Shopping in STHLM

I'm finally going to see my friend today again! I think the worst part of living abroad is that you don't get to see your friends and family that often, even though I try to be home at least every two months. But today I will see my friend again, while shopping. Does it get any better than that? Afterwards I will have a family dinner at my dad's place, so I really have a great day to look forward to!

I wish you all a happy wednesday today!

Baking all day

I've been baking all day, making cinnamon buns and a lime/raspberry cheesecake. It felt so good to finally bake again, it's really a big passion of mine. We had dinner at my grandparents' place tonight, which was very nice. The cheesecake received a lot of praise! Tomorrow I'm going to see a friend to go shopping in Stockholm, I'm really looking forward to it! 

mmm... kanelbullar.

The raspberry/lime cheesecake

Bruised

Yesterday I went to the doctor to take a blood test. I've been feeling very tired lately so I wanted to check if I lack any vitamins or such. I absolutely hate taking blood tests, especially since the nurse often ends up treating me like a vodoo doll, sticking me over and over again. This time I was lucky, and it went really smooth and worked on the first try. Last night it was quite interesting to see though, how my arm got more and more blue by the hour, and this morning I had a huge bruise. I look like a narcotic! Good thing I'm home all day today, baking. 

Ouch...

Home again

Finally home in Sweden at the farm. I've been to the nearest citywith my mom today to do some errands and have some coffee together. It was quite a shock to feel how cold it was, I actually didn't expect -9 degrees here compared to the +10 in The Hague. There's snow and ice everywhere too, so you have to watch where you're going. Later tonight we will have dinner with my grandparents. It's so nice to be home!

Driving on the highway. In Sweden it's so cold that we often have fur on the steering wheel.

At the café, it all looked so good!

Bored to death at Schiphol

I am so bored right now, so I figured I'd just write a blog post about my time-killing at Schiphol Airport. I went here way earlier than I needed to, partly because a friend was here waiting for her flight, and partly because I was so bored at home. When I got here, my friend turned out to be at the other end of the airport, and since Schiphol is not exactly tiny, we couldn't meet up. Due to the immense time I now have on my hands, I've been shopping like crazy in the tax-free shop. I also bought two magazines in Dutch that I planned on trying to read on the plane. Now I'm sitting at Starbucks and enjoying a lekker kopje koffie while waiting for my flight which departs in a bit more than an hour!

See you on the other side!

Everything has my name on it today...

Vapiano and friends

Last night I decided I wanted to say goodbye before I went to Sweden, so me and a couple of friends went to Vapiano for dinner. They have the best pizzas ever there, I really recommend the Bruschetta one. After dinner we went to a friends place and had a movie night there. It was such a typical student night, we had candy scattered on the floor, which we all sat around in a circle, while streaming a movie on the laptop.

We watched Source code, and it was so good! However, the internet connection was not that good, which meant we had breaks all the time for it to load. Sometimes it was really annoying when it froze in a really exciting scene.

So that was my Saturday night, and now I'm going to pack the last things and then head out to Schiphol to do some tax-free shopping!

At Vapiano

This is quite representative of the whole evening, since we all ended up in chocolate-coma after a while. 

Sorry for the bad quality, I just wanted to show how a student movie night looks like!

Spring break Saturday!

First day of spring break today, and the weather is great! I can't wait to go outside and take a walk today. I've found a bookstore that sells stationery, post cards, calenders etc. - all in 50's and 60's theme! I love the style from that time, which explains why I have so many pinup-girls on my walls. I'm going to go there today to check it out, and I'll probably come home with something if I know myself. It's amazing how the weather can affect the mood so drastically, I feel like running around smiling all day!

Later in the afternoon I have to pack for tomorrow when I head off to Sweden. I feel like a nomad whenever I fly between Sweden and Holland, because I have more luggage than anyone else in the whole airport probably. This time I have to bring back a lot of winter clothes, and my mom has somehow convinced me to bring two orchids (!) with me. Apparently they are about half the price here than in Sweden. I'm so scared I'll get stuck in customs with the flowers, what if they think I'm smuggling weed? I'm very paranoid when it comes to that. But the things you wouldn't do for your sweet mother...

The standard Saturday outfit: big shirt and headband.

My hand luggage tomorrow. Anything for you mom. 

After Work at Miller's

Last night was so much fun! Normally I don't really go out on Thursdays that often anymore, but we went to Miller's after work thing, wo it didn't get that late. I had had such a bad day yesterday and in those times it's so  great to know that I have the best friends ever! We had so much fun, and now I'm going to Philosophy class after sleeping way too little. I don't exactly care though, I'm in such a good mood today!

It's Friday people!

Passion fruit Caipirinha

Saw the best ad ever. Talk about being built on an insight!

Outfit last night. Yes I love that necklace. 

Microsoft Dreamspark for students

To have a sister that is smart and brilliant does pay off sometimes, especially when she works at Microsoft. I just got a tip about Microsoft Dreamspark that I now will share with my fellow students! Dreamspark is a website that offers a lot of software to students and teachers - for free! I know, it's almost to good to be true right? And there's more: The Hague University has a premium account at Dreamspark which allows us access to an even bigger database of software. For example, OneNote 2010 that I told you about before (which I still think is a wonderful tool) is free to download there. Just create an account here, state what school you're enrolled in and download! Isn't it wonderful?

People are tough sometimes

The pitching went great and afterwards we made a survey in the project group. Mockamore (the café in school) has an offer on coffee and cookies this week, and we simply couldn't resist it. The cookies are to die for. Apparently I've made my friend in the project group drink more coffee than she did before. Is that good or bad, I wonder?

We walked around the city centre to get people to fill in the surveys and it striked us how RUDE people are. I'm serious, it's amazing what lengths people would go to in order to avoid you on the street. Anyway, after a few hours we got the answers we needed, a lot thanks to one girl in our group who is a natural at these things. She even hugged one of the people she asked. I could never do that. Sometimes I hate how my Swedishness restrains me in these ways.

coffee break during the survey-writing

Hot chocolate break at Miller's when walking around the city

Pitching

Wednesday - that means presenting and pitching. So nice that that is the only class I have today. When you get it over with you have the rest of the day free. I really like those classes though, they are very inspiring. Today I'll pitch a fake business proposal to an imaginary investment company. Fun! Afterwards I will meet with the project group I think. They are really becoming my second family!

Getting ready. I've practiced my pitch in front of my Johnny Cash painting. He's a very good listener. 

Baby is back

THANK YOU Nespresso! My coffee machine just found its way back home, with some free coffee! I know I've said it before, but seriously, have you ever experienced customer service this good? Now I don't even care that George Clooney didn't show up (although the delivery guy actually looked a bit like him)!

Comments section open

You know that feeling when you wake up so early that you have a headache? I felt that this morning. Nespresso is coming over "sometime between 8 and 12 o'clock" today and you never know, they could be standing at my door at 8 sharp. So, now I'm waiting and waiting for them to come, and I'm sure they'll be here at 11.55. So typical. They better send George Clooney!

Anyway, something positive: I've opened up the comments section so you no longer have to have a Google account. I was actually thinking last night of moving my blog to another platform, but after spending several hours on trying to make it work, I realised that this is better. I felt just like when you've been playing the Sims for hours and hours and then your computer shuts down and you haven't saved. What a waste of time.

Anyway, comment away now people!

I guess I'm not the only one who wouldn't mind having him over for a cup of coffee? 

Sunny Monday

Finally the weather is nice! Very welcomed on a Monday when you've barely slept anything last night. Tip! Do not dance around in your room to party music just before you go to bed. I couldn't sleep until around 3-4 o'clock. Well, I know who's not going to Dutch tonight!

Me like spring weather. Me like it very much. 

7 days to Sweden

In exactly one week from today I'm going to Sweden! I can't wait to see everyone back home and enjoy some Swedish food again. Yes, I love food, especially the one my mom or my grandmother make, it's the best! Oh, and I'm also going to bake a lot when I'm there. I'm really passionate about baking, and I actually used to have a blog about it before, but then I had to stop because I don't have an oven in my apartment here. The blog is called Fika by Alice and was a lot of fun writing, and I shared some of my best recipes there. Unfortunately it's in Swedish though, but I guess you can use Google translate to understand it! 

I'm going to bake these when I'm back home!

Cigarette mystery

I noticed when I was out yesterday that Bulgarian cigarettes glow in UV light but normal, Marlboro cigarettes don't. So I was thinking, is this something that the Bulgarian cigarette companies have deliberately thought of or do they just happen to use another material for the package? Very interesting though, maybe they want their cigarette packages to stand out at parties in Sunny Beach. Any other ideas?

What have I done for mankind today?

The weather really sucks today, which makes me not feel like going outside. It could of course also have something to do with the countless wines and beers from last night, but that just feels a bit cliché to say. So if someone would ask me why I'm sitting around in my room the whole day with unbrushed hair and sweat pants, I would blame it on the weather.

It became quite obvious after being awake a couple of hours that I will not do anything today. I don't know why really, but I always feel bad about doing nothing. Maybe it's because when I grew up, my grandfather would always ask me (as a joke of course) what I've done for mankind today. Then I had to list what I'd done and try to draw connections to how my actions might have helped mankind. For example: I went to school = I'm getting an education so I can get a good job and thus contribute to society in the future. Now when I think about it, it doesn't seem quite normal for a kid to spend time on things like that. But hey, I turned out alright in the end, I think.

Happy hour at Siezo

Today after class we were going to have another "class activity". However, not that many people showed up. On the bright side, the fun people did show up, so it turned into a really great time anyway! Because of the happy hour, I might have had a bit more wine than I should have, and stayed a bit longer than I had planned, but it was just so much fun! Tonight we're going to go out to the International Pub and then probably to the Plein (I've heard that the International Pub is really trashy?). Anyway, I'll report later how it was! Tomorrow I might be going to Breda for Carnival that is currently going on in the south. I've been tortured by the horrible songs for over a week on the radio, so I guess I'd better just experience it at least once. We'll see though, if I go or not.

Happy hour at Siezo, two for one!

I guess these guys took it literally...

Home studies

No classes today, which meant sleeping in (until around 9) and then studying at home. I feel a bit bad over the fact that I haven't left the house all day, but sometimes you have to have those days too. I have actually been quite efficient today, and finished a very interesting book that I can really recommend: the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. I am actually surprised that it's not on the ICM syllabus, because it should be. If you're interested in sociology, communication and basic psychology, you should read this book! I've been meaning to read it for about a year now, and now I finally got the chance since I chose it as a source for my philosophy essay. I always feel so good about myself when I've actually done something, like today when I wrote 3 pages on my essay! It's supposed to be 4000 words, so I have about 3000 left, but still it's a start.

Tonight we were supposed to go to the Thursday Club at Miller's with the project group, but apparently it's not until next Thursday. It's an after work event for young professionals in The Hague, and it could be fun to check out. However, it's probably good that I don't go out tonight, I have a feeling there has been a bit too many wine glass-pictures on this blog lately...

Good thing I didn't sell that book, now I needed it again for the essay!

Wine with wet fur flavor?

Tonight me and another girl from my project group headed down town to the Plein to do some research about the after work bars there. It ended with a glass of wine and a hot chocolate, and no research. We're going there tomorrow again, but this time I think there will be more people out because it's Thursday. We did check the wine list at Miller's today though, so we did some research. We found something quite strange, a wine that, apparently, tastes like "wet fur"? I don't really know how that tastes, do you?

At Barlow

Miller's

Miller's

Happy Valentine's day

to you all! I will spend this very lovely day with my dear project group, and I've heard rumors that there will be chocolate cake in the meeting, yummy! 

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Dressed for the occasion of course!

Drama on the tram

I just came home from the most dramatic tram ride ever. I can tell you one thing: you do not want to get caught getting a free ride on the tram here in Holland.

About 5 or 6 control officers from the transport company came into the tram at the Centraal Station, and a guy who was standing in front of the carriage tried to run out. They tackled him, grabbed him by his jacket and pushed him against the doors. People were running away from the scene and evacuating the whole front half of the carriage where they now surrounded him, 6 against 1. It seemed like they were interrogating him, and I took some photos (for the purpose of posting here). Then one of them comes up to me, obviously upset, and says in a very aggressive way that I didn't have their permission to take photos and that I couldn't use them. I apologised of course, and after seeing the "victim" bleeding as he left the tram, I decided not to publish the photos. HTM is a scary company...

Saturday night at the Plein

Last night, after having basically done nothing all day, me and a friend decided spontaneously to go out for a drink. We didn't really feel like partying, so we just went to the Plein (a square with a lot of bars where the age limit is a bit higher) to have a drink or two. First we went to Blueprint, a really nice place with a bit futuristic interior design and neon lights. After a while we got a free drink from the bar, a frozen margarita. Really nice, I'm definitely going back to that place!

Later on we went to another bar where we saw a couple that were dancing outrageously. They were obviously really drunk, but it was cute in a way to see how they were flirting and hooking up all the time. The girl was always trying to put up her hair to achieve some kind of sexy "let out your hair by shaking your head" effect, but it just looked like she was annoyed with it. And the guy was drinking non-stop, while having some "waving with the arm in the air" thing going on. It was actually very entertaining! We were betting whether or not they knew each other before and if they would go home together etc. When you're more or less sober, it's sometimes really funny to watch drunk people. It's less fun, however, when you start contemplating if you also look like that when you've had a bit to drink...

cocktails at Blueprint

De Haagse Markt

I love Saturdays, especially when the weather is as nice as it is today! I visited the Hague Market this afternoon for the first time, and it was really big! I've heard a lot about it before, how you can get really nice vegetables for practically nothing there, and it's true. On the website it says that it is the biggest market in Europe, but I don't know about that. Perhaps it is the biggest outdoor market in Europe, that would make more sense. I'm glad I went by bike instead of walking as I had planned to do, because I came home with enough vegetables to last the rest of the month almost! Next time I really have to think about what I need before. It was really nice walking around there though, and I practiced my Dutch a little bit. For 13 euro I got: 

1 kilo carrots

½ kilo grapes

1 aubergine

1 zucchini

4 avocados

250 g dried apricots

100 g dried cranberries 

6 onions

5 bananas

4 red bell peppers (paprikas)

10 eggs

1 bunch of parsley 

...not bad I'd say!

Strolling around on a Friday

After school today I walked around the city a bit. I actually wanted to find a book for the philosophy essay that we're going to write, but I had no luck at the library. Later on I went to take a look at de Bijenkorf (a shop/department store) and I found the most amazing dress from Fornarina! I fell in love completely, so I'm probably going to buy it next month when I get money.

The weather was so nice today so I decided to walk home instead of taking the tram. On my way I passed the newly opened EkoPlaza, which is a chain of grocery stores with organic foods. It was really fancy actually, felt a bit like walking into Cajsa Warg in Stockholm. The only thing I needed was actually lettuce, but in that section Albert Heijn was actually better. So, I strolled home, carrying a package with lettuce in my hand, and I got some strange looks from people I met on the street. Just another day in The Hague.

Dutch/Swedish?

To being able to wake up around 10.00 on a Thursday morning is really one of the best parts of the student life. I didn't have any lectures today, so I just chilled at home (reading of course). I needed to sleep a bit longer because of the visit at Hotel Bar Corona last night. I came home around 01.30 I think, which, however, is not that late, but still. A girl needs her sleep! It was so nice yesterday, we ordered a bottle of the house wine to share among three people. I should add here that it was actually for research purpose related to the project we're working on.

Sitting a hotel bar like that reminds me so much of going out in Stockholm, where it's much more common than here. Lately I've been trying to find a bit more nice places to go out, instead of the extremely studenty bars/clubs. I guess it's just a natural response to the homesickness. Anyway, last night felt a bit like Stockholm, which was really good! It was a very nice bar, but I think we lowered the average age with about 30 years. Too bad, but maybe there's a younger crowd there if we go in the weekends instead.

Going out on a Wednesday is also a very Stockholm thing to do. In Holland (and many other European countries) Thursday is the day in the week to go out as a student, but in Sweden, Wednesdays are sometimes called "little Saturday". It is basically the day in the middle of the week when more people tend to go out (except for the weekends of course). I've been thinking so much about typical Swedish things since I moved to Holland. I think that when you move abroad, you emphasize your nationality more. For example, I feel a lot more Swedish when I'm here than when I'm in Sweden. In fact, when I'm in Sweden I actually feel a bit Dutch. It's just the fact that most other Swedes I meet don't have the same first-hand experience with Holland as I do now, which makes me feel a bit "part of" Dutch society. I bought a Dutch issue of MarieClaire today, which I'm going to try and read soon. Reading magazines and newspapers is a good way to keep track on what's going on in the country, and practice my Dutch of course.

We actually did some "work" too...

Coffee Company

I'm now sitting in Coffee Company, reading a book about setting up communication plans. I like reading books that address us as future professionals, and that is not purely theoretical. I don't know if we have these kinds of books because we're studying in a university of applied sciences or not, but I like it! When I'm sitting here reading, I can really picture myself, working in a communication or branding agency. It makes the studying more worthwhile in a way, when you know how you can apply the knowledge in the future. We have another book though, in the course Media Theory, that I simply cannot understand. But I guess you cannot like all the textbooks! 

Tonight me and my project group are going out to have a glass of wine in a hotel bar somewhere downtown, in pure research purpose actually. Any school project that involves having a drink with friends is approved by me. The good part is that we don't have any lectures or classes tomorrow!

Of course I have a matching bow in my hair... 

Not always rainbows and sunshine

Since I moved to Holland, there has been nothing but new experiences and fun adventures. I guess that that is basically what you expect when you leave your old world behind and move to another country, school and social life. However, since this blog is about the life as an international student, I think it would be unfair if I would only write about the positive things (although they are in majority). Lately I've been having a feeling that I think everyone get (more or less) after living some time abroad. I've felt that things aren't as fun anymore, as exciting. When I get too much to do I feel trapped in some way, even though I love my life here in The Hague. This feeling has scared me lately, because I honestly don't feel that there is anything wrong with my life here. If I had to go back in time I would do it all over again, without a doubt.

So what is it then, that makes me feel down at times, and restless? Well, after some thinking I have figured that it must be some sort of homesickness, but also that I've reached the point where my The Hague life has become my "ordinary" life, and the one I have in Sweden is now exceptional. I think that sooner or later, wherever in the world you are, you reach this point. It's called the everyday life, and it's here to stay.

However, I believe that there are ways to see it from a positive side. I now know The Hague so well, that I basically have two homes in this world. Not many people have that. Also, I do love living here, and I always feel a lot better when I remind myself that I would feel like this even if I lived in Sweden, but probably more. Holland is still quite unknown and exciting to me, and there is a lot that I haven't discovered yet. Just a simple thing like picking up the Metro newspaper this morning on the tram and realize that I can actually read it can make such a big difference!

Anyway, this post wasn't meant to put people off going abroad, but to give it a more balanced view. Moving abroad is a big, scary and life-changing step, but it is never, ever, something that you will regret.

Drifting in Belgium

This weekend I went down to the south of Holland again, to the Limburg province. I had a really great time, and was busy the whole weekend: dinner in Eindhoven, coffee in Hasselt (Belgium), drifting in Lommel and cinema in Maasmechelen. The drifting was so much fun! We found an empty, big space in the middle of nowhere and drifted for a bit more than 2 hours. I had never tried it before, but after a while it actually went pretty well! The only part that was a tiny bit scary was the train tracks along the side of the area, about 1 meter below... But obviously I survived! When we were done, the whole backside of the car was covered in snow, and the car was vibrating on our way home because of all the ice and snow stuck in the tires. Now I have to find a back wheel driven car so I can try this in Sweden.

A real Swede has drifting in her DNA.                                                        Photography: Dennis Noten. 

Mercedes sign on a BMW

A bit less flat side of Holland

Three stars out of five

Today I woke up quite early actually, even though I didn't have any classes. Later, around noon, I had a meeting with a friend for our branding project. We met up at Coffee Company to have a nice cup of Chai tea, but later we moved to the eetcafé next to it, 't Ogenblik. It's a really nice place to sit, but the staff is quite rude. I've noticed lately that this blog has almost turned into a review of The Hague's bars/cafés and restaurants. Well what can I say, I like to discover new sides of the city! Tonight we're going out to the Student Extravaganza party, I'll give a full review when I've recovered from the partying! 

TASTE

Last night we decided to go to TASTE Wine Bar, a really nice bar next to Buitenhof (the area around the government building). First I wanted to go to Chin Chin, but we saw in the last minute on their website that they closed down in December. But anyway, it was really nice to go out and have a glass of wine (or two) with the girls. I can really recommend the bar; the service was great and the interior design is very nice!

We ordered two different bottles of white wine, so delicious!

It's been so cold the last few days, and I'm still biking to school every morning. Because of that, they called me "viking" this morning in class. That got me thinking, and I'll probably start taking the tram soon. My genetic Scandinavian resistance against the cold has completely vanished since I moved to Holland. And what I really can't stand is the wind here in The Hague, which makes it feel about 10 degrees colder than it really is.