About five minutes after my last posting, there was a ring on the doorbell. I went downstairs to find Moise and Sandra! So, we all walked to the city centre for a coffee. There are plenty of places to drink in the city centre, so we chose a random one to enter and sit down. We had an interesting conversation about freedom of choice. Sandra strongly believes in people being free to make their own choices and learn from their mistakes. She tries not to judge people. She tries to avoid confrontation. Moise and I gave her some questions and hypotheticals to test the breadth of her beliefs. She told us a touching story about how her parents were against her going out with her first boyfriend, and how she was persistent yet, at the same time, avoiding confrontation. Her parents eventually respected her choice.
After coffee, I tried the cash machine again. It must have been 24 hours since my last withdrawal, because this time it worked! So, I hurried off to the book store where I first saw the Dutch language book. So, I am now the proud owner of "Teach yourself Dutch: a complete course in understanding, speaking and writing dutch".
On the way back from the bookstore, I saw the Greenpeace woman who earlier thought that I understood Dutch. Not being one to miss the opportunity, I approached her, showed her my recent purchase and used the line of "I'm taking photographs of people who think I understand Dutch. Would it be alright if I took your photo?" This was successful, so I now have a photo of her! I offered to give her my change (from buying the book) as a donation, but for some reason they don't take cash donations - just bank account details. I can't remember my bank account number off by heart (who does, anyway?) so that was that. I decided to leave the conversation at that, and walk home. Perhaps I should have asked her what she was doing tonight? After all, I'm not doing anything. I tend to think of these things a long time after the fact.
posted by James 5:08 pm
Maja's appartment was easy enough to find. It's really close to uni. This confirms that I can easily find my way to uni from Jasper's place. Although, that may be academic knowledge on Sunday, as I think I am moving into accommodation which is right next to the University.
I ended up going for a random cycle in the direction of a big sports stadium. At 2:30pm, I decided to turn the bike around and head back home, at all possible without referring to the map. I was successful (evidently) but I'm not sure how direct my route was. On the way, as if just to prove my last posting incorrect, an old man on a motorbike commented to me in Dutch about how cold it was. At least that what I think he said. I would have taken a photo, but I was more concerned about being ready for the lights turning green.
I have no idea what's happening today. I seem to recall that Moise and Sandra organised to meet me at Jaspar's at 3pm, but I haven't heard anything yet. Perhaps I should wait outside. I really need to get a mobile phone. (I bet non-one would expect me to say that!)
posted by James 3:14 pm
I just got back from my walk around the City Centre. I succeeded in buying a street map of Tilburg, and I found a good Dutch language book, but I didn't have any money to buy it. I withdrew 400 euro from my account yesterday while setting up a new account at a Tilburg bank. So, I guess I am over my withdraw limit until late this afternoon.
I still managed to have a good look around the shops, even though I couldn't buy anything. One of the shopping streets was long and narrow - designed for pedestrians or people on bikes. There are generally the same type of shops that you would find in New Zealand. I walked into one of those gift shops and found a dancing birthday cake for sale. The sweet shop offered a whole wall of pick and mix loose sweets. One container held "Muntdrops", which I found amusing. I even took a photo in case you don't believe me! These muntdrops look the same as something I got in my receptions package. I found a place called "Free Record Shop", but it was just a lie! The butchers was selling cooked drumsticks, sausages and spare ribs - a nice winter treat.
Three more people approached me and started speaking in Dutch. Granted, one was doing a survey and another was collecting donations for Greenpeace. One thing I have noticed is that, so far, everyone who has approached me and spoke Dutch has been female. Go figure. Even yesterday, when I was outside a building with Charissa, a woman approached us, looked at Charissa for a moment, and then decided that it would be better to ask me for the time. Perhaps she thought that Charissa was the one from New Zealand. I have decided that, from now on, I will take a photo of each person who approaches me and speaks in Dutch.
Now that I've got a streetmap, I think I will look up the location of one of the trainees (perhaps, Maja) and bike around to her house. According to the Lonely Planet, people don't "pop around" to a friend's house, they make an "appointment" in advance. I think I will risk it this time. I have time to burn, I want to ride my bike, and I want to explore the city more.
posted by James 1:08 pm
Yesterday, I signed quite a few contracts that were entirely in Dutch. Perhaps because of my law background, I got someone to tell me what it meant in English first. But, I 'm sure that there are many people from overseas who would sign the contract without understanding it. I wonder what the legal position is, when someone from, say, Togo, signs the contract and the official at the city office knows that the Togo person doesn't understand any of it?
When I woke up this morning, it was still very dark outside and it was very quiet in the building. I thought it must have been only 5am, but it was already 7:30am! I got up and I have been reading a book and doing stuff on this computer since. Most of my stuff is still packed - I'm afraid to take it all out just incase I can't repack it! I am also eating like I am on camp. On the floor next to my bags, I have a big bag of apples, my chocolate from NZ and two cartons of drink. I just eat stuff when I am hungry, not according to any specific meal time. And, I drink straight from the carton - no cups for me!
I am very isolated and dependent at the moment. Jasper has gone to a conference in Sweden. There is no phone here, and I just rely on AIESECers to meet me each day. I vaguely know my way around the nearby streets, but I can't remember what any of them are called. I have a list of the addresses of all of the AIESECers, but I wouldn't be able to find their houses. I can probably entertain myself by reading my books, posting long comments in this online diary and going for long walks/bikerides by myself, but that's not the point of this traineeship. I need to become more independent. I want to be able to talk to people and organise things to do with the AIESECers. In that frame of mind, my goal today is to buy a streetmap of Tilburg and a Dutch language book for foreigners.
On another note, before coming here, I was told that it rained all the time. I've been here for three days, and it hasn't rained yet. It's just been very cold. Now that I've typed that, it will probably rain today... when I am 30 mins away from home on my bike. We'll see. I should probably still buy an umbrella, though. (I think I am spending so much money!)
posted by James 10:19 am
I got a lot of logistical stuff done today. I received my "Sofi" number (an administrative number for people living in the Netherlands), got some information about insurance, and signed my accommodation contract. I found out that I don't need a visa. I expected this because I have a British passport. However the City Office still wanted a copy of my birth certificate - apparently it is the best evidence of my birthday. I am pretty annoyed about this because I don't see what is wrong with the copy of the birth certificate information that Sum faxed to Katrijn for me earlier. What is so important about having my birthday information anyway? Do they want me to bring them pastries when it's my birthday? This is one more thing that I need to e-mail home about.
I made three good purchases today - gloves, scarf and notebook. So, I can keep warm while outside, and I have a place to record new Dutch vocabs.
I got my bike today. It used to be Katrijn's bike - apparently, she donated it to AIESEC and her parents bought her a new bike! Perfect! In a similar fashion, I think I may donate my computer to AIESEC Auckland once I return home. There are two locks - one is a big chain, and the other a small mechanism that prevents the back wheel from moving. It takes a while for me to secure my bike, especially while wearing the gloves! I also notice that I am become more coordinated with my riding. Bike riding is fun. I don't think I have anything planned for the first part of tomorrow, so I will probably do some random bike riding around the city streets. Just like the cars, you must ride your bike on the right-hand side of the road. It's pretty safe, because there are usually special bike lanes. I am slowly getting used to the traffic markings on the road telling you which bike has right of way. Usually, you must give way to a bike approaching from your right.
On a whim, I decided that I wanted to buy some juice from the supermarket. It was 6:30pm, so it was already pretty dark. I got the directions to the supermarket from Jasper. It was of medium distance away, so I would have to go by bike. I was a little nervous because it was dark and I would have to carry the shopping home while controlling the bike. I was very careful to obey the road rules and I followed the directions exactly. The supermarket was about 10 minutes ride away. There was a reasonably big section for people to secure their bikes, so I did likewise. The supermarket is pretty big. It will be interesting to have a better look around once I do my big shop next week. I bought a bag of apples and two cartons of drink. I tied the apples to the back of the bike (where a person could sit) and I carried the other two items in a bag. The ride home (with the extra burden) was easier than I had expected.
posted by James 8:40 pm
I have some observations from waiting outside for Katrijn to turn up. The puddles are all frozen. The drains on the side of the road are just big enough to fit a hacky. I need to buy a replacement hacky.
posted by James 12:59 pm
It's good to know that I still have a good sense of direction. I just got back from a decent walk around the streets near Jasper's place. As soon as I stepped outside, my first thought was, "I can't believe I'm still freezing!" I thought that putting on two jumpers and a jacket would have been enough but I think I needed another jumper! Some gloves and a hat would have been nice too. I'm sure I'll get used to the weather soon, and grow out of this complaining stage.
It's my second day here, so I am still noticing all the bikes, the brick buildings and traffic driving on the other side of the road. It may take a while to get used to looking left first when crossing the road. I took a few pictures of the train station, a hell of a lot of bikes and "Interpolis" (the tallest building in the area). I used Interpolis as a landmark to help me with direction.
There are a few signs in English and often the Dutch signs have words which are very similar to English. I found what seems to be the equivalent to Aotea Square, and played some hacky. For some reason, I was really good! My rallies lasted for at least 10 kicks. However, because of the cold and not having eaten much today, I quickly got tired. I bought an apple turnover from a streetstand that had all types of pastries. I got an experience of culture shock when I bit into the pastry and found there to be more raisins/sultanas than apple! Next to tomatoes, I don't like raisins, but I was quite hungry so I ate it anyway.
Yesterday, Annabelle told me that I look Dutch. This must be true, because on my walk three people started speaking to me in Dutch! It's embarrassing not being able to speak Dutch. I only know one word so far, "thank you". I got to practise it when I bought the apple turnover. I want to buy a notebook today and I will use it to record Dutch vocabulary.
I'm going to wait for Katrijn now. In the meantime, I will listen to my Avril CD - I found out how to play it on the computer.
posted by James 12:00 pm
After my first posting yesterday, I went to University with Jasper, by bus. I purchased something called a "Strippenkaart". This is a rectangular piece of card with 15 "strips" on it. When you catch the bus, the driver stamps the number of strips equal to how many stages the ride is.
There was a small walk from the bus-stop to University. I am still not used to how cold the air is! The feeling of cold air in your lungs is a shock, and I found it exhausting to speak! I was shivering so much. Jasper and Steven (whom we met on the bus) both thought that it was a great day, and it wasn't that cold! Different background, different perspectives.
The AIESEC office is in a building for student clubs. They have 2 large rooms and they are great! One room had 4 computers, all connected to the internet. There were phones available for making company phone calls. I spent time chatting with the AIESECers there, and checking my e-mail.
Rather than catch the bus home, I suggested to Jasper that we walk. This probably sounds crazy (after how I described the cold, before), but I like walking and I figured I should try to get used to the cold. There are only appartment buildings and the architecture is very plain. Perhaps this is a consequence of being in the city centre. There are also mini-parks full of trees and winding paths, every so often. There are plenty of narrow paths for bikes and pedestrians. It goes without saying that we walked past so many people on their bikes.
On the way home, we stopped off at a shop and bought some chips with mayonnaise (frites met). This is a traditional Dutch dish.
That night, there was a dinner organised at Ilse's flat. Two AIESECers picked me up from Jasper's place. They had two bikes and they offered one to me. It's been such a long time since I've been on a bike! So, I was finding it hard to travel at slow speeds, or indicate, without excessive wobbling. At some intersections, they had "bike crossings" - just like the green/red man system, but with bikes! There are usually lanes marked out on the side of the road for bikes. I was nervous when a car passed me while going down the same road.
I bought some NZ wine for the dinner. It was gone in about 30mins, so I felt pleased. There were about 15 people there, including the other trainees (Sandra, Maja and Moise). We chatted and organised a time to meet on Saturday. When I got there I was still wide awake, but the urge to sleep hit me suddenly. By 8:30pm I was almost falling asleep on the couch. Two AIESECers generously offered to take me home, and I accepted. I rode on the back of one of the bikes. This was difficult because I was trying not to hit any part of the bike with my legs. I also had to raise them so they wouldn't drag on the ground!
Apparently, I will be getting a bike of my own soon! I will have to do some practice in a place where there isn't much stuff to crash into.
I have a couple of hours to burn before Katrijn picks me up to have a tour of the city. I think I will go outside for a walk and look for something to eat. I will be wearing 2 jumpers and my jacket. I'll see how that works against the cold.
posted by James 10:00 am
Technically, not much has happened over the past couple of days. Nevertheless, it is the first day of my traineeship! So, this is bound to be a long posting.
I went to the airport with my parents and my sister on Wednesday morning. We were there at around 11am - you need to be there so early in advance for these overseas flights! After completing the checking in formalities, we headed upstairs for some coffees. We passed the time with easy conversation about my traineeship and meeting up with my sister when she's back in the UK. On a related note, my sister would be returning to the UK the very next day! So, my house is going from being fairly crowded to being one housing only my parents.
It was good to see some AIESECers one last time, at the airport. As well as imparting some last words of advice, they also gave me a small book that they had filled with good-bye messages.
When it was time for the final good-bye, I gave everyone a hug. My Mum cried a little, and I almost did too. After a long good-bye wave, I went through to the boarding gate, and onto my first flight.
The first flight was from Auckland to Kuala Lumpur - 10 hours and 45 minutes. I was pleased to receive a complimentary copy of the Herald upon boarding. During the flight, I made an honest attempt at both crosswords. I am pleased to report that I got all but one of the cryptic (23 down - Apparently not the top team (4)). As I did the cryptic, the person sitting next to me was studying Chinese. We were equally perplexed by what the other was looking at. You can tell how certain aspects of international plane travel have changed in reponse to near recent events. Included with my dinner was cutlery of a metal spoon, metal fork and the flimsiest plastic knife. I literally had trouble using this knife to slice through butter. To avoid potential liability for causing DVT, the airline gives frequent encouragement to get up and have a stretch, or complete a small rountine of mini-exercises. The mini-exercises are very similar to the personal manoeuvres one might see while participating in a game of Zoom.
On the first flight, I was feeling sad. I think this is because I had just left so much behind in New Zealand, and it was still a long way to go before reaching the Netherlands. This emotional state wasn't helped by reading the small comments book given to me at the airport. I appreciate the gift and I enjoyed reading everyone's thoughtful comments. There is heaps of space left, so I may get the Netherlands AIESECers to write some comment in 12 months time. This is similar to a small book that Vanessa has for her traineeship comments.
The second flight was from Kuala Lumpur to Amsterdam. It was longer (13 hours and 10 minutes), but it seemed shorter to me because I was sleeping for at least half of it. I was sitting next to a student from Poland, Agnes, who had been studying English in Australia. She took every opportunity to tell me that the weather in the Netherlands was freezing and that I needed a good pair of gloves. I also introduced her to the dot-game. I let her win a game so she had to sign my dot-game book. Shame.
On this flight, I was more excited than sad. I was very close to the Netherlands, and I would be meeting Karin and the Tilburg AIESECers.
Once I got to Amsterdam, my travel wasn't yet over. I would be catching the train to Tilburg. Luckily I had organised to meet Karin to help me with this endeavour. When we met, it was like a scene straight out of a cross-cultural communications session. I went to give Karin the typical New Zeland hug, and she went to give me the typical European kisses on the cheek. She made a valiant attempt to teach me some Dutch words, such as the name of the airport. This is beyond me at this stage. It will probably be a month before I can pronounce anything correctly, let alone learn any new words.
I had to catch three different trains in order to get to Tilburg. Luckily this could be done by buying just one ticket. The ticket wasn't checked during any of the three stages of the trip, but I assume they have a system which is similar to that used on New Zeland trains. I relied more on asking people for advice, than by looking at any of the signs. The people that I have met so far are kind. And, as far as my small sample of people can be used as a guide, almost everyone speaks excellent English. On the second stage of the train trip, I met an Australian woman, Annabelle, who had been living in Tilburg for the past 10 years. She came over to work for a year or so, ended up meeting someone and decided to live here permanently. I wonder if this is an omen for my traineeship? Yeah, whatever.
The weather is also damn cold. It was minus 3 this morning. Agnes was right and Mum was correct in packing all those extra coats and jackets! Almost everyone that I saw at the train platform had wollen gloves and a scarf. I will be buying some gloves very soon!
There wasn't any snow on the ground, but all of the ground was tinted white with frost. I remember looking out of the window of the train and not seeing a tree with leaves for ages! Just rows of skeleton trees dividing the farms by the train tracks. Each farm looks well irrigated too. I have only seen one windmill, and it looked really out of place.
When I got to Tilburg station I made the easy decision to go downstairs and inside, away from the bitter cold. I was there for about five minutes when I saw three young people who were likely candidates to be Tilburg AIESECers. My suspicion was confirmed when one of them whipped out an AIESEC banner and started unfolding it. This person was Katrijn - the person who carried out some of the matching with Sum. Within the space of another five minutes, another seven AIESECers had turned up to welcome me. We shook hands as our method of greeting. As is world wide tradition, each of them asked me how my flight was as their first question. I responded with the same reply, "Long". Almost all of the AIESECers have names that are Dutch and unpronunciable to me (at this time). I need to see whem written down before I can remember them! Shame.
I was given a cool receptions carrybag. It is blue and orange, and looks like it could double as a briefcase for work. I just opened it up 20 minutes ago, and there is so much nice stuff in it. Well, it's all food. All sweet food. I am currently eating my way through a bag of waffle biscuits with honey in the middle. There is also an interesting loafy looking cake. I may eat it tomorrow, or save it to take to the office when it's my birthday (yeah, right).
For the next 2 days, I am staying at Jasper's building. It looks like a collection of student rooms. The one that I am staying in belongs to another AIESECer who is currently overseas on a CEED. It has continuous internet access - so I making the most of it to write this update! Jasper was really apologetic about the slow internet connection, but it is at least double the speed of my computer back in New Zealand.
The streets are fairly narrow and they are brick paved. I commented on how interesting this was, and Jasper said that all streets are lke that in Tilburg. Almost all of the buildings are brick too. It's because it's so cold here! (That's my guess).
Later, I will be going out to dinner with the AIESECers and, hopefully, some of the other trainees too. Jasper should be back soon, and he will be taking me to uni for a look around. I will be lying on the bed, trying not to fall asleep! I am determined to stay up until normal sleeping time, in order to avoid lingering jetlag.
I'm so pleased to be here!
posted by James 12:27 pm
It is 3am on Tuesday, February 12. I will be leaving for my traineeship in under 12 hours. I can't get to sleep. I have been spending the past couple of hours copying photos to disks and sending my New Zealand powerpoint to Winston. I wish I had a CD burner of my own - it would make things so much easier! Having said that, I probably could have organised this earlier and I should have taken account of the problems my computer was likely to have.
When I first told people that I was going on an AIESEC exchange, the most popular question was "Where are you going?" It was strange not being able to say a specific country. Now that people know that I am going to the Netherlands, and I am leaving soon, the most popular question is "Are you excited?" I am excited, but it probably doesn't seem that way when I answer that question. I am more nervous than excited. I am nervous about whether my preparation is adequate, and also about what I will be leaving behind in New Zealand.
posted by James 3:01 pm