Queensday (Koninginnedag)

Queensday was Saturday, and it is celebrated in The Netherlands on the birthday of the late Queen-mother (Juliana). I went with a student group called ESN (Erasmus Student Network) to Amsterdam for the day, and it was so much fun! ESN is an international organization that has offices at a few hundred universities. It’s only 2 euro to become a member, and you gain access to all of their events, where you can meet a lot of other exchange students.

ESN’s website said to meet at the train station at 7am on Saturday, and that the first four people to arrive would get free train tickets. I got there at 6:45am, and other people arrived shortly afterward. The ESN representatives (Dutch students) didn’t arrive until 7:15am, and it turned out that they were able to give 4 people per Dutch student a 40% discount (in The Netherlands, Dutch students can take up to 4 people on the trains with them at a 40% discount). So my round-trip ticket was still 30 euro ($45). The trains were so packed that my ticket was never checked, but I suppose if I hadn’t bought one, I would have been checked.

While waiting for the 8:00am train, I met 4 European Studies master students. One girl is from Finland, one is from Portugal, one is from Germany, and one is from Romania. We sat together on the train and decorated each other’s faces with the red, white, and blue eyeliners that one girl brought (to represent the Dutch flag). I didn’t have anything orange to wear (they wear orange to celebrate Queensday because the monarchy here is called the House of Orange); so I felt much more festive with my face decorated.

The trip to Amsterdam was about 2 hours and 30 minutes. When we arrived, we went straight to the Museumplein, where a huge free outdoor concert was being held. Most of the students stayed there until the last train back to Maastricht at 10:30pm, but as my new friends and I couldn’t foresee staying at the concert for 12 hours of drinking, we set out on a walk around Amsterdam. Also, most of the other students had started partying on the train and were already pretty rowdy. And the ESN representatives spent a good amount of time at the train station making fun of me for arriving so early; so I wasn’t too keen on spending the day with them. Hey, if I have to get somewhere early to save $30, I’m going to get there before everyone else.

Our group of five started the day by walking around and browsing the street markets. On Queensday, everyone is allowed to sell things on the street without having to have a license. So Amsterdam turns into one giant flea market on Queensday, with businesses and residents setting up shop on the sidewalks. We visited the “I amsterdam” sign next for a photo opportunity, and then sat in the grass at one of the big parks and watched the festivities for a while. There was everything from people squeezing fresh orange juice to music, dancing, and mimes. It was surreal, because there were also so many things going on that are completely illegal to do outdoors in the United States. And I didn’t really believe that the famed “coffeeshops” existed until I saw about five of them on every street.

Next we went back to the Museumplein concert to listen to the music for a while and marvel at the sea of orange. By early afternoon we were pretty hungry, and we stopped at a Portugese restaurant for Dutch beer and the most amazing tomato soup I’ve ever eaten. Then we felt obligated to top off our meal next door with espresso, gelato, and fresh fruit.

Fully satiated, we roamed the streets of Amsterdam until about 7pm, when we caught a train back home. We didn’t “sight-see,” because it was so exciting to just experience a huge city with every single street packed to the brim with people…there must have been millions of people walking around Amsterdam. It was so packed that bicyclists and motorists had given up trying to drive anywhere in the city. It was one giant pedestrian zone. We took a lot of photos and had fun standing on the bridges and waving at the people passing underneath on their techno-blasting party boats.

Unfortunately, I wore the wrong shoes to Amsterdam…for some reason it didn’t occur to me before I left that I would be walking a lot. But walking turned out to be what we did for about 9 hours straight. 30 minutes into the day, my feet were already blistered. Half of me was ready to call it a day and go back home, but the other half didn’t want to turn back home when I had just spent $45 and 2.5 hours to get to Amsterdam. There was also so much excitement in the air that I couldn’t turn back. But from walking around in those shoes for 9 hours, the blisters turned into bad cuts/scabs. Hopefully I learned my lesson! I’m happy I was able to see so much of Amsterdam, though.

When we left Amsterdam, we had to run to catch the return train, because the train’s platform was switched at the last minute. I couldn’t keep up with my friends…I got on the right train, but I couldn’t find them anywhere. Thank goodness for Facebook, because I might not have ever seen my new friends again.

Unfortunately, when I switched trains in Utrecht, I boarded an indirect train to Maastricht. So I had to switch trains once again in Eindhoven, and the train from Eindhoven made soooo many stops that it ended up taking an extra 45 minutes to get to Maastricht. Also, in Eindhoven, the train station was under construction, and everyone thus had to walk a long distance outside and around the station in order to re-enter the station and get to the departing trains. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was doing, but I figured the hundreds of people running in the same direction were probably going the right way. The whole experience felt like a dream…it must have been the extreme pain mixed with being on my own in a completely new place following hundreds of running strangers with Dutch flags painted on my face against a backdrop of house music and streets absolutely covered with trash. What an adventure!

By the time I arrived at the Maastricht train station at 11pm, I was too exhausted to try to figure out the bus situation. So I took a way too expensive cab ride to my house…12 euro for 5 minutes? Come on! I spent Sunday and Monday letting my feet recover!

Week 2

There wasn’t much to report last week. It was rainy and cold most of the week, which was good in the sense that it was motivation for staying in and working on schoolwork. It’s getting to be crunch time in my Capstone course back at Mizzou, and they really pack on the daily homework here.

My second and third day of classes went well. I felt as though I had something to prove as the only student from the U.S. in my courses; so as my classes progress, I am happy to discover that we’re all on the same level. On Friday, I gave my first presentation overseas, which is a good experience to have under my belt.

The sun made an appearance on Friday, and I treated myself to lunch on the Vrijthof (the main town square). The restaurant (In Den Ouden) is recommended by my guidebook under the “inexpensive category,” and I’ve been there twice now. On both occasions they didn’t charge me for my beverage; so they really are inexpensive! 🙂 The restaurants here serve a lot of French and Italian-inspired dishes, but I asked the waiter for a local Dutch dish. He brought me “zoervleis met friete, slaoj, en appelmous,” which is a steak (Wikipedia says it’s typically horse meat, but it tasted like beef; so I’m going to tell myself it was beef) and onion stew-like dish served with french fries (of course), salad, and homemade applesauce. It was quite good, but it was more than I could eat for even two meals. Unfortunately, they don’t offer “doggie bags.”

I then visited many stores in an attempt to find something orange to wear on Queensday. I strongly detest the color orange, though, and I couldn’t bring myself to spend money on something I’d only wear once. I’m glad I visited the Markt, however, because I was able to see the outdoor market that is held there every Wednesday and Friday. It was different from what I expected, because at least 75% of the stands sold fabric and other sewing materials. I even saw one stand that only sold zippers…hundreds of zippers in every imaginable color. The Dutch must make good use of their sewing machines, which is more than I can say for myself.

I went to bed early on Friday night to prepare for Queensday…

Easter

I spent a lot of Easter day working on schoolwork, but I did make a trip to Mount St. Pieter in the afternoon. It was only a 15 minute walk to the top, as my backyard is literally part of Mount St. Pieter. The “mountain” looks more like a hill or plateau to me, and I wonder if anyone has checked to make sure that it’s technically a mountain.

The outing was one of the most pleasant that I’ve had so far. I made sure to arrive in time for the English tour of the “caves,” which are actually man-made mines. (I suppose “the caves of Mount St. Pieter” do sound much more exciting than “the mines of St. Pieter hill.”) Mount St. Pieter was first mined for its limestone in the 13th century, and the mining continued until about 100 years ago. At that point, bricks became popular as they were much less expensive, and the locals feared for their livelihood. I marvel at their ingenuity…they began giving tours of the mines to make up for the lost income. The mines were also used during World War II as bomb shelters, for underground transport, and to hold famous works of art in a temperature controlled “safe.”

I was glad that my guidebook instructed me to bring a jacket to the mines, because it was about 50 degrees underground with 99% humidity. In fact, you can get hypothermia from being down there for more than 40 hours. Thus, one of the main attractions of the mines is the area where the local farmers and their livestock hid from the French in the 18th century for 3 weeks. We saw the loft that they slept in, as well as the fireplace that they used to stay alive. The ceiling is still black from the smoke, and we could see that the smoke didn’t travel far from the fireplace. Although they didn’t die from carbon monoxide poisoning, the locals were discovered by the French when one of the farmers’ pigs escaped from the mines.

It was also cool to see the areas where the ceiling has caved in, although it didn’t do much to put me at ease while the tour guide joked that he couldn’t remember the way back to the entrance. In these areas, we could see ancient fossils. One area that looked like a massive cave-in, though, was actually caused by French soldiers trying to blast through to Fort St. Pieter from underneath. Unfortunately for them, the explosives couldn’t force through the third layer of iron that they hit, and the soldiers were killed. They were about 150 meters away from the fort anyway.

Another main attraction of the mines is the chalk drawings on the walls. They are mostly unsigned drawings made by the locals miners, and they’re impressive. There is also a chalk drawing from about 100 years ago when the mines first opened for tours, and one to commemorate the fact that the first fossil that Charles Darwin studied was discovered in those mines. The fossil of the Mosasaur is now housed in a museum in Paris, as Maastricht was a part of France when the fossil was discovered.

Before heading home, I had lunch outside at the restaurant located near the entrance of the north mines. The menu wasn’t too exciting, but I had an incredible view of the city. Before my food arrived, two Dutch couples asked to share my table. And I was more than happy to, until one of the women made a joke about my “American” meal to her friends. I didn’t embark on my day hoping to have a croque monsieur with fries for lunch, but the menu was 90% burgers and sandwiches with fries or chips. Oh well…I guess I need to learn the Dutch phrase for “you’re blocking my view.” 🙂

Rain? Really?

It rained Friday and Saturday. I was beginning to think this was impossible after a week of blue skies, sunshine, and 75-80 degree temperatures; so I wasn’t surprised to see that the sunshine was never completely covered by the clouds. I was ready for a break from the hot sun, though, and welcomed the rain and cool breezes it brought.

On my way home Friday, I realized that the Led Zeppelin T-shirt that I was wearing says USA on it…as if anyone needed a hint! What made the whole situation ironic was that two people asked me for directions on Friday. I was very happy to oblige, as I finally felt as though I have my head on straight again.

On Saturday I visited the Bonnefantenmuseum, which is on the other side of the River Maas from my apartment and the city center. As a student, it was only 4 euros to enter the museum, and that fee allows me access for an entire year. And since I don’t have my mom here (she has usually been my own personal museum/art guide in the past), I sprung for the audio tour. The 2 euros were well worth it.

I saw three exhibitions at the museum. One was a new display of the highlights of the permanent collection. The second, “Wintergarden,” was a selection of modern masterpieces on loan from Liege. The third floor displayed works by two local artists. It was an enjoyable and relaxing 2 hours, and I was able to see works by Rubens, Antoon van Dyck, Monet, Pissarro, Ensor, Picasso, and Chagall.

On my way home, I stopped at ALDI for cheap laundry detergent. ALDI in Maastricht…I couldn’t believe until I saw it.

Funny things I’ve noticed

1. The key to my apartment came with a bottle-opener attached to it. I guess if I were ever in a beer-opening bind, I’d be covered.

2. I saw a young girl riding a unicycle yesterday. (But surprisingly, what struck me as more odd than the unicycle was the fact that she wasn’t wearing a helmet. Then I realized I haven’t seen anyone here wear a helmet, except for the people on motorbikes.)

3. I live near a primary school, and on my way home the other day, the kids were outside for recess. The school was blasting “Everybody” by the Backstreet Boys over the outdoor loudspeakers.

4. The restaurant that I ate outside at the other day had dog bowls with water for diners with dogs. The waitresses would bring the bowl with the drinks and take it away with the dishes.

Finally…a pastry

I’m a little embarrassed to say so, but one of the main reasons I enjoy traveling to Europe is to eat delicious pastries. And it’s not just the pastry…it’s the act of eating it outside under an umbrella while drinking a cappuccino and “people-watching.”

Today I stumbled upon several patisseries in my general neighborhood. They’re about a 15 minute walk away…not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Anyway, I had a wonderful strawberry and custard tart with a cappuccino. Magnificent.

I then took a long walk away from the city center along the Maas River. It was beautiful and the cool breeze was refreshing…but I could have done without the gnats. On my walk, I discovered that the St. Pietersberg caves are basically in my backyard. I was too late for a tour, but I hope to visit them tomorrow.

I came home in the early evening to prepare for my Skype meeting with my group members in our capstone class in Missouri. Got to love technology.

My first day of school

Yesterday (my first day of classes at Maastricht University) was overwhelming, yet exhilarating. I’m taking 6 credits/2 classes: Operational Strategy and Supply Chain Research Methods. Both classes meet twice per week for 2 hours per session. Plus I’m finishing up my capstone course at the Crosby MBA Program at the University of Missouri.

I’m the only student from the United States in both of my classes. In fact, I’m the only exchange student, in the sense that all of my classmates are completing their degrees entirely at Maastricht University. Also, everyone in Supply Chain is from Germany and completing a master degree in business with an emphasis in supply chain. Needless to say, I was slightly intimidated. But I believe the pressure will push me to perform even better. I’m excited for these classes; I thoroughly enjoyed my statistics and Operations and Supply Management courses with Prof. Downey at MU, and the classes over here are going to be an extension of what I’ve already learned. The goal is to take the skills we’ve learned in the management courses and apply them to overall strategy.

The overwhelming part of the day was that I realized the night before I didn’t have any school supplies…worse yet, I didn’t even know where to buy any! Also, my student card isn’t ready, which I need to print, copy, access the library….basically to do anything. But my classmates were helpful and showed me where I can buy textbooks, etc. And I was able to take a mental break in the park between classes.

Class sizes are small (10-14), and we are further divided into groups to work on projects and daily tasks. I’m excited to work with students from such a variety of cultural, academic, and professional backgrounds.

Finally back online

I haven’t been able to access any websites but Webmail since Sunday. It finally occurred to me to try restarting my computer, and that solved the problem. So I’m finally back online.

Unfortunately, I woke up Saturday feeling horribly ill, and I spent most of Saturday through Monday recovering. I was very happy to wake up feeling normal again today.

I did get out for some sight-seeing, however. I visited Onze-Lieve-Vrouwbasiliek (Basilica of Our Lady), part of which dates back to to the 11th century. I noticed that the stained-glass windows are from 1987, though! The “main attraction” is the statue of Our Lady Star of the Sea. Thousands of pilgrims visited the statue every Easter Monday in the early 1600s until the Calvinists took power in 1632. The statue went into hiding then; but legend has it that the statue stepped down from its pedestal in 1699 to establish Maastricht’s prayer route.

I then roamed the Stokstraat Kwartier (Roman district), which is the ancient city center. There, I visited Op de Thermen, a small square in which you can see the outline of a Roman thermal bath. I finished the trip with lunch al fresco. The brie and Carugher ham panini with a small salad and honeydew slices was delicious!

I also had the pleasure of meeting my neighbor downstairs. She is from India but is completing her master degree in molecular biology at Maastricht University. We had a nice conversation, and she gave me a lot of helpful advice.

Still settling in

I thought it would be hard to sleep in a new place, but I slept like a baby until noon. It may be a couple of more days before I’m over the jet lag…

After unpacking, I set out on today’s adventure at 3pm. It’s really only a 30 minute walk (partly through a park/garden/miniature zoo!) to the School of Business and Economics from my apartment. However, I didn’t have a map (only my limited Google directions); so I got there 4 minutes before the IRO office closed at 4pm! They were so nice and so helpful…they gave me a “welcome” messenger bag full of all of the info I need to know about the university and Maastricht (including a much needed map!).

I then headed toward Maastricht Centrum, the heart of Maastricht. I found what I think is the equivalent of “Deals” for inexpensive hygiene products and a supermarket next door for groceries. Grocery shopping is a very different experience when you have to consider what you can actually carry home and fit in your miniature refrigerator. I got the basics, walked the 2+ miles back to my apartment, cooked a delicious meal for myself, and collapsed on the couch.

Speaking of small fridges, everything here seems much smaller than in the U.S. Everything is also very clean and manicured. It seems as though every house displays a pristine garden no matter how small it is. My apartment, for instance, has a perfectly manicured 4’x4′ lawn in front surrounded by a mosaic terrace.

On that thought, I love my apartment. I can see the Maas River and pier through my front windows (and the RV/trailer camp ground beyond!) and the neighbor’s garden, which has almost a tropical look to it, through my back windows. I have a bedroom with a desk and TV, a livingroom with a pull-out couch and easy-chair, a kitchen/diningroom, and a large bathroom with a washing machine in it.

So my day mostly consisted of a lovely, if loaded down, walk to the city center and back. I feel much more at ease now that my apartment’s stocked, and I bought batteries at the market so that I can begin taking and posting photos.

Tomorrow’s adventure: find a bicycle, figure out the city bus system (if that’s even possible), and sight-seeing in Maastricht!

Hello Maastricht!

Well, I made it safely to Maastricht; it’s been an adventure already. The plane ride on United was actually really nice. I watched 2 movies, had 2 nice meals, a “sunrise cocktail,” and slept about 4 hours on the plane. And I’m so glad I paid for Economy Plus, which = lots of legroom. The plane ride to Chicago was 40 minutes, and then it was only 7 hours and 45 minutes to Brussels.

The train ride from Brussels to Maastricht was enjoyable (even considering the jet lag). I saw a fair amount of Brussels and Liege, and I’d definitely like to visit both. They definitely do not help you with your bags on/off the train here, and most places just have steep stairs…the escalator(s?) at the Brussels-Nord train station only went up. I already feel a lot stronger from carrying my 50 lbs. of luggage!

When I got to my apartment, the neighbor with the key wasn’t home. So I knocked on another neighbor’s door, and she turns out to be a professor at the School of Business and Economics at Maastricht University where I’ll be studying. She let me sit for a while and gave me some tea. Then she let me store my luggage while I went to get some things from the store. What a nice lady!

It’s quaint and beautiful here. Everything is really tiny, but that’s part of the city’s charm…I like it already. 

Today I’m going to check in at the university, get some groceries, and figure out how to get around here!