Teaching!

One of the most recent classroom visits I had (in Eindhoven) sent me these wonderful pictures.

I also had a teacher at one of the schools in Weert that I visited recently snapping pictures, so hopefully I can snag a copy of those soon, too!

The Day of the International Student, School Visits, and the Nemo

So!

As I move into this experience a bit more, I seem to write less and less...I will chalk this up to being the fact that I feel my life is very regular nowadays, and so I find less exciting things to write about...

Regardless, I have some exciting things to write about now, oh yes indeedy. First and foremost, on the weekend of November 12th, I took my lazy bum off to Den Haag, the political capitol of Holland, to go to this giant international student conference. I took a train from Utrecht to Den Haag, feeling sad, because I was going to a big conference by myself. I took a tram to the conference center, and man, I wish I could have snapped a picture of what I found on the tram. It just so happens that the 12th of November is also the day that Sinterklaas arrives in Scheveningen (try saying that three times fast - it's basically what it sounds like when I sneeze) which is a port city. In an adorable display of Dutchery, Sinterklaas arrives in a ferry, and all the little children welcome him, and his white horse, and his black servant, Zwarte Piet. Most of these kids who go to see him also dress up - and on the tram were two of the cutest (and most bizarre) costumes I had ever seen. A man was holding his two daughters, one looked to be about three, and the other was a wee baby, just squirming in his arms. The three year-old was dressed as Sinterklaas, with a red cloak with a white fur trim, and a jaunty matching hat. The baby - was in blackface, and dressed as Zwarte Piet. Yes, folks, this man had put blackface on his baby. And the baby was loving it. Her hands were also black, and she was delightfully rubbing the black all over her father's coat and seat. I SO wish I could have snapped a picture of this kid, but there were just too many people in the tram blocking my camera. It had to be, as I said, one of the most bizarre costumes I'd ever seen. I mean, point 1) Blackface? But Point 2) Blackface on a baby?

In any case, I got off the tram at the conference center and the black-faced baby and the wee 3 year-old Sinterklaas went on their merry way to celebrate the arrival of Santa. At the conference center, I was greeted by a large crowd of people milling around waiting for the doors to open.

I swear to you, there were tons of people. They're all hiding behind me. People have a tendency to do that. I think it's cause I'm so gosh-darn good lookin'.

The conference was held in this snazzy building - the "World Forum."

Apparently a lot of important international things happen in The Hague. A lot of world justice courts are here, including, right next to this building, the Europol European Police office. So, it fits that a lot of international students live in and around the Hague to study issues of International Peace and Conflict Resolution. Like the nice fellow I met - Kevin. You see, I went to the conference all by my lonesome, and was very sad. But then, Kevin came and sat down next to me, and life was awesome again! He is super nice, and is also an American, and is here on a Rotary scholarship for a year, studying Conflict Resolution.

This is Kevin, standing on a rug with a map of America (and the rest of the world). He is standing on California, because he's from San Jose. Shortly after this photo was taken, he spilled that entire cup of coffee on dear San Jose...

This is me, sort of on Ohio. Moments after this photo was taken, I too spilled my cup of coffee. On Asia, I think...

As Kevin and I were wandering around alternatively stepping on countries and spilling our hot beverages (on accident) on them, the conference began, with a very good, very loud drum band, and these sassy ladies who knew how to shake what their mamas gave them, if you take my meaning.

Then there was a giant opening ceremony, which was really, really awesome. The host was a Dutch fellow who works with the International Department in the Hague, who was very, very funny, and even sang a whole Beatle's song at one point. There was also an improv team and a break dancing group. It was like seeing "Holland's Got Talent" live!

After this very exciting introduction, everyone was sort of told to go wander. There were amazing booths set up, with fun activities, including a "traditional Dutch game" where you compete to see who can hang on to a pair of jeans (like, hanging above the ground) the longest. I think that's a lie. The Dutch do not actually hang off jeans like this for fun, do they?


There was also clog painting, which Kevin (who also loves to paint) and I quickly scurried to. We spent...way too much time painting clogs. His turned out beautifully - it was a little miniature scene of a windmill, and some tulips, and a bike. It was really, really good (he used to own a business custom-painting Vans shoes for people). I made a kind of henna-inspired clog...

So beautiful! I am an artist!

After we spent an incredibly long time painting our respective shoes, we moved on to doing henna (I know, doesn't this sound like the coolest international conference ever?):

My totally rad henna design, meant to emphasize Kevin's "Energy" wrist tattoo. Yeah, I know, it's awesome. ;)

After henna, we went ice skating:

They made this ice rink from blocks of ice cut like puzzle pieces. How cool is that!?

And last but not least, there was a delightful fashion show, where students all wore their native clothing:

Colorful. Blurry. Tastes like America.

So, this ended up being a really wonderful day, and I made an excellent friend, even though I went to the conference alone. I'm so glad I went, though!

I've also been doing a LOT of classroom visits. Some are excellent, and some are...not so excellent. In all of them, I meet (at least a few) students who are enthusiastic and excited about hearing what I have to say. Some of them are really shy, and take a long time to say anything in Dutch, and some of them are very outspoken, and know exactly what they want to ask. I even played a YouTube video of me singing in the musical "Violet" for one group of students who really wanted to see me singing in high school. I love when classes get bolder, and ask me all about what they think about America - "Are there cliques, and cheerleaders, and does everyone eat pizza?" "Why does everyone love football?" "Are you a Republican or a Democrat?"

One of the most interesting differences between American and Dutch high schools is the fact that American high schools do in fact have cliques, while in Dutch high schools they are practically unheard of. As I've explained to several people, I think this is a product of the staunch Dutch egalitarianism, but also because in Dutch schools, sports are separated from Academics. Most schools don't have their own school teams, and most kids play sports somewhere removed from the school. Schools are divided into three levels, VMBO, HAVO, and VWO. VMBO is the lowest level, and is shorter than HAVO or VWO. When you are 12, you take a test to determine which level you get into. You can switch - but it's hard. VMBO kids go on to do more...technical, hands-on jobs, and the only kids who can get into University, to get degrees in "theoretical" knowledge, are the VWO kids. Now, we have a problem in the US where too many kids go to college. Most people will admit this. They go because they do not know what else to do. Would a divided system like this solve that problem? Would it be better if we split our kids up at 12? I don't know. But I think this is another reason why Dutch schools don't have quite the bullying/us vs. them problems of American high schools.

Last, but certainly not least, there was a big brain conference held at the Amsterdam science center (which I absolutely need to go back and see) this past week, and Dienke presented her research, and won! First place! And got a sweet little brain trophy. I aspire to be as cool as that.

Here are some pictures of the delightful event:

All of my wonderful lab-mates. From left to right: Juliette, Lizanne, Branko, Dienke, and Lara. These are the nice people who help me make it through the day, and say things like, "Ik begrijp u niet."

We also had a brief stint where we could go and tour around the museum a bit:

What do you see? Little kids see dolphins.

This was the coolest thing ever (literally) there was a heat-sensing camera, to my right. And if you held your arm to one of these super-chilled metal pieces, and then pointed it at the camera, it looked like you had a tattoo, because that part of your arm would be momentarily cooler than the rest of your body. So. Awesome.

At this museum, they had a...scientific exhibit about sex. Living up to the reputation of Amsterdam, right here.

Juliette, being some rapper dude. This was in part of an exhibit that said, "Who are You?"

Some mind games! Which of these lines is longer?

Of the two center circles, which is bigger?

How could you cu a circular cake into eight equal pieces with just three straight cuts of a knife>

Chiseled into this stone are nine cryptic characters. The sixth character, the third one in the middle row, was left out. The puzzle is to figure out what this character should be...this can be done by determining what each of the other characters stands for. They all have something in common!

And so, yes. I have also begun scanning and interviewing people in Dutch, and yes, it has been going (thank god) well. I actually really surprised myself, recently, with how much Dutch I can just pull out of the sky (it feels like) when I'm under pressure. Performance under pressure. Another thing I need to thank theater for. I'm so making my kids be in plays with me.

A Sad Day of Sadness

So, I was really excited, because this weekend, I was going to go to Den Haag for this big "Day of the International Student," and finally get a chance to go to Madurodam, this huge Dutch tourist attraction, which is a giant bunch of miniatures representing all of Holland. It was expecially recommended to me by the kind folks at Mental Floss, so I was really, really excited to write a whole blog about my trip! Unfortunately, Madurodam is closed for rennovations until the end of March of next year. The good news is, I'll still be here at the end of March next year. I think visiting Madurodam might be something I decide to do with my family when they come to visit in May. Which I am SO excited for. :)

Anyway, I will still be going to the "International Student Day" and I will be learning awesome things like ice skating, clog painting, and traditional Dutch dances. So, I will still write about that. And when May rolls around, I will, at long last, write about going to the miniature city of Madurodam. Interestingly enough, one of the girls I interviewed last night is on the council for Madurodam, and told us all about what it's like to be on the budget commission for a miniature city. Isn't that so sweet!?

Till later, my fine fellows.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi, The "Black" School, "Kunt u dat herhalen, alstublieft?," And Serving on a Fulbright Selection Panel

Well! Another week, another...week closer to Christmas! Yeah!

Here in Holland, they:

a) Do not celebrate Halloween, although they do have a similar holiday called Sint Martijn. I think it's Martijn. It could just be "Martin." I'm still so far from the ability to spell things in Dutch...Anyway! On Sint Martin (we'll just mix up the spelling, shall we) children go around (apparently mostly in the north of Holland) and sing songs at people's front doors in order to get candy. They don't wear costumes, they just sing. Now, this makes a lot of sense, folks. If you want candy, you should have to work for it a bit. Apparently some old geezers only give out mandarins (that's part of the tradition too), and that is like, not COOL, you know? But most houses give out little candy bars or gummies, just like for our Halloween. The kids learn the songs (some are short, some are long) in elementary school. How cute is that? I wish I could have done that...I know everyone in the U.S. would think I was completely off my rocker, but as a child who loved to sing, I would have relished a holiday where I could go about and sing to my little heart's content, in order to get candy. That would have been, like, my childhood dream. 

b) Celebrate a holiday called Sinterklaas, on the 5th of December. Sinterklaas, if I'm not mistaken, centers on Santa, yes, and his black servants, who I think are called Zwarte Piets (Black Petes). Or perhaps there's just one Zwarte Piet. Regardless, they've caused a lot of hub-bub because, well, they're black. And servants. And it's all a bit confused, but I gather that some people feel this is an under-handed, long-lasting racist thing. You see, when Sinterklaas plays are acted out, it's usually a white Dutch lad in blackface who plays Zwarte Piet. This has caused some (understandable) debate. Zwarte Piet may have been many things before he joined Sinterklaas, including a freed slave, a moor, or a symbol of Odin's ravens. So, the origin may not be bad, but, well, blackface is always a touchy subject.

On Sinterklaas, traditionally you put out a shoe by the fireplace, which Sinterklaas then fills with gifts, much like our Santa Clause putting presents under the tree. Sinterklaas, unlike Santa, only has one white horse, not a fleet of reindeer, and no sleigh. But they do put out carrots for the horse, like we do for the reindeer. Although they don't put out cookies for Sinterklaas. Sad, really. Sinterklaas deserves a snack too!

Many families give presents on Sinterklaas, and not on Christmas. Many of the Dutch people I've talked to about this say that Christmas is more of a day for family and a big meal, etc. It's interesting, because they don't have Thanksgiving, so everything right now is starting to hint at Sinterklaas, from the special cookies in every store (called Speculaas) to the people buying "Kerst" gifts. It still feels a bit early to me, to be buying Christmas gifts, but I've caught the bug, and I'm sure I'll be buying Christmas gifts left and right shortly here. It helps that because Sinterklaas is on the 5th, everyone is really motivated to snag presents now, seeing as the holiday is only a month away.

Last weekend, pretty much the only useful thing I did (it was a kind of lazy weekend) was to make sweet potato gnocchi.

They were really, really good. Basically, it's just sweet potato mashed up and added to flour and kneaded into a smooth dough, and boiled. I froze half the batch and made up the other half, part for eating, and part for snacking on later. So good. After I boiled them, I grilled them in a little bit of olive oil with fresh garlic and sage. So tasty.

Because last weekend was kind of, well, laze-tastic, I vowed to make this week more productive. On Monday, I went to a school in Amsterdam that is termed a "black" school, because the majority of students who attend it are Moroccan or Turkish. I could talk about this subject for hours, but what it basically boils down to is this: The Dutch do not like the giant immigrant population that has grown up under those noses. This immigrant group was originally brought (yes, brought) to Holland in order to do manual labor. The main components of this immigrant group are of the Muslim faith. This has created a current of religious anger - after all, Holland is still a pretty staunchly Protestant country - but there's also a lot of anger over the fact that the Moroccans and Turkish people seem to have no desire to integrate (whatever integration means, and it absolutely changes depending on who you ask...). The immigrants feel the Dutch owe them gratitude for "re-building" their country. The Dutch are frustrated at a group of people they see as users. So, yeah. There are black and white schools here. The black schools have a majority of immigrant children (the children of immigrants, most of these kids are second generation), and the white schools have the Dutch kids. The odd thing is, the immigrant kids I had class with are Dutch. They were all born here, they all have Dutch nationality. But not a one of them would identify him or herself as being Dutch. The separation is so blatant. And so upsetting. The kids themselves were genuine and wonderful, though, and asked a lot of hard, interesting questions. Most of them were Muslim, and so they were very curious about how Americans treat Muslims, and what kind of laws exist to protect Muslims (like, for a Muslim to get a job, etc.). I was very honest with them, and I shared my opinion, and what I felt was a...rough, general opinion for the U.S. The visit was mentally exhausting, but all the better because of it. Who among us hasn't felt the strange...catharsis, perhaps, of having a really long philosophical discussion with someone fervently curious about what you have to say?

So that was Monday. I spent the rest of the week calling, and re-calling, and calling back again, every parent I could find in the database. Most parents are too busy to be in a study, which they tell me in very rapid, distressed Dutch. As I told one person, it's basically a test of how brave I am on any given day, seeing as I have to repeatedly call people knowing, at some point in the conversation, I will inevitably embarrass myself. And so we come to the phrase, "Kunt u dat herhalen, alstublieft?" Which means, "Could you please repeat that?" And I've had to learn how to say it, over and over, many times to the rapid frustration of the person on the other end of the line. I just keep reminding myself that I have to get 40 participants (I have 11 so far, which is actually brilliant, considering I've only been at this a week and a half) and then I can stop calling. It's like Dumbledore drinking the potion over the locket, except not nearly so dramatic. Or painful. Well, it hurts my pride, but that's not exactly something to whine about...

So, my week was successfully industrious. This weekend I vowed to continue the trend, and so, last night, I had Siri over for dinner. I made Pumpkin Ricotta Baked Pasta Casserole, which might sound gross, but OMG, was it so good. It was delicious - it had nutmeg and ginger and walnuts, and tasted kind of like a mix between pumpkin bread and mac and cheese. I made a lot. I'll basically be eating it for days. AND I AM SO OKAY WITH THAT.

This is the recipe. So delicious. A perfect fall dinner.

 I also made rice krispie treats, seeing as how Siri bought me a box of rice krispies so that I could try this excellent Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Rice Krispie Treat recipe I found, but, alas. The only marshmallows they have in Holland are colored. Pink, to be exact. And so my rice krispie treats came out looking a bit like, as my roommate described it, "raw meat."

They still tasted really good though! Oh, well, you do what you must for the krispie treats of delicious goodness.

Today I went out adventuring, and I got the two lights (headlight and taillight) of my bike fixed (yes, all bikes are required to have a headlight and a taillight), for about 5 euro, which was a really good price. I went to the big open air market we have on Saturdays in Utrecht, and the guy with the bike stall helped me install the new lights and everything.

After that I went to a big Asian grocery store that my roommate recommended. I LOVE Asian grocery stores. I love making Asian food. In this grocery store, they had about ten thousand different varieties of dumplings, and roughly more than a million noodle, rice, and ramen soup package options. I bought a sheet of sticky peanut butter sesame candy, a package of rice noodles (peanut noodles, ahoy!), and a tube of henna, for approximately 3 euro. They had everything in the store, including sweet red bean paste, which I think I will use to make delicious steamed walnut buns sometime soon...mmm. Buns.

I came back home and, my mother would be so proud, spent the rest of the afternoon completely cleaning and clearing the front garden of all weeds and leaves.

Before 1.

Before 2.

 After 1.

After 2.

It looked a little better after I was done. It was a long job, and I was glad when I was finished. Bleh. Yard work is hard! It's good to do, but man, it really takes it out of you, all the bending and lifting and bag-filling and digging. There were also a LOT of spiders. It was a bit hard for me to finish towards the end. Some of the spiders here are VERY big. Apparently harmless, but huge, hairy things. Yeck. And they kept just...appearing, on my pants and gloves and hair....God, I have to stop talking about it, I'm starting to freak myself out again.

In other, happier news, I got myself some brussel sprouts, re-heated some pumpkin pasta, and had a wonderful dinner, finished with a rice krispie treat, and some of the candy that came in my wonderful, handy-dandy care-package from home. What with all the gifts from my care package, and the wine I've been getting from teacher visits, and Siri bringing me presents last night, my desk is starting to look like I've just had Christmas:

Pumpkin, cornbread, tea, books, fruit roll ups, wine, and a ton of candy. Sounds like a wonderful set of things to enjoy in the near future!

Tomorrow, I will be preparing for Monday, when I will be going to Amsterdam to serve on a selection panel for Dutch students wishing to get Fulbright assistance to do their first year of college in America. I am very excited. Their applications and so sweet and full of really good ideas. I am really interested in seeing what the interview feels like from the other side of the fence - being the one asking the questions! I'm supposed to be the U.S. representative, so I will be asking questions about why these people are so interested in going to America. I'm also there to help debunk some stereotypes. For instance, one kid finished his essay with a quote that went something to the effect of, "If someone pulls a gun on you, don't run away, just pull out a bigger one!" Which is a common stereotype about America here - that we all have guns, that they're huge, and that we looooove to use them. I'm not saying a lot of us don't have guns. But still. It will be interesting to hear what he has to say about where he got the idea from! Anyway, this is true for a lot of these kids. They all call America the "land of opportunity." I don't want to shoot down that idea, but just as Holland, which is supposedly one of the most liberal countries in the world, has undercurrents of racism and a deep-seated fear of immigrants, so too does America often fall short of its promise to fulfill dreams.

I can't wait to tell you how it goes! I'm also going to a school in Utrecht this Wednesday, and I will be officially scheduling appointments starting Tuesday - Oh boy. Here come the big girl pants. ;)