First Weekend in Amsterdam

So as you can see below, i posted some journals from earlier this week today, sorry for the delay, its been crazy! But those 2 posts i think give a pretty good idea what i was up to for the first two days. now let me bring you up to speed...

Today is Saturday.
On Wednesday i finally got my apt keys and made my way over to Prins Hendrikkade 189 C33. I dont know how you all feel about STAIRS, but i have to climb approximately 90 stairs to get to my hall. Now, picture this alone with 2 50lb bags, a purse, and a 20lb backpack............yeah, TORTURE! when i finally got all my stuff to my door, i opened my door and saw a little common room area and two doors in front of me: mine and my roommates. i unlocked the door on the right to a little jail-cell look alike and almost collapsed right then and there crying. fortunetly for my sanity, my roommate, Sasha, emerged right before my breakdown and prevented it with conversaiton. She offered me a carpet that the last girl left behind, and after i set that up, made my bed with my sheets from home (good thing because the bedding they gave is cheap and nasty) i felt a little better. i also have my own sink in my room. before orientation at 3pm, Kelly, Beth, Darren & I went to HEMA, which is kinda ikea/targetish. I got pretty blue towels (to match my desk, chair, and closet), a sink cup, soap dispenser, shampoo/conditioner, etc. We ran into orientation a few minutes late swishing with our bags and kinda caused a scene, but luckily USC kids out number the CIEE kids by any one school so no one had a chance to judge haha.

anyway, orientation was cool- we went though the 64 kids by name, school, hometown, and one fun fact. mine was that i had never really lived in under 40 degree weather - people laughed probably about the torture i would be facing the next 5months. oh well, i am surviving. anyway, the group is cool. anyway so the first night's activity was a boat ride in the canal, which was cool but kinda blah cus it was so cold outside and it was hard to get good views from inside.

thursday was a fun day. we split up into groups and did a walking tour of the city. we were crusing around all day! and finally went back to CIEE and got our sim cards and bikes! it was fun! then we went to this student bar for a drink or two before dinner and then headed over to the Atrium which is like a cafeteria for UvA and ate in our ISN (international student network) groups. my group kinda sucks but Kelly's "coach" is cool (and a gorgeous dutch man) so I will have to join up in hers. after dinner we had our first "borrel" which is basically bar-party with ISN. it was at ODEON which is a really cool place, and the party we have tonight is actually there too. it was SO fun...open bar for wine/beer and dancing and such. then we went to this other place (we biked there- and i FELL because if u go diagonal across the tram tracks ur tires get STUCK!) but it wasnt as fun because it was REALLY crowded. so we peaced out to the Grasshopper and then to a bar next door, before heading home.

Yesterday was long day too...orientation in the morning consisted of academic information (oh, we're studying here, too!?!?!) and a crash dutch lesson from Bonny, who is the dutch prof and the CIEE dutch social policy class. I am taking that class, Ethnic Diversity and Popular Culture, Representing Identity through Film & Literature, and Intro to Conflict Studies...so im getting 3 classes worth of Comm credit. I have 2 classes monday & a seminar, one tues, one wed, and one thurs. not too bad, and plenty of time to travel thurs night-sunday. After that, we went over to the Atrium for lunch and then next door where we registered for Residential Permits - which took a while. After Kelly & I got ours, we left and went to Alberjeim "Albertsons," if you will, for groceries. It is SO hard to figure out what things are, the nutrition labels, etc. it was a bit frustrating but we eventually made it out of there and home. Here, and in a lot of europe i think, you have to buy your grocery bags, so i will remember to bring my own next time! then we got back to my place, had a glass of wine with Sasha, and then went to MAOZ for dinner- this GREAT falafel place. yum. we called it a night after that cus we were exhausted, and i slept a beautiful 10 hours! the shade in my room is REALLY good so when i woke up this morning at 9:15 i was pissed and thought i woke up in the middle of the night again, but when i peaked out and the sun blinded me, i was pleased to see it was morning.

which leads me to today! mellow day, resting up & preparing for tonight. i had bfast and organizd some stuff, and went to lunch with Sasha. Then I was hanging out here more in a big Skype chat with all of us SC kids figuring out the dealio for tonight, since ISN is hosting another big party for us all tonight at ODEON. Alex and I just went to the store to get some supplies, beverages, and phone MINUTES! very exciting but i dont know how to activate it because the recording is in dutch! shit! oh well i will find some dutch man to help me ;]

So yeah, that's about all caught up now- Kelly & Darren are on their way over to play now, so im just waiting for them. i cant believe school starts Monday!