the bag I chose to purchase the first time
unrefrigerated milk and chocolate milk
Flat Julia
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Boodschappen Doen
Much like, well, everything else here, grocery shopping has turned out to be very different from grocery shopping in America. First, most stores have hand baskets with wheels and extendable handles. I don't quite know why, but I am obsessed with them. They make me feel like a little girl wheeling a doll around in a stroller - except they're groceries in a basket. Second, you do not get bags when you check out. You can buy a bag or bring your own, but those bags from the grocery store that you take in bundles to use with your dog? Not in the Netherlands, you don't. Also, some stores ask that you weigh and sticker your own produce. Then try to find milk and eggs. Nope, you won't always find them in freezer section. Still haven't quite figured out why. My Dad thinks maybe they're so fresh they don't yet need to be refrigerated. All I know is I like my milk ice cold! Finally, try to check out. No credit cards are accepted. If you are lucky, you'll find a grocery store that accepts a credit card with a chip in it, but then you'd have to be lucky enough to have a credit card with a chip! For those of you unaware by now, that's not the way my luck works. No chip for me. Nee, ik wil niet pinnen. Ik betaal met euros, dankjewel!
Tot ziens,
Flat Julia
Flat Julia
Friday, January 13, 2012
Laundry Day
Yes, a simple task: laundry. Simple, unless you're in another country. In Binghamton, I go to the laundry room where I am able to fit all my stuff in one industrial sized machine. I pour in some detergent, I press "colors", and forty minutes later, the clothes are washed. Then, I throw them in the industrial sized dryer. I press "tumble" and forty minutes later, they're dry. Voila! Clothes are clean!
This is not the case in the Netherlands. Here, I go to the laundry room and realize that everything is made for the seven dwarves. It is a good thing I didn't wait more than a week to do laundry because it would not have fit in one machine. Doing two cycles is not so bad in the US, figure it takes a little over an hour to do two loads of laundry. But here, the laundry machine takes an hour and forty minutes! Thus, two cycles would mean sitting around for more than three hours.
So whatever, the time is not that bad. I watch TV on my computer for two hours (four episodes of Community, anyone?) and then go to throw my clothes into the dryer. Hmm...what are my options...
- Minder droog
- Droog
- Extra droog
- 40 min droog
Okay, so I'm going to assume that "droog" means dry (which, in fact, it does). In Binghamton, I put it on dry so let's try that. An hour later, back to the laundry room. Oh look, the clothes are done! Note to self, the dryer takes one hou- wait, what? Why are my clothes still wet? Must not have put it on the right setting. Okay, let's try 40 min dry. Go back, watch TV, then to the laundry room forty minutes later. The clothes are dry! *opens door* The clothes are not dry! Ughhh why are these machines so powerless? Can't even dry a small load. Okay, this time we're gonna put it on extra dry. Back to my room, more TV, back to the laundry room an hour later. I see condensation! Could it be, are the clothes actually dry?? *opens door* Okay, why did water just come sloshing out of the dryer? Ew, why are my clothes now hot and sopping wet? Wait, are they wetter than before?? I guess I'll just hang them up in my room...
So ladies and gentleman, the moral of the story is always do your laundry on days you want your room to look like a brothel. Shirt on the chair? Underwear on the desk? Jeans on the bookcase? Perfect.
Tot ziens,
Flat Julia
This is not the case in the Netherlands. Here, I go to the laundry room and realize that everything is made for the seven dwarves. It is a good thing I didn't wait more than a week to do laundry because it would not have fit in one machine. Doing two cycles is not so bad in the US, figure it takes a little over an hour to do two loads of laundry. But here, the laundry machine takes an hour and forty minutes! Thus, two cycles would mean sitting around for more than three hours.
So whatever, the time is not that bad. I watch TV on my computer for two hours (four episodes of Community, anyone?) and then go to throw my clothes into the dryer. Hmm...what are my options...
- Minder droog
- Droog
- Extra droog
- 40 min droog
Okay, so I'm going to assume that "droog" means dry (which, in fact, it does). In Binghamton, I put it on dry so let's try that. An hour later, back to the laundry room. Oh look, the clothes are done! Note to self, the dryer takes one hou- wait, what? Why are my clothes still wet? Must not have put it on the right setting. Okay, let's try 40 min dry. Go back, watch TV, then to the laundry room forty minutes later. The clothes are dry! *opens door* The clothes are not dry! Ughhh why are these machines so powerless? Can't even dry a small load. Okay, this time we're gonna put it on extra dry. Back to my room, more TV, back to the laundry room an hour later. I see condensation! Could it be, are the clothes actually dry?? *opens door* Okay, why did water just come sloshing out of the dryer? Ew, why are my clothes now hot and sopping wet? Wait, are they wetter than before?? I guess I'll just hang them up in my room...
So ladies and gentleman, the moral of the story is always do your laundry on days you want your room to look like a brothel. Shirt on the chair? Underwear on the desk? Jeans on the bookcase? Perfect.
Tot ziens,
Flat Julia
Monday, January 9, 2012
The First Day of School
Remember back when you were a little kid, and the first day of school meant Mom or Dad dressed you up in your best clothes and sent you off to school with fresh school supplies and lunch?
Doesn't happen when you're in a foreign land. What happens is the bookstore will be sold out of your textbook, you'll forget to buy a notebook (good thing you came here with a pen!), and your alarm clock will fry the minute you tell it to wake you up. And that's all before the first day. Then, on the first day, you wake up to a dreary, gray sky, realize that all stores open at 9am the earliest (but mostly at 11am) so you cannot grab a notebook on your way to class, and your bike is too tall for you to actually ride without falling flat on your face. Subsequently, that bike is what was going to take you to the grocery store, but since the bike won't be fixed till later, you'll eat snickers and pretzels for lunch (thanks Mom and Dad). This, ladies and gentlemen, is known as Murphy's Law. Murphy's Law says anything that can go wrong, will go wrong...and it is the story of my life.
Hallo. Ik ben Julia. Ik kom uit America. Ik woon in Leiden. En jij?
Hello. I am Julia. I come from America. I live in Leiden. And you?
Hoe heet je? De voornaam en de achternam. Kun je dat spellen?
Who are you? The first and last name. Can you spell that?
Why yes, de docent (teacher), I would loveee to spell my fifteen-letter long name in the alphabet you taught me five seconds ago. How do you say "J" again??
Tot zo,
Flat Julia
Doesn't happen when you're in a foreign land. What happens is the bookstore will be sold out of your textbook, you'll forget to buy a notebook (good thing you came here with a pen!), and your alarm clock will fry the minute you tell it to wake you up. And that's all before the first day. Then, on the first day, you wake up to a dreary, gray sky, realize that all stores open at 9am the earliest (but mostly at 11am) so you cannot grab a notebook on your way to class, and your bike is too tall for you to actually ride without falling flat on your face. Subsequently, that bike is what was going to take you to the grocery store, but since the bike won't be fixed till later, you'll eat snickers and pretzels for lunch (thanks Mom and Dad). This, ladies and gentlemen, is known as Murphy's Law. Murphy's Law says anything that can go wrong, will go wrong...and it is the story of my life.
Hallo. Ik ben Julia. Ik kom uit America. Ik woon in Leiden. En jij?
Hello. I am Julia. I come from America. I live in Leiden. And you?
Hoe heet je? De voornaam en de achternam. Kun je dat spellen?
Who are you? The first and last name. Can you spell that?
Why yes, de docent (teacher), I would loveee to spell my fifteen-letter long name in the alphabet you taught me five seconds ago. How do you say "J" again??
Tot zo,
Flat Julia
Adventures in Leiden
After a weekend of adventuring (aka getting lost and finding my way again), I can safely say the Netherlands is beautiful...and flat. Flat. Flat. Like nothing. Farms are everywhere (so are windmills!). Then, in the city, you see some breathtaking architecture, including the building I live in. It is so large and rustic, and smells like my grandma's old apartment building (Hamilton House, anyone?). A poem is painted winding up the staircase. There is a color on my wall. This is definitely not Binghamton.
Enjoy some pictures, as I can't accurately describe what I'm seeing:
Tot zo,
Flat Julia
Enjoy some pictures, as I can't accurately describe what I'm seeing:
Tot zo,
Flat Julia
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Learning How to Pack Light!
It is unbelievable how much clothing I own considering how little I wear. Everyday outfit? Jeans, tank, and a sweater/sweatshirt. Converse on the feet. So why was it so difficult to pack just one suitcase for six months? That dress that I never wear at home or in Binghamton? I'm obviously going to need it in Leiden!
But really, packing wasn't that bad, right Mom? 15 shirts, four pairs of pants, three skirts, about nine pairs of shoes (yes, I am a woman), three space bags and a few hysterical breakdowns later...I managed to fit my life into one suitcase. One large suitcase weighing 67 lbs, which will be fun to grab off the carousel in Amsterdam. And two large carry-ons filled to the brim. Okay, I didn't manage to pack quite as light as I'd hoped. Maybe on the way back I can detach from some belongings and pack light!...then again, maybe not.
Tot zo,
Flat Julia
But really, packing wasn't that bad, right Mom? 15 shirts, four pairs of pants, three skirts, about nine pairs of shoes (yes, I am a woman), three space bags and a few hysterical breakdowns later...I managed to fit my life into one suitcase. One large suitcase weighing 67 lbs, which will be fun to grab off the carousel in Amsterdam. And two large carry-ons filled to the brim. Okay, I didn't manage to pack quite as light as I'd hoped. Maybe on the way back I can detach from some belongings and pack light!...then again, maybe not.
Tot zo,
Flat Julia
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