Hello! Sorry it took me so long to write! Thank you so much for the card and the money. You guys SHOULD NOT have done that. You need your money as much as I do. i choose to buy you something nice with it, although it might take a while to get it to you. So I made it! I snuck onto a computer in the Institute library (I don't have my login name and password yet) because I haven't had a chance yet to set up my computer to the hostel WiFi system. I'm trying to get it done tomorrow but I might not, in which case you wont get another email from me for a few days. Where do I start? The flights were long and uncomfortable, but the whole experience was actually pretty easy, considering how bad I figured it would be trying to get through UK security. I arrived late last night and got into my hostel right away. Its BIG! with my own bathroom, but its a little run down (needs paint) and in one of the hostels right next to the Institute. I was hoping for one a little further away so I'd have a nice walk every day. Its also a big building, so it seems to be a bit noisy. It seems though, that compared to other Dutch students our digs are actually quite swank, so I'm pretty lucky. I've already met lots of people, mostly from Africa, and a Canadian girl in my program from Montreal (it seems there are 6 of us Canucks here). I'm pretty jetlagged so I find I'm dropping things and not paying attention (I almost got runover by like 5 bikes already) (the bikes are everywhere. Stepping out of the train station last night there must have been 5000 of them parked in racks. I laughed out loud to myself because I've never seen that many bikes in one place before. I'm not kidding, 5000 easy.) Things for my program are starting to get organized. I got a lot of administrative stuff done today but not the meat of it- like signing up for classes or finding out where my field trip is going to (I should find that out tomorrow)). Tomorrow I go to cultural immersion and introductory program specific lectures and friday they are taking us all on a day trip to a little Dutch town near Amsterdam where they wear wooden shoes, make cheese and have lots of windmills. Then there is a PARTY! Yeehaw! I walked around the city today (I was all wacked out from jetlag last night and did it then too, because I couldn't sleep). There are tons of little shops, restaurants and art galleries. People buzz by on bikes all the time. It is a beautiful old city with old buildings. It looks like how a European town should look to me. The streets as so confusing though. They weave and twist and change names suddenly. The biggest hazard in town, other than bikes, is dog poop. You have to watch where you walk because people walking their dogs us the sidewallk. There are signs for them to pick it up, but I guss some don't bother. Parks are harder to come by here, but the Royal gardens are just down the road from me. It is a nice big, green space that should suffice when I feel overwhelmed with the city. It smells like a lot of things here, depending where you walk. Like any big old city, every now and then you get a whiff of sewer, but you also smell spices, hash, and the rain. (Its been warm and humid since I've been here). I haven't been able to get a phone card yet, either. It seems there are no good cheap long distance international phone cards here so I think our best bet is to stick with Skype. If you don't know what I'm talking about, its the free phone calls over the internet website. YES FREE!! Its www.skype.com . It will probably be the most convenient way for me to talk, as I only have pay phones at my disposal. FYI: I'm 9 hours ahead. I have my address for you, but I left it in my room, and I got a few post cards, which you should get soon. PLEASE SEND ME THE ODD LETTER! Even something small, as I LOVE getting mail. It amkes my day and is often much more satisfying than emails. I promise I'll write back. And I'll get on my Blog once my internet is all fixed up. I forgot your email address, its probably back in my room, so that why I wrote you here. So thats about it for now. Lots of Love Carm
Jael's 3 month foot
1 comment:
Hello!
Sorry it took me so long to write! Thank you so much for the card and the money. You guys SHOULD NOT have done that. You need your money as much as I do. i choose to buy you something nice with it, although it might take a while to get it to you.
So I made it!
I snuck onto a computer in the Institute library (I don't have my login name and password yet) because I haven't had a chance yet to set up my computer to the hostel WiFi system. I'm trying to get it done tomorrow but I might not, in which case you wont get another email from me for a few days.
Where do I start? The flights were long and uncomfortable, but the whole experience was actually pretty easy, considering how bad I figured it would be trying to get through UK security. I arrived late last night and got into my hostel right away. Its BIG! with my own bathroom, but its a little run down (needs paint) and in one of the hostels right next to the Institute. I was hoping for one a little further away so I'd have a nice walk every day. Its also a big building, so it seems to be a bit noisy. It seems though, that compared to other Dutch students our digs are actually quite swank, so I'm pretty lucky. I've already met lots of people, mostly from Africa, and a Canadian girl in my program from Montreal (it seems there are 6 of us Canucks here).
I'm pretty jetlagged so I find I'm dropping things and not paying attention (I almost got runover by like 5 bikes already) (the bikes are everywhere. Stepping out of the train station last night there must have been 5000 of them parked in racks. I laughed out loud to myself because I've never seen that many bikes in one place before. I'm not kidding, 5000 easy.)
Things for my program are starting to get organized. I got a lot of administrative stuff done today but not the meat of it- like signing up for classes or finding out where my field trip is going to (I should find that out tomorrow)). Tomorrow I go to cultural immersion and introductory program specific lectures and friday they are taking us all on a day trip to a little Dutch town near Amsterdam where they wear wooden shoes, make cheese and have lots of windmills. Then there is a PARTY! Yeehaw!
I walked around the city today (I was all wacked out from jetlag last night and did it then too, because I couldn't sleep). There are tons of little shops, restaurants and art galleries. People buzz by on bikes all the time. It is a beautiful old city with old buildings. It looks like how a European town should look to me. The streets as so confusing though. They weave and twist and change names suddenly. The biggest hazard in town, other than bikes, is dog poop. You have to watch where you walk because people walking their dogs us the sidewallk. There are signs for them to pick it up, but I guss some don't bother. Parks are harder to come by here, but the Royal gardens are just down the road from me. It is a nice big, green space that should suffice when I feel overwhelmed with the city.
It smells like a lot of things here, depending where you walk. Like any big old city, every now and then you get a whiff of sewer, but you also smell spices, hash, and the rain. (Its been warm and humid since I've been here).
I haven't been able to get a phone card yet, either. It seems there are no good cheap long distance international phone cards here so I think our best bet is to stick with Skype. If you don't know what I'm talking about, its the free phone calls over the internet website. YES FREE!! Its www.skype.com . It will probably be the most convenient way for me to talk, as I only have pay phones at my disposal. FYI: I'm 9 hours ahead.
I have my address for you, but I left it in my room, and I got a few post cards, which you should get soon. PLEASE SEND ME THE ODD LETTER! Even something small, as I LOVE getting mail. It amkes my day and is often much more satisfying than emails. I promise I'll write back.
And I'll get on my Blog once my internet is all fixed up.
I forgot your email address, its probably back in my room, so that why I wrote you here.
So thats about it for now.
Lots of Love Carm
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