5/28/2014

If had to name one thing I’m exceptionally good at, it would be dressing inappropriately for the weather. It’s been raining the entire time and it gets pretty chilly. The warmest it’s been is 60 degrees. It would have been too easy for me to look up the weather before I departed, and I’m left shuffling through sundresses, skirts, and shorts as I attempt to dress myself in the morning. I forgot an umbrella, a rain jacket, and a sweatshirt, so I’ve been stealing my roommates extra raincoat on occasion or wearing a baseball hat. The fact that I thought to pack a baseball hat before I stuffed in a raincoat boggles my own damn mind. 

Today, we took the tram for the first time. It was very clean and new and convenient, but the maps and announcements were all in Dutch. Had we not been in a group I’m not sure I would have been able to figure it out. We then took a boat to a fortress that protected a castle and was destroyed in WWII. We toured the fort (in the freezing rain) and ate lunch in the restaurant on the island. The traditional foods here must consist of bread, meat, and cheese, for that is what we are constantly served. Not that I’m complaining. My body may take a hit, but it’s all delicious. The boys in our group were asking one of our orientation leaders to teach them Dutch pick up lines and curse words. She told us that in order to curse someone in Dutch, you shout out diseases. So instead of saying “fuck you” you would just say “small pox” or “cholera”. However, it’s really offensive to shout “AIDS” or “cancer” at someone. Take note if you ever travel in the Netherlands. We have another free dinner in the hostel tonight, which is an awesome way to save money. However, I’m really excited to start trying some restaurants. Other foods that are supposedly traditional are French fries with mayo, apple pie, waffles, pancakes, and licorice. Class starts tomorrow and we’re also going to a medical science museum. I’m excited to get a feel for how intense the program will be. As the Dutch would say, Doei! (goodbye)

I have arrived! 5/27/2014

After being in transit for nearly 12 hours, I have finally arrived in Amsterdam! I began my journey by bidding farewell to Philadelphia as I plowed through a mountain of crab fries at the airport, while the lady across from me picked at some trail mix and grapes. As I boarded the plane to London I stumbled when a man asked me about my Nike "trainers", giving him only a blank stare. I quickly recovered, ate some food plane, slept for about two hours, and landed in the UK, my motherland. After a quick second flight I was in the Netherlands!

For the past two weeks I had been stressing about my transportation options once I arrived in Amsterdam. I decided to be adventurous and take the train. I was feeling uncharacteristically bold and I asked a man speaking English at the baggage claim if he could tell me a little bit about the train and getting to central station. He ended up waiting with me after he had already gotten his bag, helping me purchase my ticket, riding the train with me, and helping me find a cab at the station that was not going to rip me off. This gave me a little more faith in the human race.

For the first week here, we're staying in the Stayokay Zeeburg Hostel. We get free meals, free wifi, and really nice rooms. I already blew a fuse out in our room with my hairdryer (stupid) and I've already misplaced my room key. Figures. We spent our first evening sampling traditional Dutch pancakes on De Pannenkoekenboot  (the pancake boat). The architecture here is a mix of traditional brick (in the more central parts of the city) and very modern. Most apartments and houses are very square with large glass windows. Sustainability seems to be huge here as well.   Solar panels, recycling bins, and bikes are everywhere. Today, after orientation, we learned some Dutch phrases and ate a light lunch at a bar called Roest on the beach before embarking on a walking tour of the city. Amsterdam is very walkable and pretty small so we managed to see a ton in just 2 hours.

We finished the walking tour at a bike shop, where we all had bikes waiting for us. American people tend to be significantly taller than Americans, as do their bikes. Most of us can barely touch the ground form our bikes despite the seats being completely lowered. Five of us started to head back to our hostel on the bikes and obviously got lost in the pouring rain. Tomorrow we're taking a boat to two different cities in the Netherlands, and we start class on Thursday. Here are some crappy iPhone pictures I took on the walking tour today. Oh yeah, we ate raw Herring, Which is apparently all the rage here. Enjoy!

and here we go...

Tomorrow at this time I will (hopefully) be sound asleep and cruising over the Atlantic ocean as I make my way to Amsterdam! I am studying abroad through the CIEE and taking a comparative public health program. Amsterdam is my first stop of two main destinations, the other being London. While London is one of my favorite cities in the world, I've never been to Amsterdam. Needless to say, I'm curious, excited, and ready to explore.

First, let me explain the title of my blog. I recently read a Jane Austen quote that really resonated with me: "A most fortunate man he is to attach himself to such a creature - to a woman who, firm as a rock in her own principles, has a gentleness of character so well adapted to recommend them. He has chosen his partner, indeed, with rare felicity." Not only do I strive to be independent, passionate, and firm on my principles, I also strive desperately to be happy. I believe happiness is something we can choose to have, but like everything else, something we must work hard for. Felicity, to me, refers to a deep and intense type of happiness, found only when one is fully aware of who they are, what they stand for, and what they want. Being comfortable with the person you are and having an unwavering sense of self is the best path to happiness in my opinion. This summer, I want to let go of my fears and embrace the person I am. I'm afraid of meeting new people, going places alone, and getting lost, and it all stems from the fact that I care deeply about how others perceive me. This summer, I'm letting go of that. In pursuit of rare felicity, I will do my best to immerse my self in new places, talk to new people, and explore new cultures without caring what people think of me. I want to be free and outgoing and open-minded and spontaneous. I want to rediscover who I am by placing myself in foreign situations. I want to live and I want to be happy, and I have the ability to make that happen.

I usually hate it when people talk about how study abroad programs are 'life changing' - let's face it: I am only going to be in each city for a month, I'm going to come back to America, and I will still be a privileged white girl. How is my life going to possibly change? I'm not expecting my life to change, but by embracing freedom and new culture, I believe I can expand my mind, and possibly change my outlook in regards to my own life and the world. Who knows. Maybe that's bullshit. Maybe this whole post is stupid and unoriginal and unimportant in the grand scheme of the universe. But it's significant to me, I'm doing this for myself, and that's why it matters.

I will try my best to post often for those of my friends and family who are interested in my adventures! While I love the classes I'm taking, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't most excited to ride my bike around a new city, explore, eat, and get drunk. Here we go!