Holland

april 29-may 3, 2009

What can I say about Holland, besides that it is the most open minded, free spirited country I have ever set foot in. I loved this country, the food, the people and most of all the liberation...

I was speaking to Marthe and Jelena, (my two good friends here in Trier, both ladies from Holland) , i would say the 3rd week I was in Germany, and they insisted I had to come check out Holland. Being down for pretty much any sort of travel, and considering all the cool things i had heard about Holland, like wooden shoes, gingerbread-looking houses and of course Amsterdam, I agreed. We discussed dates and the said I HAD to come the weekend of Queen's Day (the biggest party day in Holland.) For those of you interested, here are the "official details" regarding the celebration of Queen's Day: (thank you Wikipedia!):

>>>>>Queen's Day celebrates the birthday of the Queen of the Netherlandsand is supposed to be a day of national unity and "togetherness" (Dutch: saamhorigheid). The tradition started on 31 August 1885 on the birthday of Princess Wilhelmina, later Queen Wilhelmina. Since 1949, after the ascension of Queen Juliana, Queen's Day is Queen Juliana's birthday on 30 April. Although Queen Beatrix's birthday is on 31 January, she officially celebrates her birthday on 30 April. Queen's Day is known for its "freemarket" (Dutch: vrijmarkt) all over the country, where everybody is allowed to sell things in the streets. Other activities during Queen's Day are children's games, individual musical performances, and music concerts. The night before Queen's Day is celebrated too in some cities, and this is called Queen's Night (Dutch: Koninginnenacht). The largest celebration of Queen's Day is in Amsterdam, Queen's Night in The Hague and Queen's Dance (Dutch: Koninginnedans) in Rotterdam. During the celebrations as reference to the colours of the House of Orange-Nassau, people dress in the colour orange, which is sometimes called "orange craze" (Dutch: oranjegekte).<<<<<<<<>

FUCKING BLOGGER ERASED THE OTHER 3/4 OF THE POST! UGHH!!!!! Now i have i re write it ALLL UGH! give me a weeeeek

YOUR IDEAS! PLEASE HELP

So, I am entering this contest to design a new logo for the European Union's branch for Organic Farming. First place: 6,000 Euros...yea baby. I have been doing alot of research and i just wanted a few opinions from those of you currently in the states...

What are some current "go green" trends yo have seen advertised or come across?? (there are no wrong/stupid answers! so go for it!)

Thanks! this will help me develop a world view on consumer goods and trends in going green and the organic farming market! very important! xoxo

nea-to

hey guys! sorry i haven't blogged in a bit. I got home from Holland on Sunday night around 11 and was so wiped out I couldn't even consider thinking. The past couple days i have been ill, swine flu maybe?? wink wink. No, really, just a minor flu. I promise i will post the stuff from Holland by the beginning of next week. I have a bunch of school stuff to get done this week so i will have to put it off for a minute. Until then check this out... My boyfriend, as most of you know, just moved out to Cali to pursue a glass blowing career. He seems to be doing really well. Today i was talking to a good friend of mine via SKYPE (if you don't have it GET IT, it is FREE and AWESOME!) and she said she came across the Shinobi glass blog, which he is apprenticing/ working for. The pic is kinda small, and there are others in it but i just thought it was cool! so here it is. (he is the one working on the far right at the center table!)

home?

I have been thinking a lot lately, about this definition of home and how i feel. Man, over my 23 years of life i have been to 6 countires and who knows how many states in the US. I have traveled to many places I would like to call home someday...or would I? I could live in Berlin, but would it really be home without my friends and family.... hmmmm. Maybe this is why my mother longs to return to Colorado. I always have this feeling in my heart that i will soemday be back in California, i mean for god sakes, why not? i grew up there, it formed my way of thinking, i compare everywhere i go to it....maybe you lok back at what is the most familiar....maybe that is home...the familiar? On my travels out here in Europe, I find myself gettting home sick for Trier after a week away... why is this? because it is familiar? it is not my home though...or is it?

BOO

here is a list of things i have grown to dislike about Germany:

-scrunchies...girls still wear um'...YUCK, so 1980's
-There is no peanut butter or cheetos. why the hell not? we got McDonalds?
-Techno hour...the radio station that i listen to plays techno after 8pm....:(
-jeans with 1000 pockets, they are all the rage here is guess? but the look really silly
-tourists...though i am one technically, there are like millions, EVERYWHERE. always in my way!
-smoking while you are pregnant....seen two women do it. Don't they read the box that says pregnant women should absolutely NOT smoke cigarettes??
- dogs poop all over the side walk, and no one ever considers picking up after them...
-naked people, you are allowed to be naked in public when you want and where you want.
-speedos and "banana hammocks", ewwwwww

hehe, just thought you might what to know
that's about it...but the rest of Germany is Wunderbar (wonderful!!!!!)

You know your American when...

i will set the scene,

Friday night, at a BBQ, about 30 people of all countries around. The Americans, Dutch and Finnish in the corner. We decided to quit being loners and join the circle around the fire pit. I sat down next to some random guy. He looks over at me and in his heavy German accent says "your from America, right?". I paused and was like why yes, i am, how did you know. He replied, "your sneakers, they are Nike, not Adidas...i chuckled and noticed everyone around was wearing Adidas sneakers EXCEPT for the 3 Americans that were there.......weird.

thank you Germany!

As I sit here and indulge in my new found love, German chocolate, I couldn't help but give a little shout out to the two types of chocolate/candy that make my life in Germany complete... Ritter Sport "dunkle voll-nuss" (dark chocolate with hazelnuts) and Hanuta bars, wafers filled with hazelnut chocolate...thank you lord for coco, hazelnuts and Germany, and thank god we don't have this stuff in the states, because if we did our whole population would be morbidly obese. I am thankful to Germany as well, for the proximity of my school and everything else that you need I survive. Germany, you make me walk miles a day, just so I can indulge in all you wonderful tarimsu ice cream and dark chocolate bars without gaining a single pound. MmMMmMmm