Let's try this again

Alright, I'm really going to try and do a better job of keeping track of my travels. It's actually less traveling so far, and more sticking around Holland. Anyways, here's a better description of some of the highlights of Utrecht. I plan on writing a guide for future EAP students studying around here with recommendations. Right after I write the book about my life that so many of you have been urging me to write.I know everyone warned me it was cold here, but I assumed January would be the coldest month. WRONG. February has been kicking my ass. I actually had to wear leggings under my jeans, which is not only extremely unflattering, but also really annoying. the leggings would like slip down, and i'd have to search for them with my hands in my pants until I realized I was in public and putting your hands in your pants isn't very socially acceptable. I've done it once, and now I prefer to just weather the cold. Get it? Weather? God i'm good. My gloves have been doing jackshit to keep my hands warm, since they're just a piece of cloth separating my digits from the next step in cold, which I can only assume is frostbite. It wouldnt be that cold if it wasnt for the wind. The wind chill factor, as I often state, is extreme. And i honestly don't think I'm that big of a pussy. Biking against the wind is my least favorite thing to do, and I have to do it often since public transportation stops running around midnight.


Speaking of transportation, I have a lovely bike I've named Sheila. The name stems from the flourescent blue and green paint, which immediately screamed Sheila to me. Brings back fond memories of Shaniqua. Now, I hate bikes, but Sheila is a pretty rad feits (dutch for bike). If Sheila were a person, I think she'd be a heavy black woman with sass in garrish fluorescents. She got sassy with me one night and was not having me riding her. Basically, I drank too much and could not ride my bike for the life of me. I tried four times, and 4th time it started out pretty well (I swear starting is the worst part). then POW! i hit the ground hard. Luckily, I'm drunk, so I think it's hilarious and am not terribly phased by the fall. That was a week and a half ago, and my legs are still covered in bruises. I also somehow managed to break my bike light, so that was sad. Joe had to bike me home on the back of his bike. At some point during the bike ride back, he heard feet dragging. I apparently decided that the back of a bike was a good place to go to sleep. Long story short, Sheila is a sassy black woman, and if i have to ride a bike (you really do), I wouldnt have any other.


I know all of you assume I'm smoking copious copious amounts of mj here, but it's actually suprisingly more difficult for me to swing. I live in a nonsmoking unit, and accidentally discovered my housemates don't enjoy the smell of weed. Also, weed isn't technically legal, so it's not like I can exactly walk around with a jay. So I have to go to coffeeshops or one of the smoking units to smoke. My run down of some of the coffeeshops:
1. the culture boat: my favorite in Utrecht. It's a coffeeshop on a boat on one of the canals. It has dim lights hanging from the ceiling covered in some gold lampshades with holes poked in it. The atmosphere is ideal, because it's very laid-back and chiller, much how i enjoy my sessions. There's usually some good foreign music with cool low key electronic back beats playing. The weed selection is limited, but I go for the ambience, not for the variety. Basically the convening point for most of us now that we're at different schools.
2. cafe andersom: located along the oude gracht (basically the main canal in utrecht), it was the first one I went to in Utrecht, and the main location for frequent visits for our group until we discovered the culture boat. You have to buy before you can go down and smoke, which is slightly annoying. They almost always card also. Downstairs kinda reminds me of a dive bar, but with my limited bar experience, who knows. Lots of posters, dim lighting with some neon signs here and there, and for some reason animal planet or discovery is always playing on the TV. Slightly larger selection, but the crowd varies from easily ignored to slightly sketch. There's also a giant police statue behind one of the tables that I always say sorry to when I bump into it. They also sell kitkats, which is cool.
3. cafe toro: Kinda near the oude gracht. It's more of a local place, and a little harder to find, but I like it. Cheaper sacks I believe, although the one time i went I forgot my i.d. and didnt wan't to get kicked out for trying to buy. The seating is booths, which makes it harder for all of us to sit, but the paintings on the wall are nice to zone to. I actually need to check it out more.
4. cafe weitsock: it's spelled something like that. basically, it's on the way to the culture boat, and I have no desire to go in. Everytime any of the girls go by, it's like every dude in the place turns and stares out the window. the owner has one of those half doors at the front, and can be seen hanging out by it, just staring. I don't like it one bit. Unless they start giving out free sacks like candy on halloween, i am not going.
It's kinda sad i've only been to three here so far. I'm going to check out cafe bourdeaux rood at some point, it's just hard when you're with a good amount of people to find seating in some of the smaller places. The saddest thing is that I still can't roll a joint. I thought I'd be good because I feel like I have crafty little fingers that are good for things like that. I havent really given in a fair try though. Also, the papers here are king sized since most of the locals and europeans roll spliffs, so that apparently makes it more difficult? I may buy rolling tobacco just to practice in my room. I refuse to come back and not be able to roll a decent joint. refuse.


Now that I'm on a meal plan, I try not and eat out that much, buuuut the shoarma and doner kebab places here are AMAZING. There's one right by andersom, and it's by far my favorite (probably because I'm usually stoned when consuming, but whatevs). I get this kip shoarma stuff that they put in a really good fluffy pita with tahtziki (butchered the spelling) sauce and some veggies. I am in love with that sauce. I might marry that sauce if it will have me and make little tahtziki babies. which i would probably then consume, like a spider that devours their young. It's that good. Falafel city blows big time, especially in comparison. Also, the patat/frites here are amazing. They fry the french fries after you order them. They always want to serve them with frite sauce, which is basically just mayonnaise on roids. If you order ketchup it's some weird ketchup curry combo that sucks as well. I usually have no clue what i'm ordering, so I choose whichever word I like best to go along with my fries. Or get them zonder, since I'm poor.


The dining commons is, uh....interesting. First off, they limit the amount of fruit I'm allowed to take, which makes me generally cranky. really, one piece? stingy bastards. Also, the coffee and tea are decaf because apparently the company that provides our food also provides food to the jails, and we'd hate to have the prisoners getting rowdy. Ironic that I live in a gated community where you have to swipe into every building. There's also some limit on the number of starters/snacks/whatever you can get that I never understand. The only redeeming fact is that you can take as much bread and deli meat/cheese as you like during breakfast and lunch, and we all exploit the shit out of that. I always make atleast one extra sandwich and wrap it up in a napkin for later. I've also fallen in love with another food item, called hagelslag. Basically, it's a sprinkle sandwich. no really. the dutch spread butter on their bread, and then pour chocolate sprinkles on it, put the slices together, and eat it. I use this chocolate spread stuff and damn, that stuff is good. I'm addicted to sprinkle sandwiches. The chocolate sprinkles are nothing like the sprinkles back in the states. And don't get me started on stroopwaffels. If you can find them at trader joes, buy them, eat them, and then cry yourself to sleep because they are nowhere possibly near as good as the ones here. especially the fresh ones.....and this is why i'm coming back home large and in charge. I'll spend the summer working out as long as I'm fat and happy here.


This is excrutiatingly long, so i'll end it here, and try my best to write a little somethin somethin more often. try not to miss me to much.
-k