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.