Parties, Errands, and All That Jazz.doc

I had a minor freak out in the grocery store this morning. OK, not a freak out, but I found an .89 cent regulation size triangle brick of brie cheese - wouldn't you be blown away? It's made by Euroshopper which is rapidly becoming my favorite food distributor (they also make the wonderful stroopwafels you've been hearing so much about). I think their equivalent in Canada would be the no-name brand as opposed to President's Choice, but the quality seems to be a little better than the home brand. Granted, I don't know if I could get away with serving .89 cent brie to guests...but for my own consumption it's a great treat. I'm currently snacking away with some whole-wheat crackers.

Parties: Well, my assumptions were correct. The moment all of the mobility students hit Amsterdam socializing went up 200%. We've been out two nights this week and are heading out tonight (more on that later). The first night of everyone together was an enjoyably awkward social mixer. The nature of the program means that all of the students involved are both really smart and from different parts of the world. This usually means that initial gatherings are slow to get moving and this one proved to be so at first. We've had a few of these since the start of the program and I usually find myself to be the resident conversationalist - go figure?! I mean, I consider myself outgoing when I need to be but back home I'm usually a conversation contributor rather than the one talking the most. As I've learned, each of us tends to fill a variety of roles dependent on the group of people we're surrounded by and in these initial meetings I'm usually the one hoping everyone gets along and that silences are filled. 

It didn't take long, after a bit of beverage lubrication, for everyone to ease into a lively discussion and approach each other on their own terms. This initial socializing took place at an Irish Pub (in Amsterdam...) where drinks were 5 Euros each so I suggested we relocate. I took the group to (big surprise) The Neighbour which is quickly becoming my favourite watering hole in the city - the Canadian tripod went there in the first week and I took the girls that were initially here a few weeks back. As usual, it didn't disappoint. Adam and Stu, the guys from Britain who have been to Ams plenty, really dug the place. We all played a few games of pool, waited for the bar to fill up at 1am, and girls had no trouble danced on the pool tables later on in the eve. A successful first mixer.

Errands: We move from the glamorous to the mundane. I'm fond of 'to-do' lists and I made an epic one this week. I realized that the start of school is quickly approaching (Monday!) and there are a lot of things to tick off the list. In addition to a bit of initial reading, I picked up my new student card which was a bit of a disappointment. It's my fourth uni card and by far the most budget - you have to stick your own passport photo on the card and place it in a plastic laminate (lame). I also took out a few more books from the library, shelled over what translates to almost $1100 Canadian for my monthly rent, and went for a haircut. The three people I've talked to on skype have all recognized I got my hair trimmed - what a technologically enhanced word we live in!

The haircut was a bit of an adventure. I'd been looking for a few weeks and couldn't find anything which wasn't really expensive (my plan this term is to save money on basics so I can do some wicked traveling throughout the year). I happened to find a Hair Academy in the city where students in training cut hair as part of their studies. The men's haircuts were an absurdly low 11 Euros and 10 cents. Now, I know some of you might be cringing back home at the thought of handing your head over to a student but my thinking is that a guy's haircut is pretty basic and there is little difference in the style of the cut to justify spending 40 Euros. I had apprehensions about my decision, after seeing the 16-20 year old students at the school - they looked pretty green. I ignored my fears (with the knowledge that I could always buzz if need be - Shac always liked that cut) and was really happy with the final effort. Because the student was tentative, and under the watchful eye of the instructor, she was thorough and paid extreme attention to detail. I ended up with a haircut that cost me one quarter of the price.

All That Jazz: Adam took us to a jazz club last night. He's a great piano player and a bit of a jazz expert. On a previous trip to Amsterdam he went to a venue he had heard a lot about called Cafe Alto, and was blown away by the talent; he says it's the best jazz club he's been to in Europe. I can't say I'm that familiar with jazz - I've heard stuff from Armstrong, Davis, and Coltrane but that's about the extent of it. I was blown away by the mood and atmosphere. It must be a mix of the dynamic nature of the jazz quartet, who you can see work together and improvise riffs and solos as they go along, and the laid-back mod feel of the small club. We stayed for two of quartet's sets and then headed home. It's a great gem to know in the city - if you happen to come visit it'll probably be on the itinerary.

Tonight we continue to "paint the town red" before classes begin - I'm hosting jam number two of January. The whole MAIPR group is meeting here at 8pm and we're heading to the bar around the corner which is launching a new fashion issue of the photography magazine GUP as part of Amsterdam International Fashion Week. International students at an international arts event - could it get any better?

Doc's Prescription of the Day: Jazz, brie, or fashion. Take your pick or combine all three.

A Little Canadiana Missing in My Life.doc

Bec and I went for another photo wander yesterday. We were waiting to cross the street when I described to her how superior the pedestrian crosses in Canada are compared with the ones I've encountered all over Europe. This little discussion led me to the topic of today's post: The Top Ten Comforts I Miss From Canada. These aren't necessarily things I pin for, and of course doesn't include family and friends, but are little features of home that I've come to miss in my day-to-day routine.

10. Tasty Chewing Gum - I don't think Europeans like chewing gum as much as we do in Canada. Until I came here I didn't realize how often I popped in a piece of sugarfree trident or excel until I couldn't get it easily over here. Honestly, there wasn't anywhere on Warwick campus I could get gum - madness! Even when I do buy some gum (Hollywood, Soap, or any other weirdly named variety) it usually disappoints. I will request visitors bring Canadian gum.

9. Swiss Chalet - This may seem like a bit of an odd choice to some of you. After living around the corner from a S.C. in Canada, I rekindled a lifelong romance with this down home comfort food. My mom was thoughtful enough to include in my stocking a package of the Swiss Chalet sauce you buy in the store. I haven't used it yet, but rather left it on my shelf as a reminder of the half chicken special I love so much. I went to Frado's in the UK for BBQ chicken but Frado ain't got nothing on rotisserie goodness and lemon flavoured hand water.

8. Pedestrian Crossings - It's the inspiration for this post and it's something I continually miss from Toronto. In Europe, most of the traffic lights are not suspended above the intersection for all to see (they are attached to polls in the ground close to the cars). Subsequently, pedestrians may get a green walk signal or a red stop signal, but have NO idea what colour the light is at any given time. For veteran jay-walkers like myself, I have no clue if I have enough time to skip across the intersection. In Toronto, not only can you see the progression from green to amber to red, but we are gifted with a COUNTDOWN telling you how much time is left to cross. This may have been designed for old ladies with walkers, but I appreciate knowing I have five seconds to sprint across Avenue Rd. to get to class.

7. The Moderately Fashionable Populace - I make take some flack for this one, but I think Hincks will back me up. For the most part, Canadians are generally less fashionable than their European counterparts. This makes it all the harder to stand out in a crowd of well-dressed and well-groomed Versace and Prada lovers. Europeans are not such a fan of baseball caps, generally never wear socks and sandals, and rock the speedos and swimming trunks (maybe the latter is one quality of European culture we should be happy not to have adopted). All in all, it just takes more effort and ingenuity fashion wise when planning to go out.

6. Wireless Internet - I pine for wireless internet and the ability to download TV episodes and films online. The internet connection at both Warwick and Amsterdam is through an ethernet cable which I haven't rocked since the Morris Days in 2004. I cannot count the number of times I've wanted to walk someone through my apartment on skype only to dislodge the cord and thus the internet connection. There are also strict penalties to downloading large files. Sorry Brothers and Sisters, Lost, and all the Oscar films, I'll have to try and stream you online.

5. Canadian News - I keep up with the happenings in Canada through a variety of online newspapers and publications but it's much more difficult to stay "in the loop" over here. Case in point, I have followed the parliamentary crisis with a curious eye but have never felt fully knowledgeable about everything that's going on. Whereas back home I had a number of ways of keeping informed (radio, newspaper, television, and, yes, online) there is something to be said for the day-to-day inundation of material that I'm lacking over here.

4. Washrooms - I begrudgingly called washrooms "toilets" in England since that's the custom, but I always felt crude asking for them in an establishment (I think our euphemism is a more superior term). Aside from what they are called, a lot of them COST money to use at the train stations and airports in Europe. In the Netherlands a lot of clubs and cafes charge for use of the facilities. When did their use become a luxury?! Further, toilets are different all around the world which has left me longing for a familiar Canadian perch - many have pull strings, two types of buttons to press, or in the Netherlands are so poorly designed that I cannot even describe the construction without going into graphic detail. You have to see it to believe it.

3. A Tim Horton's Double Double - Again, some will take issue with my desire for the Canadian staple. It's widely known that the coffee is cheap, fairly weak, and inferior to the types of expresso you can get in Europe. Nevertheless, the Double Double has such a distinctive flavour, much preferred to the harshness of the Starbucks brand, that just can't be replicated. Along with the Swiss Chalet sauce, my Mom sent some packets of Tim's coffee. While there are traces of the taste in the coffee I've made with it, it is still lacking the two squirts of cream from a bag and the scoops of sugar that blend so nicely with the fresh pot of brew. Accept no imitation.

2. A Toronto Night Out - I've been out a lot in Europe. What I do miss is the whole process that goes into a night out in Toronto: meeting for drinks and chat at a friend's pad; the race to collect the party into the four cabs waiting impatiently outside; stashing coats under, over, behind, or on top of a piece of furniture; dancing the night away; OPDizzles; street meat; and the inevitable jaunt home to the 1.3.5. With our friends, we're never at a loss for conversation and every gathering delivers. It may get repetitive, but who says it ever gets old?

1. Language Ease - One of the benefits of being abroad is the experience of living in a culture where English isn't the native language. It's a constant challenge and a definite character builder. Nevertheless, since touching down in Europe whenever I open my mouth to speak I identify myself as an outsider: in England my accent immediately labeled me as North American (usually assumed to be American) and in the Netherlands I interact in minimal Dutch which I must pronounce with an accent since a lot of people happily switch to speaking English. It may be timidness of my part, but it has translated into being extremely self-conscious of my interaction and the language I use. Whereas in Canada I might have asked more questions of a shopkeeper or made sure I was getting charged the correct amount for an item, I feel less agency when interacting with strangers since I'm always the cultural outsider. It may sound extreme but it's just comfortability I miss - the freedom to walk into a store and not feel like I need to go the extra mile in prepping myself for interaction. It all goes back to confidence I guess, mixed with the Canadian politeness of not wanting to offend anyone.

It has been just over four months in Europe and these are some of the things I've come to miss about day-to-day life in Canada (from the mundane to the more significant). Do not get concerned. These things don't keep me up at night, but rather are reminders of the home I love so much.

That being said, I am currently living in one of the coolest cities in the world - I (am)sterdam:

Click on the photo to get the full effect. Bec and I "doctored" photos of ourselves after our walk. I hope you enjoy.

Doc's Prescription of the Day: Don't take the mundane and the comforts for granted. It takes time without them to realize how much you appreciate the little things.

Mingling with Von Dutchipsters.doc

The clouds have lifted, the rain has stopped, and the sun has been shining down on beautiful Amsterdam.

We had five straight days of gloomy clouds and scattered showers this past week. When it's melancholic for so long one almost forgets what it feels like to have the sun beating down. This was the realization that greeted me on Saturday morning (and continued through the weekend) as the sun streamed through my windows all day. It's a taste of the type of weather we can expect to make the city really sing in the spring and summer - I can't wait to don shorts and sandals again.

Starting this past weekend and continuing throughout the week is Amsterdam International Fashion Week. All of the official events are closed off to professionals in the business (it's a smaller week in comparison to NYC and Paris) but they have a whole "downtown" program of events all designed to involve the city's artists and the wider public. The photography event I mentioned in the last post is at the end of this week, but in the meantime I've popped into a few events over the course of the weekend.

The first stop was a photo shoot taking place in Amsterdam's Central Station. There were six makeup and hair stations where extremely tall models were getting done up Maybelline experts. I think the shoot was looking to juxtapose the soft looking dresses worn by the models with the really urban and industrial surroundings of the station - the room in which the shoot was taking place had a bunch of construction material and exposed wires. There were not many people there to watch in addition to all those involved in the shoot. In fact, I got the feeling that the happening I might have wandered into was part of the official fashion week rather than that open to the public. I continually pretended to check my cell phone like I was really important. I also devised a story in my head if asked what the hell I was doing there: I was doing a "piece" on the fashion week for a mag back in Canada (I had my UofT card ready to flash if need be). Luckily no one pestered me as to my credentials...I was of course dressed the part. I managed to snap some of my own shots very sneakily. No free drinks.

The second event of the day was definitely part of the fashion week open to the public. It was a hat and coat fashion show (a term I use loosely). It was presented in a really tiny, but quirky, boutique. The "catwalk" was a strip of red carpet that had been laid down and the space held maybe twenty spectators. Because I was fifteen minutes late to the start of the show I was positioned at the end of the "catwalk". I joined three other photogs who were snapping shots of the scene. Some of the models actually stopped and posed while I took a photo - kind of a wild experience. It was quite a makeshift show. You could see the backstage area from the end of the catwalk and even heard the directions given to each of the models. After the show there was a little socializing and a lot of patting on the back going on. I scored free drink number one.

The final event of the day was the launch of a new line of clothes from young urban Dutch designers from a fashion school in the city. You should have seen some of the kick-ass fashion sported by these trendsetters. They called their line Hooligans. I suggested they should call it Von Dutchipster - it didn't really translate well. I didn't have to supply my lame Canadian magazine lie, but they were really excited to have a youngster from another country come to their launch. Free drink number two.

The next day, Bec and I went to another event. In this boutique each independent designer's dress was featured on a stand in the centre of the room inspired from a concept they had thought up in the past year. The lanch was also the reopening of the boutique which had undergone some sort of renovation. The coolest dress was a royal blue trench coat that had solar panels built into the design - the concept was that you could plug your ipod, iphone, blackberry, or other technological necessity into the coat to recharge. There was another dress made almost completely out of white garbage bags. There are some friends back home who would have been in their element at these events. Free drink number three!

Last night, I went out on the town with a new friend who also just arrived in the city. His name is Colby and he lives in my building. He's from San Diego and is studying economics for a term. The bar we went to was really neat. It's called De Trut which translates to The Bitch (hey, it's Amsterdam...). It felt like a really small and alternative spot the likes of which you'd find in Queen West. Cover was a tiny 1.5 Euros and half-pints were 1 Euro. With prices like that I'm sure it'll be a spot to return to. We met two other international students there from the UK, Stuart and Becs, who are studying Law at the university. New friends everywhere! Unlike Warwick, because there is stuff happening all around, it's really easy to connect with strangers and strike up a conversation - especially if you hear English being spoken.

Doc's Prescription of the Day: OK, I'm not a music guy per se - most of you know that. But today's prescrip is a song from Adele that I'm really digging these days. My neighbour downstairs is learning this song on the piano and it's really neat to hear her practicing. It reminds me of life back home and what it feels like to be a travelin' man: Adele's Hometown Glory.

Filling Free Time: A Little Bit of Random.doc

I'm going to warn you, this post is going to be a bit random. I'm struggling with too much free time! Part of me thinks I should embrace the down time, since I haven't had much of it in these last five years, but the other part is anxious for more MAIPR students to get into town and for the work to start. This urge to have a project is compounded by the fact that I am on a strict budget until the February rent is taken out  - no museums, outings, or costly adventures until then. Nevertheless, I have been filling my time with random activities here and there:

Coffeeshop Lounging: Two euros for a latte can go along way for a good night out with friends. Bec, Hetta, Zhenya, and I went to a trendy little cafe the other night for part two of the "So we're on mobility together" getting to know you series. They're really great girls. Hetta is loud, funny, trendy, and swears a lot. Zhenya is more reserved, quirky, reflexive, cynical, and has a dry humour I really appreciate. We discussed our "real" lives back home (I obviously told them all about 'the gang') and what we could expect to do with the degree once it's all over. I think they're going to be really great friends this term. Our next plan is to crash a party during Amsterdam's International Fashion Week which is advertising free beer and is hosted by a well known photography magazine. 

Photo Journey: So I haven't discussed it on the blogosphere yet, but I developed a bit of a photography hobby the moment I landed in Europe. I think it was born out of the desire to fill an artistic void, since I won't be acting while over here, but also because I wanted a photographic archive of where I've been that isn't just buildings and monuments. Luckily, Bec is also an amateur photog so we both find joy in walking around and snapping weird shots. I always feel bad for fellow travelers when I get to a new city because I'm stopping to stoop and take a shot of a lock or a door. Bec and I continually do it to each other so it evens out. We planned an epic city walk today, and managed a good four hour journey in all, but were definitely battling the rain most of the day. Not ideal photo conditions to say the least. I realized yesterday I had only taken about a dozen photos of the city since I got here, so more trips like this are in the future. 

Pimp My Library: One of our stops was the Amsterdam Public Library which is located near the Central Station. I'm not sure of the date of the building's construction but it has to have been within the last ten years. It is the most impressive library I've ever been in (decor wise, not for its breadth of books). Ikea-like doesn't even come close to describing the poshness of this book haven. Not only are the books displayed on white metallic shelves that are lit from the side, but there are mac computers everywhere and comfortable blow-up chairs like you've never seen before. I'm not doing justice in describing the sleek furnishings, but it's definitely somewhere that either would be perfect for settling in and starting a thesis or much too distracting for that type of work. I'll get back to you on that one.

Inauguration Infatuation: I watched the inauguration coverage...a lot of it. I had it on from 5pm - 10pm here. Being the first inauguration I (and I bet many of us) have ever watched, I was struck by how carefully constructed the events of the day were. So constructed in fact that I think there was a specific narrative that was told in the coverage - "change is coming to the White House." This may seem obvious, as an inauguration is the induction of a new person into a position, but it seemed as if the news media wholeheartedly embraced Obama's message of change and made it the key focus of the day. This was especially driven home after the swearing in ceremony when the Bidens and Obamas watched three generations of the Bush family fly out of Washington back home towards Texas. The image screamed "out with the old in with the new." Other random thoughts:

- Did the addition of the wheelchair not make Dick Cheney look even more like the stereotypical villain?

- Poetry is always overshadowed by music and prose so I was happy to see it on the event list. But Elizabeth Alexander had no chance following Obama's speech - I think Kay Ryan, a Maya Angelou repeat, or even will.i.am (j/k) would have faired better.

- Even though the oath swearing was bungled, and subsequently retaken to ensure legalities, it was one of my favorite moments of the day. Obama is human, people!

- I've read a lot of critiques of the new Commander's speech that say it was just O.K. and not as poignant as his other speeches throughout the campaign. I think what he accomplished in the speech was setting the tone of a presidency that demands the responsibility and sacrifice of the populace in order to be successful. Obama didn't need to rely on telling the stories of hope that got him to where he is, but rather prepare the country (and the world) for the challenges to be faced. It was exactly what he needed to do with the speech - pundits are much too quick to look for "the sentence" that will be quoted in history books.

Film and TV: The Oscars were announced today and unfortunately I haven't seen ANY of the best picture nominees (I saw all five last year). Usually I've got a pretty decent handle on the biz, but being in Europe has meant it has been tougher to stay on top of what's going on in film world. Also, who wants to be in a dark cinema when there are five hundred year old buildings to explore? I figure I'll cut my losses and not scramble to see everything before the big event (it won't start until midnight here anyways!) I do, however, want to see Slumdog Millionaire and Milk in the next month. I also have watched little television since landing; I can count the exact hours that I've sat down in front of a tube on one hand (composed of Hollyoaks and Turkish MTV). But what I have been watching is the most recent season of Top Chef online (8 Vine shout out!) and am awaiting the opportunity to stream the latest Lost episodes (a family favorite). 

Making Phonecalls: From Skype it is incredibly cheap to call Canadian mobiles. I have gotten in touch with just about everyone that I hadn't talked to since before the holidays, but I continually get the voicemail of one friend who I have yet to talk with. It's endearing. My new tactic is to call everyday...and I've done so for the last four days. 

Doc's Prescription of the Day: I've frequented a lot of coffeeshops in the last two weeks. I think it's the best way to fill free-time productively. A coffee and the laptop are all I need.

Up, Down, Midtown.doc

I've been all around the city these past few days. It has been great to continue exploring but the weather hasn't been too cooperative. Now, I know complaining about rain is not going to be a popular comment back home (you're dealing with much worst weather than I am) but the rain has been pretty constant.

Uptown: On Friday night, the Amsterdam home students invited us to a dance performance featuring one of the MAIPR students. It was a good thirty minute walk from my apartment but I successfully navigated my way to the really funky looking theatre space. From the main street it was down an alley and into a warehouse type building. It felt like the kind of performance spaces clustered in the Queen West area in Toronto. In the makeshift lobby you could order a variety of drinks before the performance - it seems to me that Europeans like to pair alcohol and live performance together more than we do in North America. While you can purchase a drink at intermission back home, here they sell drinks before, during, and after the show. 

The show was really entertaining. It was a modern dance piece that responded to a video clip screened before the dancers took to the main playing space. The dancers themselves were extremely talented - they had a lot of training and it showed. The girl from our program has been a dancer for over ten years (she's from Russia originally). At times the show was a little too self-indulgent, and a bit long for my liking, but it was playful and experimental which I appreciated. I have a feeling a lot of the theatre I'll be seeing Amsterdam will have this type of alternative and organic feeling - much different from what I saw in the UK.

Midtown: I'm calling the area where I live Midtown. It's just a bit south of the centre area. I've realized that Amsterdam really isn't that large of a city (in comparison to Toronto and London where I've spent some time). Saturday night I hosted a jam at my place. I realized how much I missed hosting parties - Hincks and I did it often. I bought the bree cheese, stocked up on wine (three bottles for nine euros, no problem), and threw on some good tunes. The pad's first jam was a great success. 

The three of us from Warwick welcomed the two students who had already arrived in the city. The girls from Finland, who are soon to be accompanied by two more Fin Home students, are loads of fun. Zhenya (like Evgenia) is from Russia and did her undergrad in Comparative Linguistics and Hetta is from Finland and is theatre based. We were quick to exchange experiences about Warwick and Finland and chat about the potentials that Amsterdam offers. After we cracked the second bottle of wine, the girls from Finland had no trouble commandeering my itunes library - I was more than happy to allow them full range. After a few hours chilling, chatting, and getting to know one another we hit the town...

Downtown: I took the crew to my favorite bar in the city...OK, the only bar in the city I really know. It was the one Steve, Em, and I had a great time at two weeks previous. It's called De Buurvrouw which translates to The Neighbour. The travel guide I have lists it as "the favorite stop of inveterate nightowls after other clubs have closed." It definitely lives up to its description - it's small, it feels non-touristy and alternative, and goes late into the night. It was a winning recommendation with the MAIPR crew. By early into the morning the place had filled up and the girls had no apprehensions about dancing to the choice beats. It was a laaaate night but a great introduction to mobility in Amsterdam. 

Skypetown: I've been really lucky this past week to begin reconnecting with friends and family over skype after holiday absences. I had great chats with my parents and Aunt and Uncle about the state of the weather in Canada, which I hear is abysmal. I was able to connect with Shac who was doing some choreo work in her basement (she's teaching engineers to dance in a musical!), Jess who was hard at work planning the next show at the school where she teaches, Murphy on his cell phone who popped out of an event to catch up (I feel privileged), Meg who I happened to catch at the perfect time taking a boring drive, and Hincks and I procrastinated away for an hour and a half yesterday. So much chatting!

As much as I like not having school work, I'm SO not use to the free time. I think this means I should probably dive into the course readings which I have access to in anticipation for the start of lectures. Something tells me this is a lame move. Finances (due to a first/last month's rent payment) have kept me from any ambitious travel before the start of school, but a few day trips might still be in the cards.

Doc's Prescription for the Day: An historic inauguration to watch tomorrow afternoon. If it's the speech I think it'll be, then we're in for a moving, dynamic, and necessary call for a new turn in American politics. You should drop everything and watch.

A Squatter No More.doc

Well, it's official. As the title indicates, the room fiasco is over. I received an email last evening informing me I could stay in the room I've been occupying since I arrived. Although this place has felt like home (I've already had guests here!), it feels great to have it officially sorted. I signed the new lease this morning and the cleaners left just a half hour ago. I'm really happy with where I'm living. Having explored the city over the past ten days, the location is ideal - not right in the centre but central enough that a walk in any direction is not too tedious. Happy, happy, happy.

A feature, but also a challenge, of the program is that you spend your time studying in two different locations. While there are many benefits that come with this opportunity, it also means having to settle and then move every so often. I've realized that it takes a few basic necessities to start feeling like you can put down some roots: a mailbox, a bank account, access to laundry, and a mobile number. I've realized that until I have these services I don't feel quite whole. Luckily, I've taken care of all this business in the past few days and am feeling right at home.

Mailbox: Until I knew which apartment was mine, I didn't know which address to indicate on all the business forms so I put down this one and hoped I'd be staying. I had keys to the box for this one and the original apartment but now am free to send my address to the masses. Success.

Bank Account: Who says Swiss Bank accounts are the be all and end all? I have a brand new Dutch bank card. It makes all the conversions, from my Canadian and British accounts, all the easier. Funnily enough, most supermarkets and restaurants don't do debit or visa over here. I'll have to go back to carrying cash around - such a 2001 concept. Success.

Laundry: It's in the building and it's free. My days of collecting coins and putting money down the drain are over - at least for the next six months. I can now do laundry properly (whites, darks, and all that jazz) instead of lumping everything together to save money. Success.

Mobile: So I forgot to get Orange to unlock my British phone while I was back in England. This means that it was impossible to place a Dutch sim card in the back and start a new pay-as-you-go plan. Thankfully, the friendly lady at TMobile sent me to a shop down the street that unlocked the phone for me. I figured this was a pretty normal thing, but if you had seen the "store" I went to and the business transaction that took place (10E and no receipt) you'd think it was highly sketchy. After that I was able to pop in a new sim card. Success.

And without further ado, since it's now confirmed that this is my apartment, here are some pics of the new digs:

The Bathroom

View from the Kitchen

Skyline in the Background

Ikea much?

Look at that blogger, hard at work.

Houseguests!

We like to party. We like, we like...

Making delicious meals.

The infamous Stroopwafels sandwiching chocolate.

Here is my new address. Please stagger your care packages; I don't want the box overflowing:

Keith Bennie
Sarphatistraat 149-D
1018 GD Amsterdam
The Netherlands

Here is my new contact number:

(31) 061 461 7050

And, of course, place 011 in front of that to dial internationally : (011) (31) 061 461 7050

Tomorrow night I'm hosting a get-together for those of us who have arrived in Amsterdam for mobility along with three students that have yet to leave. We have Warwick-Finland-Amsterdam home students converging here people! I figured I'd be the one to get the ball rolling on the socializing front.

Doc's Prescription of the Day: Mailbox, Bank Account, Laundry, and a Mobile - all things necessary to start feeling at home.

Some 'dam updates.doc

Firstly, I haven't heard any new information regarding my accommodation - the housing office is extremely lax. I marched in there yesterday to demand ANSWERS as to what was going on...and they pacified me with a smile and a cup of tea. How can you be mad when the Dutch people are so pleasant? They assured me that by Friday I'd receive an email telling me whether I'd be staying in this room or moving two floors down in and around January 26. My decision has been to completely unpack and then if I have to move, just do it strategically so that every item can just be transported to its exact location two floors down. Thus, I am completely settled into the room.

There are two Amsterdam home students suppose to be on their way to Warwick for mobility but have been held back due to visa issues. It completely sucks for them, but great for us since they've been amazing guides to the city. We met with them two days ago and they gave us a tour of the university buildings and an 'in' about how to maximize our Amsterdam experience: a three month museum card, discount theatre tickets, the best places to get a coffee, and even a thorough tour through the red-light district. One of the buildings we study in is technically in the red-light district. I'm sure I won't get to say that again.

They took us to a super trendy cafe called Geels & Co. It's close to school and has some amazing types of tea and coffee. The best part, however, was the homemade scones which come with fresh cream and jars of jam to spread liberally over the pastry. Apparently people come from far and wide to take home their jams - we dined on lemon curd and pineapple spice. Needless to say, they were delicious. From there we were taken to another area of the city which I hadn't visited before. It had a lot of the theatres and places to buy tickets. Since Amsterdam is one of the more popular cities in mainland Europe, it gets a lot of really great touring productions. It sounds like I'll be able to see some incredible theatre this term. I also learned that you could get a month pass to the cinema for 17 Euros (as many movies as you like). Since I've been movie deprived the past few months, it's a tempting offer - I've seen hardly any GG and soon to be Oscar films.

Yesterday, Bec and I checked out the city's largest outdoor market called Albert-Cuypmarkt. The fruit, vegetable, meat, fish, and clothing stalls span nearly two miles! While we were only there to browse, I plan to make it a weekly visit to cut down on food costs. The fruit and veg is fresh and much cheaper than that in the supermarket. I saw a stand advertising three avocados for 99 cents! We walked for a good three hours through various parts of the city. I'm continually amazed at the variety of stores and shops here - in our travels we must have walked by eight bakeries, six cheese shops, a couple of butchers, and at least fifty restaurants and cafes. It's similar in big centres like London and Paris where it seems that all these specialty shops and restaurants can survive even though there are so many of them. My guess is that the annual influx of tourists must be what sustains them.

I've come to understand a lot about The Netherlands in this past week and I'm sure it will accumulate as the term goes on. Some of the more interesting items I've learned:

i) Holland is actually a region inside The Netherlands and thus, an incorrect term when referring to the whole country. People don't like it when you call the country Holland.

ii) I've been told that the Dutch are a reserved people. Although they are very warm, they generally keep to themselves and are very quiet about their private lives.

iii) The 'g' and the 'ch' are pronounced like the 'ch' sound in 'loch' - I imagine this to be a flemmy type of 'kh' sound. I'll have to find out how it's really suppose to sound. I think I'll avoid trying to order a mug of Grolsch in the meantime.

iv) It's rude to leave a table during a meal, even if you have to go to the bathroom. I wonder if bladders will be tested sometime in the term.

v) There are corner stalls selling raw herring which you are suppose to eat by raising its tail over your head and devouring it upwards. There is also the less messy option of having it on a bun. I haven't indulged yet, but I'll get back to you.

Today I'm headed to TMobile to try and obtain a Netherlands phone number. Luckily, I don't think this will cost too much as pay-as-you-go plans are all the rage here in Europe. Tomorrow evening we're going to see one of our fellow classmates, a resident Dutch girl who will going to Warwick on mobility, perform in a dance piece.

Doc's Prescription of the Day: This website has been extremely helpful in learning about Dutch traditions and culture. If you plan to visit, or would find pleasure in picturing me bumble through these activities, I encourage you to take a look:
How to Survive Holland
(Not calling it Holland would be the first step!)

Also, for interest's sake, check out Obama's new ride.

Houseguests Hit the Amdam.doc

While it may seem like a bit of a hectic scenario to host friends two days after you've just arrived, the visit from Emily and Steve was a most fitting way to get oriented to my new surroundings. They touched down in Amsterdam on Wednesday and we walked back to my apartment from the train station in twenty-five minutes. After hearing of their wonderful adventures in Spain, and my time spent jumping around the UK, we all recharged our batteries that afternoon for the three days ahead. One of the perks of my location is the grocery store located directly in the building. That evening we bought a bunch of supplies and christened my kitchen with a delicious stir-fry. You may not know it, but Steve is quite a good chef - Emily and I played the role of sous-chefs. That evening we stayed up chatting with two bottles of wine before being overcoming with sleep.

The next morning we had some Tim Hortons 'cowboy coffee' (just boiled on the stove) with spinach omelets. That day we decided to walk around the beautiful city - it was still quite cold here but the sun was brightly shining. Our first stop was the Anne Frank Museum which Emily had visited on a previous trip to Amsterdam with her family. It is a very powerful exhibit, the strength of which comes from the subtlety of the presentation and the tasteful way in which the house has been preserved. None of the furniture from the original house is kept on display, at the request of Otto Frank, and this allows for visitors to picture the conditions in the annex rather than view the setup from beyond a velvet rope. As well, the information about Anne and the family is presented without too much outside intervention which I appreciated. Walking up the narrow staircases and through the trap bookcase really brought home the severity of the conditions in Europe during WWII. It was one of the most memorable exhibits I've seen in Europe.

From there we continued to plot our way through the city. We visited the Waterlooplein outdoor market which is one of the city's oldest flea markets. There were rows of stalls offering vintage clothing, shoes, food, and, of course, lots of bicycle paraphenelia. Emily's quest of the day was buying a pair of gloves for the chilly weather. We stopped at every shop and tourist outlet but all she could find were pairs for 5 Euros (much too expensive). With no luck at the outdoor market, H&M proved to be the cheapest option where Steve and Em found a two pack pair of gloves for 5 Euros. Success all around. The final stop before returning home for dinner was a massive record store called Concerto where Emily and I listened to tracks on headphones and Steve took a browse of the record offerings. He was able to find two records worth shelling out for.

That night we repeated the dinner option from the night before and made yet another stir fry (this time with teryaki sauce). The plan for that evening was to begin with a bottle of wine and then head out. Upon departure we decided that a map wasn't necessary since we had a pretty decent handle on where we were going - hubris on our part. After walking for twenty minutes we realized we were quite off-track from the place we wanted to be, and without a map, were left guessing which might be the right way. We turned a corner near the 'Dam' area of town and found ourselves right smack in the middle of the Red Light District. A happy accident. We had planned to make a proper visit to the area the next evening but figured since we had wandered upon it, we should explore a bit. It is quite a sight and definitely worth taking a look just to say you've seen the area. I found it hard to know how to behave walking down the street - do you look inside all the windows so you get the full experience or do you avoid making eye contact for fear of an interaction? I think our small "interested but not involved" walk of the area was the best way to experience - we felt removed enough from what was going on to observe.

We exited the RL district and found ourselves closer to the area we thought the bar might be on. We were wrong. We finally gave up and resolved to walk back in the direction of home when the street we were looking for seemed to appear out of nowhere. Who says you need a map to get around in a foreign city? The bar we went to was really funky and alternative - it felt like we were in a place you'd see in a movie. There was a really eclectic crowd, they played a lot of David Bowie, people were sitting on the pool tables because the space was packed, and the general feel was really laid-back. We left the bar around 3am and hiked it all the way back to the Sarphati apartment.

The next morning was yet more cowboy coffee and spinach omelets. It proved to be great energy food for our walks around the city. I took the crew through a route I had planned out from the city guide. In our early journeys we were stopped at a canal while the bridge went up for a boat - this was done extremely efficiently and without much fuss (very impressive). We walked by the massive Zoo which is the oldest in Europe; it's actually only five minutes from my place. From there we visited the Hollansche Schouwburg which use to be a large theatre in the city. During WWII it was used as an intake facility for the Nazis and now it is a memorial commemorating victims of the Holocaust. It too was a powerful exhibit. The list of family names of Jews killed during the Holocaust was particularly striking. After the museum, we did a roundabout and walked past the Heineken Brewery (who wanted a steep 15 Euros for admission), the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, the House of Bols (a famous bartending museum), and found ourselves in Vondelpark. The walk was a good two hours but we were able to see a lot of the city's landmarks. The museums are definitely something I'll be visiting in the next few months.

That evening we decided to avoid heading to a bar and instead spent our money on dinner. We went to a really stellar Chinese restaurant in Chinatown where we split four dishes. We actually weren't sure which restaurant to go to (since there were so many) but we had two separate people on the street tell us about Dim Kay. It was the Final Supper of the Holiday adventure crew. After dinner we returned back to the apartment and chatted about our travels over a glass of wine. Throughout the night, the Stroopwafels (the Dutch cookies) were continually begging to be eaten. The next morning we had a leisurely breakfast before Emily and Steve made their way back to the train station.

It was a great visit. Exploring the city with friends proved to be the best way to start feeling comfortable in the foreign city: I have a much firmer grasp on the geography of the neighbourhoods, am aware of just how to avoid the bike paths, and have been introduced to some aspects of the nightlife here. That being said, it was incredibly hard to see them go. Not only have Emily and I spent the last month traveling together (sans nine days a part around New Years), but having both her and Steve in my apartment reminded me of the jams back home in Kingston and Toronto. The music, the conversation, the jokes, and the chilling all reminded me of countless nights spent at Westview, the 1.9.1., 2.9.5., 8 Vine, and Isabella. Without a doubt, Christmas was the time I missed my family the most. Seeing Emily and Steve leave Amsterdam was the time I've missed my friends the most since leaving in September. I hope I'm able to guide some of you wonderful people around Amsterdam if you come to visit (two friends have already told us of flight details ;). In the meantime, I have the city of canals and bikes to explore over the next few weeks - I'm lucky to be living in such a wonderful place.

Doc's Prescription of the Day: I don't know if you can pickup Stroopwafels from the local Dominion (in fact, I'm sure you can't) but they are devilishly delicious treat that the three of us had to resist after every meal.

A Netherlanding: Arrival in Amdam.doc

This marks the 50th blog post. How fitting for this new chapter of Amsterdam experiences. Thanks for following along thus far!

I realized I left readers on a cliffhanger last post - on the verge of a ferry trip to my new home in the Netherlands. Then nothing for six whole days. You must have reloaded daily looking for the first report from the new world. Since touching down in the Netherlands, I've been overloaded with things to do and, of course, was completely occupied with my first houseguests only two days after arriving. Sadly, the guests have left, but this means that I can catch up with all of you.

Bec and I took a coach bus from London to Harwich (another silence W) where we caught the ferry from the coast of England to the Hook of Holland. I couldn't imagine a better way to travel. Bec raised the ferry suggestion in order to avoid strict luggage restrictions on planes. When we arrived at Harwich, we got a glimpse of the ship - it was massive! The boat took off at quarter to midnight and arrived at 8:00am in the Netherlands. Onboard was duty free, a cinema, casino facilities, and two restaurants. The major perk of the journey was getting a cabin to sleep in while traveling. We celebrated the mobility move with a bottle of champagne and some scones I had picked up in Wales that morning. We went to bed around 1:00am and woke up docked in the country we are to call home for the next six months.

From the Hook of Holland, we eventually found our way to Amsterdam after connecting with two trains. It was definitely a bit of a challenge to make out the schedules in Dutch, and having to lug our bags around from platform to platform was cumbersome, but we had a relatively successful trip into the city. The scenery from the train was beautiful - the Netherlands is quite flat so you can see out over vast stretches of land. Once at the central station we had two hours to kill before we could go pick up our keys from the Housing Office. We ordered a couple of coffees in the station and read through our city guide books. Since we had plenty of time, we decided to walk to the office (a good 25 minute hike) rather than figure out the bus and tram schedules. Amsterdam is having one of the coldest winters in the last decade (a doable -5 is the lowest it has been) so it was a chilly walk. The saving grace was the gorgeous sun than shone down and framed our first look at the beautiful system of canals that stretch throughout the city. I was glad we walked - it was a challenge with all of our bags, but we were able to start exploring the city.

We arrived at the Housing Office, feeling like we had climbed a mountain, and waited in line to sign our leases and get further instructions. It just so happened that I met another Canadian at the office (the passport is always a dead giveaway) who is studying an MA in Devs. She is from Vancouver and staying in Bec's building so we made one new friend within the first three hours of arriving. After signing away first and last month's rent, we were given our keys and a welcome package. From there, Bec and I split ways (we're not in the same residence building) and made the final leg of the journey to our pads. Thankfully, mine was only a ten minute walk from the housing office and easy to find.

To say that arrival was a disaster would be an understatement. I finally made my way to the modern trendy building (it was built in 2002) and loaded my three heavy bags into the elevator. I got out on the second floor, turned my key into the lock, and burst into my new place. It was furnished...with someone else's stuff...everywhere. There was a laptop on the desk and fresh food on the counters. I must have wandered into the wrong room, I thought. I checked the three documents that listed my room details and they all indicated this was the right place (or it should have been). The anger and frustration started to set in. I was wearing two coats, I was luggage laden, and I just wanted to drop my things and settle in. After unsuccessfully trying six different ways to interpret Dutch phone numbers and get in touch with the Residence Assistants, I gave up and waited for another student to enter the building. The first one I encountered, twenty minutes later, was able to point me to the R.A. rooms.

Thank god for the R.A.s. Tom and Myra, the first two dutch people I met, proved to be most helpful. They offered me tea while they telephoned the head office to see what had happened. Apparently, the office thought the tenant in the room they had assigned me would be leaving on January 4, even though his contract goes until the 26. No one got around to checking if this was so before handing me the keys (extremely efficient). By that time, the office was closing in half an hour so it wasn't worth heading back. Tom and Myra set me up in the vacant room of a girl who had just left for good. The first two hours after they left I was steaming mad at the housing office, really unhappy, and generally very homesick. It only took a quick shower, a jaunt to the grocery store downstairs, and a look out at the skyline from the big picture window before I mellowed out and realized I had arrived to live in Amsterdam. I was able to shake off the initial frustrations and appreciate the potential of the city outside my window.

The housing corporation has been less than impressive with giving me a final decision. What I asked for is to stay in the room Tom and Myra gave me, since I'm nice and comfortable here, with a cleaning of the room sometime in the coming week. They agreed that this was possible, and started to put the wheels in motion towards making it final (a deal with the tenant who is suppose to occupy this room on Jan 26). Aside from how uncertain this sounds, I've been here for five nights now with no interruption so I'm pretty happy. The worst case scenario would be that I move into the room I was originally suppose to have in two weeks time (this would be a few short elevator rides downstairs and the rooms are the exact same). No big deal. Aside from the room issues, the building is fantastic. It is in the city centre, is a twenty-five minute walk to the train station, has a supermarket and wine shop downstairs on the main level, and feels like a trendy little loft of my own. I feel really comfortable here.

On the morning that Emily and Steve arrived, only a day and a half after I had gotten here, the three of us here early (Bec, Courtney, and I) went to the International Centre at Uva for an orientation meeting. Note: when you are reading this post out loud to friends in the room it is pronounced 'ouva' instead of 'U.V.A'. I received my forth school email address and got to work setting up a Dutch bank account (it's my second off-shore account). We also received a tour of the theatre facilities which are housed in a really cool building near the centre of the city. There was actually renovation being done?! Where does a theatre department get money for renovations?! On right, Europe. We also met the department secretary Henrietta (the Uva version of Lee, Lou, and Lindzey). The university has been more than thorough in guiding us through the bureaucratic hoops and I am now well on my way to getting totally settled. That afternoon...I jubilantly greeted Emily and Steve at the Amsterdam Central Station for the final leg of the holiday journeys - the subject of tomorrow's post.

Doc's Prescription of the Day: A Dutch phrase book. Not only has it been essential for interpreting signs, but they packed so much information into one small pocketbook. Most interesting words so far:

dank u: thank you (an interesting mix of German and English)
broodrooster: toaster (bread roaster?)
stroopwafels: syrup waffles (a glorious cookie treat we ate all week)
alstublieft: please (...can I have a stroopwafel?)
pot jan drie dubbeltjes (I've been told...a polite dutch swear word on par with darn or crap)

A Whale of a Time in Cardiff.doc

I had two days to burn between leaving Edinburgh and moving to Amsterdam so a few weeks ago I decided to book myself into Wales for two nights. I could really have spent the time anywhere in the UK, but I figured why not hit up the Welsh portion of the Kingdom before moving to Holland.

I had a really relaxing time. The place I was staying was a four-minute walk from the train station and looked out on the Millennium Stadium where Cardiff plays its rugby matches. The stadium is massive, brand new, and has already hosted the likes of Madonna and Robbie Williams. The River Backpacker’s Hostel was the absolute nicest hostel I’ve stayed at thus far – the house was renovated just a year ago, it had free wireless for my laptop, a diverse breakfast, and the house is managed by a bro and sis team who you see around every day; it was very homey. The Mom of the two owners even comes in on Saturday and Sunday mornings and insists on doing the dishes for ‘the kids’. I insisted right back that I could do my own, and she called me a very polite Canadian young man. Guilty as charged?

I got to the hostel late Friday night and basically dropped my bags, had a tea, surfed the net, and then called it a night. Saturday morning and afternoon was spent exploring the city. Cardiff has undergone something of a transformation over the past few decades into one of the larger financial hubs in the UK and the city centre is a reflection of the prosperity that has come to the city. I first went into the downtown shopping district and was able to avoid the urge for a Primark adventure. From there I shelled out seven quid to visit Cardiff Castle – it was built in the 15th Century and renovated into more of a Medieval Castle in the 18th Century.

The grounds of the castle are beautiful and were particularly stunning on the sunny Saturday morning. The two features of the site are the guided tour of the residence, decorated with much opulence by a Scottish lord in the 18th, and the “keep” that was part of the original castle design. The “keep” stands at the centre of the grounds and is surrounded by a moat to keep invaders out. As you climb the steep one hundred steps to the top, you are privy to a wonderful view of the Cardiff downtown area. While I didn’t manage to get to the Warwick castle this past term (oops!), the Cardiff Castle satisfies my castle quota for some time. Definitely worth a look if you find yourself in Cardiff.

From there I went on a half hour walk to Cardiff Bay where the city has a really vibrant harbour and barge system. The area is somewhat of a cultural centre with a massive arts complex, the Rahl Daul Piazza, a high-end craft store, and a few interactive museums and exhibits. I walked around the harbour as the sun was beginning to set and snapped some really cool photos. If I’m ever in a city that offers some sort of coastal land, I’m always prone to head down to the water. I think it has something to do with a love of being close to the sea, but also the knowledge that the water I’m looking at links, over thousands of KM, with Canada on the other side.

After exploring the two premiere spots in Cardiff, I popped into an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet during happy hour. I ate them out of house and home for only 7.99! The Welsh people were really welcoming, but unfortunately I missed out on hearing any of their own language being spoken during my jaunts (I assume it’s more popular in the rural areas). It was interesting to see all the official signs displayed in both English and Gaelic – it reminded me of our own Canadian system.

As much as I would have liked to explore the Cardiff nightlife, I spent Saturday night in the hostel dining room for a solid six hours working on the essay I have due on January 9. I managed to tack on four pages that completes the first draft. It may be five pages over the word limit, but I’m optimistic about what the final product will look like.

Before bed I chatted with the only other Canadian at the hostel, a med student from Winnipeg who was traveling the UK for three weeks. He had recently arrived and was eager to hear about where I had been in the Kingdom since he had an open rail pass. He altered his trip plans after I insisted on some of the highlights of the spots I had been. After recounting my journey, I realized I had been to a lot of places in the UK over the past three months: London (a gaggle of times), Coventry, Leamington, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Bath, Oxford, Stratford, Edinburgh, and now, Cardiff. While there were a few spots I didn’t get to (Ireland, Glasgow, Swansea, Brighton, and Dover to name a few) I always have the summer to make the list a bit more complete. As I say goodbye to the island for the next half a year, I’m happy to have been able to explore some of the major spots. If I can only be so lucky to do the same when I reach mainland Europe I’ll be an extremely happy traveler.

Doc’s Prescription of the Day: A ferry ride! I’ve only taken a handful in my time (the one to Wolfe Island being the most memorable) but tonight will be an eight hour overnight trip to Holland. Will be skyping from Amdam in no time!

Hogmanay: Lookin’ Fine in 2009!.doc

Happy New Year everyone! 

I’ve experienced five more hours of 2009 than the majority of you. In my expert opinion I think it’s going to be a great year! I was in Edinburgh for the past two nights revisiting the country of my paternal ancestors and it was an absolute blast.

I packed up my room at the quiet confines of Heronbank and returned my keys while the sun was still coming up at 7:50am in the morning – seeing my life over here boiled down into one suitcase and two bags is always sobering. I had a big day of travel ahead and, as always, maneuvering the three bags is never an easy task (bus from campus to the Spa, the Spa to Birmingham, and Birmingham to Edinburgh). The five-hour train ride to Scotland took quite a scenic route. It traveled along the Eastern coast of England – lots of open pastures, beautiful coastal areas, and sheep…lots of sheep. I completed a variety of activities on the lengthy train ride which included writing two pages of my essay, reading 100 pages of the Cormac McCarthy novel I’m reading, uploading Parisian photos to my computer, and trying to count the variety of accents on the train (I could make out about five different dialects).

To give some back-story for those of you know don’t know Talia and Alex…I met Tal in my second year working at Walkhome. She didn’t work at the service but was always visiting us like a curious little cat. Luckily for me, she ended up spending the summer in Kingston and we became great friends as the years went on. Her boyfriend Alex is from England but goes to school at the University of Edinburgh. He spent a year on exchange at Queen’s last year and they’ve been together ever since. They invited me to join them in Edinburgh for Hogmanay and I couldn’t pass up the offer to party in one of the most happening New Year's spots in the world.

The city was practically buzzing with excitement – the trains were packed with revelers making the trek, there was music and games being played, and the streets were plastered with no parking signs. I hoofed it to Alex’s uni flat and was greeted by two friends it felt like I hadn’t seen in ages! We spent a good hour catching up. Talia is the current president of the AMS at Queen’s and I had endless questions about how her year was going. After an obligatory spot at the wine shop, we ran into a group of Alex and Talia’s friends who we would spend the next two days with. There was a whole crew of British students, from Edinburgh and English universities, who had all done exchange at Queen’s the year previous that had descended on Etown for Hogmanay. It felt really great to be surrounded by other people who knew what life at Queen’s is like. They were a great group to be able to hang with.

After the wine shop, we sketched out a rough map of the evening (working backwards from midnight!) and made our way to Alex’s friend’s flat for a game of monopoly (random, yes, but loads of fun). After merging our properties and money, Alex and I were poised for community domination, but were thrown for a curveball when the two other merged teams created an ultimate merger and the game was all for not. Monopoly seems a lot more fun when you’re able to sip on a few glasses of wine. We moved on to more “productive games” (a bit of a reminder of NYE 2008) and then walked around the corner for a curry dinner. From there we jumped briefly into another party where the finger food of choice was prunes wrapped in bacon (eek!) and where no one really knew the host rather just knew members in attendance extremely tangentially. We kicked out of there pretty quickly and made our way to Meadow Park for the countdown.

From Meadow Park you can see the fireworks from Edinburgh Castle and we joined the other Queen’s exchange students in counting down and celebrating as the clock struck 12:00am (+ 1 second). As with every NYE, the extreme revelry and wishing of “Happy New Year!” carried long into the night. It was such an odd feeling knowing that I was a good five hours ahead of Canada and in fact in a different calendar year than those just getting ready to go out at 7:00pm. We walked and wandered around the park, soaked in the surrounding atmosphere, and headed back to Alex’s for a game of trivial pursuit that descended quite quickly into madness. I headed to bed around 2:00am, a full three hours before everyone at home was toasting the New Year. It was an extremely eclectic night, but I think that’s the hallmark of a successful NYE – especially when you’re spending it with great people.

The three of us slept in until noon the following day (talk about seizing 2009!) and then headed over to one of the gang’s house for a HUGE breakfast. It was as traditional as you can get with fried tomatoes and mushrooms, as well as some Blood Pudding. There were at least fifteen of us packed into the tiny flat but it was an incredibly social way to spend New Years Day – it felt like a big ol’ breakfast at the Brass without the Mmmmuffins or the sometimes sketchy service. After breakfast, we decided to get out and go for a walk to the “crags”. Talia and I didn’t know what a “crag” was but postulated that it was some form of jutting rock/cliff structure possibly near water and probably formed by glacial intervention. We had no idea. We were almost bang-on with our thoughts as the crags did look like big steep cliffs. We walked and walked uphill - Arthur’s seat is located right beside the crags but with the sun starting to go down early we didn’t want to be at the top of the extremely high hill in the pitch dark.

The view from the top of the crags was stunning. You could see out over most of Edinburgh and since it was near dusk and pretty foggy it looked like the landscape from a Dickens novel. We made our way down the other side and thought we’d reward ourselves with a refreshing pint. Alex suggested The Brass Monkey - a pub with a "bed room" that patrons sit in and drink their pints. I was skeptical. It turned out to be the coolest room I’ve ever seen in a pub. The bed structure is the size of six pool tables and has special holders for your drink. People lounge on the bed and chat – definitely like something out of the ‘60s. It was hard to justify getting up from the comfortable setup.

For dinner we had some fish and chips and spent the first part of the night in lounging around and watching a horrendously awful movie which in itself is sometimes fun. Later on we joined the gang for a few late night games and two bottles of wine and then called it a night. The two-day party felt like I was back in the comforts of Ktown among like-minded people – I couldn’t have asked for a better New Year’s trip. Talia, Alex, and I had an absolute blast the whole time. I’m lucky to have such warm and welcoming friends.

Today I’ve travelled through three countries – Scotland to England to Wales. I’m booked into a hostel for two nights in Cardiff (since I’m technically homeless) and on Sunday will make the long day’s journey into night that will take me to my new home in the Netherlands. It’s just starting to sink in now that I’ll be living for a half a year in one of the coolest cities in the world. I’m beyond excited.

Doc’s Prescription of the Day: A toast of scotch to a healthy and successful year for all who may wander into my little spot in the blogosphere.