1 month later

I have officially been living in the Netherlands for 1 month. It actually feels much longer, like 3 months or so. It is pretty neat how you adjust and accustom yourself to a new environment. For me, I think I have things under wraps. Life has a pace, and even some routines. It's weird, I suppose I am used to being 'nomadic' if you will. Uprooting has been my life for the past 4 years. I am getting used to it, but it'll be nice to have my own place for a bit. Communal living is fun, but I think this might be my last bout of it. I love knowing that there is someone around if I ever want company, and most of my friends live mere metres from me. So, getting together is a pinch. But, bunk beds, and shared rooms is moving into something of the past. I will say I am enjoying myself though. There is a good group of people on my floor, pretty diverse, so there are a lot of stories, and interesting facts swaping (which I love). For example, biscotti is actually just 'any' cookie in Italian, but in Canada (and apparently in Spain), it is that hard biscuit you dip in coffee. I love this stuff. I am also expanding my world vocabulary, I am solidifying my knowledge in Spanish, and re-learning Italian, and learning a bit of Polish (I will need to, I am spending Christmas at my roommates place), and even the interesting array of Aussie slang words that I can use in my aresanal.

Life has been pretty jammed packed the last week or so, I believe similar to the last report. SO much school work it is sick!!! I am writing 3 papers- 1) on headscarves in France, UK and the Netherlands, and whether it is a breach of neutrality or a right to religious freedom (my group, and myself included are pretty liberal and balanced about it, but it doesn't make writing the paper any easier. Not to mention several people in my class cannot understand me, apparently I have an accent and speak to quickly, so I am working on slowing my speech down and rolling my r's more- although this would be a altercation of who I am, and thus an impediement on my personal identity, especially because in Canada we don't roll r's, and I think most of the time it is silent. See what they are teaching me here!). 2) I am writing about the use of the internet as a new form of mobilization for social movements, specifically looking at the World Trade Organization protest in Seattle in 1999. It really was epic, they had to call a state of emergency and call in the national guard. 50,000 people came to Seatlle organized through the internet to protest the WTO. 3) I am writing about the Palestinian diaspora, this one is tough, it's the hardest one for me, because I feel like there is un-due pressure on me to perform well on this task, especially because this is the class that the prof chose me to run the class. Plus, I have to learn the whole conflict from the ground up, and we have to have a task force that presents. It will be an interesting challenge and the topic is interesting, I just know I am getting in over my head, and I have to pull out a big one for this semester. Did I mention I am also on the International Committee at school?

So, you can understand why I have been slaving away reading and researching. The bonus, is I get to make power point presentations, and once I get a handle on the Palestine/Israel conflict I will feel better. The social movement paper I am really interested in, so reading is interesting for me. However, one will go mad if spent doing too much 'work'. Take for example Jack Nicolson in 'The Shinning'. I don't want to hack peoples' doors down saying "Here's Meagan!!!" although, that would be a good prank......
In light of all this work, we are organzing some gatherings here, and I think that will be a good break. Go out on the town, possibly integrate with the Dutch. They tend to keep to themselves, so it is really hard to be friends with Dutch people. I have loads of friends from other nationalities, but limited in the Dutch dept. 3 to be exact. Plus, nightlife here, is nothing like back home, beer, beer, beer, and more beer. In addition, all the dj's at the have been terrible. There is consensus on this, it isn't just me.

Good news on the travelling front!!!!!!!!
I am booked to go to Paris October 17-19. We are taking an overnight bus on the 16th to Paris from our city at 1045pm and we will arrive at 6am. (ok not so 'overnight', but close enough). Then the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, that will be a jammed packed day! I am so looking forward to Paris I can't contain myself. It's like when I was a kid, and I would run through the shrubs after chores to play with my friends and feel so liberated that I was bursting at the seams ready to scream. I reckon I might cry, but only for like a moment.

I am also going to London on November 20-23rd to visit friends from South America I met last year. London should be fun, I am actually really looking forward to that trip too, a lot to see there. It will be expensive, but with all the drama in the financial markets I am hoping that the pound and euro will slump a little, with high hopes that the Canadian dollar won't nose dive. Otherwise, I am in for it.

In between now and Christmas, I am hoping to travel in Holland a bit more, get to see some of the highlights. At Christmas I am going to Poland (I mentioned that earlier). I will go on the 20th -26th, and then off to Berlin to hang with my friend who I met in Canada. We stayed in touch, and her parents live in Berlin so she will be there. My plan is for NYE there, so it would be fun to travel around a bit, see some German hot spots. And that will bring me to the new year. Whoa.

This is interesting, I have big plans for the new year. In February (Provided I manage my funds correctly) I will visit some friends in Italy, do a little tour there (ohhh that will be excellent, I've wanted to go there since I was 15). Then, volunteer at a seal rescue centre in the north of Holland for 2 weeks. Afterwards, head over to Madrid, where I have been accepted into this program that is 1 week, and I will teach English to business executives (well they give you 1 business exec as your buddy). The organization pays for everything, except travel arrangements to Madrid. The accomodation looks really nice, I believe 4 star... heheheh I am really excited about this too, because I wasn't sure if I could swing Spain, and now I can. I just have to wait for the dates to come out for 2009, currently they didn't have any, so hopefully that works out. So, despite all this hardwork the fun will happen.

But, I am really enjoying myself, even though I am tooth and nailing it now, the commute is beautiful and the weekends are always well spent in the city centre wondering around. I actually would like to take out a paddle boat on the canal.

So, I hope everyone is doing well. Miss you guys... a little :)
Will post more pictures.
Wish me luck on these papers/presentations.