Fire!?

This afternoon I was heading downstairs for futbol. I always take the stairs when we play behind Mina. As I was approaching the second floor it smelled a bit burnt. I began to curse the boys who had a BBQ on the other side of the building the day before. Didn't they clean up? As I approach the first floor I notice the door open, and thought, what assholes have decided to keep the door open on this cold, windy, rainy day...

And then I saw it. On the ground floor. The wall was covered in smoke. The door was charred. The floor was a mess. And we have no idea what happened...

Quick Dutch Lesson

Eight=acht. Night=nacht. Therefore, N8=n+acht=nacht=night.

Last Saturday was Museum N8 in Amsterdam. From 7PM to 2AM, 42 museums were open, each with special events. We had been to something similar in Budapest in June, but we only went to one museum there. This time, we made to about half a dozen, which was quite an accomplishment with a group of ten people.

We started at NEMO, the science museum. It was like being a kid again, playing with bubbles, lifting with levers, and refracting light. Next was the Stedelijk, the contemporary art museum that had an Andy Warhol exhibit going on. Then was a boat ride to Rembrandt's house (which I declined to enter since I had been there with the family the month before, I had a beer instead). The Hortus, the botanical gardens, was next. They had a Persian theme with belly dancers, mint tea, and dates. We walked past the aquarium, and after talking with the doormen, decided to go in (not quite the Shedd, but nice). Our final stop was the Tropenmuseum, aka museum of tropical cultures, where we danced until closing.

Hungry and tired we went for a drink, since we could not find a place with an open kitchen. Gabi, Alejandro, Carlitos and I left the bar at 2:30AM, waited until 3AM for the bus to central station. At the station we saw Julia, Ruben, and Gabriel, who we had left at the bar half an hour ago (the had taken a taxi, much smarter than us) and waited for the 3:42AM to Delft, which only arrived at 4AM, and got to Delft at 5AM. We were all asleep on the train. Great night.

Spaaaah

I spent last weekend in Frankfurt, with Connie visiting Pia and Ingo. We had fun. We ate well. I adopted Connie's favorite German breakfast as my own: raw meat with raw onion. We stank for the rest of the day. But that was alright, because we sweat it out at the spa on Saturday.

The spa was nice. Apparently this was a regular activity for Connie and Pia, but it was my first time at a German spa. We spent our afternoon in the naked area. There is a swimsuit area with lots of pools, but we spent our time in the area with the steam room, saunas, pools, and tanning beds. Naked. Everyone was naked. It was not a pretty sight, but everyone looked quite comfortable.

So, the really difference with every other spa I have been to is the treatments. A sauna is dry heat. Most of the saunas at this spa were about 85°C. At a prescribed time, a dressed German man will come into the sauna and open the door and window and air out the room. It's still hot. Then he will close it up and pour flavored water on the sauna rocks. We got to experience both lemon tea and green tea. Then the fanning starts. He takes his towel and throws waves of hot wet air down from near the ceiling. It hits you like a brick. You are overcome by the heat. You can barely keep yourself sitting up and you wonder how this man has the energy to twirl his towel around for four minutes...

Then he stops. Plastic bottles are passed around. They contain honey. It is slathered into every nook and cranny. The honey is not sticky like I had expected, it glides onto the skin, then slowly melts off. After a few more minutes of heat we are released. We rush outside, not just out of the sauna, but outside, on a typical gray, cold, yet dry German autumn day. You can see the steam rising from our skin. After a minute or so we go into the showers and rinse off in the cold, then take at dip in the 20°C plunge pool. Very refreshing. But apparently not cooling enough. A few minutes later a beautiful pink pattern appears on my legs. My blood is still boiling and a map of my veins appear. It soon fades after another walk outside.

The spa was great. While there we snacked on pretzels with cheese and fresh juices, a perfect salty sweet hydrating combination. That night Pia and Ingo's former neighbors came over for a dinner of pasta, schnitzel, and chocolate chip cookies, very reminiscent of dinner parties at Connie's.

And on Sunday I left, after a great 48 hours. I wish I could have stayed longer, but the lab today was almost like a spa. Instead of dousing myself in honey I bathed my glassware in acid. Close, right?

Lockout

I locked myself out of my room this morning. Not for long, but I was worried. When I went running last night I took my room key off the chain to put in my pocket without jingling. I guess that I forgot to put it back after the run. This morning I went to do laundry, while grabbing my keys I pondered taking my phone, but decided not to, the laundry room is just down the hall. Came back to my room a few minutes later and as I took out my keys I realized the room key was not on the chain.

Well, Alejandro is a few doors down, so I can just knock on his door and go through the back porch. As I peered through his window it was dark, I was afraid, he couldn't be out already, it's only 11:30AM and he stayed up late to watch the baseball last night. Buzz, buzz, uh oh I have no phone, buzz, buzz, oh, there is movement...he answers the door.

This is easy now, I can just go through the back porch since I never lock it. Hmm, it's locked? It's locked! Who the f*@k locked my back door!? Oh, but I left the window open a touch...can I get in...yes! In through the window. I am saved. Arrrgh. I cut my finger while putting the key back on the chain.

Now I need to lock the back door because people now know how to get into my room.

The Face of a Party Animal

If anyone outside my immediate family can identify that reference, I will be impressed. Last week the new students arrived. Therefore, we had a few parties. Last week I managed to attend 6 parties in three days, plus some dinners as well. Only last night did I finally get to rest (though probably not for long).

Throughout last week new students arrived, but on Thursday the program officially began. The new students were taken on a tour of Delft led by staff and old students. They were one person short, so I volunteered to lead a group. Though I had not recently studied my formal history of Delft, I thought my tour was useful, pointing out the bank and grocery stores, explaining very clearly that one does not buy coffee at a coffeeshop, it is for marijuana, if you want coffee you need to go to the cafe, but not the coffeeshop. We also took a canal cruise. After the tour, the new students got a speech from the director, followed by their first official party, the IHE Dutch party. There was cheese and pancakes, raw herring and beer, typical music but no dancing. We met lots of new students and had a great time. For me the night ended early, considering I had defended my thesis proposal earlier that day.

Friday was much busier. That was the day of our departmental party. We had been planning this party for three months, for it had been postponed since August. The students pooled our funds and made dinner, while the staff provided drinks. So, once again we took over the school's kitchen for a few hours to cook kilos or rice, dozens of chickens, and hundred of chocolate chip cookies. Mmm, cookies. Maybe because they are easy to handle, or sweet and tasty, but it seems that about a quarter of them left the kitchen before the party (since the rule is that broken cookies can be sampled, many cookies happened to break :) The food was excellent and we had a great time, but when it was over I went to the Environmental Science party for a few hours, then a salsa party. Three parties in one night, not bad.

Saturday I slept in. But not for too long, since futbol began again that afternoon. It was nice to play with new students, but it was tiring since we hadn't played in a few months. After that I rested in preparation for the party here in Mina for new students. But in the evening, on the way over, I saw some of my classmates who invited me to their Ethiopian party (this year there are 22 new students from Ethiopia). I was on my way to meet friends, but decided to stay for a beer. Oh, but there is food, of course I will try some. It is time for the coffee? Yes, that would be nice. I cannot leave now because we are going to start dancing. For those who have not seen Ethiopian dancing, it is wonderful. I wish I had a video to share, but there is lots of shoulder movement that is almost impossible to describe. I tried to learn, but was not very successful.

Finally, there was one more party. It lasted all night, though I left around 3AM. It was lots of fun to spend time with the new students. The dancing never stopped, though I eventually did, exhausted by the busy days prior. And then it was Sunday. A Sunday that actually had sun. So Elena, Simon, Julia and I rode to town for a coffee, and I had an epiphany to cook dinner that night and suddenly it was dinner for nine at my place. While I do not have enough tables or chairs, Bin had left me with plenty of plates, forks, and glasses, plus a dishwasher too. Spend the week recovering?

Travels with Julia

About a month ago (it's been that long!) I spent a week in Corfu with Julia. I have finally posted the photos. We had a long hard summer with little time for a holiday. So when we found out we had a week free we decided to go somewhere cheap and warm. We got a deal for hotel and airfare for a week in Corfu, Greece. Maybe we went a little too cheap, while our hotel was 600m from the beach, the beach was a 5m wide strip of pebbles next to a marina. And our room fronted a road that had trucks roaring up and down all night. But after we got over these slight inconveniences, we had a great time.

Corfu is small, but not tiny. It was manageable. For three of our seven days we rented a car and explored every paved road in the north. While most of this was intentional, some was due to the lack of coordination between our map and reality. The sign would point in one direction to a town, which was on the way home based on the map, and we would suddenly end up on the other side of the island. In one case we found a cute little village of half a dozen houses and a man selling homemade wine and olive oil. How cute. How rural. I'll spend €3 for a bottle. When we returned to our hotel for sip, we discovered that it was actually vinegar. But the experience was worth €3.

We spent days driving along the coast to many beaches. Each one had its own character. Most were rocky and not sandy, but the water was clear and blue. Our favorite was Paleokastritsa. Well, I liked it alot and we were there three times, so I assume that it was one of Julia's favorites as well. There we met Nikkos, a 20 year old nursing student who rented out kayaks and paddle boats. He saw us evening out our tans, and invited us to share some ouzo. When we returned a few days later we rented some kayaks and paddled into the sea to see some amazing cliffs and caves, but within an hour my arms were aching in such a way that it could only be resolved by a bit of ouzo and a nap on the beach.

We swam. We lay in the sun. We ran for the bus occasionally. We ate well. We drank lots of cappuccino freddos. Those were excellent. It is basically an iced espresso with foam. They sweeten the coffee part before chilling it so the sugar is actually dissolved. When we first found them we had four per day until we realized what it was doing to our budget. They were perfect for the heat, every day was about 30°C, and the sun, for we barely saw a cloud. It was a really nice holiday, but a bit too short. They always are.

$20

Maybe it is lucky money. Last Wednesday was Julia's birthday so we went out for dinner and drinks (I have lots of photos to post, I know). When I arrived home at 2AM I decided to check my mailbox, which I only check about once a week. In it there was a letter that read, "...Thank you for your opinion...please find enclosed a gift voucher from American Express...you are a monthly drawing winner..." And now I am $20 richer. I was told that good things come in threes, hopefully that means my tuition refund and living expenses will arrive soon.

€20

Yesterday I waiting in line at the ATM, talking to Julia, not paying attention. The person ahead of me leaves. I walk upto the machine and try to put my card in, but it's still humming and whirring. Out comes €20. I look around, but realize that I have no idea what the person ahead of me looked like. Julia and I ask around. No one knows where the women went. Someone says, "It's your lucky day." I guess it was. I think I will use it to buy a present for my condo, since yesterday was its birthday. Maybe that's not the right word. Anniversary? Yesterday was exactly three years since I became a homeowner. Hmm, I guess I should spent the money on me...

Molly's Wedding

Last weekend I was in Philadelphia. Yes, once again I went to the US for 72 hours. I do not consider myself jetset, for a direct flight across the pond actually takes less time than a one stop layover from the west coast. Though the weekend was brief and I never really adjusted to the time change, it was fun. Molly picked me up from the airport with Sean (now her husband), who I had not previously met. I feel that it is important to meet the groom before standing up in a friend's wedding, even if it's only a day or two before. Exhausted from the travel, I spent that night working on my thesis proposal and dined on my first Philly cheese steak. I truly believe that sandwich was invented with me in mind. Consisting of only meat, sauteed onions, cheese, and bread, I do not think it could ever be improved upon.

On Friday morning McHale and Genny, the remaining two Women arrived. Genny was supposed to arrive the night before, but she her flight was canceled due to weather. We were not quite sure what weather was being referred to, since it was lovely both in Philly and New York (where she had a layover from San Diego). The rest of the weekend was spent laughing. Sure there was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner on Friday night, but it was so nice to be with my Duke friends again. McHale also brought her boyfriend Samidh with as a date, and they shared the hotel room with Genny and me. He was really cool, and brave for sharing a room for the weekend with us. We just spent the whole time being silly, though the specific of which cannot be disclosed.

The rehearsal dinner was an exercise in technology. Specifically digital cameras for those who came of age prior to their invention. Maybe the problem is not with the fact that the camera is digital as much as it is with the red eye reduction. This is what happened. Someone took a photo of the bridal party. The button is pressed, a flash goes off, the camera is moved by the photographer, a second flash goes, thus the photo is taken. It was actually aimed at the floor by the time the photo was taken, but the photographer is not yet aware of that fact. He just sees the bridal party laughing and thinks, "this would make for an even better photo." So he aims the camera the crowd again, the button is pressed, a flash goes off, the camera is moved, a second flash goes, thus the photo is taken. Of the ceiling this time. More laughter. More photographers. This occurs for a few more cycles until it's not funny any more. I have yet to see these photos.

Saturday was the big day. Up at 7AM to shower. 8AM brunch. 9:30AM hair and makeup. Back to the hotel at noon for lunch. Leave hotel at 1PM for the wedding site or 1:30PM photos. More photos. 4:30PM ceremony starts. 11PM back to the hotel. It was a long day, but absolutely perfect. Molly looked beautiful. Her dad gave the best wedding toast I had ever heard. There was drinking and dancing all night. Then it was Sunday.

Sunday. I woke up in Philly and went to sleep on Monday in Delft. It was 36 hours of planes, trains, and automobiles. I had to take a bus to New York, then a stopover in Dublin, to finally make it back home. And I am just getting over the jet lag three days later and still working on my thesis proposal.

Back in Delft

I am finally staying in one place for more than three days! So, coming soon...stories and pictures about the last six weeks.