Randomness #2

The other night I made my first real dinner in a long time...with minor problems. Since I had waitressed this whole past year, I really didn't cook that often when I did have the rare free evening with no plans. Alright so I decided to make this Chicken with Tomato-Herb Pan Sauce that I saw through Epicurious, though it was originally from Bon Appetit. I went to the grocery store (2x), the first time was mainly for spices since I had absolutely zero (I now just realized that I have left all my spices back in the grouphouse in DC and didn't bring them back to NJ...oops, but that is another story).

With a now fully stocked cabinent with basic things like olive oil, salt and pepper and so on, I started my dish. I haven't cooked chicken in so long, that I did have to ask my roommate Valentina to remind me when you know a chicken isn't pink in the middle anymore. I did eventually pan-sear the chicken and then moved onto the sauce. I accidentally didn't buy enough cherry tomatoes (you would think that going twice to the grocery store I would have realized this), but the sauce was still enough to cover everything.

Despite setting off the fire alarm and burning the rice because I forgot to turn off the burner, things turned out ok! I definitely want to try this recipe again and maybe add a few things of my own or do some of the suggestions people had (like deglazing, cutting the chicken into smaller pieces, or putting over angel-hair pasta).

Afterwards I had a BIG bowl of Neopolitan ice cream! My roommate from China, Lu, looked at me and was amazed that I could eat it all with no reservations.

And of course at the end of the night before I went to bed I had a nice mug of hot chocolate (with WHOLE milk people...none of this skimpy watery skim milk. Sidenote: Dutch stores are big with what would be the equivalent of 2% milk here, you can buy whole milk of course, but there really isn't any skim milk).





On an entirely different note...

Two weeks it was the 10th anniversary of September 11 and I had so many people talk to me about what it was like and what I felt now. I watched a summary of the events of that day from CNN as well as a show that CBS had put on about the point of view of firefighters that day that 2 Frenchmen had done.  Everything on the Dutch TV was devoted to 9/11 that day and I thought it was very well done.  It was nice to talk about it with international students here and get a sense of their thoughts, very comforting as it was one of the first major world events they remember growing up.

At the end of that Sunday afternoon, which had been mostly rainy, the clouds broke out and we were greeted with a wonderful scene that pictures do not do it any justice (if you look closely there is the 2nd rainbow right above the main one). In person you could see all the colors, it was so clear and vibrant! Honestly it was breathtaking and was such a nice ending for the 10th anniversary of 9/11 here in the Netherlands.

Excursion to Amsterdam

This past Saturday I went into Amsterdam for the very first time!  I have to say I had a really good time in this city, and I didn't even walk into a coffeeshop (though there were plenty of them).











The international student organization, ESN (Erasmus Student Network, which was founded in Utrecht) organized this excursion and about 50 people went in all.  We met in the Utrecht train station and left around 10 am. The first thing we did was walk to De Dom (a big square across from the Royal Palace that no Dutch royal has lived in and by the World War II monument).  There we were divided into 2 groups and went on city tours from freelance guides.  Our guide was from Portland, OR who was learning about his roots since he was born in the Netherlands but moved away when he was young. He took us through the red light district and some touristy parts right along the canal, then went down to the Jewish district and by one of the old gates into the city. It was definitely an interesting tour with lots of things about prostitution and history.

The Jewish district was different from the rest of the city as it was more modern and the new buildings were a result of Cubism.  Basically during WWII there was an extremely cold, long hard winter towards the end of the war, resulting in everything that could be possibly eaten eaten, every single tree in Amsterdam cut down for firewood, and then ransacking the Jewish district since all the Jews were taken to concentration camps. So even though a bomb didn't hit the city, apparently it looked like one did in that particular section of the city.

By the Jewish district is also one of the old gates of the city, which then became the new marketplace when the city expanded.  There were lots of executions that took place there...and fairly gruesome. (i.e. having a line of 26 people being drawn and quartered one by one...imagine the 26th person...)  There was a particular gruesome story of some executions...so if you want to hear that one, ask me specifically...I don't want to gross everyone out.  Anyways most of these executions were towards the Anabaptists...the crazys at the time, though the idea that a person should wait until they are older to take Jesus Christ into their life lives on with the Baptists now.

Anyways...after the city tour, we went to park and ate lunch and then hopped on over to the Rijksmusuem, which is basically a Dutch history musuem expressed mainly through art (whethere it be paintings, pottery, sculptures, etc...). They had definitely some famous paintings there like the Nightwatch by Rembrandt and the Girl with the Milk Jug by Vermeer.

Afterwards we walked back towards the train station and went on a canal boat tour...on which I fell asleep for about 20 minutes during the middle of it. Honestly didn't mean to, my body just said you are taking a nap right now, no ands buts or questions. I kind of forget now what was said...so I guess I will have to take another tour in the future, but this time I would like one with a real person speaking as opposed to the automated tour that they had...which baiscally lulled me to sleep.

Oh I almost forgot, most of the houses in Amsterdam have these hooks at the top of them and the older ones lean forward.  Now leaning forward isn't a bad thing as they were made that way.  It all came about because merchants lived along these canals since that is how they got their goods deliver, but they didn't have any basements due to the high water table, flooding and rats. Therefore they put their goods in the attic, but to get it up there they used a robe over the hook to pull them up, so smart!  Nowadays these hooks are useful for bringing up things like pianos or a new washer, etc and if you hear a BOOM, it is because whoever was pulling up these items accidentally let the robe slip...and smash, you need to buy a new one.

If you ever see a house that is leaning to the one side though...that is a bad thing as somewhere in the foundation there was a mistake or some airpocket and basically you have to have people come to your house and set it level every so often.  The houses are also often narrow with super steep stairwells to maximize the space. Our tour guide told us often times it is like climbing a ladder instead of a stairwell.

To continue after the canal tour, we had about 1.5 hours of free time where we could meandering our way to the Italian restuarant we were eating at that night, closer to the musuems and the city theater.  A group of us stopped by a pancake resturant and had pancakes with hot chocolate, so good!!! (though the waitress was mad that one of the drinks spilled, but she didn't hand them out...just plopped the whole drink tray on the table and said take them. We didn't noticed that one of the drinks was on top of the other saucers...!)


We went to an Italian pizzeria/pasta place that night and had a really good time. I sat with 2 girls from Greece and the Netherlands and then a redhead guy from Italy (totally throws you off because you expect a British or Irish accent...not Italian). So after dinner, 1/2 of the group stayed on in Amsterdam to go to bars and clubs until who knows when, while the rest went back home to Utrecht. I went home then with the Greek girl and Italian guy, who happened to also live in the Warande complex I live in, in Zeist...even funnir they are my next door neighbors, literally across the hall from my apartment. So by the time I got home it was 1 am and I was exhausted.

Randomness #1

List of Belgium beers at Cafe Belgie in Utrecht.

I had the dark Delirium called Nocturum.

 Cafe Belgie is a chill bar to go too, especially if you like to try Belgium beers, hence the name.  The Delirium beer that I tried was quite good and tasted very different from any beer I had before.  It is a dark beer with an alcohol percentage of 8,5%. There was another beer also by Delirium which was a blonde beer, which I shall have the next time I go. Delirium lives true to its name as after consuming 2 or more one can get quite...well um delirious! At first was I drinking the beer I was really confused as to why I felt so tipsy so quickly, but a kind Dutch lady explained to me when she sat down and sat what I was drinking. Of course my Irish classmate, Matt, had 3 Deliriums and looked totally fine...while I quietly nursed my single beer at this bar. Here is the Wikipedia link if you would like to read more, especially if you are really into Belgian beers!

Mushrooms galore, Liza you could go crazy!

McFlurry with both peanut and regular M&Ms mixed.

 I was craving for soft serve ice so, went to the McDonalds in Utrecht. They surprised me both with this McFlurry containing peanuts (note: I am not a fan of peanuts in my ice cream! Chocolate is the max I can go) as well as handing me a free burger. I thought Europe was not into freebies, including the McDonalds, but I guess I was wrong!

The bike path from Utrecht University to Zeist.

 I really am enjoying the bike path to and from the university campus. There are also birds and trees and farm animals around. Today I also noticed a small stand by a fruit farm that contained apples you could by...next time I am going to stop and look more closely, I thought I saw a sign for fresh eggs, but I could be wrong. Anyways, it is always lovely to see the horses, sheep and cows on the way to school. I am also improving my bike time closer to 15 minutes to get to school instead of 25 minutes, yay!

Typical Dutch street with bikes parked wherever and bike and road paths side by side.

Last night I went into Utrecht for my first Dutch lesson, which a friend found through Couchsurfing. A group of people get together every Tuesday night to teach anyone that wants to learn and speak Dutch. The best part is...it is for FREE! They put together an entire course manual, so I am very excited to be learning! Knowing German does help, but sometimes it messes me up because when I see a word, I want to pronounce the German way, but it needs to be pronounced something entirely different. At least the grammar is very similar so far.



Speaking of learning languages, I will also being taking a Spanish 1 Course starting mid-November with the James Boswell Institute. I am definitely excited to being learning it, especially after hearing so much from working at Papa Razzi 24/7 last year. Plus I would love to go to Latin America for fun or for work/research!  The institute also offers German 3-5...so I will probably try and take a German language course in mid-November as well to get back into it.  In the spring I hope to take Dutch courses with them, as I missed out on all the times good for me in the fall and anything left conflicts with my class times.

First Experience of a Dutch University

On Friday, September 1 Utrecht University held an International Student orientation. We were introduced to the school and given a lecture about Dutch culture and school systems. In the Netherlands there is a number grading system with 10 the highest and 1 the lowest. 10 is "for god" and 9 is "for teachers" so one must aim for an 8 as the highest and below a 6 is not passing. Basically 8 equals A and 7 equals B and 6 = C, which isn't hard to remember.

On Monday, September 4 was the Faculty of Geosciences international student orientation. They divided us up and gave us a tour of the campus and the Earth Science buildings. I then met the students in the Earth Surface and Water program within Earth Sciences.

The school year here is divided into 4 quarters or periods and we register for 2 classes per period.  This period I am taking Land Surface Hydrology and Principles of Ground Water Flow. I have class then Tuesday mornings and Wednesday through Friday afternoons. The rest of the week is suppose to be spent self-studying, basically 20 hours of classes and 20 hours of self-studying.  The studying could include writing, group projects, readings and so on.

My 2 classes contain mostly Dutch students with a sprinkle of international students (Norwegian/American, Irish, Greek). A few Dutch students I have talked to and are very nice and helpful. There are 2 student associations in connection with the Earth Sciences, who organize events and outings that the students can go to. Interestingly enough I buy my school books through them and not at the university bookstore.

Utrecht University is home to the first Erasmus Student Network, which has clubs throughout universities in Europe. It is a way for international students to connect with each other and get to know the area and country that their university is in.   On Saturday, September 2 they had a city tour of Utrecht. We divided into groups of 25 and took a canal tour and stopped along different places within the city. It was a nice way to see it especially since it was a beautiful sunny day (apparently the best day for the entire summer and abnormal for September).  Next Saturday they are having a trip to Amsterdam, hopefully there will be enough tickets tomorrow so I can go! I have heard so many things about this city that I hope the expectations of it do not disappoint me!

Alright well it is past 2 am and I need to be at school by 9 am...time for sleep!

My move to the Netherlands!

I have received a bunch of questions about my move to the Netherlands and how everything is going here for me! Well to begin...back last year I applied to a bunch of schools with an interest in Hydrology. In the end I chose Utrecht University as it had a good location and the program seemed to fit the best with what I was interested in. I will be studying within the Geosciences Department in hopes of getting a MSc Earth Sciences degree (focusing on Hydrology).

But to rewind to where this university is...Utrecht:

(Source: Wikipedia)

Utrecht is a city located in central Holland and used to be way back in the day the capital (before Amsterdam became a big center). It is still important as a big hub for trains to Germany, but also culturally and academically. Utrecht has a number of canals that have two tiers - lots of restaurants have seating at the lower tiers so you can eat right along the canal as boats and canoes go by!

About 10-15 minutes from the city center is the Utrecht University Uilthof, which is where I have all of my classes (though there are also university buildings in the city center). This is an example of one the university campus buildings I have classes in:

(Source: Utrecht University Website)

I live in a small suburb outside of Utrecht called Zeist, which is a nice 15 minute bike ride from the campus through trees and fields of sheep and cows. The town is nice and quiet with a variety of people of ages and professions. There is a small center with your basics shops with plenty of smaller shopping centers scattered throughout. I live in a Student Housing Complex called Warande, which houses both international and Dutch students.


In my particular apartment, there are 9 other students besides myself from the following countries: America, Columbia, Ethiopia, Australia, China, Cambodia, Italy and Germany (and conveniently 5 girls and 5 guys). We each have our own room connected by a long hallway with a common kitchen space and 2 bathrooms and 2 showers.

I really am happy with my living situation and everyone is nice and helpful! Here is my room so far, though there will be further decorations:


Before I left I also bought a Scratch Map of the world in hopes that that will motivate me to see new places in Europe! Here is what it looks like so far:

My first step to going Dutch as been to buy a bike! I bought a nice used one by the main train station. Unfortunately it was a bit more expensive than I would have liked, but it has gears and front brakes and working lights plus a comfortable bike seat! Eventually I would like to buy a basket to put in the front so that it is easier to go grocery shopping. One can also get bags to put on the back - looks like saddle bags that you find on horses or motorbikes. I bought a bright orange lock as well since bike theft here is very common, especially if your bike looks nice (thank goodness mine has some rust and typical wear and tear). Orange is a very good color for 2 reasons: easy to spot among the dozens of bikes you could have locked it with and it is basically the national color of Holland for the House of Orange! My bike itself is a nice dark green color, of which I was very happy with since there were not too many options I could choose from:

Of course my first casualty from my move to the Netherlands was my suitcase, it came out of the airport like this...I guess it is time to buy a new one and perhaps one that has the hard case like so many Europeans have. I also had the most terrible times of jet lag...I could not stay awake during the day for the life of me and kept falling asleep during the orientation. Hopefully now I am better!

So as I learn more about Utrecht and the Netherlands, travel to new places and visit friends, I will hope to continually update the blog a few times a month!