Interview

So one of the ERASMUS students is in journalism and had to write an article about Why the ERASMUS students travel so much while they are doing their study abroad program. And he decided to interview my roommate and I. So I have attached the link to the article as well as the text below.

http://eurobeats.wordpress.com/2012/12/06/why-does-erasmus-students-travel-so-much/

WHY DOES ERASMUS STUDENTS TRAVEL SO MUCH?

December 6, 2012 · by eurobeats · in Living Abroad. ·

Charla Tripoli and Kim Singer are two American students from Wisconsin. Since September 2012, they have studied business at Windesheim, in the Netherlands. However, this exchange experience is not only about studying, but also about traveling.

They’ve been on all the trips together, except one. Their tour started in the country by visiting Amsterdam first. Then, they went to Paris, and afterwards they went to Munich for the Oktoberfest and finally London. Apart from that, Charla has also been to Germany taking advantage of a school-trip.

Charla: As an American, I know that I probably won’t be able to come back to Europe for quite a long time because once you get a job, I’ll have to work for some years before I can save enough money and I have vacation to travel. So that’s why I’m travelling a lot.

Kim: I’ve been here twice before, and both times there have been a few years in between every time. If the plane tickets were less expensive than they are, I would definitely be here a lot more often. And because now I’m here for such a long time… why not try to see as much as possible? I have always pictured myself living in Europe. If my job will allow me to do it, yes, I can see myself living here.

The next trip they’re planning is to Rome. And they’re also trying to get to Budapest, Vienna, Prague… but will they be able to manage this before Christmas?

By: Beñat Flores

Den Haag

So we haven't traveled in a while...and there's a good reason for that. It's called school, sadly. Yup, school has become number one priority while studying abroad...who woulda guessed that would happen?! haha

Anyways, so we decided to go to the Den Haag, or The Hague, for the day.

http://www.holland.com/global/tourism/cities-in-holland/the-hague-1.htm

The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in The Netherlands. It is also the third largest city in The Netherlands, right after Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
The Hague is the seat of the Dutch government and Parliament, the Supreme Court, and the Council of the State, but the city is not the capital.

It was raining most of the day, so we just did a little bit of wandering and sightseeing before heading to the Omniversum, which we had tickets to (included in our return train ticket package).

A few key sights we saw were The Noordeinde Palace and Het Binnenhof.

The Noordeinde Palace
There are several palaces in The Hague and ‘Paleis Noordeinde’ (Noordeinde Palace) is one of them. It has been a palace of the Royal House since 1609 when the state presented it to William of Orange’s widow as a gift. Today, the Dutch monarch uses it as a working palace. 

It is not open to the public, so this is as close as we could get to the Queen of Holland...though it's already a lot closer than we got to the Queen of England ;)











Het Binnenhof ~ Courtyard
Throughout the ages, ‘Het Binnenhof’ in The Hague has been the center of politics in the Netherlands. All political matters and affairs of state were and still are discussed here. 
The Knight's Hall is a large hall in the Gothic building in the middle of the Binnenhof. 

Knight's Hall

After this we just wandered around at the rest of the architecture in Den Haag.

Chinatown

Grote Kerk

Omniversum
Like I mentioned above, we had tickets that included a movie at the Omniversum, which is their IMAX theater. By the time we found it the next show was "Into the Artic" which we thought would be interesting, especially if they showed the Northern Lights, however it was mostly about global warming and how the Polar Bears, Walruses, Caribou, and Birds etc. are losing their homes. But was still fun to watch, and they issued headphones so you could watch in English, which was very convenient. Afterwards we were told we could watch the next show for only 5euros, and we figured why not. The next one was on The Rocky Mountain Express. All about the hardships and issues they had with a transcontinental railroad from west to eastern Canada. 
http://www.rockymountainexpressfilm.com/film/making-of/

Now here are some random photos we took, as well as a few Architecture ones I found of Den Haag.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Now most Americans know the history and what Thanksgiving is, but to those who are reading this blog and do not know what it is I will do a short history. For those that do know it can skip ahead to the tradition section.

Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada, with several other places around the world observing similar celebrations. It is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States and on the second Monday of October in Canada.

In the United States, the modern Thanksgiving holiday tradition is commonly traced to a poorly documented 1621 celebration at Plymouth in present-day Massachusetts. The 1621 Plymouth feast and Thanksgiving was prompted by a good harvest.

Pilgrims and Puritans who began emigrating from England in the 1620s and 1630s carried the tradition of Days of Fasting and Days of Thanksgiving with them to New England. Several days of Thanksgiving were held in early New England history that have been identified as the "First Thanksgiving", including Pilgrim holidays in Plymouth in 1621 and 1623, and a Puritan holiday in Boston in 1631.

Thanksgiving proclamations were made mostly by church leaders in New England up until 1682, and then by both state and church leaders until after the American Revolution. During the revolutionary period, political influences affected the issuance of Thanksgiving proclamations. Various proclamations were made by royal governors, John Hancock, General George Washington, and the Continental Congress, each giving thanks to God for events favorable to their causes. As President of the United States, George Washington proclaimed the first nation-wide thanksgiving celebration in America marking November 26, 1789, "as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favours of Almighty God".

Thanksgiving has its historical roots in religious traditions, but today is celebrated in a more secular manner, typically with family.

Every year, the President of the United States will "pardon" a turkey, which spares the bird's life and ensures that it will spend the duration of its life roaming freely on farmland.

Tradition

Now if you ask what is it that makes it Thanksgiving, most people will say "it's not Thanksgiving without the cranberry sauce." Here is what I looked up for traditional Thanksgiving dinner and pastimes. 

Dishes

Turkey                                                            Glazed carrots

Mashed potatoes                                             Macaroni and cheese

Gravy                                                              Jello mold with some kind of fruit in it

Cranberry sauce                                              Fruit salad

Stuffing                                                            Sweet potato (pie)

Butter nut squash                                             Pumpkin Pie

Green bean casserole                                      Pecan Pie

Cheesy potato casserole                                  Apple Pie

Rolls                                                               Apple Cider

Peas, corn                                                       Wine

Cornbread

Pastimes

American Football (Turkey Bowl)

Deer Hunting

Watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade

Splitting the Wishbone

**side fun fact about the Macy's Parade: The first American Thanksgiving Day parade was held in 1920, organized by Gimbel's Department Store in Philadelphia, not Macy's as most people believe. The NYC Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade tradition actually began in 1924, and has grown into an annual event of balloons, bands, and floats, enjoyed by more than 46 million people each year in person and on TV.**

Thanksgiving in Holland

Now while researching the small history about Thanksgiving in general, I found an interesting bit about The Netherlands; some do celebrate it!!!...Just not in the way we think...

Many of the Pilgrims who migrated to the Plymouth Plantation had resided in the city of Leiden from 1609-1620, many of whom had recorded their births, marriages and deaths at the Pieterskerk. To commemorate this, a non-denominational Thanksgiving Day service is held each year on the morning of the American Thanksgiving Day in the Pieterskerk, a Gothic church in Leiden, to commemorate the hospitality the Pilgrims received in Leiden on their way to the New World.

Now the more me and my roommate reminisced over what we were missing (starting with the apple cider) we started planning and seeing what we could make for our own little Thanksgiving here. Our dinner consisted of Turkey breasts that we marinated and fried in a pan (yeah, we don't have an oven...so it limits us), Homemade mashed potatoes and gravy, orange glazed carrots, green beans with cherry tomatoes, traditional sage and also turkey stuffing (sent from my mom in US), spinach mushroom salads, potato salad, wheat rolls, and corn. As well as some apple cider :)

Now because we are in a country that does not recognize it as a holiday; Charla, Adrian, and Arsam still had to go to work, while I also still had to go to my three hour lecture. Both before and after class I was prepping, cleaning, and cooking and it quite literally took all day up until we sat down to enjoy the meal. But well worth it, it was the largest dinner we've had here in Holland and man was it filling. While eating we also found the Turkey Bowl (Detroit Lions v. Houston Texans) online, so we tried teaching the guys American Football...very entertaining ;) 

And of course now here are pics of our small Thanksgiving!

Prepping

All four burners were on at all times...

Our lovely turkey breasts marinated and
about to be cooked

The table, about to eat

Our "tv" set up for the football game

Next to no leftovers :)

Now who wants to do the dishes....

Here are some recipes I used for the meals:

Orange Glazed Carrots

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/orange-glazed-carrots/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=orange%20glazed%20carrots&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page

Green Beans and Cherry Tomatoes

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/green-beans-with-cherry-tomatoes/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=green%20beans&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe

After we were done with our dinner, and the football game was over, both me and Charla skyped our families back home who were either just eating or just finished eating...and here are photos from my family's Thanksgiving dinner up north.

Chef Brian cooking the duck

the Turkey all cut up

Last, but certainly not least, Thanksgiving is about giving thanks for the people and blessings of the past year. From pre-meal prayers to providing holiday meals to the homeless, the holiday is truly a celebration of praise and thanksgiving.

I am very thankful for my amazing family, as well as my great friends. Miss you all and can't wait to see most of you in 2 short months!!