hup holland hup!

Last night I made it out to the city center to watch The Netherlands play Australia in the World Cup!

I missed their first game against Spain on Friday (cause I was traveling to London!), and they won!  I did happen to catch the first few minutes in the airport before boarding the plane though.  And Saturday night I was in England for their match against Italy (which they sadly lost...)

What an interesting summer of sports!  I am literally getting to watch the World Cup around the world, AND from the world's perspective.  I have to tell you, the people of Holland are insanely impassioned.  They are so proud.  And they want this so bad.  They love their tiny little country so much, and rightfully so.  They have been through a lot over the decades (according to my colleagues) and yet, have remained hopeful.  Losing to Spain in the World Cup final 4 years ago might have broken their hearts, but it didn't break their spirit.  For weeks the stores have had all kinds of orange-themed paraphernalia lining the shelves and store windows.  And I tell you what, orange is not a color that looks good on anyone, but the Dutch wear it loud and wear it proud.  This year they will not settle for 2nd place.  Their heart and soul is totally in it for 1st.  :)

Here are some pictures from the bar last night where we watched the game.  I have NEVER been in a bar so packed.  I literally couldn't move, and when they scored, I was jumping around with everyone else praying I wouldn't fall down and get trampled to death (that is not a joke). 
It was so funny to watch though.  Before the game started the bar was playing music and people were dancing and drinking beer and beginning to pack the place.  When their national anthem started playing everyone yelled it at the top of their lungs, then threw their beers into the air at the end.  I have to say...I was not expecting that, but I figured that would probably be the end of the beer throwing antics.  Who throws perfectly good beer into the air?  Well...the Dutch do.  Haha.  It was definitely not the end of that.  By the time the game was over, my friend Michelle and I were totally soaked.  Sure do wish I hadn't spent so much time on my hair that night...Oh well.  The game was being broadcast on a projection screen, and aside from the 3 goals they scored, the entire place was silent and fixated on the screen.  But those goals.  Holy moly, they sure do celebrate. 

Pre-game Dutch snacks...fries with mayo!

Drenched in beer!  But they won!!!  :)))

Sticky, crunchy, wet hair.  :P

Orange, everywhere!

The bar was a sea of orange!

And since everyone threw their beers in the air, the cups ended up on the floor.  Yuck!

If you say so!  Wait a minute, they say 'ain't??'

Whew, what a crazy game!

It really was an amazing night.  My eyes were burning so badly from having beer splashed in them, my hair was a sticky mess, all of my clothes were wet, I probably ruined my shoes and my purse, but it was totally worth it.  And on my bike ride home last night, everyone else on the bike path was wearing orange and everyone was so excited!  People were shouting everywhere...but since it was in Dutch, I have no idea what they were saying.  Can't wait for the next game on Monday.  :))

 

Video of the win!

Life is a dirty chai

Life is a dirty chai. 
It's sweet and smooth, but has more than meets the eye. 
It's served warm when you want it to be.  Comforting, like every time you bring it to your lips, life is wrapping you in it's arms and giving you a big squeeze and saying, 'Hold on, it's going to be okay.'
It's served cool when you want it to be.  Filled with ice cubes.  Sometimes life is whirling all around you, and you can almost hear all the coolness of Jay Z telling you to 'Go on, brush you shoulders off.' Cause sometimes, you know you are a total badass and don't need anything. You can brush right by those ice cubes. 
And just like life, a dirty chai is slightly unpredictable. Made differently everywhere you go.  Depending on how you are feeling that day, you'll appreciate it differently. 

Are you noticing the smooth, airy foam?  Happy to dive into something new, unsure of what the future, or your next sip, will hold?  But confident and anxious for more anyways?
Are you somewhere in the middle, where the milk, tea, and espresso are perfectly blended and you know exactly what's coming next.  And you're comfortable with that.  Relaxed and certain. 
Are you at the bottom of the glass and noticing the granules that didn't dissolve?  Was it that they weren't given enough attention, or the right attention?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  Maybe they would be there anyways, regardless of what you did, so it might actually be okay to overlook them, those imperfections of life, and move on.  Are you noticing how the end of your dirty chai has now cooled to room temperature, or watered down?  You can always rewarm it you know.  Life that is.  Fire it up and ignite the passion, the deepest curiositys.  Life doesn't have to cool down.  It doesn't have to be watered down.  Take out those few remaining ice cubes, chew on them even.  If there is something you don't like, something that isn't suiting you, something that isn't benefiting you, get it out of there!  Your life is in your hands. 
Are you saddened by the fact your dirty chai is running out?  Or happy with how it all went and happy to have experienced it anyways.  Do you want more?  Perhaps one is just enough.  After all, this wasn't just a regular chai; this was a dirty chai.  There was more than met the eye, remember?  You knew that.  It was energizing and satisfying.  It was sweet, and caffeinated, and you loved every drop.  You were part of the entire dirty chai experience; the exciting foam, the comfortable sips, the abrupt end of the last sip. 
Life is a lot like that too.  Day to day.  Year to year.  It's changing and evolving though.  It has more freedom than a dirty chai.  How are you looking at it though? 

My dirty chai is gone now.  I could order another, but €3,90 is a lot to spend.  Plus, I just need to savor what I've had and be grateful.  It was so good.  It IS so good.  This life.  

**This was kind of a fun poetic entry for me.  I biked to the city center for the first time today, and got sufficiently lost.  Made it to a coffee shop I had been wanting to try, and ordered a dirty chai latte.  I picked up a Dutch magazine, and opened it to that page pictured at the top.  DO MORE OF WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY.  I had my journal with me, so I began writing.  This blog entry is almost identical to what I wrote down this afternoon.  It's free flowing creativity.  As it came to me, I wrote it down.  Never, have I ever studied a dirty chai latte so much.  The creativity of it and the flow of the words have always been easy for me to physically write, but challenging to type.  When I type, I make edits.  So I kept this blog entry very close to that journal entry today.  I really like the way it turned out too.  Pretty introspective.  I found it to be fun, and beautiful.  Enjoy.  :)  And go get yourself a chai latte! 

Going to the zoo!

Natura Artis Magistra

Yesterday my friend Bart took me to the oldest zoo in The Netherlands!  The Natura Artis Magistra, meaning 'nature is the teaching of art and science,' is located in Amsterdam.   Bart had a research project there a few years back on chimpanzees, so he was well acquainted with the zoo and an excellent tour guide.

Artis Royal Zoo was founded by 3 wealthy individuals and first began housing animals in 1838.  Initially, it was only open to the public.  In 1851 it was open to the public only in September, and in 1920 it was opened to the public year round.  
Truly, the zoo has a completely different feel than any other zoo I've ever been to.  The buildings are so old and you can almost feel the stories in the architecture and layout of the zoo.  There are 27 buildings in the zoo that are considered monuments and are protected structures.  The aquarium is one of them!  It felt like I was walking through an old art museum, except where paintings should have been hung, there were dozens of fish tanks!  And the flowers and landscape design was exceptional.  Artis takes a lot of pride in the flowers, as 'wherever there are flowers-there is always a feeling of celebration.'  And a lot of the trees on the property began as saplings there, some in the late 1800's!
I was also really surprised to find a few of the exhibits are semi-interactive.  The lemurs could literally walk among people.  There were no boundaries; it was just expected that you don't touch the animals and they won't hurt you.  I literally worked at a museum with lemurs for a summer, and even then, I wasn't allowed in the lemur enclosure.  This time though,  I was much closer to a lot of different animal species than I had ever been before.  I was impressed that people were just expected not to be idiots around the animals.  It made for a much more intimate zoo experience. 

It really was an incredible zoo visit.  Completely different than any other I had been to before.  It was like historical gardens meets zoo meets art museum.  And they called it Natura Artis Magistra.  

Here are some pictures of the animals.  There were watusis (which our anatomy lab faculty had the privilege of preserving a skull earlier this year!)  Their horns are so impressive!  There were also giraffes (and a newborn baby giraffe born the morning we arrived!), elephants, lions, all kinds of reptiles, a butterfly house, monkeys, birds...you name it, it was probably there.

Watusi

Sleepy Alpaca in the background.

Oh, hey Kookaburra.

Giraffe and little boy statue.

Lizard thing

Red Ruffed Lemurs. They had so much personality!  

Baby and Mama Elephant.

Sea lion show!  They performed some tricks, and we watched a mock medical examination. 

Butterfly House

This aquarium was SO beautiful!

Yeahhh, Giraffes.  :))

This baby was born the morning we arrived! <3

Mmm, so many flowers. 

An essay-on travel, being alone, and a tiny bit about love.

Recently, my friend Katie posted an article on Facebook.  It was about comments made by Bill Murray's at a South Carolina wedding he crashed over the weekend.  He said,

“If you have someone that you think is The One, don't do… don’t just sort of think in your ordinary mind, 'Okay, let's make a date. Let's plan this and make a party and get married.' Take that person and travel around the world. Buy a plane ticket for the two of you to travel all around the world, and go to places that are hard to go to and hard to get out of. And if when you come back to JFK, when you land in JFK, and you're still in love with that person, get married at the airport.”

And I kind of liked that.  It's pretty real.  And true!

Life really isn't all sunshines and rainbows all the time.   I've had a pretty hard dose of reality this week myself.  Today is Wednesday, I have missed 3 days of work this week, and I missed all previous weekend's festivities because I've been sick since FRIDAY.  This is not at all how I pictured my time in Europe.  My idea of a perfect summer has just been slapped in the face.  I had to cancel a bike ride to a pancake house and castle with my colleagues, I canceled a trip to the zoo in Amsterdam, I turned down plans for dinner, and I didn't make it out for a friend's birthday last night, and I am actually really upset about how far behind I will be in work next week.  But I suppose all of this really is pretty trivial.  My social calendar will recover. 

The upside of this unfortunate illness is that I have had a lot of time to think.  A LOT.  I have literally been so still and had more time to think than I have in the past year.  The busy life of a vet student is not to be understated.  We literally don't have an ounce of effort to dedicate to anything other than school, without sacrificing school (which...yeah, we do sometimes).  And as soon as school ended in April, I was on a plane to California, then back to NC to work for a week, then to Alabama for a NASCAR race, then on a plane to Europe.  And since I've been here, my life still hasn't slowed down for one second.  So many wonderful friends, places to explore, foods to try...

I have been in constant motion since August 14th. 

But this week is different.  Nothing to do.  No exams to study for.  No errands to run.  Just a lot of quite time in my room, in The Netherlands.  And thankfully, it's been chilly and rainy, so I don't feel the desire to be outside.  I've watched a couple movies, had a couple good yoga sessions, spent too much time on Facebook...

I have to admit though, these last few quite days have been rough.  For a girl who obtains a lot of her energy from her active environment and other people, alone time is really just okay if it's planned.  I need to know how long I'll be alone for and when I'll be around people again, so I have something to look forward to.   Again, this week has been different.  I surly didn't expect to feel sick THIS long.  And with a holiday approaching, I really don't want to waste that time at home, alone. 

So yes, beginning tomorrow (Thursday) is a two day holiday during which the University will be closed.  A whole 4-day weekend?!  I have spent hours this week brainstorming where to go.  Italy, Ireland, France?  I have consulted friends on travel plans, and what do to if I still don't feel well tomorrow.  France is the easiest to get to, so I decided to plan a trip to Normandy and Paris.  However, even that has been hard for me to plan.  I'm tremendously hesitant.  This will be my first international trip alone.  Making friends has never been hard for me, but I truly feel very uncertain about a lot of it. I have arrangements to CouchSurf in Normandy tomorrow night, but then what?  And what if the trains are full when I arrive in the morning?  And will I be feeling well enough to travel (which is why I haven't made many reservations yet).  There are literally a thousand things running through my mind, creating all of this uneasiness I'm feeling.  They don't even speak English in France.  Yikes.  Okay, I'm pretty scared now.  

However, traveling by myself is not a totally new concept.  I spent 4 weeks last summer on a road trip around the US with my dog, and truly had some of the greatest experiences of my life.  But I always felt safe from behind the wheel of my car.  It was always comforting for me to know I could sleep in my car if I had to.  And I was in total control of my day; how fast I wanted to get somewhere, or how slow.  But the security of traveling in my own car is about to be challenged on tomorrow's trip to Normandy.  I will essentially be out of control of a lot of situations I'm used to being in control of.  Yes, I am tremendously apprehensive.  But I am trying to remember all of the good reasons to do this as well.  There will still be people where I am going, and some of them will speak English.  There will be food, and shelter, and hotels.  Do I really need much else?  I can always leave when I want (provided there is a train available, when I want).  There is also a lot of opportunity for me to learn.  Before last summer, I had never traveled extensively on my own.  I was scared then too, but I did it.  Same goes for now.  It's just a really good time for me to get over my fears. 

So, to bring it back to Bill's statement. Yes, travel often, and travel when it's hard. It does force you into a different mindset, and the decisions you make tell a lot about yourself.  Even though Bill stresses the importance of traveling with someone else to decide if you're in love with them, I urge you to travel with yourself too.  Learning to love yourself is an entirely different kind of love.  It's the love that will let others in,  somewhere down the road.  It's a love that teaches you to trust yourself, even when all you see in front of you is doubt.  It's also a love that will never abandon you. 

So if you're in a relationship, get out and travel the world with that person!  See what your love is made of!  If you're not (and even if you are!), get out and travel the world alone.  The love you create will blow your mind.  It builds confidence, and strength in times of uncertainty. There is such a powerful energy that comes from making your own decisions, for only you, and then reveling in the success of those moments, or occasionaly, suffering the consequences.  Either way, it's worth it.  Plus, it always makes for a good story to share.  ;)

I am also deeply saddened by the passing of Maya Angelou today.  Always a sucker for a good poem, and she will be greatly missed.  She's leaving me with the perfect quote tonight:  'Trust life, a little bit.'

Races and parties

So I apparently arrived in The Netherlands just in time for THE vet school event of the year.  The Diergeneeskundige Studenten Kring (DSK) is the name of the vet school student organization and once a year they host an event called the Peerdepieten.  It's this enormous horse race event weekend.  They have this impressive board, which my friend Bart was a member of a couple years ago, and the board manages and plans everything.  The event began on Saturday with the Peerdepieten race where the veterinary students dress up in their best English Ascot style.  It was explained to me that means the women wear classy sundresses with big hats, and the men wear nice suits, often with tophats.  There is even a difference in the type of coattails they have for daytime vs. nighttime events!  

Of course there was a Welsh Corgi there...

This was the first hours race I attended, and was so fun!  Even though it was freezing cold and raining...

Old school J. Lo. videos on the bus ride?  Okay. 

They began the event with a parade of student organizations, then had about 9 actual races.  The horses pull carts and have to remain in a trot the entire race (usually 3 laps or so).  And everyone bets on the races.  I bet one whole Euro...and lost it...so that was the end of my risk taking.  Inside they had beer, wine and typical Dutch food.  

The student who won!

One of the races was composed entirely of students who, through a very selective process, were lucky enough to spend the last several months training to compete.  It is apparently an honor to compete, and a pretty big deal to win!  The girl that won her race was so emotional!  After After the races, they hosted a party for the students!  So we danced a good while, and collapsed by the time we made it on the bus to come back to Utrecht!

Hannah and Fred discussing bets.

My betting ticket! 

Where did they get an American school bus?

Hannah and Fred, and the horses!

Liselot and Bart were handing out some of the awards. 

With sweet Liselot! :)

Liselot made me take a photo with the handsome guys....ooookkkayy.  ;)

Dancing with Hannah!

After the races on Saturday, the DSK organization also plans the annual gala on Sunday night, which is comparable to the formal at the CVM, yet slightly different.  Drinks were unlimited, and they had this crazy awesome DJ!  It reminded me more of just a party than a formal, and it was so much fun!  Kristina, the other student here from NCSU also joined us!  It was supposed to be a mascarade party, but most of us had lost our masks (or rubbed off the paint) before the end of the night.  And this party didn't end until 3am!  That made for a fun Monday morning, which happened to be my first day at work...

A professional photographer got a pic of the whole group!

Liselot, Kristina, Hannah, and I

Kristina and I!  Reppin' NC State! :)

Just met this girl, and love her!

This was the DJ.  YES.

Utrecht shopping

Evening storms give the best light!  No filter.  View after stepping off the bus at my apartment!

Slept til 11am...not hungover!

Liselot and I enjoyed some errand running and shopping in the city center of Utrecht.  There were so many outdoor stores!  I would have been lost without her.  H&M was everywhere (about like Starbucks in any American city), and I saw a Foot Locker!  The architecture was stunning.  I can't wait to go back and buy flowers from the little flower market and sit by the canals sipping on coffee.  :)

Mmm, coffee.