going to be fairly busy. Sounds like I need to get up at 8 and treat this like a 9-5 job, but so far it's almost 1pm and I haven't started for the day. Fortunantly, I LOVE studying. Unfortunantly, I don't seem to have enough hours in the day. Fortunantly, I would gladly choose studying over socializing, especially after the last two nights. Unfortunantly, that is not always an option.

Conversations the last two nights with my friends have been, um, rough. I've never considered myself one who easily takes offense or gets emotional in a convesation, but when you try to convince me the US and I am evil based on a clip from a Michael Moore video, while you are clearly about to cry because I said I don't want the state to take care of people who don't work, I just leads to unpleasantness. But that was really nothing compaired to someone playing a "Fck the Cops" song for me. I actually left after that, and went to my own container to react. Because I think both shoving someone off a balcony or bursting into tears would have been the wrong reactions, and I was too emotional for anything else. I've had friends killed by people with that attitude of hate. I'm not sure why these things are bothering me so much, but they are.

But attitudes aside, life here isn't too different from life anywhere. Sure, little things get really exciting, like figuring out how to get somewhere or doing laundry or talking in the proper language to a store clerk; but overall, it's the same delimas as home . . . should I get up and take a shower and get dressed, or do I want to run later, so should I save the shower? It's been pouring for days so I think I might as well take that shower.

More beauty

I'm just so . . . . what's the word . . . . happy these days. I cannot say why or at least I can say it's not due to any specific external thing. Of course, seeing sights like this when I bike around doesn't hurt.

I am taking a moderate vacation from studies this week. We were supposed to start classes the day I turned in my last exam, but I actually missed the first class because it took me 15 STRAIGHT hours to do my laundry. And so far the rest of the week has been mostly devoted to cleaning. I don't want to get too far behind, but I know now I can easily catch up next week and will be much better off if I take this break.

Exams, Trials, Vacations, Visitors, Christmas. . . fine, but Laundry?????/

I absolutly positively couldn't not sleep after 3:30 this morning. I tossed and turned and tried to figure out something that was a cross between an exam and how to get to Amstelveen in my half awake half dreams, and then I finally did what I tell "others" is stupid, I got up. I took a shower, made some tea, sent an email to "others" that I have no idea if it was comprehensable. When people tell me they woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep so they got up, I always think, duh, of course, you couldn't go back to sleep if you GOT UP. Stay in bed. Well it just wasn't happening for me this time, so I got up. It was better than tossing and turning. I laid back down a little after 5, knowing my alarm would go off at 6:00. And of course when I did, I immedieatly felt more relaxed than I had all night. But unlike those restless nights when you actually do finally fall into a good sleep after you hit the snooze, I actually got up. I had my suitcase packed and clothes laid out, and since I had already taken a shower at about 4:00 am, I was out the door in record time. I had so much excess energy I actually excited to get to drag my 50 lbs suitcase about a mile through the park so that I could use up so much energy. You see, the reason I am up so early, and the reason I drug my suitcase through the park, and possibly the reason I am so hyper today is that I get to do my laundry. I haven't done ANY laundry in 6 weeks, except for washing my JEANS IN THE SINK!!!!! I often have trouble sleeping when I'm really excited or nervous about something, but seriously, laundry?????

Life has ReBegun

I studied so hard for that exam. I've never studied so much in all my life. And . . . it was pretty easy. (I'm glad my friends here do not read this). Life actually rebegan last Saturday when I realized I was studying WAY more than necessary and stopped. And today, after my exam, I enjoyed the sun, went for a run in the freezing cold, bought a bicycle pump, cooked for my boys, and ahhhhhhhh relaxed. Life is really really good here, but I really really miss Franklin and everyone there. I'm happy here, I'm not homesick. I just love Franklin.
Everyone worked out so perfectly when I was coming here and I knew God was saying loud and clear that he was opening this door. And sometimes I wondered why He was making it sooooo clear. I wondered if he was making it clear that this is where I was supposed to be because once I got here things would be really hard. They are not hard. They are great. BUT, I need to know I am supposed to be here, because if not I'd be constantly thinking I should have stayed with Ric, and Ariel, and Henry, and Lindsay, and OMT, and . . .

Knowledge

Sooo... what I have learned from two weeks of studying. Gummy Bears and Thai Chili Potato Chips taste really good together, and I don't mean one right after the other, I mean together.

Sunday

So it was a fairly sunny afternoon so we decided to go to IKEA for dinner. But as we left it started raining. O well, I didn't bring anything, I'm not one of those ultra prepared people like my friend. But then again, I don't really mind getting wet, it can be fun. But of course IKEA was closed when we got there, so we biked back and stopped at BK for dinner. The Whopper was so very American. Paying $0.60 for a pack of ketchup was NOT. We managed to stay in the restaurant for a good deal of the storm and then ride back as far as possibly UNDER the Arena. By the time we got to the far side of the Arena it has stopped raining and we biked home through the pudddles. AS soon as we got back to the containers there was a terrible storm, so we missed most of it.
Wow that was a boring story. I am just being too lazy to mop my floor and would rather sit here and type.
I miss my car. Heck, I miss any car. I think if I were home right now I'd get in my car and drive through this storm to my thinking spot. I bet it's lovely up there right now.
I miss couches too. I don't have a couch. I have a green plastic hard chair and a bed. I'd buy a couch, but I'm a poor student.

a bit behind schedule

So I woke up and 10 and made a plan. I figured I would study 3 weeks of material, taking 3 hours for each week and be done studying at 7. well . . .
I did get more done than last night, when I emailed everyone and blogged and facebooked and surfed. But I didn't start until 11, and then it definitly took me 4 hours to do the 1st chapter, but that was fine. I would finish at nine. But then I was super craving spagetti, so I biked to the store but they were out of groundbeef, so I went to another store, then I got back and started cooking, and Jakub sent me a message asking if I wanted to go for a run. Well it would be unhealthy for me to turn that down, so I finished cooking and went for a run, and as that finished of course he was starving, and I knew I had food waiting so I envited him and Michal over for dinner, and of course they came. So it was a lovely evening with dinner and conversation and as always youtube. We are joining the world in the shock that a man who hasn't done anything got the Nobel Peace Prize, but last year a guy who made a movie with statistics in it got the prize so it's apparently not hard to get. He's not exactly Mother Thersea if you want to know my opinion. But they didn't stay late. We all have studying and sleeping to do, but you see. I went running in my jacket, because it was cold, but then of course, I sweated in my jacket, so I decided to put my new handwashing skills to the test and to handwash a winter fleece jacket. It took quite a while so I watched Criminal Minds (a show I love but do not recommend) while I washed it and I must say, it is a much nicer shade of pink at the moment as it hangs on my bathroom radiator drying. My handwashing skills are improving. I did my sweatpants yesterday, my jacket today, and so I think I will tackle my jeans tomorrow. It was a fabulously sunny day today, but the rain has returned this evening and I believe it plans to stay for awhile. Ahh well, I'm studying.

OMTs Post

Well I couldn't exactly read OMTs post and not post one of my own. Not exactly in response to his, but just because I agree, blogging is so much better than facebook. Not that I don't love facebook. Facebook helps me forget that I am so far from all of you. Heck, I must be close if I know what movie you are watching and who you are watching it with.

I need to be studying. Rumor has it that only 25% of the people passed this exam last year. But for some reason I sense it is much more important to send emails to people back in Franklin and check everyone's facebook page and blog and . . .. Well, you get the point

As I was biking home the other day, I was looking around and still being amazing at the sheer number of people my age that there are in this town. Most nights I have more than one option for socializing. There is soooooo much to do and for so long I had little to do in Franklin outside of work and as I said when I first came to Franklin if it wasn't for OMT I would have had NOTHING else to do. But that being said, I wouldn't trade a single day I lived in Franklin and may just decide to embrace the single life and move back there for good.

I'm a little more, "Proud to Be an American" than I used to be. I mean I was always proud to be an American, but last time I was here I was more interested in learning how others thought than sharing what I thought. Heck, I know what I think, so why should I bother to repeat it, I don't learn anything by sharing my thoughts outloud, I'd rather hear other peoples' thoughts. But every now and then, it's fun to say, "We're American. What the heck do we care if you silly academics think what we do is legal or illegal based on what you think the law may or may not be. It's meaningless. We'll do whatever we think is right. And what are you going to do about it? Write us a mean letter? Ooooooo, I'm scared." OK, I know that is precisly why Americans are not loved, but it's fun to say it and see the reactions sometimes. And no matter what, I'm not appologizing for being American, though I am not always as tactless.

How's this for an Answered Prayer

Finally made it to church on time and as I got there I saw a girl from my class leaving the service before mine. She has apparently been going there since week one as well, just different services. Heel leuk.

New Day

I just removed the link from my facebook to my blog. Now facebook is so public and the blog so much less known, I figured this would now be the best way to communicate with friends and family. For a long time I couldn't really post anything because of my job, and recently, well, there are a lot of new aquaintances who are getting to know me through facebook and I don't really want to share this stuff with them.
Of course if you are reading this and you are a new Amsterdam friend that's fine, I'm just warning you, these are my real thoughts.
First to briefly catch everyone up, life is very good here. I've made many friends and two fabulous friends who live in Diemen who are just so so nice and precious and I am VERY blessed to have them here with me.
School is going fine. I have finals in my first set of classes coming up in 3 weeks so I am starting to study a lot now. I can't wait to get these introduction courses over so that I can start some more interesting courses.
Now of course, I'm not blogging at 4 am and going to the trouble of taking my bloglink off facebook just to tell you that school is good and I've met some people.
The truth is kinda rough here. I am used to people ignoring God, but here I find God, Christ, and Christian bashing to be one of the most common topics of conversation, and while I say things when I can, arguing with a drunk person is about the same as throwing pearls to pigs. And speaking of pigs, I keep thinking about the pig with a gold ring in it's snout, but that's a post for another day. Mostly I know it's about letting these people see what a true Christian is. I hope somehow God will reveal himself through me, because it's not something I can actually show on my own. I get in the way, way too much.

Look Dad. This is how we run from my home to Ajax stadium

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Untitled

Shared via AddThis

I had the most delightful experience last night. I went to see Inglorious Bastards here in Netherlands. And you might ask, why that was so delightful, well I'll tell you, most of the movie was in German or French and the theatre I was at only had Dutch subtitles, not English ones, and I understood all but one two minute scene. By the end of the movie I practically forgot there was no English, except of course, I didn't because I was just so excited about understanding it.

It is all it's cracked up to be

Just in case you were wondering as I was for the last many years, being able to sleep in and not having to be at work early every morning, really is all it's cracked up to be.