Hello all,
I haven't written a post in a while, and boy oh boy has a lot happened to me. General Maastrichtian life is swell. For all my griping about sandwich size and scarves, it's been remarkably easy to transition to life here. Everyone speaking English certainly helps.
Starting a week ago Friday, Maastricht became a city of (Rastafarian-esque) red, green, and yellow in honor of Carnival (Mardi Gras). I knew that this took place in South America and definitely in New Orleans, but I was unaware to what extent everyone went to celebrate here. The festival is a bit like scaled down N'awlins Mardi Gras. Everyone is dressed up. The holiday seems to know no age restrictions. There were little kids dancing outside the bars (which all stay open late and jack up their prices) at night, but the people having the best time all had at least 40 years on me. I saw an elderly guy in a wheelchair, dressed as a king (with wheelchair throne in tow), looking as if he was having the time of his life.
Everyone acts, I think, how they would like to act all year. And I don't just mean drunk. They no longer "act normal because normal is crazy enough"; for four days a year, everyone acts crazy. People go to elaborate lengths to create thematic costumes. Many spend all year sewing multi-faceted costumes so they can add a new layer every night leading up to the Tuesday finale. And everyone has a great time. The usually friendly Dutch people are even friendlier. I was pleased to note that they're also louder in public; I first truly felt at home when I passed a group of people drunkenly singing Sweet Caroline. Of course, I joined in.
The festival culminated on Tuesday night with the ceremonial burning of the lady of Carnival. It sounds a little creepy for an entire city to cheer on the burning of an effigy, but... Actually it's kinda creepy. Still, a lot of fun. I dressed up in a shiny, green puffy shirt (think Seinfeld Pirate shirt) and a ram's hat which I named Ram Emmanuel. I was lookin pretty fly. As usual.
This past Wednesday I went to Prague with my roommate Ben, and friendly neighbors Pat and Davis. We somehow managed to stay in a 4-person room at our hostel for only $6 per night each. The bed there was actually more comfortable than my bed in Maastricht. So I might be moving there. If only for the opportunity to chuckle every time I say the word "check." I almost bought a shirt that says Prague: Czech it out, but couldn't find one that fit so, much to the chagrin of Michelle, I bought a Czech soccer jersey. As usual, I look pretty fly in it.
The city of Prague pulls off the double whammy of being cheap and awesome. The city was spared in the major wars, so all the old architecture is still there. It's still weird for me to turn a corner and just run into a castle, and it happens all the time in Europe. The nightlife is also really fun. We went on a pub crawl which took us to 4 bars and ended in the largest club in Europe. I have no idea if the club is actually the largest in Europe, but it says so on their advertisements. I also got a beer in the largest Irish bar in Prague, so maybe their establishments just like boasting. We stayed 4 days and had a great time.
Czeching out of Prague (sorry, I couldn't help myself), I received the handsiest pat-down of my life. In America whomever pats me down is legally obligated to assure me that he's touching any "sensitive" areas with the back of his hand. In Europe, there's no assurance because it's blatantly untrue. I made it through to my gate, and without wasting all my money on absinthe in the duty-free shop. I'm back in Maastricht now, returning to class and normal life. We haven't had any sun in about 2 weeks, but I'm holding out hope. Otherwise, life is pretty consistently great.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Hoi hoi from Maastricht!
As you can tell by my casual (and always classy) usage of Provincial Limburg vernacular, I'm becoming increasingly used to the Dutch way of life. I'm still mildly annoyed by the tiny sandwiches and lack of free water, but there are advantages as well. E.g. - I can now order coffee completely guiltless because there's no free alternative. I also haven't slept in weeks. Trade-offs.
Overall, the Dutch way of life is not that different from the American. While politically more liberal, there is a conservative streak in Dutch culture in everything but government. It's not to Japanese levels, but showing off or showing someone up is considered very rude. No one drives flashy cars; instead they pride themselves on their car's mileage. Doctors proudly live in government housing projects, which expounding the theme of Dutch governmental utility, are much nicer than in America. People just don't accumulate or consume merely for the sake of accumulating or consuming. No one really wants to stand out.
There is an odd dichotomy in Dutch people's willingness to be conspicuous. When someone gets in their way, Dutch people are not shy about letting them know. They are very forward and don't beat around the bush the way Americans might. If you are walking in the bike lane, they will hit you if you don't move. They won't run you down, but simply expect you to get out of the way. I've seen this happen. When their lives are impeded, they will let you know.
Oddly enough, the opposite is true of Dutch drivers. There are numerous roundabouts (rotaries for those of you from New England), yet instead of a mad dash to freedom, pedestrians are always given the right of way. This is even more impressive considering the Dutch are self-policing. I've seen 2 police officers in the entire time I've been in Maastricht, yet there seems to be almost no crime, and everything runs smoothly. The Dutch, I think, let pedestrians cross out of a quest for normalcy. They want pedestrians out of the bike lanes because it is equivalently abnormal. Pedestrians stop traffic because it is.
No one wants to stand out in this culture. When I wrote in an earlier post that I was a fan of the phrase "act normal - normal is crazy enough," I don't think I understood it's full meaning. In my mind, that meant be yourself, open up, enjoy life; and to some extent it does. People here are friendly. They have a good time. They like to make fun of the French (don't we all) and Germans. Yet there is an opposite undercurrent to this saying. The Dutch, for all their liberal laws and leftist governmental policies, just want to be left alone. They want everything to be normal.
I was in Amsterdam last week and witnessed something that perfectly illustrates this point. I saw a man ticketed - in the middle of the city most known for debauchery in all of Europe - for riding his bike on the sidewalk. He was perhaps 3 blocks from the red light district, where interspersed among numerous pubs and probably any drug anyone could ever want are hundreds of half-naked women trying to solicit sex from passers by. But no crime there - it's normal. It's accepted. Biking on the sidewalk? Not normal.
The city of Amsterdam was beautiful, and I intend to go back. I stayed with a friend from Brandeis, Sarit, and had a great time getting lost and then found throughout the city. I even went to the Anne Frank house in an attempt to do something worthwhile. It was beautiful and somber. Reading Anne's desires to see the trees and breathe fresh air, while actually seeing the tree she was yearning for was pretty powerful. The train ride home was a subdued experience.
In other news, classes are in full swing. I did 200 pages of reading about the formation of the European state today. I'm learning Dutch and even had a conversation with a shopkeeper that lasted for longer than 3 seconds. No progress on the scarf front, but I'm just waiting for one that speaks to me. But then I might freak out because clothes are speaking. I have next week off because it's Carnival (Mardi Gras), which is a huge deal in Maastricht. I'm going to Prague on Wednesday. This post is long and low on jokes. They'll be back next time I promise. I hope everyone is doing well and didn't faint from the length of this post. Be well. I'll check in either from Prague or after getting back.
Overall, the Dutch way of life is not that different from the American. While politically more liberal, there is a conservative streak in Dutch culture in everything but government. It's not to Japanese levels, but showing off or showing someone up is considered very rude. No one drives flashy cars; instead they pride themselves on their car's mileage. Doctors proudly live in government housing projects, which expounding the theme of Dutch governmental utility, are much nicer than in America. People just don't accumulate or consume merely for the sake of accumulating or consuming. No one really wants to stand out.
There is an odd dichotomy in Dutch people's willingness to be conspicuous. When someone gets in their way, Dutch people are not shy about letting them know. They are very forward and don't beat around the bush the way Americans might. If you are walking in the bike lane, they will hit you if you don't move. They won't run you down, but simply expect you to get out of the way. I've seen this happen. When their lives are impeded, they will let you know.
Oddly enough, the opposite is true of Dutch drivers. There are numerous roundabouts (rotaries for those of you from New England), yet instead of a mad dash to freedom, pedestrians are always given the right of way. This is even more impressive considering the Dutch are self-policing. I've seen 2 police officers in the entire time I've been in Maastricht, yet there seems to be almost no crime, and everything runs smoothly. The Dutch, I think, let pedestrians cross out of a quest for normalcy. They want pedestrians out of the bike lanes because it is equivalently abnormal. Pedestrians stop traffic because it is.
No one wants to stand out in this culture. When I wrote in an earlier post that I was a fan of the phrase "act normal - normal is crazy enough," I don't think I understood it's full meaning. In my mind, that meant be yourself, open up, enjoy life; and to some extent it does. People here are friendly. They have a good time. They like to make fun of the French (don't we all) and Germans. Yet there is an opposite undercurrent to this saying. The Dutch, for all their liberal laws and leftist governmental policies, just want to be left alone. They want everything to be normal.
I was in Amsterdam last week and witnessed something that perfectly illustrates this point. I saw a man ticketed - in the middle of the city most known for debauchery in all of Europe - for riding his bike on the sidewalk. He was perhaps 3 blocks from the red light district, where interspersed among numerous pubs and probably any drug anyone could ever want are hundreds of half-naked women trying to solicit sex from passers by. But no crime there - it's normal. It's accepted. Biking on the sidewalk? Not normal.
The city of Amsterdam was beautiful, and I intend to go back. I stayed with a friend from Brandeis, Sarit, and had a great time getting lost and then found throughout the city. I even went to the Anne Frank house in an attempt to do something worthwhile. It was beautiful and somber. Reading Anne's desires to see the trees and breathe fresh air, while actually seeing the tree she was yearning for was pretty powerful. The train ride home was a subdued experience.
In other news, classes are in full swing. I did 200 pages of reading about the formation of the European state today. I'm learning Dutch and even had a conversation with a shopkeeper that lasted for longer than 3 seconds. No progress on the scarf front, but I'm just waiting for one that speaks to me. But then I might freak out because clothes are speaking. I have next week off because it's Carnival (Mardi Gras), which is a huge deal in Maastricht. I'm going to Prague on Wednesday. This post is long and low on jokes. They'll be back next time I promise. I hope everyone is doing well and didn't faint from the length of this post. Be well. I'll check in either from Prague or after getting back.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Watch out where the huskies go
The Dutch, so good at recycling and social welfare, can't seem to get their act together on one thing: no one picks up after their dogs. Maybe the right wing in America has a point; perhaps this is the real effect of a government that actually helps its people. They expect everything to be done for them. If it means America's going to end up covered in dog poo, then I'd think twice about socialized medicine. And recycling.
Life in Maastricht is beginning to feel normal. I have class a grueling 3 days a week. The Dutch all seem so overworked, and now I see why. The University Maastricht uses Problem Based Learning, essentially discussion sections led by students which are then supplemented by occasional lectures. Since I rarely shut up in class, I really enjoy this newfound freedom. My classes (The European State, Dutch) are interesting and very different from what I've experienced, which is a good thing.
I've begun to settle into routines - going to class, doing my homework, buying beer. Normal is definitely not boring, though. I still manage to get lost roaming the streets, but unlike in America, where city roaming carries an element of danger, Maastricht just has more and more interesting history. I've found buildings dating back over 1000 years, remnants of the old city wall - complete with cannons -, an outdoor art exhibit featuring a life-size dead giraffe, ceramic legs artfully splayed, and a statue of D'artagnan (the fourth musketeer, who apparently did something in Maastricht). The giraffe is probably the weirdest of all, as about 20 feet, ahem, 6 metres away sits a statue of bear with his head in his hands, presumably mourning the giraffe. Not really a fun place to go at night if you're spooked easily. Still, it's better than Milwaukee's statue of the Fonz.
The sun came out yesterday for the first time since I've been here, and I celebrated by playing tennis (with balls possibly as old as the city itself) and desperately trying to get a tan. You know, so I can fit in with all the tan Scandinavians. Actually, they should feel at home. As befits my luck, these past 2 weeks have been the snowiest Maastricht has seen since 1979. No wonder it feels like home already.
I still feel under-dressed everywhere I go. But then I remember that I'm Amuhrican, and I don't care what those Europagans think. Or something like that. I am looking to get a scarf though, but I'll probably stay away from the skinny jeans and pointed shoes.
I'm going to Amsterdam in about an hour. Should be a fun weekend. As always, keep me updated on all of your lives. I like hearing from people.
Life in Maastricht is beginning to feel normal. I have class a grueling 3 days a week. The Dutch all seem so overworked, and now I see why. The University Maastricht uses Problem Based Learning, essentially discussion sections led by students which are then supplemented by occasional lectures. Since I rarely shut up in class, I really enjoy this newfound freedom. My classes (The European State, Dutch) are interesting and very different from what I've experienced, which is a good thing.
I've begun to settle into routines - going to class, doing my homework, buying beer. Normal is definitely not boring, though. I still manage to get lost roaming the streets, but unlike in America, where city roaming carries an element of danger, Maastricht just has more and more interesting history. I've found buildings dating back over 1000 years, remnants of the old city wall - complete with cannons -, an outdoor art exhibit featuring a life-size dead giraffe, ceramic legs artfully splayed, and a statue of D'artagnan (the fourth musketeer, who apparently did something in Maastricht). The giraffe is probably the weirdest of all, as about 20 feet, ahem, 6 metres away sits a statue of bear with his head in his hands, presumably mourning the giraffe. Not really a fun place to go at night if you're spooked easily. Still, it's better than Milwaukee's statue of the Fonz.
The sun came out yesterday for the first time since I've been here, and I celebrated by playing tennis (with balls possibly as old as the city itself) and desperately trying to get a tan. You know, so I can fit in with all the tan Scandinavians. Actually, they should feel at home. As befits my luck, these past 2 weeks have been the snowiest Maastricht has seen since 1979. No wonder it feels like home already.
I still feel under-dressed everywhere I go. But then I remember that I'm Amuhrican, and I don't care what those Europagans think. Or something like that. I am looking to get a scarf though, but I'll probably stay away from the skinny jeans and pointed shoes.
I'm going to Amsterdam in about an hour. Should be a fun weekend. As always, keep me updated on all of your lives. I like hearing from people.
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