Another Tuesday Off

Hallo,

I think that Tuesdays are becoming my day to post, since I don't have class on Tuesdays and it seems to be the day that I use to get things done. So I guess that makes it easier for the people checking this to know that they don't have to check every 5 minutes to see if I posted?

Back to the getting things done, today I sought out the H&M and Hema, which are both very important stores. From H&M I bought warmer tights because the tights I brought with me aren't really that thick. At Hema, I bought items necessary to make my bike much more usefel, and to personalize it a little bit more. This included buying boring black saddle bags for the back (they were 11 euro) and a hot pink mini-basket for the front. And yes, this hot pink basket was originally intended for a child's bike, but of course I can't own something that doesn't have pink on it. But hey, my bike is now officially ready for the streets and it only cost me about 20 euro. Hema is the Target equivalent here, only of course it's much smaller. But it has pretty much all of the basic necessities to survive. At least it will fill the void in my heart where Target used to be, since there are no Targets over here.

Then I went to Albert Heijn (my local grocery store) and bought way too much food. However, I'm pretty sick of running out of food every couple of days, so I felt the need to stock up. Tonight I'm going to attempt to make mac and cheese. This will be interesting, because the recipe calls for cheddar cheese. But of course I'm in the Netherlands, land of cheese, I can't use an American cheese! So I think I bought some Gouda cheese. But I'm not sure. I believe it will melt well because it's already grated. I threw in some pizza and pasta cheese too to hopefully make it good. But I'm not sure exactly what pizza and pasta cheese is. I'm assuming mozzarella and parmesan. I'll find out tonight. I bought some broccoli and chicken too, so if anything it'll turn out to be a cheesy pasta-y goodness meal. Or I'll get horribly sick from the dairy overload. I dunno. By the way, feel free to email me quick, easy, cheap, and delicious recipes that can be made without an oven or a microwave. Oh, and if they make huge portions, make sure they keep well and can be reheated on a stovetop. I did finally get my Albert Heijn Bonus Card though, which entitles me to savings! But the super nice thing about the bonus card is they just gave it to me and I didn't have to give them any of my personal information. All the savings without the stalking or creepy cashiers who know your name (freaks me out every time when they say, "have a nice day Ms. Theobald" even more when they call me Mrs.). It also entitles me to get 5 packs of football player cards for every 10 euro I spend. They're like baseball cards, except with football (and by football I mean soccer) players. Guess what everyone's getting as a present when I get back? I plan on putting them up on my wall to decorate, since my walls are kind of barren.

Over the weekend my study abroad program did an Explore Amsterdam daytrip that was pretty fun. We went to the western part of the city and had a tour about the Amsterdam New School of architecture. It's pretty much the buildings socialist built to be social housing. Kind of cool to think that they actually made social housing look cool rather than just doing the bare minimum. Then we took the ferry to the NDSM Wharf in North Amsterdam, which at one point was a shipyard, but is now inhabited by artists. The government actually rents out spaces within the old shipping warehouse where artists can construct their own buildings to work in. The result is that there is a whole city of artists inside this huge building. It also includes a skatepark, which is kind of cool. Because of all the artists, the once abandoned area has new life and energy. MTV Networks even has their offices there, signaling that it is an up and coming area. What is interesting is that our tour guide wasn't too upset about the prospect of the area becoming commercialized. She told us how the government has 5 year contracts with all of the artists, and in 5 years they might not want to work in the area and might move on the somewhere else. It's all apart of the growth and evolution of the area. I also discovered a yummy Ethiopian place around the corner from me run by a daughter and mother team that I'm sure we will be frequenting in the future.

I'm not really sure what I'm doing this weekend. I'm considering running away, because my 9am class on Monday is cancelled, so I wouldn't have to be back until 4 on Monday. But I can't decide where I want to go. So it might end up being a weekend in Amsterdam. I think some people wanted to do some daytrips around the Netherlands, so maybe I'll do that instead of going somewhere for the weekend. I can probably save a lot of money by not having to book a hostel and it'll be nice to see the country a bit more. City life is fun, but I miss nature. Oh yeah, and it keeps on snowing. I am officially over snow now. The sun can come AND bring warmth with it. But I somehow don't think it'll be doing that in the near future.

Oh yeah, and other people have been getting lots of mail. I like mail too. Care packages are also always welcome. If they are filled with Disney DVDs, Girl Scout Cookies of the Tagalong and Thin Mint variety, warm socks, pictures of people I love, and other various American goodies they would be greatly appreciated. Oh, and Puffs kleenex. The kleenex here is crap. And biking in the cold makes my nose runny. My address is very easy:
(For Letters and Postcards)
Laura Theobald
c/o CIEE/ISHSS/GSSS
PO Box 26
1000 AA Amsterdam
The Netherlands

(For Packages)
Laura Theobald
c/o CIEE/ISHSS/GSSS
Prins Hendrikkade 189-B
1011 TD Amsterdam
The Netherlands

Anyhow, I love and miss you all! I also like receiving emails about life back in the states, however if you could avoid discussing the subject of warm sunshine I would appreciate it. It's a touchy subject for me, living somewhere without warm sunshine is a new experience that I'm not adapting to well. This is why I've spent my entire life out West.

Tots Ziens!
Laura