Getting mail is amazing! There is nothing better than someone sending you a care package or a letter, perhaps most especially when you are an expat. Which is why when I read about the beginning of the snail mail collective, on a blog I had been admiring from a far for a few months, I jumped at a chance to participate. The collective was started last month by Melyssa of The Nectar Collective and Chelsea of Lost in Travels, go forth and check out their blogs. The goal of the collective is to connect people from all over the world and to encourage new, motivating friendships and cultural understanding. You get a partner, and you spend two weeks getting to know them and then you send them a present in the mail. 

I was so honored when Melyssa picked me to be her partner for the first one. I had such an amazing time getting to know her this month! I got her gifts the other day, and they are so cute, I can't wait to start using them. She sent me so much cool stuff I have no idea how she stuck to the 5.00 budget. I have to admit, I wasn't the best partner, I sent my stuff a bit late because I couldn't figure out where to send mail from since all the mail shops closed. The answer is bookstores, because that makes sense! 

I loved participating in this sooo much that I have already signed up for the next month. You can sign up too until the 7th of each month. Go forth and make some new friends!

This is what my package arrived in, really cute right? 

Dank je Melyssa! So tell me, do you miss getting snail mail? What is the best thing you ever received? 

Until next time,

Today, I am officially on the other side of my 20's. Yep, it is my 26th Birthday! Also known as, the first birthday I will celebrate whilst living in The Netherlands! I think we are going to keep things pretty low-key over here, But since it is now tradition, here are the 27 Things I want to accomplish by this day next year.

1. Get Top Marks this year in my HBO Program. Instead of being letter grades, Dutch Students get  their grades out of 10's. So this year I want 9 and 10's. Apparently no one gets 10's...
2. Pass the Staatsexamen or NT2, with this I will get a diploma stating that Nederlands is my official second language!
3. Read more classics! I am trying hard until 2013 to meet my 100 Books in 2012 Good Reads Challenge, but a lot of Classics have had to be bypassed because they take me a bit longer to get through. What is your favorite?
4. Try 3 New Sports. Yep, I have been Olympically inspired. I am thinking Running, Rowing, and Archery.
5. Learn to love my bike. I'm not afraid of it anymore, but it is still not my favorite method of transport.
6. Leave The Netherlands this year. Not for permanent or anything, I just haven't been outside of  The Netherlands since I moved here, and there is so much of this world to explore.
7. Go to more Festivals. Maybe this year will be the return of my festival/ concert going days!
8. Work Hard. With going to my degree classes fulltime, my dutch classes part time, my job part time, and wanting to start a more vigorous exercise program. My new motto is going to have to be Work Hard to Play Hard.
9. Run in a race this year. Or several. I have my eye on the Den Haag Half Marathon in March.
10. Write a novel. I plan on participating in November's National Novel Writing Month Challenge.
11. Be more socialable. I have friends, but sometimes I am too much of a hermit, and I get really intimidated in large groups of other women.
12. Stop Comparing my Life to Others. As FDR is quoted to say, Comparison is the Thief of Joy. And besides, my life is pretty incredible all on its own.
13. Do more art. This used to be my life's greatest passion, I need to get back into it.
14. Learn to Meditate. Quieting my mind is not something I am good at.
15. Practice my cartwheels. It  is ridiculous that I can no longer do one.
16. Furnish the Kitchen. I have dreams of a crockpot and immersion blender.
17. Learn to sew.
18. Join more clubs. Really, I should put attend more club meetings also.
19. Be more organized.
20. Make meal plans. I think this will help me eat better.
21. Spend more time in the Southern and Eastern parts of The Netherlands. I haven't gone exploring there yet.
22. Become a morning person. If you sleep all day, you can't get as much done as you would like.
23. Continue to grow my blog.
24. Continue to save for retirement.
25. Eat more veggies!
26. Keep better in touch with friends and family in The States.
27. Do what I say I am going to do and honor my commitments. 

What do you hope to do before your next birthday?

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It has been Olympic Central at the house ever since 10pm on Friday night. The Netherlands are an hour ahead of London time, so I got to watch it live. It actually was just ending when it started playing prime time in Atlanta. This year, watching the Olympics is totally different for me. Not only because I am not rooting for two teams, but also because I actually miss NBC's coverage of the Olympics. 

Right now, our cable has the Olympics on four different channels. Two Dutch and two BBC, while I am enjoying switching in between the two different countries channels, The BBC mostly shows the events that Team Great Britain are competing in and the Dutch are showing the events that are interesting to Nederlanders. It makes sense, but I miss hearing the stories of my native American athletes. Also, these are the first summer Olympics since my own hometown's hosting in 1996 that I have been in a time zone to watch all the events live, maybe this is the reason that I feel like there is not as much information on the screen during the events about the times, etc. 

People have been asking me who it is I am rooting for this time. Am I rooting for the USA more because I am an American, or The Netherlands because this is where I plan to take up permanent residence? I'm not sure why I would have to choose, so here is my answer. I cheer for both equally. I just want my two teams to win as many medals as possible. 

I will say though, when it comes to being stylish at the Opening Ceremony, Nederland has you beat America.

Who are you going for? What is your favorite Summer Olympics Event?

I landed nine months ago. Nine months! That is long enough to have carried and given birth to a baby. Not that I'm pregnant or even thinking about having a baby for years, I mean I'm about to be in school for the next 4 years, but to give you an idea of the time I've been here, I chose that analogy. This post could not have come at a better time, I feel like I haven't really been present or sociable the last few weeks. I always do this, I have a lot to look forward to in August and July, so I forget to live in the present. I'm sorry, my friends, I am going to try to do better. But in the meantime, here are the 11 things I love about The Netherlands after 9 months!

1. I love how international it actually is here. Since I have been here, I have met so many people with so many different backgrounds. Where I grew up in The States, there were people from different backgrounds, but most of them are 3rd and 4th generation. It is really awesome to meet so many people who come from all over world. It is important to note that this isn't the case all over the country, mostly just in the larger cities to the west. 

2. I can actually stomach the milk. For those of you who know me well, you know how disgusting I find milk. I actually inherited this from my mother, even though she would think it in front of me when I was little because she thought it was important that I get the calcium I needed. It was years before I would even eat ice cream. While there is no way I would ever reach for milk as a beverage, the milk here does taste differently and I can stand to have it in my cereal and will even chug it when I have heartburn. I know, crazy talk!

3. Even though the weather in the summer is unpredictable and I haven't yet put away my jacket, I'm the tannest I have ever been. Okay, so this is probably only a Kaitlin thing. I have extremely sensitive skin, it burns extremely fast. Because of this, I tend to be an inside girl. Seriously, Nicole Kidman is my beauty icon. But, because the sun is less extreme here than in Georgia, I am definitely outside more. I'm probably three shades darker than normal.

4. Even though I complained the whole time, I know feel more at ease in communicating in Nederlands after inburgering. My last inburgering class for a month and a half, was a week ago. Even though I still don't really like the system, I do recognize that I am much more willing to try and communicate in Nederlands than I was before my classes started. I am also continuing my learning alone, because I have to switch into the evening class.

5. I'm totally obsessed with the baby birds. If you read the blog regularly you know this already, but seriously, they are so cute. Oh and the bunnies! I see wild bunnies at least once a week.

6. I'm becoming more thrifty. Going out is more expensive here, clothes are more expensive, pretty much everything but booze is more expensive here. I actually think this is a good thing, as it is ridding me of the disposable lifestyle many Americans have. Now when something breaks, I do the Dutch thing and see if I can fix it. Except for those shoes from a few posts ago, those things are toast!

7. It rains all the time. I know again this is probably a personal thing, but in coming from a place that is perpetually in a drought, the fact that I am frequently caught in afternoon is actually a great thing. 

8. The view on marriage here. The Netherlands was the first country to legalize same sex marriage. This makes me incredibly proud of my newly adopted country. In order to stay with The Verlo-, I actually don't ever have to get married. To be clear, we are engaged, but there is not the societal pressure or contingency of my visa to walk down the aisle. 

9. I love the countryside. I am a big city girl, but I do love that just a little bit outside the major cities the country is ripe with cows, goats, sheep, and horses. Seriously look out the window next time you are on an Intercity.

10. I can't believe I have not mentioned this one before, but I love the bikes. I'm still amazed by all that people can do while on their bikes. I doubt that I will ever reach the level of mastery required to talk on the phone, or transport a tv on my handlebars while cycling, but it is nice to have a goal.

11. I feel really safe here. I'm not naive enough to believe that there is no crime here, however, it is night and day between sketch parts of The Netherlands and sketch parts of The States.

Want a recap of the other things I love here? Check out:

• 11 Things I Love About My New Home After 3 Months
• 11 Things I Love About My New Home After 6 Months

What do you love about where you live?

Welcome to the first This Week in Instagram of June! I traveled a lot this week. I might as well get used to it, come September, I'll be going to Amsterdam for school at least four days a week! I continued one tutoring job and started another. I also attended a Trial Study Day for my Tourism Program and it got me even more pumped to be back in school! Here is how my week looked in pictures! 

Light is so different here than in Georgia! This is the beginnings of a sunset, at 10:22pm! Don't worry, it starts coming up again around 6am!

There is a street in Utrecht where the lamp posts all have sayings or ads. This is my favorite, it says "Evening Time is Reading Time". I wholeheartedly agree. 

One of the families I tutor live in the most beautiful countryside. I get to see all kinds of animals I miss by living in the burb's. This week, I was greeted by close encounters of the swan kind. 

Just a little but closer.

Then I came upon these cuties. 

Last week, I took a photo on some unknown flower. I found out that these are actually poppies! They are everywhere this week!

Some more poppies!

• I showed you some of the awesome festivals here in Utrecht this Spring.
• My reaction to finding out one of my favorite band's lead singers wants to change genders.

Next week, I finally have my orientation at my Inburgering School. Look for that post Monday afternoon!

What did your week look like? I would love to hear!