No time to waste

Thursday today, meaning only a few days left until exam week starts. It's definitely a good idea to start hardcore studying right now, so I don't think I will have that much time for blogging. It's actually pretty hard to raise the pace after more or less chilling for a few weeks and barely gone to classes. The stakes are pretty high too, if I fail any of the exams, I have to buy a flight ticket to go back in the summer and do a resit.

This should be interesting.

The endless Dutch patriotism

Okay, I got the whole patriotism thing during Queen's day, it's after all their national holiday. But this, this is just starting to seem like an extreme pattern. As we all know, the European Championship of soccer is coming closer and yeah, well, it's kind of impossible to not notice that here. Everywhere I look I see Dutch stuff. 

I mean everywhere.


I can honestly say that the Dutch people are probably the most patriotic people in the world. Now they started selling orange products again (probably left-overs from Queen's Day) in every single shop. And apparently, there is some kind of semi-official dress for the girls to wear? 

I read a Dutch blog about beauty, mostly to sharpen my Dutch but also to read some interesting posts sometimes, and today there was a post about how to be fashionable for the EC. Excuse me, what? I don't know about the other European countries, but in Sweden and Germany this is really not the customs.

Just the thought of buying a blue and yellow dress in order to be fashionable for the European Championship is just ridiculous in Sweden.

Besides, neither orange, blue or yellow suits me. I'll just go with pink this summer. Be a bit rebellious.

The "official" dress

Studying in the sun!

When you don't have a balcony or terrace, you just have to bike to a park to study. Love it!

Wednesday - studying

After studying for a few hours this morning I went my usual powerwalk for about 45 minutes. It's really nice to walk when the sun is shining and you know you have the day off. I think I'm going to find some spot outside where I can sit and study though. It seems like such a waste being inside today when the sun is finally back!

Summer Chicken salad

Today I made a really delicious chicken salad which is also very easy to make. You need:

1 chicken breast
Half an avocado
1 tomato
Mixed lettuce
Half a paprika
Creme fraiche light with taste of French herbs (Albert Heijn)
Salt & pepper

Fry the chicken, chop the vegetables and top with a dash of creme fraiche. Enjoy!

Time to get back to school

Good morning everyone! As all good things, weekends have an end and today it's back to school. To save some of the summer feeling from the past few days, I'm going to listen to summer songs on my way to school. For example to this one: 

Have a great day people!

Miller's

Last night we were dancing at Miller's and had so much fun! The best thing is that I felt pretty good this morning  because of all the water I had yesterday. After breakfast I went for a powerwalk on my usual route and now I'm thinking about going downtown perhaps. What a chill day.

Spontaneous party

Listening to old festival recordings at a friend's place and planning on goin out. Life is great!

Another day in paradise

Today I've spent the whole day on the beach again (big surprise!) with two friends. It's been really nice, and although I went there with the aim to study, it didn't exactly go as well as I thought. I studied a little bit anyway, so it's not a completely wasted day.

I'm starting to get really tanned now actually, and I have freckles all over my face. I didn't even know I have freckles in the summer? Strange.

Finally I've got a tan and beach blonde hair.

We won!!

Just another proof that Sweden is the best. Thanks for voting, Europe!

Eurovision Finals!

At the moment I'm blogging from my phone because I'm at my friend's place watching the Eurovision Song Contest. It's kind of entertaining actually, especially to comment on their weird clothes and songs. Of course I'm supporting Sweden's contribution (don't forget to vote, people!), but also Germany's and Russia's. I just can't resist those cute babushkas! Denmark is also pretty good, but I don't get her outfit actually.

It's nice that I'm abroad now so I can vote for my own country, and I think my friend is going to vote for Germany as well.

Let's hope Sweden wins, shall we?

The struggle to study in heat and sun

Last night we went out to Plein after having a preparty at a friend's place. As usual, it was me and about 10 Germans there. It's funny actually, how I'm always the only non-German in the company no matter the context.

Yesterday at the beach I burned my back really bad, only because I put SPF 15 everywhere except on my upper back.

So stupid.

Anyway, despite my completely red back, I will probably go to the beach today again to study (for real this time). I think all of us have completely forgotten that school isn't over yet. It's extremely hard to focus when it's 27 degrees outside and you have a beach closeby which is like something from a brochure.

Poor us.

Direction: Scheveningen

Now I'm off to the beach to study! I love my life here.

Thursday night

Last night I went to a friend's place to have a glass of wine in the sun on her terrace, and of course my favourite grumpy cat was there - George. He tried to jump up in my lap all the time, and when I let him, he clawed the hell out my legs. Thanks, George. I love you anyway.

"Why do you think we find him so cute even though he's behaving like a complete asshole to us?"


"I don't know... Maybe it has something to do with the phenomenon when girls only are attracted to bad boys who treat them like shit."


"Yeah, you're probably right."

After the little pre-drinks, we went downtown (like the rest of The Hague). It was so crowded everywhere, and then you really noticed how many people actually live in this city. They had live music at Grote Markt and the atmosphere was really nice in general. Later, we went to Plein and had another glass of wine before we met up with her boyfriend and his friends. Fun night!

George is kind enough to let us sit on the terrace too. Not in his sofa though. I mean, there are limits for his generosity.

Afterparty in the sun

It's so warm here, it's crazy! I've been out in the sun almost the whole day, except for two lectures that I attended. After the last lecture, we had the project afterparty that has been a bit delayed. When we finished the project last term, we got two magnum bottles of prosecco from the company to celebrate with, and today was perfect to do so. So we sat outside in the sun and more and more teachers from the academy joined us. I guess the rumors of alcohol in the sun spread. It was really nice and we stayed a few hours talking and having a good time. 

Good morning The Hague!

I love waking up early when the weather is nice! It feels like it's going to be the best day ever somehow.

I looove that I can start wearing my summer dresses now!

What are you?

Now I'm back home in The Hague after a very smooth flight. It feels quite good to be back again, and I was greated with tropical heat - always nice! I noticed on the plane that people started watching me as I was changing my Swedish sim-card to the Dutch one. I guess people have a hard time categorizing me when I'm traveling this route - Dutch or Swedish? I was reading some study material in English too, so people really had no idea which language to adress me with. One man even asked me what I was doing and what language I spoke. He was Swedish and said he just had to ask because he was so confused after watching me for a while. It's always fun to puzzle people.

Lunch outside

My mom made a lovely ham and cheese quiche for lunch before I go back to The Hague. I will miss the homecooked food!

A royalist Sweden

I just watched the baptism of the new-born Swedish princess Estelle. I'm not actually a royalist per se, but I find it quite moving to follow the life of Crown Princess Victoria (whom is the only one I like in the royal family). And what was a bit funny was to see the Dutch royals attending the baptism as well. Prince Willem Alexander and his wife Máxima were there, and Willem Alexander was even one of the little princess' godparents.

The royal family is a quite big deal here in Sweden, but mostly in Germany I think. Two years ago when the Crown Princess Victoria got married, 2000 reporters attended and about 40 % of them were German, apparently. I've also seen in the newspapers lately that a lot of Germans have flown to Sweden and waited for days outside the royal castle in Stockholm to get a glimpse of little Estelle. Also, the royal wedding had about 7 million tv-viewers in Germany and they expected about 1 million for the baptism. Quite funny, actually, and may have something to do with the fact that our queen is German and our king is half German.

The future Swedish royal family.

Oh, did school start already?

I woke up this morning by my phone buzzing all the time. Apparently, the first class was cancelled and everyone was writing about it and alerting each other on Whatsapp and Facebook. It felt pretty weird to be in Sweden then, because I'd totally forgotten that school started yesterday. Fortunately, I only miss two days of classes (yesterday and today) because tomorrow is free.

I've been here for a really long time now, and it feels like it's about time to go back to The Hague soon. Even though I love being here, I still miss the Netherlands after a while. I guess that's normal, you always want what you don't have and you always want to be where you aren't.

The study masters

Today I started the day with brunch at my friend's place, we made French toast which neither she or her boyfriend had ever had before. A scandal, really.

Anyway, now that were completely full we're sitting in her living room, studying. It's going far better than I had expected (usually it always ends up with us talking about something completely irrelevant). I'm sure many of you can identify with that!

Does anyone have a tip how to focus on studying when the weather is this nice?

And I want a dressing room, and a balcony, and...

I forgot to tell you that I dreamed about my new home in The Hague last night. I know, I haven't found one yet and I guess that presented an opportunity for brain to go completely insane and imagine the most beautiful house ever with a view over the ocean. It had 4 bedrooms and my room had a terrace from which you could just jump straight into the water.

...

I realise know that I've set the bar pretty high.

/ Ms. High Maintenance

The painful truth

Ah, the sun is shining here in Sweden, and I think I'm going to be outside the whole day and tan a bit. God knows I need it. My grandmother (who as a  habit of being brutally honest), asked me yesterday: 

"so what are you going to do today?"

"I don't know, maybe I'll write a bit on a report for school"

"Maybe you should go outside?"

"Why?"

"Well... You look a bit pale, that's all."

Thanks grandmother. I guess she has a point though, that's what's worst. 

Well, wasn't this unfortunate.

After another day of shopping and catching up in Stockholm, I came home to find an email from a teacher. Apparently, the report we wrote for the project before was the only thing keeping me from getting my first year diploma Cum Laude (something that I really, really wanted). My group didn't get a very high grade for it, but we decided anyway not to resit it. Obviously, as my teacher put it, that was unfortunate for me. 

To say that I'm not disappointed in myself right now would be to lie. I'm bloody furious.  

Anyway, I'll try to distract myself by looking at pictures from the Maskinen concert. I suggest you do too. 

Maskinen at Gröna Lund

Me and my sister met up with dad yesterday and took a break from the shopping to have lunch together. 

PS. Please don't forget - I was surrounded by 13-year old girls. I just want to make it clear that I'm not the one screaming like a maniac in this video. DS.

Ain't nothing better than sister bonding

How I love Stockholm! After waking up and having a nice breakfast at my dad's place, I walked downtown and met up with my sister for some shopping. Even though it's a bank holiday today everything was open, something I really love about this city.
I found a really cute dress and a top that I might wear tonight when we go out for a glass of wine. The weather is really nice here, perfect for sitting at an outdoor service and have a drink or two.
We had such a nice dinner tonight - cottage cheese, avocado, bacon and corn. I really recommend trying it!

It's me and the 14-year olds.

I'm blogging from my phone now, as I am currently at my dad's place and I didn't bring my laptop. Today I've been to the Maskinen concert that I wrote about before (it's an electro/hip-hop duo), and it was really awesome! I went with my friend and her boyfriend, and neither of them are a big fan of the band so they kept away a lot. The gig was at a big amusement park in central Stockholm though, so they could just sit in a restaurant by the side of the stage while I was jumping among the (very much younger) crowd. I should probably add here that this was the plan all along, and no, I really didn't mind the screaming, half-crying 14-year olds with Maskinen written on their foreheads.

At least it was worth it.

Even though it was raining, it was an unforgettable show and I really, really liked it. I took plenty of pictures that I will upload later, but tonight I'm going to sleep tight in my newly purchased oversize Maskinen t-shirt like a true fan!

Weather comparison

This Tuesday started with a 60 minute powerwalk in the sun - very nice! Later I picked up my friend and tonight we will have a bbq with mojitos. Perfect pre-summer night. 

Always when I'm here in Sweden I like to keep track on the weather forecast in The Hague, just to make sure I'm not missing some extreme summer heatwave. So far it's pretty much the same, maybe a bit warmer in The Hague but sunnier here. 

Score!

The Hague

Stockholm

Time off?

The thing about being a student compared to working is that you actually never have time off, except for the summer holiday. Right now everyone thinks that I have a really long vacation from school, when in reality I feel that I should study every single day. I guess that's just how I work. I have some things to do, but instead of devoting a couple of days to focus on only that, I have a bad conscience every single day for not doing enough.

How do you manage having time off and a lot to do?

Tanning gone bad

Ugh, I totally burned myself in the sun today. Believe it or not, but the sun is quite strong up here in the north! I was lying outside for a few hours and now I'm all pink/red. Next time I'll definitely put on SPF 30...

Powerwalking in the countryside

I just came back from a 60 minute morning powerwalk with my mom. The weather is nice and really warm today, so I think I'll be lying outside reading in the sun the rest of the day!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot I'm going to make a large batch of rhubarb/raspberry soup which I made yesterday for dessert and everybody loved. I'll post the recipe later, right now I'm going to enjoy the relaxed life here.

My dog had to act as model in front of the beautiful scenery.

Baking all day

Yesterday it rained cats and dogs here, but only for about 10 minutes. I've actually never seen such heavy rain in my life, and we were a bit scared that the flagpole would break (it's solid steel and about 15 metres tall). After the rain, it was completely still and the sun came out, and created 2 rainbows next to each other. It was really beautiful!

Today I've been baking most of the day, and I've made traditional Swedish vanilla hearts but with a twist. I added cardamom in the dough and a raspberry in the vanilla filling, which turned out great.

It's my mom's favourite cookies, and before dinner, she had three of them. Later, she wanted to put them on a pink plate because it would look nicer in the photo, and she - wait for it - dropped two of them on the floor. This might not seem like a big deal, but if you only knew how much time and effort it takes to make these cookies, you would be as upset as I was. Anyway, she's cooking a lovely dinner now, so I guess we're even.

Double rainbow

Catch 22

How nice it is to be back in Sweden! Even though the weather is pretty bad (but warm), it still feels great. After going to the Police and applying for a national ID, I'm now back home and going to try to study a bit. I have zero motivation at the moment though.

About this whole ID thing: I applied for a passport last week when I was here because my old one expires on the 13th, but I wanted it to be sent to The Hague. By the time I realised that I wanted to go back to Sweden this week, it was already packed and ready to be shipped. So, now I'm here and have to get a national ID so I can get back to Holland to pick up my passport there. It didn't really help that the police officer at the station today was the least service-minded person I've ever met.

Me (trying to act all nice and helpless): Hi, I would like to get an ID but I really need it to be done before the 23rd, is that possible? You see, I live in Holland and I can't go back if I don't get my ID by then.

Him (sighing and rolling his eyes): Yeah, whatever, stand there and I'll take a photo of you, okay? You'll get a text message when it's done.

Then he sighed even more when I wanted to re-write my signature. It wouldn't surprise me if that man deliberately delayed the production process just to mess with me...

Home at the farm

Light packing

In 3 hours I will be on a plane back home to Sweden! I'm only bringing a handluggage, so now I'm trying to wear as much as possible so my suitcase will stay within the 10 kg limit. Easier said than done, I tell you!

Tonight - Sweden

Last night my friend came over and we had some girltalk and listened to music. This morning I skipped the first class but I'm going to the others that are a bit later in the afternoon. I think we all are very tired of studying by now, and it's so hard to keep focusing when you know the summer holiday is just around the corner. However, tonight I'm going back to Sweden again and I guess that counts a bit as holiday!

Have a good day everyone!

Relax more

I have no classes today, so I'm studying at home. I might go to Coffee Company and study though, because I feel like I have to get out of my room. Do you remember that I wrote before that I would try to relax more when it comes to school and stuff? Well, it's going great! I haven't slept with my braces for over two weeks now, and I really try to relax in general. I only study when I feel like it, which makes the time spent much more effective. The rest of the time I only do things that I like, and so far it's working out great.

I had a talk with my dad about this when I was in Sweden last week, and he said that it's good to aim high, but you have to make sure that the goals are worth the effort you put in. That's so true. From now on, I will only set up goals because I really want it, and not because I feel like I have to.

Now I'm going to bike downtown and get some secret birthday presents!

Plans on moving

Today me and my friend went to two real estate agents to start our search for an apartment this summer. We went to one of the biggest in The Hague as well as to a smaller one that is just on the street next to my place. I have to say that the service was so much better at the smaller place. I guess that's the case with a lot of service companies. 

I'm starting to get so excited about moving now! This year I rented from Duwo (a student housing organisation), but I can only live here for a year since it's a short-stay housing for international students.It will be so nice to live in a nicer apartment with people I like and know that I will get along with. 

Oh, give me summer now!

Back to Sweden

Now it's officially booked; I'm going back to Sweden on Thursday night and will be back on Wednesday the 23 May. I can't wait, even though I was just there a couple of days ago. It's just so nice to be home and being surrounded by family. Also, I get to see one of my favourite bands Maskinen live in Stockholm on the 16th! I kind of feel like a nomad when I'm just bouncing between two countries like this, but whatever, I love both of them!

Today I overslept and missed the only two classes I had this morning, but I'm trying to compensate by studying at home instead. Works pretty well when it's rainy and windy outside.

Passport troubles

Believe it or not, but I'm actually spending this morning searching for a way to get back to Sweden next week. The only problem is (except for the ridiculous flight ticket prices) that I applied for a passport in Sweden which I'm going to pick up at the embassy here in The Hague. This makes it a bit difficult since I don't know when it'll be ready to pick up, and until I get it, I don't have a valid passport after the 13th of May (and no, I don't have a national ID card either). It's quite complicated, and I really don't want to get stuck in either Holland or Sweden...

Anyway, now I'm going to call the embassy to try to clear it out. Have a good day everyone!

Back in The Hague

Now I'm back after a very smooth travel; my friend's roommates came and picked us up at Schiphol airport - so nice!

It's been a great week in Sweden with a lot of fun, but tomorrow school starts again. I can't really say I'm excited. I'm also completely broke after the "vacation" in Stockholm (going out there can be really expensive!) which means I have to live the rest of the month "student-style". However, it was totally worth it and I had a really great time with my friends!

DJ-competition at Magenta

Now were all exhausted from walking around the city the whole day, and chilling in the apartment with some wine and snacks. Tonight my sister is going to be in the jury for a DJ-competition at a club called Magenta downtown, and we're on the guest list. Seems like we're going to have another good night out in Stockholm!

Magenta Club

Stockholm calling

Sorry for the poor updating, but we're simply having too much fun here in Stockholm! We arrived to my mom's farm on Tuesday night and spent the whole Wednesday exploring my hometown and chilling in the sun. Later on, we went into Stockholm on Wednesday night and have been walking around this beautiful, gorgeous city ever since!

Last night we went out at East and then Laroy - two places I can highly recommend if you ever find yourself in Stockholm. Today brings more shopping and some sightseeing as well (I don't want them to go home and only have seen Zara and H&M).

City Hall 

Kungstradgarden in cherry blossom

On the farm

On our way downtown

Packing day

Queen's Day in Amsterdam was just as awesome as I had thought it would be! We were walking around the city and the weather was perfect! At one point we stopped on a bridge where they had rigged up a stage between two houses, and the music was so great. We were dancing in the big orange crowd and it was just pure happiness. I really can't desbribe it better than that. The whole day was so long and so many things happened that I can't even begin to explain. At one point we went up in a really high roller coaster and saw the whole Amsterdam from the sky. That was pretty cool.

We went home around 1 o'clock I think, and by then we were so extremely dehydrated from the sun and the alcohol. It was totally worth it though, best day ever!

Anyway, I can't write more now because I have to start packing - I'm going to Stockholm tonight with my two German friends! 

I amsterdam