I was just sitting on the couch next to Auckland. Jessica and I were playing with her - silly things like covering her eyes, rubbing her back, shaking her paw. She is a friendly dog to play with, but is pretty tired at the moment due to today's long walk.
We were talking about the dog and Mum said something that didn't quite make sense to us and was entirely off the topic. Jessica and I asked her to repeat herself, but we still didn't really understand. We began laughing so hard that our sides hurt and we started to cry. In the end, we understood what she said. But, it was one of those really funny moments.
I love being with my family.
posted by James 8:30 pm
About two weeks ago, the dates for my trip to the UK were confirmed. Since then, I have been counting the days to go. Luckily for me, time seemed to pass quicker than I had been expecting. I think that could be a comment about how fill my days have been with work and other things.
I packed for the trip late on Thursday night, after coming home from an AIESEC reception event. It was a rush job, so I have probably ended up packing too much. I used my big backpack (designed for camping) and took it all to work with me on Friday.
My flight to the UK was early on Saturday morning, so it was necessary to stay in Amsterdam for the Friday night. Fortunately, Karin offered some space in her room for a mattress, a sleeping bag and me! I followed Karin's instructions on how to get to her place from 's-Hertogenbosch. I managed to get there without giving her a call for help, so I felt pleased. Now that I know the route, I think that her place is easy to find.
Karin went out with a friend, but I decided to stay at her place and have a quiet night. I watched some television, played Gameboy and went to sleep before 11pm.
With some more helpful directions from Karin, I made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare. I caught an EasyJet flight - a budget airline with some unique characteristics. For instance, it has no assigned seats. The earlier you book your ticket, the earlier you can board the plane, therefore getting a better seat.
The flight was 40 minutes delayed. But, when I arrived in Luton, I found my luggage immediately. I picked up my bag from the conveyor belt without even needing to stop walking! This is unprecedented.
I was all smiles when I saw my mother and Jessica (my sister). I gave my Mum the biggest hug then gave Jessica the second biggest hug. I shook the hand of Lloyd (Jessica's husband). We were talking a lot on the way to the car. It was mostly idle chat, but I think we just wanted to talk to one another, and it could have been about anything.
Jessica and Lloyd have a huge dog! She is a blue great Dane named Auckland. Yes, it is called Auckland, after my home city! It was funny when we were walking the dog today, and Lloyd was yelling "Auckland!" really loudly. This will take some getting used to. Auckland is almost two years old and, despite her size, I consider her cute. She was really excited when I entered the house - running around, up and down the stairs, fetching things for me (fluffy toys, an old shoe, a bone). Lloyd has trained her well. She will obediently follow commands to sit and lie down.
In the afternoon, Mum and I accompanied Jessica to her "IPOP" class. (Neither Jess, nor I, can remember what "IPOP" stands for!) This is a class that has components in singing, drama and dance. Jessica is the singing teacher! Her section of the class was first, and I was impressed with how organised it was. She went through some scales (using the keyboard to guide the class) and then practised a song. I admire her confidence to teach a group of 20 students and how she could get their attention easily.
posted by James 7:31 pm
I went for a very slow 1 hour 20 minute run last night. I didn't run any particular course. I ran down a few streets that I have never been along to get more familiar with what's around my place and to introduce some variety into my run. I felt fine the whole way which is a good sign for the marathon.
Why do other people often seem confusing to us? I believe it is due to two reasons, (1) they have different goals to us and we don't always know what they are, and (2) they have a different perspective of their environment and we don't always know what this is.
posted by James 8:44 am
Last night, I went for my second run in as many days. I did the 45-minute run to the University and back. This run has always felt good, and the trend continued.
I got to the Monday drinks just before 10pm. There were only six other people there, and none of them were Moise or Maja. Shame. Maybe I came too late, but it was as early as I could manage after going for a run and making dinner. Last week, I had completed evaluation forms about my traineeship and receptions. It looks like the AIESECers have discussed them well amongst each other, which is good. I got this impression from conversations I had with Marian and Remco.
On Sunday, I discovered that potato sinks and cauliflower floats. So, if you are not in the mood for using your senses of sight or touch, this is an ingenious way of separating these two vegetables.
Rachel plays squash and recently she has been talking herself up as a good player. At the same time, I have been talking myself down. I would like to give her a game when I come back from the UK with my squash racket.
Being the one to blame for a problem is not always bad, if you use a forward-looking perspective. The more at fault you are for a particular problem, the more influence you can have to prevent it from occurring again. Just think about what went wrong and act differently next time.
posted by James 8:44 am
A lot has happened since my last diary update. It is good to have a computer at home so I can write something considered, rather than rushed at work.
An AIESEC reception event was planned for last Wednesday. However, due to a clash with a televised soccer game between The Netherlands and the Czech Republic, almost no-one confirmed that they would attend. In the end, the reception event was cancelled and those who had replied (four of us) had dinner at Steven’s house. The dinner was exemplary. We watched bad television (a programme called “Extreme Makeovers”) and made jokes about it. The evening was relaxed and enjoyable. I like evenings like this.
On the way home, I had a nice SMS conversation with Natasha. We exchange SMSes and/or e-mails on a daily basis. I like how we have been able to stay in contact since ISP 2003 despite the distance between our countries.
On Saturday morning, I woke up early to catch the first train to Enkhuizen. Enkhuizen is a coastal town in Noord Holland, about an hour north of Amsterdam by train. My plan was to spend the whole day looking around the Zuiderzee Museum. I was interested in learning about what life was like in these northern towns before the opening of the “Afsluitdijk” in 1932. Until then, Enkhuizen was a town on the shore of the Zuiderzee. Among others, it was affected by floods caused by storm tides in the North Sea. The “Afsluitdijk” (The Enclosure Dam) turned the Zuiderzee into a lake called the IJsselmeer.
The Zuiderzee museum consists of two parts: the Buitenmuseum (Open-air museum) and the Binnenmuseum (Indoor museum).
I was interested in visiting the Buitenmuseum first. I caught a free ferry from the train station to the ticket office, and another to the entrance of the Buitenmuseum. I got a nice information package which explained the prominent buildings and suggested a thematic route to follow. I arrived there just after opening time, so I had time to take in as much as I wanted.
The Buitenmuseum has more than 100 buildings either reconstructed, or transported intact from their original sites in the villages dotting the edge of the former Zuiderzee. Near the entrance were three lime kilns from Akersloot. These were used to make lime from shells, which was then used to make cement. I walked along a recreated street from Monnickendam. The street was also a dike. Houses on the “wrong” side of the dike were frequently flooded. During these times, the families simply moved to the attics of their houses along with their furniture.
I had a great time just exploring around. You could wander around many of the buildings and inspect what was hidden at the end of narrow alleyways. I almost felt like a trespasser, going into someone’s backyard and walking around their vegetable garden.
Almost all of the houses had a small notice outside, explaining who used to live in the house and what they did. Not surprisingly, almost everyone was involved in the fishing industry. I saw houses belonging to fishmongers, fish smokers, and those who sold supplies to shipping companies.
I learnt about the families that used to live there. The recorded history mostly pertained to families who lived in the 19th century. Families appeared to be much bigger then. It was common to have 7-8 children. The father was the bread-winner and the mother usually helped out with his work (e.g.: scaling the fish that her husband had caught). They seemed to be more self-sufficient – almost all of the houses had a vegetable garden. The houses were small and basic, maybe 2-3 rooms. Some of them had “bedroom cupboards” – a space sunk into the one of the living room walls, and closed off by a curtain.
I visited a building that used to be a cheese warehouse. I walked past shelf after shelf of cheese rounds and watched an interesting video about how cheese was made and sold in the markets.
On the other side of the open-air museum, I entered the school just in time for a penmanship lesson! The classroom was set in 1930. School seemed much harsher for children then. (This is probably similar in most countries). For instance, there was strict discipline involved with entering the room and addressing the teacher. Left-handedness was banned! If you were seen to be writing with your left hand, you were struck with a wooden stick.
A small container, holding pen ink, sunk into the front of each desk. You had to frequently dip the nib of your pen into the ink to be able to write anything. I found it difficult – I usually wouldn’t get enough ink on the nib, and I pressed too hard, scratching the paper. The “teacher” still gave me a “Goed zoo” stamp, so I felt pleased.
I left the Buitenmuseum at around 2:30pm, and walked to the Binnenmuseum, about 15 minutes away. It is a two-storey building which has exhibits about the fishing industry, living with the water and Dutch art. The main information was provided in three languages, so I could understand these parts. However, the individual explanations accompanying each piece were usually only in Dutch. This was probably a good thing, though, because I could concentrate on the piece of art or artifact and make my own interpretation.
I watched a cartoon video about living with and managing the water. Of course, it was in Dutch, but I could understand a lot from just looking at the pictures. I learnt how a dike is built and how windmills and screw pumps can be used to drain water. A huge room held six wooden boats which were used in the 19th century as fishing vessels.
By 4pm I had seen everything. My brain was full and my stomach was empty. I took some photographs outside (it was a beautiful day) and bought some “frites met” with a coke.
With this unexpected extra time, I decided to stop off in Hoorn. I had learnt in the Lonely Planet guide that this was the home of Abel Tasman, the first European to sight New Zealand. I spent about 90 minutes there, relaxing in the town square and strolling along the harbour. It was a magnificent scene. There were so many yachts moored in the harbour in rows of four. When I walked past, I saw many people on the boats having some dinner, enjoying each other’s company. I took photographs of the surroundings until I ran out of film.
I left for home at about 7:30pm. I was so pleased that I had made this worthwhile trip. I got to experience two other towns in The Netherlands and learn some history.
I had a huge sleep-in on Sunday. I spent the rest of the day doing general house cleaning and watching television.
In the evening, I went for my first run in two weeks. It was a slow half hour run and felt average. At least I am back running. I want to go for three more runs before I go to the UK this coming Saturday.
posted by James 8:35 am