Trash Day is Long Overdue...But Enough Streakers, Thanks

I know, I know, I haven't updated in a month, I am SO sorry. I promise I'll post a bunch of updates soon to catch everyone up!

In the meantime...Amsterdam stinks. Yes, right now I am speaking literally. The garbage workers have been on strike for about a week now (I think, my concept of time is not awesome), and as such, the garbage is just piled everywhere. Dumpsters are surrounded by a few feet radius of trash bags. Trash cans have little piles of trash under/around them because they are so full that they are just overflowing. So...Amsterdam literally smells in parts. The main touristy areas are the worst, there's just litter EVERYWHERE. If I remember I'll take a picture tomorrow and update this post.

As for the streaker...well, I was over on the square on Spui by the Aetheneum, and there were a bunch of guys dressed in ridiculous outfits, with one running around naked waving a neon green flag in the air. I would have said it was a frat stunt, but they don't really have frats here as we think of them in the US, so I don't really know. Also, they really weren't very smart - with Ascension making today a national holiday, the square was pretty quiet with most of the businesses closed...making the streaker's presence only visible to a few tourists.

Not that I am saying that I -want- to see more streakers (because I certainly don't, thank you kindly), but I always see the awkward ones that never really took streaking 101. You know, the class that points out that the point of streaking is to be seen by people? Streaking on a religious holiday when there is no one around is almost as sad as the time a streaker at a college I was visiting ran past my tour group...with us being the only people on campus as it was spring break. Fail streakers, fail.

Jacquie vs. Dutch Pancakes Part II

So, you know since there was a part one that a part two had to follow.

On the advice of a dutch friend, I decided to be ambitious one morning and attempt to make Dutch pancakes - after all, I had the mix, how hard could it be?

I should stop a moment and remind all of my readers that this semester is the first time I have ever really cooked without a microwave. I regularly have to look up how to do basic things, including but not limited to cooking broccoli, making grilled cheese, and all ways to prepare an egg (I'm still trying to get the burnt-on egg white out of my pan after trying to poach eggs this morning, cause I'm tired of cooking with oil all the time).

Still, I was feeling confident, and figured it couldn't be -all- that hard....

Pancake 1: Far too thick. As I've mentioned in my previous post, Dutch pancakes are supposed to be pretty thin. My first attempt was honestly closer to an American pancake...which was odd considering the mix is pretty different. This one also got a bit broken up from when I flipped it over (using a plate, not actually flipping), and I accidentally let an edge get folded under

Pancake 2: Too oily. I got it to be thinner, but somehow ended up with FAR too much butter, which made me want to pat the pancake down like I would pizza...if only I actually had paper towels.

Pancake 3: I thought this one would be the winner...but nope. It was thin to be sure, and not oily...but I didn't compensate by reducing the time, so it ended up becoming a bit crunch-cracker-like in parts.

Pancake 4: Never happened...I gave up that day, then forgot I had a little mix left until it went rancid. Fail.

Throughout my attempt to make pancakes, I also managed to:

• Drop a pancake on the floor (not telling which one!)
• Burn my hand on the pan
• Get butter in my hair
• Fling a knife with butter on it against my chest because I burned my hand (second time)

All in all...the pancakes won. Again. (If you remember, I could not conquer the pancakes at the pancake bakery, finding myself bursting before finishing their sugary goodness).

Current Score: Jacquie: 0, Dutch Pancakes: 2

How I Fail at Really Simple Tasks: The Dutch Edition

For those of you who know me pretty well, I imagine you have figured out by now that sometimes, really simple tasks completely confound me, strange when I have little problems with complicated tasks. Here in Amsterdam this has largely involved me getting lost, or at least, ending up weird places on public transport. I'll update this list as I come up with more amusing tales.

1) Failing to Open the Laundry Room Door: Yep...its pretty much what it sounds like. We have some sort of weird keypad on the door you have to punch a code into. I have the code, and can turn the knob...but for some reason the lock still doesn't open. Yes this means I have been doing a lot of handwash.

UPDATE: Apparently I had to turn the lock the other direction. Thanks Andrea...

2) Completely Missing my Bus Stop and Riding to the Very End of the Line: Try to go over to Jantien's for dinner on Monday (one of my ISN orientation leaders), I got a little turned around. Which wouldn't really be that sad...except as I was sitting on the bus, I saw another group member walk by and thought "oh look, there's Bence." You would think I would work out that I should have gotten off when the bus went straight, and he walked right. Not entirely sure where I ended up, but I had to get off the bus, wait for the driver to get coffee, and then get back on again. Everyone at dinner got a kick out of this.

3) Washing Dishes in Sinks Meant for Tall People: At the same dinner, I was trying to wash the dishes to help out. I ended up needing to use the little step stool just to stand at the sink, because it was awkwardly too tall.

4) Not Realizing I Have a Breaker Box in My Room: My bathroom light is burned out, it's completely dark... (one week passes)...wait, what is this box on the wall? Hey look, one switch is flipped down...let there be light!

5) Not Knowing How to Cook: This is again, exactly what it sounds like. I managed to make a somewhat real dinner last night though...only 2 weeks since I moved in to my room.

6) Waiting at the Wrong Night Bus Stop for An Hour: Since the night bus comes every half hour,you'd think I would have realized sooner...but no. I ended up waiting for that bus for total of an hour and half in the cold.

7) Walking in A Giant Loop Looking for Ikea: Andrea and I went to Ikea Tuesday night, and when we got off the metro we should have turned right and not left...so we walked a huge loop through a financial district, that didn't have real sidewalks on all the roads. Again, not fun when cold. Probably took us about an hour to find Ikea...sad since if we had turned the right direction, we would have seen it immediately.

8) Grocery Shopping: Since I don't know how to cook, I don't know what to buy when buying food. This is stressful enough when in English. Try doing it when everything is in Dutch.

9) Not Knowing How to Wash/Cut a Head of Lettuce: Again, from helping at Jantien's. We buy all our lettuce at home pre-washed, and in bags. Denice handed me a head of lettuce and said "cut this"....and I had to just give her a blank stare. But I know now! On a similar note, I had to google how to make grilled cheese. Doesn't help when you apparently bought diet cheese (again, grocery shopping is stressful).

To be continued...

10) Getting Lost..Again: Yep, I already have more to add. I got hopelessly lost today, trying to walk from the university doctor to my class. What should have been only a 15min walk ended up being almost an hour. It was cold. It was not fun.