A lot of things happened today. I've been busy.
This morning I got up early so I could go to the mall before French class... My camera broke and was irreparable by anyone I asked, so I needed a new one. I left at 8:30, getting there around five til 9.
Every single store was closed.
One little coffee place was open and she said nothing opened til 10. Wow. So different from the states. I mean, some stores don't open until 9, or sometimes 9:30, but they're pretty much already swinging by 10. Anyways, I went back to the apartment, read a chapter of marketing and returned to the mall. I got my smurf sweatshirt and a new camera. It's really nice and I'm really happy with it. It has a rechargeable battery, but it charges off my computer, so that doesn't really matter to me. Means it should last longer than my old camera ever did.
Anyways, because of it being later, I showed up to French half an hour late, but picked up the words for foods. Then I returned for lunch, had some tasty ravioli. (What? It's cheap and it's meat and fast. And really yummy.) I went to marketing next and we got through two chapters in record time.
James and I caught the metro to Grand Central and caught the train at 4:02 to Charleroi, where RyanAir Airport is. It's about an hour to get there, and then a good long bus ride. Our flight was at 7:35, so we had plenty of time, but when we go to Madrid next week, we'll have to leave 3:15 at the latest.
Anyways, we got checked in, through security and got dinner in the airport. Really expensive, but really good pizza. Then we stood in line. You have no assigned seats with RyanAir, so people were standing in line an hour before. We got in halfway point, and we got pretty good seats. We were late boarding (about 30 minutes) but we did arrive about on time, but more about that later.
When you step on a RyanAir plane, your eyeballs want to scream and commit suicide. It's BRIGHT yellow, EVERYWHERE. We sat down and the plane was packed. And I don't mean every seat was filled, I mean my knees were hitting the seat in front of me when I was sitting normally. James (who's 6'4") looked even more uncomfortable.
I tried (and sortof) slept on the flight. It was an hour and a half or so. They apparently offered food and candy and drinks several times, but you had to pay for it all. We finally landed and a trumpet sounded. They had a recording of a trumpet and this British-sounding guy saying how awesome RyanAir was by landing 90% of it's flights on time and all this stuff. It was really funny.
We got off the plane, grabbed a bus and took a 40 minute ride through rather sketch parts of town to the water taxi. We got on one and it was gorgeous. I had been missing the water. But now I'm surrounded. =] Our boat ride was a good 25 minutes or so, and it was so pretty with the lights reflecting off the water. We saw our hostel from the boat, and the front windows have a spectacular view. This hostel is awesome. Clean and inviting with breakfast included. Definitely one to recommend. Tomorrow we're going to explore. I can't wait to see everything in daylight tomorrow, as it was dark by the time we got here.
It's so crazy to me. This morning was a little different because I had to run early errands, but then everything else was normal. I got a waffle in the subway on the way to the mall. I had a normal breakfast when I got up. I had normal French class and a normal lunch. Marketing was a little more fast-paced, but that was only because the chapters were short. And then, incredibly, an hour train, an hour and half plane ride, a half hour water taxi ride, I'm sitting in a hostel in a different country with a different language, a very different terrain. Such a small amount of time to travel seemingly so far.
Even though I've only seen it in the dark, Venice is gorgeous. The water's amazing, the alley ways adorable, and every house seems to either be on or face the water (of course, I think it'd be hard not to). I had a feeling that I would really like Venice, and I hope that proves true tomorrow. The whole island is 2 miles wide, so we'll be doing a lot of walking. It should be a ton of fun.
It has, however been, an incredibly long day, so time for bed.
Goodnight, world.
The musings of a twenty-something currently studying in Missouri.
Always loving the escape as much as the anchors.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Getting Late
Today was fun. I've only been up since 4AM or so... I got a fair amount done. Read my marketing, finished my paper, packed for this weekend, went to the grocery store, made a massive amount of shepard's pie, and socialized for a long time.
Tomorrow, we leave for Venice. Megan is sick so it will only be James and me. We're working on hostel cancellations and everything right now. We've heard variations from "five days won't be enough" to "perfect" to "holy cow, that's way too long", but we'll do what we do and see what happens.
Today I went to the grocery store. Going about noontime was not a good idea. Everyone gets out of school and goes to lunch, so the metro and trams and everything are packed. I did have a delicious panini hamburger. (Different from the last one because it had cheese and a different bread. I prefer the "sandwich.")
So I went to the store with my list. Last time I made a list, I was smart and translated it all into French before going. This time I didn't... I walked up to the "meat counter" and it's really just a window with all the different meats laid out and prices shown. Next to the window is a sheet with all the different products on it, and you fill it out. Now the items in the window had names, but I couldn't match the name of what looked like ground beef to a name on the paper. I walked over to the butcher and asked her if she spoke English.
I got a resounding, "NO."
Hokay. So I don't know how to read this paper, and she doesn't speak English.
"Ground beef?"
"No."
So what am I going to do? Huh. Oh, right. "Hamburger?"
She says something in French and makes a grinding motion. I nod. "Beof."
She nods. "How much?"
"One and a half kilos." I hold up fingers.
She looks confused.
I write it down. She gapes. I nod. She puts it in a box for me.
Turns out that was the hardest thing. Even found the flake potatoes. I may have boiled over the milk and water when making it, but everything turned out okay and the huge pan and seven individual dishes were gone between the ten of us. Needless to say, dinner was good and everyone got to socialize for a long time. We're going to make it a regular thing, which I'm looking forward to.
Time for bed. This weekend should be interesting and fun. Heads up now that I may or may not have internet. Hopefully I will. I should in the hostel. But you never know.
Goodnight, world.
Tomorrow, we leave for Venice. Megan is sick so it will only be James and me. We're working on hostel cancellations and everything right now. We've heard variations from "five days won't be enough" to "perfect" to "holy cow, that's way too long", but we'll do what we do and see what happens.
Today I went to the grocery store. Going about noontime was not a good idea. Everyone gets out of school and goes to lunch, so the metro and trams and everything are packed. I did have a delicious panini hamburger. (Different from the last one because it had cheese and a different bread. I prefer the "sandwich.")
So I went to the store with my list. Last time I made a list, I was smart and translated it all into French before going. This time I didn't... I walked up to the "meat counter" and it's really just a window with all the different meats laid out and prices shown. Next to the window is a sheet with all the different products on it, and you fill it out. Now the items in the window had names, but I couldn't match the name of what looked like ground beef to a name on the paper. I walked over to the butcher and asked her if she spoke English.
I got a resounding, "NO."
Hokay. So I don't know how to read this paper, and she doesn't speak English.
"Ground beef?"
"No."
So what am I going to do? Huh. Oh, right. "Hamburger?"
She says something in French and makes a grinding motion. I nod. "Beof."
She nods. "How much?"
"One and a half kilos." I hold up fingers.
She looks confused.
I write it down. She gapes. I nod. She puts it in a box for me.
Turns out that was the hardest thing. Even found the flake potatoes. I may have boiled over the milk and water when making it, but everything turned out okay and the huge pan and seven individual dishes were gone between the ten of us. Needless to say, dinner was good and everyone got to socialize for a long time. We're going to make it a regular thing, which I'm looking forward to.
Time for bed. This weekend should be interesting and fun. Heads up now that I may or may not have internet. Hopefully I will. I should in the hostel. But you never know.
Goodnight, world.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Weekday Boredom
I feel like an early post tonite, and hopefully going to bed early. I know they've gotten shorter and shorter, but during the week, nothing particularly interesting happens.
I just enjoyed a nice glass of off-brand baileys after having some yummy ravioli and jerky for dinner. I'm not so eager to buy food right now, as I'm leaving on Thursday for five days. I will go tomorrow to get stuff for shepard's pie. Looking forward to it. =]
Today was uneventful, slept through French class, read three chapters of marketing, went to marketing class, went to the little store around the corner with Sam, Sarah and Kristin, bought some Kinder Eggs and watched House.
It's been cold and rainy all day, and I went to class in flip flops because I didn't have any socks. But I did do laundry today, so hopefully they'll be dry by tomorrow. Oh, and we don't have any heat. Well, very little. It's pretty cold. But we're all bundled up. Sam and Kristen went to dinner at our marketing professor's apartment with a few other people, and I'll go next time. He's a real Cajun cook, and he's cooking for everyone in the class.
Tomorrow I'll make shepard's pie - ten people coming so far - and finalize plans for Venice. James and Megan have never met, so that should be interesting, but I'm pretty sure they'll get along. We leave immediately from class on Thursday, so that should be fun. I'm looking forward to coming back from Madrid so I have a chance to stay home and relax. But I'll make the most out of the next two weeks. Hopefully it will be fun.
Goodnight, world.
I just enjoyed a nice glass of off-brand baileys after having some yummy ravioli and jerky for dinner. I'm not so eager to buy food right now, as I'm leaving on Thursday for five days. I will go tomorrow to get stuff for shepard's pie. Looking forward to it. =]
Today was uneventful, slept through French class, read three chapters of marketing, went to marketing class, went to the little store around the corner with Sam, Sarah and Kristin, bought some Kinder Eggs and watched House.
It's been cold and rainy all day, and I went to class in flip flops because I didn't have any socks. But I did do laundry today, so hopefully they'll be dry by tomorrow. Oh, and we don't have any heat. Well, very little. It's pretty cold. But we're all bundled up. Sam and Kristen went to dinner at our marketing professor's apartment with a few other people, and I'll go next time. He's a real Cajun cook, and he's cooking for everyone in the class.
Tomorrow I'll make shepard's pie - ten people coming so far - and finalize plans for Venice. James and Megan have never met, so that should be interesting, but I'm pretty sure they'll get along. We leave immediately from class on Thursday, so that should be fun. I'm looking forward to coming back from Madrid so I have a chance to stay home and relax. But I'll make the most out of the next two weeks. Hopefully it will be fun.
Goodnight, world.
Home Sweet Home
You know, it's funny. Three weeks has been enough to make Brussels feel like home. I enjoy coming back to my own bed, my own space, a familiar area. Everything just feels comfortable. Coming back last night, I walked into Grand Central and thought to myself, "Good, I'm home. I know where I'm going now."
Today was fairly uneventful. Slept in really really late, did some homework, watched Psych and went to the grocery store with Sam, Kristin, James, and Brinley.
We went to a new grocery store. I think calling it a warehouse would be more accurate. It was huge. And super cheap. There was an entire aisle of chocolate, floor to 20-foot ceiling, at least 30 meters long. They had socks and pots and index cards (the first we've been able to find) and produce and ice cream and stuffed animals and toys and lots and lots of wine. It was incredible. Everything you could ever want, everything we hadn't been able to find. Except for peanut butter... They had Milky Way bars and Snickers and Sprite and animal crackers and fish sticks and frosted flakes (which I hadn't been able to find). It's only two stops by tram and the only drawback is that they don't take credit or debit. I'll be going back later this week to get ingredients for Shepard's Pie. (Mom, could you send me the recipe... again?) It should be cheap and allow me to get a lot because I'm feeding up to 15 this time around.
Yup, we're starting Wednesday Night Dinners at our apartment. I"ll be cooking every week and everyone will chip in. If you know a good recipe, let me know. I'm looking forward to it. And it gives everyone a chance to hang out together without having a class or something.
Sam and I got a chicken, corn, spinach, tomato and feta pizza to share for dinner, and we ate with Kristin, who has unofficially moved in. After, I did a little homework and am now sitting here writing this.
I'm going to Venice this weekend, hopefully taking my computer. Taking Ryan Air, which will be interesting, and we're the first to use it, so we have to report back next week. James decided that he would come with, so that makes three of us. I'm really looking forward to it, but also curious as to how I'll manage to pack for 5 nights in under 10 kilos. Shouldn't be too hard.
It really surprises me how much traveling makes you tired. Even when you're gone for two or three days, you're exhausted when you get back, and we're going for five nights this weekend. And then we have two days before we go to Madrid for a week. I will literally come home Tuesday morning and then leave again Thursday night, and then not be back until Wednesday night, but then I have a week and a half before going to the UK for a week. It will be fun, and I'm looking forward to it, but I know I will be dead on my feet by the end of it. I'm glad I have the opportunity to be here in Europe, and I'm trying to make the most of it. It's terribly exciting to see new cities, and I'm making the most of it. By the end of four months, I will (hopefully and planning to) have seen: Brussels, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Zurich, Venice, Madrid, Barcelona, Bruges, Dublin, London, Glasgow, Birmingham, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Paris and most likely some others. That comes out to an average of a city a week. Not bad, if you ask me.
Being here has it's ups and downs, but I can't say enough how much I'm enjoying seeing the sights and learning as much as I have and will. Every day has its adventures, and I want to take advantage of that.
But to have those adventures, I have to have the energy to get up in the morning. =P
Goodnight, world.
Today was fairly uneventful. Slept in really really late, did some homework, watched Psych and went to the grocery store with Sam, Kristin, James, and Brinley.
We went to a new grocery store. I think calling it a warehouse would be more accurate. It was huge. And super cheap. There was an entire aisle of chocolate, floor to 20-foot ceiling, at least 30 meters long. They had socks and pots and index cards (the first we've been able to find) and produce and ice cream and stuffed animals and toys and lots and lots of wine. It was incredible. Everything you could ever want, everything we hadn't been able to find. Except for peanut butter... They had Milky Way bars and Snickers and Sprite and animal crackers and fish sticks and frosted flakes (which I hadn't been able to find). It's only two stops by tram and the only drawback is that they don't take credit or debit. I'll be going back later this week to get ingredients for Shepard's Pie. (Mom, could you send me the recipe... again?) It should be cheap and allow me to get a lot because I'm feeding up to 15 this time around.
Yup, we're starting Wednesday Night Dinners at our apartment. I"ll be cooking every week and everyone will chip in. If you know a good recipe, let me know. I'm looking forward to it. And it gives everyone a chance to hang out together without having a class or something.
Sam and I got a chicken, corn, spinach, tomato and feta pizza to share for dinner, and we ate with Kristin, who has unofficially moved in. After, I did a little homework and am now sitting here writing this.
I'm going to Venice this weekend, hopefully taking my computer. Taking Ryan Air, which will be interesting, and we're the first to use it, so we have to report back next week. James decided that he would come with, so that makes three of us. I'm really looking forward to it, but also curious as to how I'll manage to pack for 5 nights in under 10 kilos. Shouldn't be too hard.
It really surprises me how much traveling makes you tired. Even when you're gone for two or three days, you're exhausted when you get back, and we're going for five nights this weekend. And then we have two days before we go to Madrid for a week. I will literally come home Tuesday morning and then leave again Thursday night, and then not be back until Wednesday night, but then I have a week and a half before going to the UK for a week. It will be fun, and I'm looking forward to it, but I know I will be dead on my feet by the end of it. I'm glad I have the opportunity to be here in Europe, and I'm trying to make the most of it. It's terribly exciting to see new cities, and I'm making the most of it. By the end of four months, I will (hopefully and planning to) have seen: Brussels, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Zurich, Venice, Madrid, Barcelona, Bruges, Dublin, London, Glasgow, Birmingham, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Paris and most likely some others. That comes out to an average of a city a week. Not bad, if you ask me.
Being here has it's ups and downs, but I can't say enough how much I'm enjoying seeing the sights and learning as much as I have and will. Every day has its adventures, and I want to take advantage of that.
But to have those adventures, I have to have the energy to get up in the morning. =P
Goodnight, world.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Sunday morning.
6:50 PM
Well, the plane is finally in the air. We sat on the tarmac for at least an hour, if not more. I took a little nap, and I just hope that I make my connecting flight to Brussels when we get to Amsterdam. I will only have 30 minutes, and they're making me go check in and get my boarding pass because the printer was out of paper in Zurich...
So. Today. Oh, my, do I wish I could understand. We woke up and had breakfast (bread with nutella like every day so far) and then Marion and I made pretzels. They never rose, but they were pretty good anyways. And now I have a fantastic recipe for pretzels.
Then I talked with Inge, asked her for money for Israel...actually we were talking while making the pretzels, but it got into a slight argument. She wants meto go for at least a full week, which I can't do, and we decided we wouldn't go if and that was that. We had leftovers from the party for lunch and noshed on pretzels, and then she said that it would be fine to come for the four days we had planned and that I need to send her the flights and she'll send me the money later this week. She's going to Israel on Tuesday... We'll see what happens.
Then we all talked a bit, nothing important, and Nigel and Marion took me to the airport. I got my Swiss Army Knives and a Swiss bear, and said goodbye. I hurried through security and got to the plane, picked up my boarding pass, got on, and sat for an hour. They say we'll only be half an hour late arriving because they're flying faster than normal or something, and hopefully they're right.
More later, when I get home. Should be 10 or 11, so we'll see.
12:30 (now) I will write more tomorrow. I'm tired and just got home and want to go to bed. Basically, flights home were uneventful and I'm here now.
Goodnight world.
Well, the plane is finally in the air. We sat on the tarmac for at least an hour, if not more. I took a little nap, and I just hope that I make my connecting flight to Brussels when we get to Amsterdam. I will only have 30 minutes, and they're making me go check in and get my boarding pass because the printer was out of paper in Zurich...
So. Today. Oh, my, do I wish I could understand. We woke up and had breakfast (bread with nutella like every day so far) and then Marion and I made pretzels. They never rose, but they were pretty good anyways. And now I have a fantastic recipe for pretzels.
Then I talked with Inge, asked her for money for Israel...actually we were talking while making the pretzels, but it got into a slight argument. She wants meto go for at least a full week, which I can't do, and we decided we wouldn't go if and that was that. We had leftovers from the party for lunch and noshed on pretzels, and then she said that it would be fine to come for the four days we had planned and that I need to send her the flights and she'll send me the money later this week. She's going to Israel on Tuesday... We'll see what happens.
Then we all talked a bit, nothing important, and Nigel and Marion took me to the airport. I got my Swiss Army Knives and a Swiss bear, and said goodbye. I hurried through security and got to the plane, picked up my boarding pass, got on, and sat for an hour. They say we'll only be half an hour late arriving because they're flying faster than normal or something, and hopefully they're right.
More later, when I get home. Should be 10 or 11, so we'll see.
12:30 (now) I will write more tomorrow. I'm tired and just got home and want to go to bed. Basically, flights home were uneventful and I'm here now.
Goodnight world.
Saturday
11PM
Wow. Uhm. So there are a lot of things heavy on my mind, but that's not what this blog is about... At least the things that I've been thinking about aren't appropriate to talk about here.
So. What did I do today? Well, we got up and had breakfast, and then all four of us went to feed the swans old matzah before we took the tram up to the zoo stop and had hot chocolate while it snowed. It was a beautiful sunny day when we went in and when we came out, but while we were inside, it snowed. It was a fantastic view, and then we took the tram down along the lake. We then had soup Inge made that was chicken and meatballs. Afterwards, we got ready for the party and went down to the hotel/restaurant. Inge and I had hot chocolate when we got there after picking up the cake, and then Marion and Nigel joined us later.
The party was fun. We had wine and hor d'vours that were delicious before sitting down to dinner, which was buffet style curry chicken and fruit. It was very tasty. Then we had chocolate cake and ice cream with chocolate sauce for dessert. There were a lot of people there, most of whom I didn't know but knew me from when I was three. I talked to a fair amount of people, spoke a little Portuguese with a guy from Brazil, some Spanish with a lot of people, a tiny bit of German, and lots of English. Everyone was nice, and it was interesting. I can't tell you who I met, but I know some big names were mixed in there.
Then we came home and I sat down and wrote.
And soon it will be time for bed.
Goodnight, world.
Wow. Uhm. So there are a lot of things heavy on my mind, but that's not what this blog is about... At least the things that I've been thinking about aren't appropriate to talk about here.
So. What did I do today? Well, we got up and had breakfast, and then all four of us went to feed the swans old matzah before we took the tram up to the zoo stop and had hot chocolate while it snowed. It was a beautiful sunny day when we went in and when we came out, but while we were inside, it snowed. It was a fantastic view, and then we took the tram down along the lake. We then had soup Inge made that was chicken and meatballs. Afterwards, we got ready for the party and went down to the hotel/restaurant. Inge and I had hot chocolate when we got there after picking up the cake, and then Marion and Nigel joined us later.
The party was fun. We had wine and hor d'vours that were delicious before sitting down to dinner, which was buffet style curry chicken and fruit. It was very tasty. Then we had chocolate cake and ice cream with chocolate sauce for dessert. There were a lot of people there, most of whom I didn't know but knew me from when I was three. I talked to a fair amount of people, spoke a little Portuguese with a guy from Brazil, some Spanish with a lot of people, a tiny bit of German, and lots of English. Everyone was nice, and it was interesting. I can't tell you who I met, but I know some big names were mixed in there.
Then we came home and I sat down and wrote.
And soon it will be time for bed.
Goodnight, world.
Friday
7:30 PM
Wow. What a day. I slept in until 10, and then Marion woke me up so we could go to the Rathaus (town hall, kindof) where I got a copy of my birth certificate, and then she tried to take me to get my passport, but it's too expensive and would be cheaper in March. We walked around for a bit to get there and to get to the bank, where I have an account with 84 Swiss Francs and was given power of attorney over Marion's accounts (both of which were in the negatives), and was told that I have to have my Swiss passport to have a bank account with less than $100,000, or I had to have a permit to show I was living in Switzerland... Marion was speaking in German the whole time, so I only got the jist of things. But the guy spoke in English, so I got the whole "you have to be rich or be Swiss to have money here" thing. We also ran some other errands, walked around a lot, got a giant pretzel, hot chocolate, Branche and some other stuff.
It wasn't that bad, I guess. Marion keeps going on and on about how she can't stand it when people lie and how she never lies and how she expects honesty and everything, but then is very coniving when it comes to twisting the law and twisting banks and everything to say that I'm Swiss and have all my papers and everything. Uhm, I'm not sure what she's thinking, but I was and am pretty miffed... I would consider that lying. Or at least not telling the truth. She didn't even tell me what we were doing. At least I have my birth certificate now.
So after we did all those things, we came back to the apartment. I tried on some clothes, and talked to Inge while Marion went to pick up Nigel. He's back now and we're all going out for fondue. Should be interesting...
I'll update you when I get back.
11:30 PM
So we went for fondue. It was good. Interesting. We got three pots, one each of regular, tomato and mushroom flavored. My favorite was the regular, and the tomato one was least liked. Marion said it tasted like pizza and I'd have to agree. The weird thing here is that it's served with cubed bread and potatoes. I said something about eating it with apples and all I got were laughs. Broccoli got the same response. I think at this point apples with fondue are my favorite (even though they don't serve it like that here) because it gives you something solid to chew on that's not just chewy and soft. After dinner we caught the trams back to the apartment and everyone changed for bed. I talked to Inge for a while. It's weird. Sometimes they drive me insane because they're trying to manipulate me or get me to fit to their agendas, and then other times it's interesting and fun.
Time for bed, I think.
Unless Inge comes back... And then Marion comes out to talk.
1:00 AM
Well, they didn't go to bed until after midnight, and I just wrote half of my paper for marketing due Thursday. I think I will have internet sometime tomorrow. At least I'm going to try, so I'll post all this tomorrow. I must add an apology to all of those trying to get in touch with me. I thought there would be internet available, but all the neighbors have their internet protected, so I can't steal it.
Goodnight world.
Wow. What a day. I slept in until 10, and then Marion woke me up so we could go to the Rathaus (town hall, kindof) where I got a copy of my birth certificate, and then she tried to take me to get my passport, but it's too expensive and would be cheaper in March. We walked around for a bit to get there and to get to the bank, where I have an account with 84 Swiss Francs and was given power of attorney over Marion's accounts (both of which were in the negatives), and was told that I have to have my Swiss passport to have a bank account with less than $100,000, or I had to have a permit to show I was living in Switzerland... Marion was speaking in German the whole time, so I only got the jist of things. But the guy spoke in English, so I got the whole "you have to be rich or be Swiss to have money here" thing. We also ran some other errands, walked around a lot, got a giant pretzel, hot chocolate, Branche and some other stuff.
It wasn't that bad, I guess. Marion keeps going on and on about how she can't stand it when people lie and how she never lies and how she expects honesty and everything, but then is very coniving when it comes to twisting the law and twisting banks and everything to say that I'm Swiss and have all my papers and everything. Uhm, I'm not sure what she's thinking, but I was and am pretty miffed... I would consider that lying. Or at least not telling the truth. She didn't even tell me what we were doing. At least I have my birth certificate now.
So after we did all those things, we came back to the apartment. I tried on some clothes, and talked to Inge while Marion went to pick up Nigel. He's back now and we're all going out for fondue. Should be interesting...
I'll update you when I get back.
11:30 PM
So we went for fondue. It was good. Interesting. We got three pots, one each of regular, tomato and mushroom flavored. My favorite was the regular, and the tomato one was least liked. Marion said it tasted like pizza and I'd have to agree. The weird thing here is that it's served with cubed bread and potatoes. I said something about eating it with apples and all I got were laughs. Broccoli got the same response. I think at this point apples with fondue are my favorite (even though they don't serve it like that here) because it gives you something solid to chew on that's not just chewy and soft. After dinner we caught the trams back to the apartment and everyone changed for bed. I talked to Inge for a while. It's weird. Sometimes they drive me insane because they're trying to manipulate me or get me to fit to their agendas, and then other times it's interesting and fun.
Time for bed, I think.
Unless Inge comes back... And then Marion comes out to talk.
1:00 AM
Well, they didn't go to bed until after midnight, and I just wrote half of my paper for marketing due Thursday. I think I will have internet sometime tomorrow. At least I'm going to try, so I'll post all this tomorrow. I must add an apology to all of those trying to get in touch with me. I thought there would be internet available, but all the neighbors have their internet protected, so I can't steal it.
Goodnight world.
Thursday
4:30?
Ho, lord. I really, really hope that this is the right train... Once again, It isn't clear. But this time I came prepared with my computer and some pre-loaded articles so I could just sit and read. Of course, I also have those FABULOUS Kindle books. There is no internet on these little inter-regional trains, but there will be from Antwerp to Amsterdam. The people sitting on the train with me do say that this train is going to Antwerp, but I don't think it's the one I have a ticket for... Hopefully that doesn't matter. Huh. I don't know what will happen if it is wrong. I guess we'll find out if it comes up.
Oh, as a post script to my trip to Koln... I had chestnuts, which were very good, in "City Shopping' but I did't actually know how to eat them.... Do you eat the shells or not?
And I just realized I didn't bring batteries. Whoops. I'm sure Inge will have some. Wish me luck because I might just kill someone on this trip. It should be interesting and hopefully not too bad. I'll let you know. It's 4:30 now, my train leaves Antwerp at 5:30, and my flight leaves Amsterdam at 8:50... Hopefully I make them all and arrive in Zurich on time tonight at 10:15.
6:00
Oh, my, God. My computer is dying and there are no outlets available (one on the whole train). I don't even know how I made it onto the train... Arrived at Antwerp after having to change at a sketch station at 5:15, and then had to wait in a line and then the guy didn't like my reservation number, and then I sprinted in my 4 inch heels with a backpack and rolly suitcase down three or four flights of stairs and barely made it to the train. Then I couldn't find my seat and walked up and down with all my stuff about four times, finally talking to an attendant to help me, and I got here. Luckily I'm next to the bar, which is why I finally just got a plug (after waiting for two people)... I think I'm finally calm. I want to go home.
7:00
Wow. I am literally sitting in the middle of the floor in Amsterdam-Schiphol Station to charge my computer. I know that I was in the middle of talking to some of you when I arrived, and I'm sorry I cut short. But I'm here for almost another 2 hours before my flight leaves, so I'm back. I am already tired of this trip and I swear I will never travel alone again. I can't do it. I cry, I shake, I can't breathe, and only sometimes are people nice enough to help. =/ But I do think this is my last trip solo. Next week I'm going to Venice with Megan and the week after that I'm going to Madrid for a week with Sam, Kristen, and Kristin. Then Bruge for a day with the whole group, but then a free weekend. Then I'm going to the UK with James for a week, and then I'm free (for now) for three weekends. Then Gabe is here for 10 days (YAY!!!!) And we may or may not (most likely we are) going to Israel for 4 days. And then I'm going to Stockholm (have to find someone to come with) and then my last weekend in Brussels and then I come home on that following Friday. Sheesh. But enough of plans...
I'm sitting in Schiphol Station, and it has trains, planes, buses, vans, metros, and every possible transportation (except by boat, I think). It's literally a mall in here. Stores, food courts, a "promenade" with bars. It's incredible. The biggest deal here (there are literally four LED signs and arrows and posters and stuff) is the 24 hour Burger King. The fries do smell delicious, and I might just get dinner there. I'm not sure. I am thankful for the internet right now, because I'm talking to my amazing parents and texting Gabe. =]
12:26
Well, I don't have internet, as far as I can tell, so I'll post this whenever I can.
I made it to Zurich. Marion picked me up at the airport and we took the train and the tram to the apartment. I had to wait forever for my checked luggage (They made me do it.) And then we came back. I had some tasty toast with speculoos and nutella and some "jumping water". I had forgotten that you couldn't take liquids on planes...
Oh, yeah. So I was in the airport and it was 8 - my flight left at 8:50. I went to security, got sent to another one and then had to go through 3 times - once to start with, again for shoes and belt, and a third time because I had a bottle of water in my bag. And then I looked at the board with departures. It was 8:15/8:20 by this point, and my flight said "Gate closing". Well, I panicked. Of course my gate was the last one. I literally sprinted down the halls of the airport and arrived just in time. There were a couple of people behind me, and everything turned out fine.
You already heard about how I got to the apartment, so I won't repeat myself. We all three talked for a bit and then it was time for bed. I am sharing a room with Marion and Inge, of course, is in her own room. Nigel seems to be out of the picture for now. He's not here and not coming. So basically I'm screwed. But I leave in 65 hours... Oh, gosh. I'm not so happy I calculated that out anymore. Hopefully I will have fun and we'll see what happens.
Oh. And as a side note, how the hell am I losing weight? I stepped on the scale here and have lost 5 pounds so far. I swear I eat so much candy and chocolate and pasta and bread, I don't know how it's happened. Plus the fact that I've been having beer and Bailey's (did I tell you I found some on sale?) at least a couple times a week... I don't know. But I like it. I have a feeling it's more a loss of muscle and not so much fat, but I don't know, because I do walk a fair amount. It's a couple blocks pretty much everywhere except for class, and even then I walk up and down three flights of stairs (most of the time). I don't know. Maybe it's being in Europe and smelling Brussels...
I feel like I've channeled Sam a lot today. I noticed myself picking up her expressions and... augh. What's the word? The way she talks. Maybe it's similar to the way I talk, so I just pick up on it, but, like my comment about the smells of Brussels, I don't think I would have noticed if not for her.
Speaking of Sam, I came up with a new idea last night and it's gotten a round of approval so far. (I'm going to need your help, though.) I'm going to make dinner for a big group every Wednesday night. Yesterday I made chicken soup, next week I'll probably make shepard's pie, but the whole premise is that I cook, but someone else buys all the ingredients. And either everyone will chip in each week, or someone will go to the grocery store with me to pay for it. I thought it sounded good, because then we're all guaranteed at least one good meal each week and because I really do enjoy cooking. The costs will be split so no one will be feeding everyone every week, either. So what do I need your help for? I need you to send me recipes that are (relatively) easy to make that will feed a lot. I'm always up for a challenge, and if you don't know the full recipe, I'll wing it. Just let me know your ideas so we can have a variety. =]
And now I think it's time for bed.
Goodnight, world.
Ho, lord. I really, really hope that this is the right train... Once again, It isn't clear. But this time I came prepared with my computer and some pre-loaded articles so I could just sit and read. Of course, I also have those FABULOUS Kindle books. There is no internet on these little inter-regional trains, but there will be from Antwerp to Amsterdam. The people sitting on the train with me do say that this train is going to Antwerp, but I don't think it's the one I have a ticket for... Hopefully that doesn't matter. Huh. I don't know what will happen if it is wrong. I guess we'll find out if it comes up.
Oh, as a post script to my trip to Koln... I had chestnuts, which were very good, in "City Shopping' but I did't actually know how to eat them.... Do you eat the shells or not?
And I just realized I didn't bring batteries. Whoops. I'm sure Inge will have some. Wish me luck because I might just kill someone on this trip. It should be interesting and hopefully not too bad. I'll let you know. It's 4:30 now, my train leaves Antwerp at 5:30, and my flight leaves Amsterdam at 8:50... Hopefully I make them all and arrive in Zurich on time tonight at 10:15.
6:00
Oh, my, God. My computer is dying and there are no outlets available (one on the whole train). I don't even know how I made it onto the train... Arrived at Antwerp after having to change at a sketch station at 5:15, and then had to wait in a line and then the guy didn't like my reservation number, and then I sprinted in my 4 inch heels with a backpack and rolly suitcase down three or four flights of stairs and barely made it to the train. Then I couldn't find my seat and walked up and down with all my stuff about four times, finally talking to an attendant to help me, and I got here. Luckily I'm next to the bar, which is why I finally just got a plug (after waiting for two people)... I think I'm finally calm. I want to go home.
7:00
Wow. I am literally sitting in the middle of the floor in Amsterdam-Schiphol Station to charge my computer. I know that I was in the middle of talking to some of you when I arrived, and I'm sorry I cut short. But I'm here for almost another 2 hours before my flight leaves, so I'm back. I am already tired of this trip and I swear I will never travel alone again. I can't do it. I cry, I shake, I can't breathe, and only sometimes are people nice enough to help. =/ But I do think this is my last trip solo. Next week I'm going to Venice with Megan and the week after that I'm going to Madrid for a week with Sam, Kristen, and Kristin. Then Bruge for a day with the whole group, but then a free weekend. Then I'm going to the UK with James for a week, and then I'm free (for now) for three weekends. Then Gabe is here for 10 days (YAY!!!!) And we may or may not (most likely we are) going to Israel for 4 days. And then I'm going to Stockholm (have to find someone to come with) and then my last weekend in Brussels and then I come home on that following Friday. Sheesh. But enough of plans...
I'm sitting in Schiphol Station, and it has trains, planes, buses, vans, metros, and every possible transportation (except by boat, I think). It's literally a mall in here. Stores, food courts, a "promenade" with bars. It's incredible. The biggest deal here (there are literally four LED signs and arrows and posters and stuff) is the 24 hour Burger King. The fries do smell delicious, and I might just get dinner there. I'm not sure. I am thankful for the internet right now, because I'm talking to my amazing parents and texting Gabe. =]
12:26
Well, I don't have internet, as far as I can tell, so I'll post this whenever I can.
I made it to Zurich. Marion picked me up at the airport and we took the train and the tram to the apartment. I had to wait forever for my checked luggage (They made me do it.) And then we came back. I had some tasty toast with speculoos and nutella and some "jumping water". I had forgotten that you couldn't take liquids on planes...
Oh, yeah. So I was in the airport and it was 8 - my flight left at 8:50. I went to security, got sent to another one and then had to go through 3 times - once to start with, again for shoes and belt, and a third time because I had a bottle of water in my bag. And then I looked at the board with departures. It was 8:15/8:20 by this point, and my flight said "Gate closing". Well, I panicked. Of course my gate was the last one. I literally sprinted down the halls of the airport and arrived just in time. There were a couple of people behind me, and everything turned out fine.
You already heard about how I got to the apartment, so I won't repeat myself. We all three talked for a bit and then it was time for bed. I am sharing a room with Marion and Inge, of course, is in her own room. Nigel seems to be out of the picture for now. He's not here and not coming. So basically I'm screwed. But I leave in 65 hours... Oh, gosh. I'm not so happy I calculated that out anymore. Hopefully I will have fun and we'll see what happens.
Oh. And as a side note, how the hell am I losing weight? I stepped on the scale here and have lost 5 pounds so far. I swear I eat so much candy and chocolate and pasta and bread, I don't know how it's happened. Plus the fact that I've been having beer and Bailey's (did I tell you I found some on sale?) at least a couple times a week... I don't know. But I like it. I have a feeling it's more a loss of muscle and not so much fat, but I don't know, because I do walk a fair amount. It's a couple blocks pretty much everywhere except for class, and even then I walk up and down three flights of stairs (most of the time). I don't know. Maybe it's being in Europe and smelling Brussels...
I feel like I've channeled Sam a lot today. I noticed myself picking up her expressions and... augh. What's the word? The way she talks. Maybe it's similar to the way I talk, so I just pick up on it, but, like my comment about the smells of Brussels, I don't think I would have noticed if not for her.
Speaking of Sam, I came up with a new idea last night and it's gotten a round of approval so far. (I'm going to need your help, though.) I'm going to make dinner for a big group every Wednesday night. Yesterday I made chicken soup, next week I'll probably make shepard's pie, but the whole premise is that I cook, but someone else buys all the ingredients. And either everyone will chip in each week, or someone will go to the grocery store with me to pay for it. I thought it sounded good, because then we're all guaranteed at least one good meal each week and because I really do enjoy cooking. The costs will be split so no one will be feeding everyone every week, either. So what do I need your help for? I need you to send me recipes that are (relatively) easy to make that will feed a lot. I'm always up for a challenge, and if you don't know the full recipe, I'll wing it. Just let me know your ideas so we can have a variety. =]
And now I think it's time for bed.
Goodnight, world.
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