And Away We Go

So last week was the second week of orientation. Amazingly, I managed to make friends. My orientation group happened to get along really well (a good mesh of personalities or something like that. Or maybe it's just that we all think Your Mom jokes are hilarious...). Here's a picture of us being awesome. On a sculpture called The Salami. I couldn't make this stuff up.

Interesting Fact of the Netherlands # something (I lost count):

People here don't bake. Or do a whole lot of cooking. Accordingly, I have been unable to find baking soda anywhere. It's kind of impossible to bake without crucial ingredients. Luckily, Ryan, one of the guys in my orientation group, got excited at the prospect of cookies and managed to find some. Actually, I think he said his girlfriend found some. Regardless, I have baking soda! Cookies ahoy!

As the semester begins, it's been fun meeting the other Geo-Engineering students. Being good engineers, we grabbed a beer on Friday (and Monday, but who's counting). Have I mentioned that each department has multiple coffee corners and a pub? They must know that engineers like to bond over beer. Who'd have thought.

I'm having a fun time learning "proper" English. I'm going to come home talking like a bloody Brit. I do love that everyone says "bloody" here- it's one of those words that I've used for a long time but nobody else does. Switching to the SI system is going to be... challenging. I have years of schooling and working as a design engineer using imperial units. For the record, I have no problem telling you exactly what 120 lb/cubic inch density soil is, but 40 kg/cubic meter soil? Not intuitive at all. And don't even get me started on stress units. WTF is a MPa? 

On another note, we found an adorable black dog to replace the Dillingham dogs.

Don't judge us. We're animal deprived.


Interesting Fact of the Netherlands #7(?):
The escalators at the metro (and several other places) have sensors and switch directions based on whoever's using it. Nifty stuff.

(I love that I have so many pictures of Ev. He hasn't taken any pictures, which means he has to be my model for everything. Mwahahaha).



On Sunday we spent the afternoon with the son of my Grandma's good friend Mitzi. Mike and his family have been living in the Netherlands for about 12 years and currently live in a gorgeous converted farmhouse in a small town near the German boarder. It was so nice to talk to Mike and his wife and meet his kids. They are all very interesting people (the oldest son, David, is a tour guide and is heading over to Tibet soon - so jealous!) and we really appreciated being taken in and fed.

On the train home, Ev and I discussed how much karma we have to pay back eventually. Over the past few years we have had so many people open their homes to us and take us in for a day or two. Both Ev's and my parents have always been very open and welcoming to others and I think that we have been reaping the benefits of their awesomeness. It's nice to know that there are people like that everywhere.


Oh yeah, classes started today. More on that later.