dutch music

piles of awesome patterned clothes. mint and fresh eggs

I just built a little desk for myself. I'm sitting here taking a break from my homework. To my left is a large window where I can people watch. It's Sunday, but there's a lot of action on the street... a motorcycle gang of middle aged men just roared by. At the other end of the street is the Elandsgracht festival. It's been going on since noon on Saturday. Wild dutch music galore! It's kinda painful to listen to after a while (17 hrs and counting, ha ha!) I just got back from getting some groceries and exploring. There's one store open on Sundays. I continue to find amazing ethnic restaurants! Let's see if I can remember them all... Tunisian, Moroccan, Brazilian, Thai, Indonesian, Indian, Italian (of course!), Japanese, and even a boutique burger place! And that's just my street! It's so ethnically diverse around here!

Saturday was wonderful! I had some great time in the morning to read and rest, then had lunch with a new friend we've met through a great little church here in the city. She had Allie and I over for yummy sandwiches, fruit, and great coffee! Then off to the organic market just north of us. Amazing! My favorite place so far in Amsterdam! Everything was so fresh and gorgeous and so inexpensive. So, I'm thinking I'll just get my produce for the week there.  It will also be a great place to Christmas shop... lots of little hand made art items, clothes, and gorgeousness! My senses are going crazy lately! I can't take the beauty, it's out of control! I've taken this month to just soak it all in... now that I'm thoroughly drenched I'm going to start making art again... and putting my thoughts in to some paintings.. If it's any good, I'll share!

Tomorrow morning I'm back to the dutch! I leave at 8:30 and cycle south through  Oud West, Vondelpark and Oud Zuid to the Vrije University. It's a beautiful ride and I'm wide awake by the end of it! The lessons this past week were on furniture, food, and ordering things. Which came at a perfect time since I went to get some furniture (meubels)... I was able to understand a lot! And then the market was great for food practice! I successfully asked, paid, and thanked in dutch :) Slowly but surely! 

Our teacher informed us on Thursday that "This is the most intensive dutch course in the Netherlands!" Wow, we sure know how to pick em! Ha!!.. oh well, at least we'll learn fast... and hanging on for dear life! The other students are so fun! People from New Zealand, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Guinea, Italy, Spain, and Morocco to name just a few! I'm in heaven! It's fun to look at all the dictionaries, not Dutch to English, but Dutch to Farsi, Italian, Arabic, etc... These people are so crazy smart! 

Much love,

bc