We have heat!

The hot water came back on today. Last night I went to Rijswijk (pronounced "rice-vick" to most, "rec-ya-vek"to others), the next town over, to shower at Alejandro's. They have a nice set up over there, though it's a bit far from school (5 minutes by train, 25 minutes by bike). He lives with two other Colombians and they have a shower, a washing machine, and cable TV. I got to watch some CNN and CSI:Las Vegas as my hair was drying. But now the hot water is back and my room is once again toasty, my clothes clean, and my (finally) sink empty.

No Hot Water, Part 2

Once again we have no hot water. It's really quite frustrating. There is no warning, no announcement posted. On Saturday morning, you just wait and wait for the water to warm up and after five minutes you realize that it is still icy cold. Then you chat with some friends and realize that they have had the same problem. But it's not too bad...until Sunday. On Sunday morning you curse the fact that the water is still cold and that since your last shower on Friday night you have been to a bar, played futbol, cooked dinner with friends, been dancing at a club, and run 10k (and studied of course, but that doesn't make you sweat unless it is exam time). And at this point you realize that your building's heat is ambient (running on steam as opposed to gas forced air) so you're bundled up in a blanket and drinking lots of coffee. But there is hope, your friends have gym memberships next door so instead of the traditional Sunday afternoon coffee, this week you will go out for a sauna. Then coffee. Writing in the second person is tough.

Where are you now?

The Chocolate Chip Cookie Adventure

I baked chocolate chip cookies last night. It wasn't as simple as it sounds. The premise was not just that I was hungry. In a few weeks we will have a European-American night here at UNESCO-IHE, with culture and food, such as the Environmental Science program had a few weeks back. So, after hearing about everyone else's plans to sing and dance (in costume of course), I began complaining about food and culture in the US (thus was delegated to MC). I can't dance. I can't sing. And I don't think I can explain any part of American culture properly or thoroughly in five minutes. Plus I realized that most American food has been either imported (pizza) or exported (McDonalds) already. Except for chocolate chip cookies.

So, first of all, I have no oven, but it wasn't too difficult to borrow one. The second problem was the chocolate chips. I wasn't able to find any. Any. Nor pure vanilla extract (I'm not using that "aroma"). The Dutch are importers, and even though Delft is a small town I thought that I would find some. None. I was afraid that I would need to go to Belgium. Fortunately this was solved by chopping up a chocolate bar (finer next time) and emailing my sister to figure out what part of the vanilla bean to use (after visiting two groceries and a chocolate shop). Then it was time to find measuring cups and spoons. After looking in half a dozen more shops (in the wind and rain on Wednesday, not during yesterday's storm) I suddenly had the epiphany that Europeans measure dry ingredients by mass, not by volume (that's why I saw all those scales). I finally got in touch with my neighbor Juilen (also known as the French cook) and got my hands on a teaspoon and a cup. No cooling rack? I guess newspaper will do. No newspaper? Bin found an Indian paper from a year ago. So I was finally ready.

About three hours and five batches later (the oven was small), I had success. About 20 cookies (and some dough left over too). Well, the cookies were a bit flat, I think because I mixed too much. Regardless, the cookies were amazing for my first attempt. I got the approval of Mijail and Carlos last night when I was able to serve them warm gooey chocolate chip cookies (from their oven) with a tall glass of milk. This morning I completed another unscientific study in the cafeteria during my break from lab ("Here, try this"). Then I got a request from Giorgia to make brownies. I don't think I'm ready for that. Yet.

Aftermath

There was a storm last night. Not just a bit of rain that got your pants wet as you were cycling home, but a real "blow you off your bicycle into the canal" storm (OK, I didn't go into the canal, but riding was impossible). The winds here were 60mph with some 90mph gusts. Windows at IHE shattered. Shingles were flying off roofs. The Dutch shut down their trains due to downed trees and power lines, so some students had to stay in Delft (with friends of course) rather than returning home. We even were sequestered within the building for a while. And there was talk of dikes breaking. But once I made it home, I spent my evening happy as can be hanging out with friends and baking. Not a bad way to ride out a storm. http://www.dutchnews.nl/news

Back to Normal

Everyone is finally back. Elena finally arrived on Saturday, a bit late but she had a good excuse that included two broken ribs (car accident). We are very happy that she is alright, but it's hard not to hug her and even harder not to make her laugh. But as you can see, she's enjoying her Magnum (dinner party at Giorgia's). I made, I mean brought, dessert (Ruth, Connie, I would have attempted to bake something up to your standard but I have no oven).

I began running again. I hadn't been since the beginning for December. Pulled muscles, exams, and holidays seemed to get in the way. But thanks to a care package from Mom and Dad, I think I'm now the best dressed in the group. Ok, not the best dressed, but at least the most conservative, considering that the nickname of my new running jacket is "the burqa". I think it sort of looks like Spiderman's mask.

Finally Feeling Better

Last week was a bit exhausting because I got sick midweek. It was just a cold, but it really knocked me out on Friday. I went to class Friday morning, but after an hour and a half my friends forced me to go home. They took notes (I think). That's what friends are for. But I only missed the last hour of our module on economics, project management, and statistics. Next week we go back to the lab, though I'm not entirely sure what we will be doing since the module is entitled "Process Technology."

It's amazing what a day in bed and some sudafed can do. I did some studying and washed lots of dishes. Though it took a bit of convincing, I managed to make it to the bar Friday night. It was the first time that most of my friends (we were missing a few) were able to get together since classes started up last week. Our favorite bartender was there (as you can see Giorgia reaching for him). He mentioned that he was in film school and doing a documentary course. He had seen us together last month and had found out that we were international students and would like to do a film on IHE and international students living in Delft. Hmmm, maybe I'm destined to be a star...

On Saturday I played football again. I really felt so much better after my casual Friday. This week we played outside, so I got to wear the boots I've had since I was 15, rather than my sneakers. They still fit, but I got some blisters in some really strange places from them. Maybe it was the socks. Anyway, it was cold and windy, but fortunately not rainy. After two hours I was exhausted, and sore from a direct shot to the chest (which could have been avoided, though that's up for debate), but of course we went out for a beer afterwards. Well, not really out, we had a few beers at the bar at the TU-Delft Sports Center. I wish the gym at Duke had had a bar. It had a juice bar, but that's not quite the same. At TU you could get a pitcher of beer for €6, probably subsidized for us poor students. Football and beer is a wonderful way to waste a Saturday afternoon. And engineering economics is a horrible way to waste a Saturday night.

ES cultural program

I got to crash a party on Tuesday. Fine, I didn't crash it. I was invited. The Environmental Science program had an afternoon/evening of cultural presentations and food. I had so much fun. I arrived a bit late because I had class, but when I walked into the auditorium there was singing and dancing and costumes and poetry. I have to admit that I did not pay as much attention as I should have because part of the time I was thinking how I would present the US if given the opportunity. Probably not very well.

After the performances there was lots of food. I don't really know what I ate, but it was good. I was particularly impressed by the desserts. There were three traditional desserts that were remarkably similar, a rice sweetened with milk (I think). But what surprised me was that the countries that aren't even physically or culturally close: Brazil, Egypt, India. And they were all excellent. For photos... http://picasaweb.google.com/judesj/ESParty

What I Did on My Chirstmas Vacation

I guess it's PC to call it "Winter Break" but I don't like how it sounds. Regardless, my holiday was spent in Israel with my family (see previous entry for cast and photos). We spent about a week touring the country with a guide, then a few days with friends and family. My expectations were exceeded, though it should be obvious by now that my parents know how to plan a good vacation. There was the right mix of hiking, history, and heritage, as well as some time to relax.

I don't know what to write. I don't want to go through a detailed description of everyday. It would take forever. And I'm feeling so lazy with the dreary, grey, windy, stormy weather. But I'll try. We started with a few days in Jerusalem, then to the Dead Sea for a day, followed by a few days in the North, saw some family, then went to Tel Aviv. Ruth, Vince, and the Kid left New Year's Day, Mom and Dad to follow two days later, then I spent my last two days scuba diving in Eilat before returning to Holland on Jan 5th.

This is horrible. It's boring. Maybe I'll just post my journals in a few days, after they are reviewed by my Spanish tutor...

Back to School

I've been home from Israel for about two days, so it's about time I talk about my trip and post some pictures. http://picasaweb.google.com/judesj/Israel For those of you who do not know my family, the cast of characters is as follows: Dad (Basil), Mom (Irene), Ruth (sister, 28), Vince (Ruth's husband), Judith (me, 27), and Kid (or the Kid, brother, David, 21). We spent about 10 days in Israel together, then I stayed on a few extra days to do some scuba diving. Unfortunately I'm having trouble uploading those pictures, because just as I got my new camera, the old one failed. I don't have much to say about the trip yet, but details will follow.