Morning Parade in The Hague

I never thought Queen's Night would be so big in The Hague, but apparently this is the place to be and people are coming in with trains from all over the country to celebrate it here. It was a lot of fun and we saw Morning Parade live which were really, really good! Everywhere were people dressed in orange of course, but that's nothing to today. I am now dressed up in a full Queen's Day outfit and ready to take on Amsterdam! I have to go to the tram soon, but I'll report later how it was!

So awesome!

Preparing...

The confusion about what is going to happen has gone away a bit now that I've been walking around downtown with my friends. They're setting up beer tents, food stands and stages all over the city, so I'm starting to get a picture of what it will be like. We shopped a lot of Queen's Day stuff to wear tomorrow, and now I'm really starting to get excited! I bought a t-shirt, sunglasses, scarf, and headband which I'm going to wear with an orange skirt. We'll blend in perfectly. I'll save the crazy outfit for tomorrow though, and settle with a hairclip tonight.

It's strange, but I actually feel a bit patriotic - and I'm loving it!

Lang leve Oranje!

Prepared for tonight

Queen's Night

Last night was a lot of fun, and we cooked walnut- and lemonstuffed chicken with tomato and mozzarella salad.  I tried taking pictures but my camera was simply not cooperating with me, so you'll just have to imagine it in your head. It was delicious.

Tonight is Queen's Night, which means partying downtown and somehow manage to not get hungover so you can keep partying the day after on Queen's Day. We're gonna go to Amsterdam to celebrate tomorrow around noon (like the rest of the population) and I've heard the trains will be packed...

Happy Queen's Night people!

To drink tea, or not to drink tea...

Today it's raining again, which gives me a perfect opportunity to just sit inside and study a bit. I might just even make a cup of tea. I actually hate tea (it tastes just like warm water?), but I like the feeling that I get when I'm crawled up under a blanket with a book and a cup of tea. It fits with the image. So, I might make tea, but I probably won't drink it.

Tonight two friends are coming over and we're going to cook dinner together and just have a nice girl's night. I'm already looking forward to it!

See, it totally fits! If she didn't have the cup of tea in her hand she would just look creepy. 

Queen's Day preparation

How great it is to be 20 and have a body that fairly quickly recovers from an intense, late night out! After studying (!) for a couple of hours, I went downtown to get coffee and something to wear on Queen's Day. The whole fuzz around Queen's Day is quite hard to explain if you're not here to see it, but virtually everything is now available in a "Queen's Day edition". All the shops have completely exploaded in a feast of orange and you can get anything from tights with the Dutch flagline along your legs to orange coloring hairspray to special Queen's Day coffee.

With this said, I went to Nespresso to get coffee and, of course, they had a "Queen's Day special edition pack". I had to buy it of course. You don't want to offend the Dutch people - God knows how seriously they take this.

Just a little taste of the orange hysteria that has struck the country.

I love the packaging, very well done, Nespresso!

I finally decided on a hairclip for Queen's Day. Should be enough to not get lynched. I mean, it even says this is the "true spirit"? It simply can't be wrong with this in my hair.

I found this photo from last night on my phone! We ordered in bottles of wine and were dancing around with  the bottle on the dancefloor and felt soooo cool. Oh my.

Friday "morning"

It was a lot of fun last night, and before we knew it we were home at 6 in the morning! I feel kind of bad for sleeping so long though, but now I'm having "breakfast" and thinking about what I'm going to go today. Toast with smoked salmon and avocado and a big glass of milk is probably the best hangover-breakfast ever. Just saying.

Going out!

VIP, here we go!

I'm starving....

Going for a summer feeling now that the rain finally stopped and the sun is shining!

Very Italian Pizza

It's pouring down outside, and I'm supposed to go on a powerwalk in two hours with my friend. I wonder if that'll happen... On the other hand, Dutch weather is so extremely unpredictable, and it will probably be sunny soon again. ...Hopefully.

Tonight I'm going out for dinner with 3 friends, to V.I.P (Very Italian Pizza). I've heard a lot of great things about that restaurant, that they have the best pizzas ever and so on, so I'm very excited! It will be so nice to eat out for once too, now that I finally have my money in the account.

Found this picture on Google, apparently this is where we're going!

Healthy dinner

I tend to get temporarily obsessed with certain foods and then try to combine them in different ways.

Good + good = supergood, right?


Here's the recipe to a great dinner:
Smoked salmon + cottage cheese + avocado + lettuce + black pepper

Date with financial planning

Since I don't have any classes today, I'm staying home with exciting topics like business essentials and financial planning. I can't wait!

-

--

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...right.

I feel so stupid when reading about financial planning. If I ever have my own business in the future, the first thing I'm going to do is to hire a full-time accountant so I never have to see a balance sheet ever again.

Ouch... My knee...

I just came back from a 2 hour long powerwalk with my friend. We started walking "just to see where we'd end up" and, yeah, now we can barely move. My muscles ache and I'm completely exhausted. It feels kind of good though, and not like a complete waste of time. My knee hurts a bit however, which is probably not good, and I have blisters all over my feet. I'll wear better shoes the next time.

Poor student reality

I think there is something wrong with my alarm clock. I've overslept two mornings in a row now, and yesterday it was okay since I started at 13.00 but today I woke up 25 minutes before I had to go to the tram. The panic was inevitable, and was rushing around my room, brushing my teeth and getting dressed at the same time.

Last 1 ½ weeks or so have been quite tough financially (since I might have shopped a bit too much in the beginning of the month) and now my Swedish bank is taking forever to transfer the money to my Dutch account. I expect that the money will arrive tomorrow, which is why I only uploaded 3 euro on my OV-chipkaart (public transport card). When I went to the ticket counter, the cashier looked at me strangely and asked "why only 3 euro, if I might ask?". So, I had to explain my whole dysfunctional economy and get a loud laugh in response.

Thanks for that.

Powerwalking!

When I came home today, I met up with my friend and went for a power walk. It feels so nice to walk around the beautiful neighbourhoods of The Hague while simultaneously having girl talk. We're planning on walking tomorrow again, do I sense a new healthy habit perhaps? It's so good to powerwalk, especially for my back which has been hurting so much today that I had to take a Voltaren again. I stopped with them a while ago to be able to determine whether it's getting better or not (and apparently it isn't). I really hope that they can tell me what it is when I'm at the doctor in Sweden next week.

Monday morning

Monday morning again, and the weather is, as usual, rainy and grey. I'm starting to get used to it now, but I'm still quite happy that I have a valid reason not to bike to school (my back still hurts). I think I'm going to have to go to a doctor when I'm in Sweden next week, this is just not normal anymore. Anyway, today I have Dutch class until 19.00. I already feel like I'm going to die a bit.

Back in The Hague

So, back from Belgium! I had a great time there, and it was very nice to see my friend again. She had stocked up with a lot of drinks and, of course, each different type of alcohol required a separate glass. This resulted in a color-coded system with straws, and everyone had about 4 glasses to keep track on. When I came home, I met up with a friend of mine and we went for a long walk to the beach and back. It was really nice weather for once!

Birthday cupcakes

We also made our favourite drink: Mojito

Scheveningen harbor

The beach

The beach

Packing

I'm packing at the moment, because today I'm going to Belgium! It's going to be so nice to see my friend again, and all her friends. I'm a bit scared that they will force me to speak Dutch and then laugh about my accent though. Flemish, which they speak, is a bit different and I'm painfully aware that I tend to speak Dutch with a The Hague accent (which is not exactly the most beautiful one). But no worries, I'm sure they will be supernice!

Not so much to pack since I'm coming back tomorrow afternoon...

Home studies

Last night was a lot of fun, and due to lack of sleep I'm devoting this day to staying home reading. Don't worry, I don't have classes today anyway! This term we're, among others of course, reading a book called "The Fifth Discipline - The Art and Practice of the Learning Organizzation" by Peter M. Senge. It's about the human factor in an organization and how to see things from a different perspective and so on. It's very interesting actually, and even though it's superlong, it's nice to read a book that is not solely academic (no APA-style!).

Dressed in neon

Going to Scheveningen Beach!

Entreprenourship class

Had an early lecture today, so I've been quite busy until now. I'm starting to find the courses a bit more interesting now, fortunately. For example, we talked about entreprenourship in the course Global Economic Dimensions today. It was very interesting to listen to since I can very well imagine myself starting my own business sometime in the future.

Tonight we're all going out in Scheveningen to a "summer beach party".


Yeah.... Right.... 


Even though the summer is not quite here yet and lately it's been feeling like autumn, we're still going to have a great time as usual I'm sure!

Hello boredom

Having a study-at-home day is not exactly as fun as it sounds. The weather is crap again (guess I have to get used to that) so I can't and won't go outside, everyone seems to be busy (with school stuff that I obviously haven't planned on doing today), and I fall asleep everytime I attempt reading the books for school.

Well, I could always make a cup of coffee and watch some Swedish tv online...

BoredGirl_91

Thoughts about exchange

I've been thinking a lot about the exchange to Liverpool, and I am more and more leaning towards not going actually. There are many reasons for this, but one of them is that I just don't think it's worth the stress. I'm trying to relax more lately, to be more kind to myself and stop adding a lot of pressure. The exchange is one of those things that I didn't think so much about, but just saw as a matter of course. Everyone is going on exchange, so then I should go too. I think there is a reason why I wasn't thrilled when I got the letter of acceptance to Liverpool; it was simply not what I wanted deep inside but more what I thought I should want.

I haven't officially declined it yet, but the more I think about it, I probably will. I need to be honest with myself, and going on exchange would probably be more for my CV's sake than for my own. Plus, I don't mind finding a nice apartment in the summer that I'll know I don't have to move out from within 6 months again.

Crappy Dutch weather!

It is on days like this, when the wind pushes you backwards and the rain slaps your face, that I wish I would've moved to a warmer country instead. Apparently, we're going to have rain for about two weeks now. This is so typical Holland, because this morning it was actually pretty nice weather, and an hour ago me and my friend had to abandon her bike downtown to take the tram home. It was simply impossible to walk in this storm. It's a good thing I have tomorrow off, because I'm seriously not going to leave my house until it clears up again. 

Birthday in Belgium

I just booked a ticket to Belgium this weekend! A friend of mine turns 20 on Sunday and of course I want to be there to celebrate her. We met in Spain a bit more than 1 ½ year ago when we were studying Spanish, and spent two weeks together before she had to go back to Belgium. I'm usually really bad at keeping contact, but as they say, true friendship lasts. It's been a long time since I saw her now, I think it was sometime in the winter. The fact that we live in different countries complicate it a bit, unfortunately. But now I'm finally going there and I can't wait to see her!

Music night

Went to my friend's place last night with a bottle of wine and some snacks, and we ended up listening to music and talking all night. I love sharing music, especially with people who have a great taste! Two of the songs I loved the most from yesterday were these two. Listen and enjoy this otherwise boring Monday!

Sohodolls - Bang Bang Bang Bang

Paul & Fritz Kalkbrenner - Sky and Sand

Great weekend

I just said goodbye to my mom and my sister after a wonderful weekend filled with a lot of laughter, shopping and wine. Yesterday I showed them Scheveningen and the beach boulevard, and we had a glass of wine or two at a beach club there. Later in the evening we had dinner at Genko Tei, a Japanese restaurant that was amazing. We can never have enough of Japanese food!

Now it feels a bit lonely in my small room when they've left actually, but we'll see each other again in May when I go to Sweden with two of my friends from here. 

At Golfslag Beach Club

Getting ready

Busy Friday 13th

Yesterday was probably the longest day ever. I got up at 6, went to Amsterdam with my group, pitched, went back to The Hague, shopped all day, had a glass of wine in the sun, shopped some more, had a really nice dinner at the newly opened restaurant Umami (great food!), went to Taste Wine Bar, and then finally to bed.

It was so cute, when we were on the train back to The Hague, one of the girls started taking out napkins from under her armpits. Me and my friends were watching without making a sound, completely confused. Apparently, she had ben so nervous so she prevented sweat stains to show during our presentation. How cute!

This morning I heard it's snowing in Sweden, and I can imagine my mom and sister are especially glad to be here now! This afternoon I'm going to show them the beach in Scheveningen for the first time, and I'm sure they will want to be here all summer after that.

Amsterdam

Amsterdam

A Dutch traffic jam in rush hour.

Afternoon wine in the sun

Weekend visit!

I've been a bit negative in my posts lately, so I thought it was about time to write about something positive. Tonight my mom and my sister are coming to visit for the weekend! They are probably more motivated by the shopping than by seeing me, since we saw last saw each other on Monday, but I'm happy anyway. It will be nice with a real girls weekend. So, today I have a few lectures, then pitch practice with my project group and then sometime tonight (I don't know when?) they will pop up outside my door! I feel a bit sorry for them though, because tomorrow I have to get up around 5.30 to get to Amsterdam (I haven't told them that yet out of fear that they will cancel their ticket)...

Happy and girly, as usual.

Unproductive Wednesday

I didn't get much studying done actually. Except for the Skype meeting, the only productive I've done today is to buy a cardigan when I went shopping with my friend. We had a coffee at Coffee Company (of course) and just had so much to talk about that it turned into a shopping session that lasted until closing time when we got kicked out of the store. I would have power walked today, I think it's good for my back, but somehow I just didn't. I even forgot to eat lunch for the second day in a row (I never forget to eat!). What's wrong with me?


Why won't my brain switch on to study mode again (or just on in general)? 

Time flies

Today I have a Skype meeting with my project group. Since we're going to pitch in Amsterdam on Friday, we have to change quite a lot in our presentation. I feel like I would have needed a full week off, because now the pressure is on again and I can barely sleep properly. Four terms is really exactly how much you can handle before you need a long, consistent, holiday. I can't wait until summer!

When we finish in June, we've collected 80 ECTS. It's really crazy how fast it goes here, and it scares me a bit actually. It feels like only a couple of months ago that I landed in this country, completely lost and confused. Time flies when you have fun, right? Before we know it, we've graduated and have to get a job. Oh my, how stressful. 

Okay, one step at a time: first the Skype meeting...

Rainy start of the day

Waking up way too early in the morning to a rainy The Hague wasn't exactly how I expected the first day of term 4 to start. Anyway, the positive thing is that I don't have to feel bad for taking the tram instead of the bike now, since I still can't bike because of my back. I really hope it gets better soon. I've been googling like a maniac to try to figure what it is and how long it will take to get better, but it seems completely impossible to diagnose myself. Weird, I'm usually somewhat of an expert in that, hehe.

Rain? Really?

Destination: The Hague

After a wonderful time in Sweden, I'm now going home to The Hague again. I have a new suitcase that I will use for the first time (it's soooo pretty and pink!) and for once I actually don't have much to bring back with me at all. The blog updating will get better once I come back home again, I promise. I won't be home alone for long though, since my mom and my sister are coming to visit me on Thursday. On Friday I'm going to Amsterdam to pitch our project for the management of the company that provided us with our task. I'm really excited!

My new suitcase!

The Easter cake

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! I just got my Easter egg from my grandmother (and no, you're never too old for Easter eggs!). Now the whole family is here and we're going to have the traditional Swedish smörgåsbord that we have every holiday. It consists of herring, boiled potatoes, meatballs, eggs, snaps, ham, and many other things that are so Swedish that I can't even translate it into English.

Oh, last night when me and my sister went out we happened to walk into the after party of a Swedish television show called Let's Dance. We understood that after saying for about 30 minutes "hm.. there are so many celebrities here...".

In Stockholm

I'm afraid my blogging will get a bit affected by me being in Sweden and all. You know how it is, so many to see, so much to do, so little time! Right now I'm at my sister's place in Stockholm and we're gong to go out tonight (sorry Jesus!). Some sister time is always nice, and if it includes some girl talk over a glass of wine or two, it's even better. So, that's our plan for tonight, and tomorrow we'll go back out to my mom's farm to celebrate Easter with the whole family. So nice to be here!

In Sweden

I'm home again! After meeting two drug dogs and getting body-searched at Schiphol again (seriously, do I look like a drug dealer?) I finally arrived to a cold, cold, Sweden last night. Today I'm enjoying the nice weather and going to visit my grandparents soon. Later I have an appoinment with a chiropractor who will examine my back. God knows I need it.

So nice to see everyone again and listen to Swedish radio, eat Swedish food, and speak Swedish!

Good reading tip!

I just need to tip about a lovely column that a friend of mine sent me. It's about how people underestimate you and seem to percieve you as weak when you are feminine and "girly". Both me and my friend are both quite girly and have a very "cute" style with bows, pastels, and so on, and we really recognize ourselves in this text.

I love bows, and have maybe 10 different hair-bows, but I've also noticed that people seem to categorize me very easily because of this feminine style. This is what Julia Gazdag writes about in her column.

You can find it here: Being Feminine Doesn't Make Me Weak

Best grandmother ever

I couldn't go out last night, so instead I stayed home taking Voltaren and watching movies. Now when I checked Facebook I see that everyone went to a glow in the dark-party and it was apparently the most amazing night ever?? 

No, I'm not bitter, not at all.

Anyway, my day got a lot brighter this morning when a package landed in my mailbox. Since it was decided quite late that I was going to Sweden for Easter, my grandmother had sent me Swedish chocolate. I seriously have the best grandmother in the world. Who needs a glow in the dark-party now, huh?

Done

Finally!


I am now officially done with the first year of ICM and next Tuesday term 4 and the second year begins! It felt a bit like graduation day today, partly because everyone were all dressed up, and also because of the tension in the air. When we came to school a bit earlier to practice the pitch, we met groups everywhere who were either waiting to present or waiting outside for feedback. Everyone was so hyped up!

Our pitch went good and afterwards we finished and handed in the brand concept plan. It feels soooo good! I won't party hard tonight though, since I'm still taking Voltaren regularly for my back. I read somewhere (Google is my friend) that in combination with alcohol it can cause stomach bleedings and other nasty stuff. I'd rather not take the risk.

I just realized that this is the first time I can go home to Sweden without having to think about school all the time. Considering how hard we've worked this term, we really deserve it.

Working on the Brand Concept Plan. We used the glasses in our pitch to visualise our packaging ideas.

This is it!

Today at 14.00 we have the final pitch for the project and then we're DONE. I'm going to talk about our field research, insight, and sub-brands. The best thing about this is that we all know it by heart since we've been basically living this project for the last two months.

Oh, and the best part: After this pitch, I have completed my 60 credits that are necessary to get my first year diploma! A lot to celebrate today when we're done, and there are going to be quite some parties going on around the city tonight...

Tomorrow night I'll go to Sweden, so life couldn't be better right now.

Dressed for success.

Last minute tickets

I just booked tickets to Sweden for Wednesday. Quite spontaneous, but I really miss everyone plus I need to go to a chiropractor for my back. It hasn't gotten better, and today a girl crashed into my bike outside school. I'm completely numbed by Voltaren, so I can't really tell yet if the crash made it even worse or not. Uh. Tomorrow we have the pitch and then I'm free. 

Last project meeting

Yesterday I went for a quick shopping round with a friend after the project meeting, and somehow I managed to forget my bag from Sephora inside the warehuse. How anyone can ever be so stupid is beyond me. Anyway, they closed when we left so today I have to be there when they open and just hope that it's still there. So typical me...

Tomorrow is the final pitch for the project and after that I can gladly inform you that I won't bother you with phrases like "today I had a project meeting again". My plans for the Easter holiday are very unclear right now, we'll see what happens. It's going to be extremely nice to have a break from school anyway!

Summer blonde

Last night me and my friend had a little hair salon going on here. She cut my hair and colored it, so now it looks a lot healthier, and more suitable for the summer. I don't know why really, but my hair gets so dark during the winter. Anyway, now I'm summer blonde again!

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