Concertgebouw Wow!.doc

The beat goes on....

I just completed week two in what I'm imagining as a twelve week schedule since May is pretty open and we have a reading week in March. It seems like I just had orientation but already I've been able to cross two weeks off my calendar. Add to this a full schedule of visitors in the coming months and I think this final semester of "in class instruction" is bound to fly by! We received an email today about getting started on thesis planning to begin research and writing in July but it's awfully hard to even comprehend that project with a full docket of readings.

I had my Dutch immigration appointment on Tuesday morning and it couldn't have gone any better. The only drag was that it was scheduled for 8:30 in the morning and I needed to take the Metro to central station and then a ten minute train ride. Needless to say, I was up two hours before the sun to begin making the long trek. Like I mentioned in the last post, for some odd reason Canadians, Australians, and New Zealanders can be granted a Working Holiday Scheme for a measly 30 Euros while Americans and a bunch of other non-EU visitors must apply for a residence permit which costs over 400 Euros. So Tuesday morning was a big Canada-Australia party at the Dutch immigration offices...well, not a party because it was 9am, but there sure were a lot of Canucks and Aussies that the university had scheduled for processing. A kind lady asked me all the usual details and put a temporary visa into my passport - I now have three visas inside. It has been really neat to see what was once an empty document become a record of my travels.

I gave a presentation that afternoon in my World Art course. I was happy with how it went, since the only guideline I was given was "summarize the readings", but since I have no idea of how we're being evaluated it makes it hard to know for sure if I put in enough work. That's right, we're two weeks into the seven week course and the professor still hasn't given us a breakdown of how we're evaluated. I, of course, was the squeaky wheel who asked about a syllabus and percentage breakdown in the first week but she still hasn't delivered. Essay...who knows? Participation...who knows? In the beginning part of me was ready and willing to embrace that educational structures and approaches are different around the world, but not having these types of crucial guidelines is unacceptable. I think I just have a low tolerance for incompetent teaching.

Yesterday, I experienced quite a treat. Courtney, Adam, and I went to a free lunchtime performance at the Concertgebouw, highly touted as one of the finest concert halls in the world due to its incredible acoustics. From September until June the Hall opens its doors for an hour each Wednesday afternoon for a free public concert. In addition to some of the most respected classical, jazz, and world music performers, the venue has also hosted the likes of Pink Floyd and The Who. The concert hall was filled almost to capacity. It made for an electric environment and an opportunity to visit a venue normally too expensive to set foot in. We heard some beautiful Tchaikovsky arias from some young opera singers - I know one opera buff that would be front row centre every week! I plan to return as often as my schedule will allow. Free performances in a venue like that are just too good to pass up.

Last night, I went over to Bec's house for some dinner and a bottle of wine. She made a wonderful mushroom and avocado Alfredo Fetticine. We debriefed about the first two weeks and discussed post-Amsterdam plans. My placement will determine how long I'll be staying in the city, but after that a few of us are talking about getting a house in Leamington Spa for thesis writing that would carry us into November/December. It's all very tentative right now but we'll have to be situated somewhere close to the library and our thesis supervisors. The UK would also provide a good base for future traveling as a break from writing and researching. Lots of options still to discuss on that front.

This weekend one of our fellow Warwick home students, who now studies in Finlandia, is visiting Amsterdam! We're having a fajita night tomorrow and then heading out on the town. I'm sure there will be other weekend events. After that, in three short days, Miss Hincks hits the town to get up to much revelry and merrymaking. I've scheduled a full out party, with accompanying facebook event, for Tuesday night to celebrate her birthday at midnight. We're having a good ol' Canadian flip cup party to show these MAIPRS how things get done back at Queen's. It could get messy. Well, it will get messy - that's the hallmark of a successful FC jamboree.

Sending love back home! Keep fit and have fun.

Doc's Prescription of the Day: The Dutch word for "emergency" is "nood." While visiting, if you find yourself in such a state, say in the shower or a sauna, feel free to alert someone for assistance.

Growing up in the Dutch Haarlem.doc

Oh Maaria Maaria

She reminds me of a canal side story

Growing up in the Dutch Haarlem

She's living the life just like a windmill star

Oh Maaria Maaria

She fell in love in East Amdam

To the sounds of the guitar, yeah, yeah

Played by Carlos Van Tana...

In honour of a wonderful day trip to Haarlem, I'm riffing off Santana circa 1999. Haarlem is a small town to the west of Amsterdam. It's about a 15 minute train ride from Centraal Station. It's a quick little journey.

A group of us went there yesterday to see a special traveling exhibit at the Teyler Museum. As part of our course in World Art the professor wants us to discuss the historical tradition of exoticizing human representations from Africa and India by the West. The exhibit was really interesting and a little disturbing. It chronicled a variety of "entertainments" where human beings from a variety of preliterate societies were placed on display for the enjoyment of visiting spectators. The events were constructed as displays of "the barbaric", but the practice of placing human beings on display proves to be the only barbaric element. The exhibit reminded me of the research on Blackfaced Minstrelsy I did for Professor Johnson at UofT. There is something inherently "icky" in studying the documentation of these events - the racist undertones are at times extremely overwhelming. We took time for the other sections of the museum which housed a pretty standard inventory of items - bones and rock formations, Dutch paintings, significant inventions...and coins. Honestly, is anyone really mesmerized by a museum full of coins? Obviously, to each his own, but if I had to go to a strictly coin based exhibit I'd cry.

To get into the event we all bought a Museumkaart which is one of Amsterdam's best deals. For students under 25, YEAR-LONG entry to the majority of the museums in Amsterdam is only 22.50. It's an absolute steal. Yesterday's museum would have cost me 8 Euros and the Riks and Van Gogh charge upwards of 10 Euros so it will pay for itself in no time. As well, it means I can just pop in and visit 95% of the museums in the Netherlands whenever I want for the next year: "Hey Rembrandt, what's shaken? The Nighwatch is going A-OK." My plan is to see if I can give it to friends that visit so they can use it for free entry - there is no photo on the card, only my name. This must be investigated further.

Haarlem is something of a miniature Amsterdam. It too has a system of beautiful canals, coffeeshops, and an array of pubs and trendy spots. It was, however, a lot cleaner and didn't seem as overwhelming as the "red haze" can sometimes feel. We were told that once the spring hits, Haarlem, and some of the other surrounding towns, are awash in field after field of gorgeous tulips all in bloom. I've seen photos on the postcards here and it's a site I've never seen - kms upon kms of beautiful flowers. It will be really special to see in the spring. Henrietta (the Lee-Lou-Lindzey of the Theatre Studies department) is planning to invite us out to her home sometime this term for a day in a "more-rural" part of the Netherlands. I am looking forward to it greatly.

After the museum we set up shop at a quaint little Dutch pub where the beers were tiny and very "heady." I've come to realize the Dutch like foam at the top of their beer. If you're paying for a 2 Euro half-pint you can't complain since it's so cheap, but half the glass may be filled with foam. It's definitely not how I prefer it but I'm getting use to it. The barkeep delivered some delicious freshly-roasted peanuts to our table and we soaked in the homey atmosphere of the pub. It seemed like a place with regulars. There we played a really fun social activity. On sheets of paper you create a film that is added to as the paper rotates around the group (actor, actor, genre, title, synopsis, and tag line). As you fill each category you fold the paper over, so the next person cannot see what you've written, and you continue passing until the movie has been complete. It's pretty darn fun. It's a bit of a different take on a game I learned at the Hincks' home which used drawings and phrases. We quaffed two rounds of beers on a glorious Sunday afternoon - what better way to spend a day?

That evening I joined Stuart and Becs, the two Brits I met two weeks ago, for another round at De Trut. This is the bar which offers super low cover (1.50) and 1 Euro half-pints. One would assume that as European Law Students they'd have a lot of work, but they always manage to find time for going out...even if it's on a Sunday. I met two of their friends from Australia. The music wasn't as good as the two weeks before, but the crowd was at capacity 15 minutes after we arrived and apparently the line was pretty large. I also bumped into two Dutch girls from one of my classes there. Sunday night was hopping.

Today I got some passport photos done for a meeting I have tomorrow with Dutch Immigration. To legally reside in the country I have to apply for a Working Holiday Scheme which allows me to stay for up to twelve months. Instead of getting a residence permit, which would cost over 400 Euros, Canadian and Australian students (but sadly not our American friends) can apply for the WHS for 30 Euros. What a deal! Bec and I are definitely taking advantage of the offer. Unfortunately it means I have to be at their office for 8:30am and it's on the opposite side of town. An earrrrrly start tomorrow and a presentation in the afternoon. But, coming down the pipeline is a P-A-R-T-Y I am planning when Emily is in town starting February 15. I haven't talked to her in a few days to make solid plans, but the stroopwafel assured me she was coming! I cannot wait to hit the town with her again.

Doc's Prescription of the Day: I think Carlo Santana says it best,"Stop the looting, stop the shooting/ Pick pocking on the corner/ See as the rich is getting richer/ The poor is getting poorer/ Ahora vengo mama chola." Fer realz.

It's Not Rocket Science...It's Theatre Science.doc

As you can tell from my lack of posts, it has been a busy week. After two months of nomadic wandering and free time, the structure and routine of a normal school week has been a welcome change. From Monday to Thursday I left the house at 8:30am (to walk to my 9am classes) and didn't return until 6pm - a normal work day for most of you, but not the usual for an MA student. 

We started the week with a day long introduction and orientation to Theatrewetenschap. The degree actually translates to Theatre Science which I think is cool. The department building is located RIGHT in the centre of town; we really couldn't be in a better spot. The lone university building is surrounded by many expensive hotels. To get to class I usually pass a host of doormen and hotel attendants in really formal clothing. The orientation day was pretty standard. All of the students had met one another already so we were given an overview of the course, a tour of the theatre facilities, and a free lunch. I think the course load is fair and appropriate - it'll be a hell of a lot less intense than Warwick.

I have two credits to complete this term. One is a semester long course called Key Concepts in Performance Research. The structure reminds me of my PhD theory class at UofT but less intimidating. The other is a combination of two half credits in World Art and Japanese Theatre. If I ever end up going into academia, these unique courses are going to be really valuable. Add to the mix a placement of 150 hours and it should be a well rounded term. The placement is still in development. An intercultural theatre company in the city was impressed with my CV, but the work they wanted me to do was mission statement writing. They called it defining the "artist flavour" of the company which I think was a euphumism for grant and subsidy writing. I said thanks, but no thanks.

Yesterday, there was a special Erasmus Mundus event at the department. A high-up from the organization was meeting representations from all three sites in Amsterdam and had requested to meet some of the *ahem* "international student scholars" of the program. The organization has been granted something like 500 million from the EU to develop these MA programs over the next five year. It's mind blowing, but no one knows about it in Canada! The program coordinators, whom the students are pretty tight with now, are in Amsterdam to pick the new cohort of students. Anyways, they put out the red carpet. We wined and mingled. It was so nice to see the director Janelle again - she's something of a program Mom away from home. I have grand plans to pitch to the Erasmus Mundus committee the creation of a job in North America where I can represent the program and tour the continent to promote (speaking at unis all over). I didn't think it was the appropriate event at which to launch my project. I'll bide my time...

Luckily, there were two bottles of wine left over from the event which the professors were happy to donate to our party last night. Hetta invited us over for sushi, wine, and socializing. We had plans of heading to a bar but they never materialized. We stayed at Hetta's place all night. We had a few drinks after class on both Wednesday and Thursday (there is a great little pub close to the theatre building). Social activity is 300% more vibrant here than in Warwick - there is already another party planned for next Friday. Until then...I have volunteered to give the first seminar presentation in World Art and will continue to search for a meaningful placement. Being a theatre scientist is hard work!

Doc's Prescription of the Day: I'm giving you 50 pages of reading to do! I have 150 for classes in the upcoming week. Consider 50 a gift. 

Fashioning a Start to Amsterdam Mobility.doc

Last we left our gallant hero he was prepping for a social gathering of epic proportions...

Well, that's not exactly true - I was getting read to host the first jam of ALL the mobility students in Amsterdam. That .89 cent brie came in handy. I ended up serving it to the guests with crackers and there was none left by the end. I had people convinced it was $20 brie brought over by a friend in France (Emily, who I talk about often!). I later gave up the ruse and told them of the great Euroshopper dealios. The first gathering of the eleven member group was a great success. We shared stories of our holidays (everyone was envious of my traveling), discussed the upcoming course, and got a general feel for the new dynamic. 

Like what so often happens in the theatre, it's always an interesting social experiment when a new group is forced to work and socialize together. I was pleased that everyone gelled well. I don't pay much attention to astrology, but I've realized I'm a quintessential Libra - our symbol is the scales. With social interactions, and generally life planning, I continually strive for balance, harmony, and the avoidance of conflict (I even balanced this sentence for parallelism). Having matured into this type of personality at Queen's, it's hard to recognize these traits in the mixture of my current group of friends back home (since the relationships are long established). In this program, and with it the opportunity for new connections and challenges, I've come to realize some of my stronger tendencies when it comes to interacting with new people and being a member of a group: I bounce around in the middle between each of the participants, am highly akin to the current mood of the group, liable to strike up a conversation to include the one standing by themselves, and generally, while it may be a bit presumptuous to assume, the unsung bonding agent that keeps things on the straight and narrow. Maybe not glamorous, and most likely different from home, but I'm happy to fill this type of diplomatic role in the MAIPR group.

Right, that was a bit of a diversion - just something I've realized about myself while over here. That's what being in Europe is all about, isn't it?! 

I think the hallmark of a successful prejam is that the party doesn't necessarily want to move from the initial spot and I was happy that the group was having such a good time. The predrink lasted an hour longer than we planned but we eventually made it to the fashion week party (my suggestion after all). I was really happy to see that it wasn't a super posh fashion event - it had a very comfortable artist, hipster, youthful vibe. While everyone in our group had dressed up for the event, even those I didn't necessarily expect to do so, it was nice to feel like we belonged.

There were free drinks as advertised; however, they weren't just handing them out willy nilly. You had to engage with the magazine and its launch to get them. We were happy to do this at first for a free beer, but by the time that was done we had a good spot on the couch we didn't want to give up. Libra to the rescue! I cleverly used the "jacket over the crossed forearms" trick, while I was looking at the magazines on the table, to reach down and nab not two, but four beers for the group. What can I say? I received a formidable education at Queen's. I didn't really consider it theft since they had twenty five free cases of beer to go through. 

The event was just what we were looking for - a great crowd, a few free drinks, and a magazine launch that made us feel "in the know". A few of us decided to head to a club after consuming our share of free beverages. We weren't there for long since the music was a little uninteresting. As much as I try, I can't warm up to techno-heavy Euro beats. It ended up being a late night, but a good jam before the start of classes. Sunday was bah-ring. I did some school prep, dove back into heavy theory readings and was thankfully distracted with some great skype conversations. 

Today was the first day of school. My LAST first day of school ever...or at least for some years to come. I'm academically worn out - this is my sixth straight year of classes and these last two years have featured an incredible increase in the demands asked of me. I always enjoy the challenge, but have grown somewhat tired of intense theoretical readings (if I have to read Spivak again I'll scream) and pretentious classroom conversation (where everyone feels it necessary to name drop who they've read - "This totally reminds me of Benjamin's 'auratic perception' "). This may be a sign that I'm not cut out for PhD. studies, but at this point I'm just chalking it up to six straight years of the classroom without a real break.

That being said, I really like my class schedule:

i) Mondays and Fridays off for most of the term - score.

ii) The main class operates six hours every second week - double score.

iii) Only two classes in the month of May to finish up the semester - triple letter score!

The term runs from February 2 to May 22 and like I said, May is ultra-light since we'll have a placement to fill the rest of the time. So basically three more months of class time. This leaves a lot of time for a good handle on the placement, hopefully some travel time during my week off in March or April, and time for guest visits (which I'm happy to report seem to be increasing!). Aside from feeling like I have to motivate myself back into the academic mind frame after two months of holidays, it is really nice to have a routine again. I had no trouble getting up before the sun this morning.

Doc's Prescription of the Day: Imagine joining a group of complete strangers for six months. What role do YOU play in new social situations? It's been a really interesting way to consider how I operate...that or I've played too many survivor-balcony games.

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.