Last night, I had dinner at Steven's place. I also scanned about 20 of my photos from ISP and uploaded them to the ISP website. I had been getting some friendly pressure to do this. We all like to see each other's photos!
The walk home from Steven's house always feels shorter than the walk there. It could be because there was less anticipation - I was just going home for a shower and sleep. I was also thinking about interesting things, keeping my mind busy during the 30 minutes stroll.
posted by James 8:51 am
I have got the Cricinfo website running in the background while I work, so I can keep up to date with the New Zealand v India cricket match. I like the "Wicket Alert" feature. But, I should stop shouting "Yes!" whenever New Zealand takes a wicket. Especially when Paul is having a meeting in the next room.
posted by James 9:23 am
The hardest part about getting up at 6am is following through with the decision to do so. It is so tempting to remain in a comfortable, warm bed for another hour. After I get out of bed, and put my feet on the floor, it's not that bad. My room isn't cold and when I wear such a warm jacket, the walk to the train station is fine. Also, I feel good knowing that I'm giving myself a whole 90 minutes of e-mailing and internet surfing before work starts.
Last night, there was an AIESEC reception held at Kadinsky. This is the bar in town that offers upwards of 200 types of beer. Vincent, an AIESECer, recommended the "Pauwels Kwak". It came in such a strange glass - conical at the top, narrow in the middle but expanding to a bulb shaped bottom. The glass came with a special wooden stand because you couldn't leave it upright, unsupported.
Moise, Maja and four AIESECers were there with me. We attempted to play some Dutch Trivial Pursuit. We were in teams consisting of at least one trainee and one AIESECer. It was difficult because the questions were in Dutch (of course!) and each category (except Science and Nature) had a Dutch cultural bias.
posted by James 8:59 am
I am pleased that I had my two-week holiday in the UK. It has given me a fresh perspective about my traineeship.
Before I left, I was beginning to feel stale about my life in The Netherlands. Each day blended into the next, it was routine and there was little excitement. Now that I have returned, I am more aware that I have only four months of my traineeship left. That really isn't much. I have a renewed enthusiasm to enjoy each experience I have while I am still here. Being here for eight months has given me a good base to boost from. I feel ready to really push towards the rest of the goals. I have a sense of proactivity and wanting to make things happen.
The weather seems distinctly colder that it was last fortnight. Everyone is dressed up in warm tops, scarves and gloves. The sky is overcast and there is constant drizzle.
Life at the Hasseltstraat apartment is as it was before my UK trip. No-one else has moved in. It is just Rachel and me. I am surprised that we still have two spare rooms. According to everyone else, it is difficult for students to find an apartment. They can come to our place!
When I got home, the kitchen was so warm because the heater and the toaster oven were both on. Nothing was in the toaster oven, it was just on. I think it must have been on for a while, because my pens (which were resting on top, next to some cryptics) had melted! The fridge still leaks about a litre of water each day. The lights in the kitchen and the bathroom were broken, so I had to do my showering and cooking in the dark! (I bought new lightbulbs for these rooms yesterday).
My first day back at work was good. I got through a reasonable chunk of e-mail before 9am, and worked steadily on tasks for the rest of the day. Before going home, I had a chat with Paul about work-related stuff. There was no criticism or praise, but a nice discussion where I felt respected. It was a good way to end the working day, because I feel in a good mood to push on with my work this morning.
I went for my first run for a while, last night. It was rushed because I wanted to have time to prepare and eat dinner before going to the AIESEC Monday drinks. There was little light and it was cold, but not so cold that I couldn't wear my usual running clothes. Nevertheless, I got a few looks of surprise from people waiting at bus stops, wearing heavy coats. The run felt good. The first run back after a rest is usually like that.
I got to the AIESEC drinks just after 9pm, but the AIESECers were still upstairs having their local committee meeting. I later learnt that they were hearing a presentation from a Dutch trainee who had just returned from Sri Lanka. I only caught the last part of the presentation. This is frustrating. If I had been told about it, I would have gone upstairs earlier to see it. Moise and Maja may have felt the same way. Listening to a returned trainee's presentation is very relevant for trainees like us, particularly those who are nearing the end of their own traineeships. I will make a suggestion about this to the AIESECers.
While I was there, Lia gave me a belated birthday present - a jar of sweets, Yes! I was also sung the Dutch version of the "Happy Birthday" song. It's a cool song, but its tune disturbingly reminds me of "Waltzing Matilda".
posted by James 9:16 am
For the past week, I have been in Northern Ireland – the second leg of my holiday in the UK. My mother and I visited Newry, a town on the border with the Republic of Ireland. This town is where my mother grew up. We stayed with my uncle Jimmy and his wife, Tina. Jessica stayed at her home in England.
Jimmy’s house is on the same road where my mother grew up. I learnt that when my mother was a child, there were only a few houses on this road. The surrounding area was mostly fields. The family had to get its drinking water from a well at the end of the road. Things have certainly changed. Houses line the entire length of each side of the road. Many houses appear to have been built within the last five years.
Many aspects of Northern Ireland remind me of New Zealand. Watching the passing scenary on the car ride from the airport to Newry, we could have been driving through the Waikato farmland. Verdant pasture, rolling hills and cows silently chewing their cud. In Newry, I saw children walking home from school, wearing school uniforms. This is typical in New Zealand too, but something I recently realised that I haven’t seen in The Netherlands.
As in England, everything is measured using the imperial system. So, you will order beer by the pint and measure the distance between two towns using miles.
Newry is a small town. My two older cousins, Paul and Ian, related that there was nothing much to do aside from go to a pub, or wander around the shops. It is small enough that I would have been satisfied with walking everywhere. I guess it would be about 15 minutes walk to town. On Wednesday night, I walked back home from Paul’s place despite everyone’s disbelief that I wasn’t catching a taxi. The walk only took 12 minutes and it was all up hill!
Perhaps the concern was due to this being Northern Ireland and the potential for sectarian violence. There is still tension between Protestants and Catholics, but it must have died down recently. I can’t remember the last time I have seen anything in the news relating to it.
I still had warnings in my mind, lingering from prior visits to Northern Ireland. For instance, I shouldn’t take any photos outside, especially of anything which could be military. My camera could be mistaken for a weapon. Instinctively, I didn’t take any photos, even though it was probably safe to do so.
On the short walk down the hill to Ian’s place, I pass a school. The fence around the school looks more scary than the fence around the prison in Tilburg! The razor wire at the top is about a metre high and looks absolutely viscious. An amusing sign on the fence warns that you may be injured if you attempt to climb the fence.
I spent a lot of time being lazy at the house – reading books and watching music videos. A couple of times, I drank some pints with Ian and Paul, and played pool.
On Friday, Mum and I went to Belfast by bus. It was only a 35 mile journey but, due to roadworks on the motorway, it took two hours. The main purpose of the trip was to visit a textile warehouse (of a supplier of my father’s company) to get some samples. We spent about 2 hours there – Mum had a thorough look at the rolls of fabric in the warehouse and did some playful bargaining. I think that Dad will be impressed with our haul of samples.
Prior to that, we had taken a free tour of the Belfast City Hall. The guide was friendly and informative. I learnt that Belfast was given the status of city by Queen Victoria in 1888. In response, construction of the City Hall began in 1898 and was completed in 1906. The internal workings are impressive. As our tour began, a wedding party were having photographs taken on the Grand Staircase. On the second floor, on either side of the Grand Staircase, are stained glass windows commemorating contributions made to Belfast by Sir Crawford and Lady McCullagh. Sir Crawford was Lord Mayor of Belfast for a record 16 years, spanning three periods (including the World Wars). The windows depict historic events during those years, including the bombing of the City Hall in 1941. We were shown around the Council Chamber (where we could sit in the Lord Mayor’s chair), the Great Hall and the Banquet Hall. The original stained glass windows of the Great Hall are still in place, as they had been removed and stored elsewhere, as a precaution, when bombing raids began.
I was prepared for a quiet Friday evening, so it was a welcome surprise to hear that Ian had called while I had been out. He invited me to a night out in town with some friends. I was expecting just a few drinks in a pub, but I was pleased when we ended up at a place where we could dance.
The front room was a normal bar, where we started off by having a few pints. Girls were encouraged to dance on the bar, but only two of them did. Further on in was a larger room that you had to pay to enter. There were a couple of smaller bars and generously sized dancing areas. I was wearing my grey casual shoes (I hadn’t packed anything better), so I was lucky that Ian could get me past the bouncer.
Ironically, I didn’t spend much time on the dance floor. I was mostly drinking, and dancing in place towards the side of the room, talking with Ian and his friends. They were very friendly and had a lot of nice things to say about New Zealand.
Ian was buying the drinks for me and he wouldn’t let me pay for anything. I went about three drinks past my limit and, because of this, didn’t appreciate the night as well as I could have. A few times, I felt like the lead character in the film “Memento” – I had lapses of short-term memory. I would be on the dance floor with Ian’s friend, wondering how I got there. After the club closed at 2am, I was in a taxi, then at Ian’s friend’s place, then someone else’s place. Other events were a blur. The alcohol had made me so sleepy and I asked to be walked back to Ian’s just after 4am. Apparently Ian stayed out until 9am! I had a hangover on Saturday and I deserved it. I am annoyed at myself for drinking too much on Friday.
I enjoyed my week in Northern Ireland, and the times that I went out with my cousins. With hindsight, I would have spent more time with them. I don’t see them very often.
posted by James 9:06 am