Ik moet Nederlands leren!

Some Strange, But Random Vocab I've Picked Up:
Te Huur = For Rent
Te Koop = For Sale (?)
Bob = Designated driver
Roken is dodelijk. = Smoking is deadly.
Geslachtsgemeenschap = Sexual intercourse.
Pindakaas = Peanut butter (literally "peanut cheese" :-b)
Spoelen = Flush (it's labeled on our toilet)
Yesterday I woke up miraculously not-sore from my bike ride. So I went to the gym.

It was "sports day" for ISN orientation, but I wasn't really feeling any of the activities so I just took advantage of free gym. I'm thinking about paying for a membership. We'll see. I think I either want to do some sort of athletic activity/club (I'm considering krav maga) or get a gym membership.

But yeah, when I first walked in I was thinking how cool it is that gyms are so universal... and then I realized all the weights were in kilograms. :-b So I ran about 6 kilometers and lifted mad kgs. Oh! And the gym had a juice bar like many gyms, where you could get juices and vitamins and energy drinks and sandwiches. But you can also get beer! That amuses me.

After the gym, I went shopping on my favorite shopping street (so far), Nieuwendijk. I hung out with some other international students for a while and then I wandered off and explored the Dam Square area on my own. TONS of walking.

(I saw my first Hare Krishnas, so that was cool! They gave me an orange flyer. It says "U bent van harte welkom op ons zondagsfeest. Iedere zondag om 16:00 uur. Muziek, Lezing, Vegetarische maaltijd." I didn't go though.)

When I got back from shopping and exploring I ate dinner (beans on toast and red wine... my new fav) and then collapsed in a heap. Then I woke up at 9:30, drank 2 energy drinks, and went out to the INS party at a club. Which is hilarious because it involved me... in a club. :-b It was really fun though. Europeans dance differently. And by differently I mean they make me look like I can dance. The music selection was also pretty amusing. Clubs here stay open till, like, 5! I didn't stay that late though.

Today Caitlin and I went to Het Rembrandt-Huis. It was really cool! We have these cards that get us into most of the museums in the Netherlands for free, so the price was right. Apparently Rembrandt bought an amazing house at the height of his popularity, but he later went bankrupt. When all of his possessions were to be auctioned off, a notary drew up a list of everything in his house. So between that list and some of Rembrandt's paintings, we know almost exactly what his house looked like.

It was so cool to see where he lived and worked, but my favorite part of the house was this room that was full of strange stuff. Rembrant collected crazy stuff from all over the world, mainly so that he could paint things more accurately. I show you pictures (sorry about blurry... no flash):



After Het Rembrandt-Huis there was a getting-to-know-you borrel thing in my building. We hung out with the RAs and other international students and there were free drinks. It's so much fun meeting people from all over the world.

Since then, I've just been chillin. Classes start tomorrow at 9... I think. So I want to be well-rested.

OH EM GEE I'M SO BEHIND ON GERMAN STUFF! I don't even want to talk about it.

I'm totally moved into my room though! It's all decorated and stuff. I loves it. Pictures soon. For now, here's the view out my window:


You might not think that a wall and graffiti is a good thing, but I love it. I finally feel like I live in a real live place with other people and stuff to do and stuff!

Oh also, I discovered Wild Pig Wines and it makes me really happy. You should check out their website cuz the piggy's so cute. I loves piggies so much! The wine's pretty decent too.