"Tilburg's highest point can be found on the Heuvel (hill) at 14,80 meters above sealevel. In the northwest, near the Donge river, Tilburg is at its lowest: 4,20 meters above sealevel."
I found this on the Tilburg tourism website. I think it nicely illustrates how flat it really is here!
posted by James 4:24 pm
I feel like having a break from work and a small vent about AIESEC Tilburg. Recent events are reinforcing my opinion that AIESEC Tilburg sees involving the trainees as more of an afterthought, rather than the main purpose. This week, there was a barbecue at Jasper's house. The trainees were told to come not earlier than 9:30pm, even though it obviously started earlier than that. I am assuming that it was a party to celebrate the end of the AIESEC year and the whole local committee was involved. But, aren't the trainees also part of the wider local committee? I have no doubt that the AIESEC Auckland local committee would invite their trainees to such a party.
I am also sick of the term "reception event". It has a negative connotation to it. It is like these things are organised only because it is part of the AIESEC Tilburg "business plan". Perhaps they are thinking, "Well, we have let you come to our Monday drinks and we have our regular Thursday reception event, so that's all we have to do for trainee interaction". That's the impression I get, and it's frustrating.
Recently, I have been trying to organise things to do with the AIESECers, but they are almost always too busy. But, I think that there are reasonable explanations for this. Most people have exams at the moment, so they probably can't take the time to go out. Also, I have been doing my inviting either on the day, or the day before I want to go out. This seems to work for me in a New Zealand context, but in The Netherlands it is probably best to plan such things more in advance.
I realise that what I am frustrated with are mainly the cultural differences between New Zealand and The Netherlands, in particular within AIESEC. It's just how things are done around here, and I probably can't do much to change that. I just need to get used to it. From my e-mails with Daniel, I have learnt that each culture has its advantages and disadvantages - it depends on the aims/goals/values of that culture. No doubt, the culture of AIESEC Tilburg has its advantages in certain contexts.
Nonetheless, it is still alright for me to vent my frustrations about these cultural differences until I get used to them. This online diary is perfect for that.
posted by James 2:02 pm
In Excel, it is wiser to break a calculation down to its intermediate steps, rather than try to design a huge formula that solves the problem in one go. It is less stressful, the answer is usually more elegant and it is easier to edit later, if you need to.
posted by James 10:15 am
I feel that I am looking at the positive side more, whenever mutually exclusive choices are made. There are so many things to do and you can’t do them all at the same time. If I miss one option, there are plenty of good alternatives.
Last night, I suggested to Marina that we go to the movies, as she had finished her exams that day. I went for my run while she thought it over. She decided against the movie because she was too tired. Yet, I didn’t mind this because there were other things that I was happy enough doing at home. I could do some planning for places I want to visit, or read some more of my Dutch book. I ended up watching a movie, anyway, on television in Kasia’s room!
posted by James 9:23 am
If you see a sign outside a Dutch restaurant reading, "Let op uw fiets", it is not an invitation to put your feet up. It actually translates as "Watch out for your bike".
posted by James 11:58 am
I spent the weekend past, quietly, in Tilburg. I didn’t go on any big trips, but this gave me the opportunity to progress with my other goals.
I worked through another two chapters of my Dutch language book. There are only two chapters remaining and I should get through these by the end of the week. After that, I will go through the book again to revise the grammar points. I also plan to read the newspaper (It’s becoming much easier!) and speak Dutch whenever I can.
I have started the running schedule that Dad sent me. Technically, it doesn’t start until July 7, so, until then, I am repeating the first week. It prescribes six runs in the week, with the longest being 90 minutes on Saturday. Sunday’s run is 30 minutes. (The rest day is Friday). The schedule builds up to two 3-hour runs in the last two weeks of September. The marathon is on October 19.
I taught Marjoleine some roll calls on Sunday afternoon. (She is going to an AIESEC conference in Mexico next week). I’m not sure if she will use the more “dodgy” roll calls, but some of the New Zealand specific roll calls may be handy, because of their adaptability. For instance, with the Massey roll call, you could probably substitute any two-syllable word (e.g.: coffee) for Massey.
She later sent me a text message which ended with “oi oi oi”. So, I know she likes the Massey roll call!
I had a ham and cheese toasted sandwich for lunch. The interesting part is that there was cheese on the top, outer layer too. Nice!
On the way home from the city centre, I stopped off at De Pont art gallery to see if they had any Fiona Tan posters. (The exhibition ended last month). They did, and I was allowed to have one for free! Wicked! I was intending to put it on one of the ceilings in my room (the attic) but it was too big. There was no space on the walls as it is taken up by the door and my wardrobe. So, I attached the top of the poster to the rafter in the middle of the room. The rest of it hangs limply, almost touching the floor. It has the effect of dividing my room into two.
posted by James 9:25 am