The sun'll come out...

In April

Despite the above post dated today, which states that I am in Paris, I am actually back in Maastricht. That post was from a few days ago but was disseminated via mass email. I just wanted it archived here. As you may have noticed - since you're reading my blog -, I've decided to start blogging. I'll post new entries to my facebook and the links via email, so I can help reduce the clutter in your inboxes. I'm just here to help.

The rest of the trip to Paris was leisurely but fun. We spent 2 days there; on the first, we went to Versailles (I know, not in Paris), on a bus tour, to a fancy Parisian restaurant, and on a boat tour. Never-ending tours. I'm beginning to feel like Dylan. On the second day, we went to the Louvre in the morning and were given the rest of the day to explore. The Louvre was beautiful and surprisingly enormous. My friends and I actually got lost in the sculpture wing of the museum; suffice it to say I've seen so much sculpted anatomy recently, I don't even want to see myself naked. The rest of the day was devoted to being touristy (Eiffel tower, the Seine, etc), capped off by an authentic French dinner of Italian food. The next day we went to Notre Dame, toured the Champagne Pommery cellars, and rode the bus back to Maastricht.

It's comfortable being back in good ol' Holland. Maastricht already feels like home. I wish I could say that I had been looking forward to sleeping in my own bed, but my sandpaper sheets and granite mattress aren't the world's most comfortable. Still, my hall is nice (and fuller than when I left a week ago), and I'm finally catching up on sleep. Most importantly, I can make my own coffee.

More observations about Europe:

• American culture, as should shock nobody, is pervasive in Europe. There are 4 McDonalds in Maastricht, which the Dutch claim to hate but eat at anyway. American tv is also popular here. Children's shows are dubbed into Dutch, while the others have subtitles. Also, in Dutch Sesame Street, Big Bird deals drugs. Oscar is a coke-head. Elmo, thankfully, was killed off years ago.
  
• France, which is apparently too good for American culture and language, dubs all of our shows into French. This is annoying as I would rather watch Family Guy in English, but Bubba from Forrest Gump speaking in a French/Southern accent is pretty funny.
• The Dutch have a motto of "act normal because normal is crazy enough." I can dig it. I don't have a joke here, but it's a good philosophy.
• The Dutch also have a weird rivalry verging on aversion to Germany. However, it is sort of like the old school (pre-2004) Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. I don't think the Yankees/Germany, really care what the other one thinks.
  
• Lingering questions from Kill Bill? Uma Thurman is a badass.
• It's really gray here in Maastricht. But the sun'll come out soon... I hope. One of these days, I'll actually go somewhere warm and sunny.
  

No depression yet, although I do start class on Tuesday. I'll keep you all posted.

P.S. If you know him or not, please send positive vibes/prayers/love to Pops/Bob Eiseman/my grandpa, whose health has been less than pristine of late.