Good ol' Delft

Here's some pictures from Delft. One is the room at my old home, Perron 0 (= Platform Zero), where I still lay down my head to sleep, whenever I'm around. This room is no longer available to be rented out, so it's (kind of) empty. And there's lesson nr. 1 of the course "Dutch creativity and bikes".

Finally, a sad shot of the train station area (my old house is part of the area too); more and more houses are empty. Ready to fall apart, and make room for the construction of a train tunnel.

P.S. de B.S: Finally found a temporary room in Wageningen! Four months. It's small (2 by 6/7 meters), but also a small price. Tomorrow will be my first night; on a camping mattrass, in my sleeping bag. My days will be stretched, with four and a half extra hours (at least...) each day!

Tracy Chapman (solo)

Thankfull to say that I was present at this concert. Sunday night. All alone. Snow falling, wind blowing. Amsterdam. Managed to get a spot at the front; could literally touch the stage. Nothing or nobody blocking my view. One of the best musicians ever. Solo. For a couple of hours, which I never wanted to come to an end. Just herself and a guitar, in a small circle of light. She seems to be such a benign person. Very friendly and honest. And her music is só good!!
Out of all the music on my iPod, she puts my thoughts and feelings into words like nobody else.

Feel like my head must be glowing like a light in the dark, out of pure happiness.

Culture in Sweden.

Both were experienced in one night. Walked straight from the theatre, into an Irish pub.

I am home, but I was in Stockholm

Not the best pictures I ever took, but they'll do. They'll have to, because it's all you'll ever see about this trip to Sweden.
We (a total of seven of us) took the 'surf-bus' to Germany, watching a movie on a laptop below. Three people hitch hiked there and one (100% Dutch) friend studying in Norway for a couple of months, came over as well. Shouldn't forget him, he was the reason we started travelling in the first place :)
We went to ballet, 2,5 hours, for just 4 euros. (I have to admit it wasn't with the whole group, just me and two of the guys.) We enjoyed the 'singing' language the friendly Swedish people were speaking. We drank expensive beer. We took the ferry to travel from one of Stockholms' islands to another. We've experienced the funniest church service I've ever visited. And of course we walked around in the city, visiting a library, döner kebab restaurants, a requiem and a museum.

Like babies.

Temptation

Picture this. Or, smell this.

One of those late afternoons, already dark as the night itself at this time of the year. Travelling home using public transport, after a long and tiring day. Last slices of bread were enjoyed hours ago. I'm busy trying to get the most out of my 2,5 hrs of travelling time; music in my ears, for sure, and, whenever I'm not on a bike, I read a book, mostly a study book, but sometimes (as a treat) a reading book.

And that's when it happens! After a first sniffle, I'm starting to be aware of a fat smell. And a bit salty. I hear the sound of a 0.5 L coke bottle, being opened for the first time. Somebody's eating 'fries with mayo' or one of the snacks the Turkisch immigrants introduced; döner, or a turkisch pizza. ... I bite my lip, or chew on my pencil (when I was studying math) and I try to concentrate and forget that watery taste in my mouth...

And this is my view, while I'm trying to remember where in the world I parked my bike that morning...

This period, I'm taking math (4 mornings filled with classes; 2 books in 6 weeks; they're nuts) and 'Soil and water I'. For the latter, the past two weeks, áll classes were about water. And it will still be the same subject next week... :)

Mathematics feels like an impossible task, because I miss a huge part of the basics that most students were learned during the years in highschool. The positive side is that I am improving every day. We'll find out if I learned quick enough during my exam on the 18th of December...

But I will be taking a short break this weekend! This coming Friday night I will be flying to Stockholm, Sweden, with a bunch of friends. Should be back Sunday night late. We're driving to Düsseldorf, Germany, first, because that's where the cheap plane will be leaving. Mhmmm. Have to make sure I don't forget to pack some warm stuff.

Wageningen University

That doesn't sound too cool or anything like that at áll, does it?!
(Especially to my friends in Delft and maybe to more of the Dutch.)

But, I can tell you that it is!! For me, at least.

In the first weeks I didn’t want to write anything about it, because I felt as if I couldn't already have a fair view. My idea about it couldn’t be true yet, something like that. Still kind of feel that way, but here we go.
As far as I know, I love it and I feel like I'm at the right place, doing the right thing. Yes, I ám taking a MSc in Forest and Nature Conservation... :D
In so many ways it is what I was expecting it to be. Hard work. Lots of hard work. Many hours. But hard work is easy, when you want it. Finally some decent education. Not a single day is wasted and I'm learning every day. There's lots of people with lots of hair, especially of the male variety (because it is a really ‘green’ university). Beards. Tales. Fluffy hair. Dreads. Goaties. Everything.
And I lóve one of the subjects I was taking this period: Ecology I & II. It fits me, and I find it very interesting. Listen to this quote of my studybook: "The beauty of ecology is that it challenges us to develop an understanding of very basic and apparent problems - in a way that recognizes the uniqueness and complexity of all aspects of nature - but seeks patterns and predictions within this complexity rather than being swamped by it." Brilliant!
And another one: "One of the ways in which we try to make sense of the world around us is to search for repeated patterns. In doing so, we are not pretending that the world is simple and that all categories are watertight, but we can hope to move beyond a description tat is no more than a series of unique special cases."
Ok. Last one: "As ecologists, we try to describe and understand the distribution and abundance of organisms. We may do so because we wish to control a pest or conserve an endagered species, or simply because we are fascinated by the world around us and the forces that govern it." Yeah, baby, yeah!!

Seven weeks have passed already. Each of the five periods a year, consists of eight weeks; six filled with classes, practicals, studying and projects. Week seven is 'the white week': no classes, but only self study. 24/7 :)
Next week I'm already facing my first exam and the deadline of of an integrated essay. It will my chance to prove myself.


Studying math in the library. Mouse-still.


Some of my co-students doing measurements in the forest, which we reached all sweaty after 40 tiring minutes on the bike, trying to keep up with a fanatic teacher.

Took this shot on the way home one day. I 'have to' bike from Ede to Wageningen and back (can take the bus as well, but I enjoy biking, especially overthere). Twenty minutes is my personal record, but it takes thirty when doing things the easy way.

Another practical. The Dutch famous (?) river forelands. The trench in front was created for fish, to reproduce, and for birds. The Rhine is the other water on the top-left, we crossed it with the sweet little ferry.

Load of students on one of the dikes of the Rhine.

This is how the Dutch stay thin :) (Well, ok, most of them...)

Giving the river some space, to prevent flooding trouble in the future.

To the left; the Wageningse mountain :) I'm enjoying this part of my home country, it is really different compared to what I'm used to growing up near the coast, in the most urban area we have.

This is greener. Some forests. Beautiful beeches. Heather. Space. Nice smells.

But the travelling... The distance is close to 100 km, getting near the German border. Mostly it takes me about 5 hours a day. Fifteen minutes on my bike in Leiden. Than a train from Leiden to Utrecht (40 minutes), wait for 15 minutes, get on a train from Utrecht to Ede (30 minutes) and finally I bike the 20-30 minutes to Wageningen. My fastes time is 1 hr and 55 min, from the door of the lecture hall to home. Blessed to have an iPod!!

I have been trying to find some square meters that I can call my own again, but ‘my’ university has been the fastest growing university of this country, out of almost twenty. So here I am, still living in my parents'house again. It’s funny to live at home again and I am enjoying it. The company, the time together.

And one thing is just like the time I spend on farms in Canada; no worries about food or laundry :) And there's lots of space here, compared to a student room.

The main thing I want to change is me in combination with sport. Got some pretty serious running shoes for my birthday, so I go for a run when I have enough time, which is sweet and definitely gets me tired. But I miss my girls, I miss kicking a ball. And I’m eager to try new things at one of the many sport facilities at the university. Next period.

First I have to make some things happen. Get my first results. Good ones.

It's time for something new

Well, well, well. It's been weeks. Got quite some stories and pictures piled up! But it's close to 01.00 am, so this is all you'll be getting today. Promise to be back soon with some more, especially about university.

We visited an attraction park (with very strong roots in fairytailes) two weeks ago, for a family outing and a late celebration of my birthday. Started with breakfast for the whole family at 7.30, on a Saturday morning... Full sun, clear sky, the whole day!

Boyfriend, my brother + wife, my sister, girlfriend + my little brother, mum + dad.

We had to wait at least 30 minutes for each attraction. Our maximum of the day was 70 minutes... At the end of the day, with fading waiting lines, some of us enjoyed some loops and corkscrews, while other enjoyed themselves in the 'Fairy Realm'.

Watching some fat geese following a lady. It all had something to do with an old fairytale.

My dear family.

Here's one shot I took at the train station here in Leiden, the other day. There's more to come, but I'll save them for later. It's both só hilarious, and annoying, at the same time.

Small-scale disaster

Day 1. Ready to go...

First rainfall

Getting dryer, and happier, again :)

The dunes, with our bikes somewhere along the path

Remains of WWII

Day 2. 07.00 am

11.00 am

A characteristic still life

The train brough us back home, in Leiden, within an hour...

No more uncertainty. Finally.

Date: 07 August 2008

"I regret to inform you that the Academic Committee has decided against admitting yout to the MSc Programme Forest and Nature Conservation, which is scheduled to start in September 2008.
We thank you for your application and wish you success in the future."


Date: 21 August 2008

"According to the Academic Committee you do not qualify for direct admission to this MSc-programme because there are deficiencies in your previous education. In first instance you will have to complete a linkage programme to 'repair' those deficiencies.
I am looking forward to meeting you and wish you every success at Wageningen University."

Last Canadian weeks

Yep. Canada is a memory again. Home for two weeks already (24 hrs late, because I missed my plane, because the busride took over 30 hours, instead of 22), and here a my last pictures for you.

At grandma's.

Lake Huron.

Hope this corn is harvested by now...

My buddy Sam.

On my last night at the Sparlings, a neighbour popped up to ask if I would like to join him for a little flight. Dumb question... We just took off from a hayfield, and the view was beautiful. I felt like I could fly like this forever!

Ontario, and the coast of Lake Huron in the back.

Jaspar Jersey's!

And that's her!

The next day, on Sunday, Tammy dropped me off at the Garrett household, where it all started way back, early 2006 :) It was a short stay (had to leave on Friday), but Good, and I had a fantastic time. This is Leanne in grandma's pool, holding Ashlyn and baby Eden, while Gabriel is floating on his own.

No cooling down in the pool for Dwight, he had to do ALL the work :)

Gabriel's bike, parked at the house, with some of the cows in the back.

Leanne's vegetable garden.

And the kids.