This week has been a whirlwind of emotions. I am happy to report that I have them now mostly in check. Sometimes, a girl has just got to vent! Especially when she is an obsessive life planner who calls and checks on things at least twice before making her decisions, only to have been told the wrong information. But I digress. I also didn't take that many photos with my phone this week. That is because we got my phone bill and it was 35 Euros over what it was supposed to be. I thought maybe that had to do with my data usage. I have no sense of direction and last month there was a lot of traveling to new places for interviews and to meet up with new friends, so I thought maybe my incessant use of Google Maps and GPS was taking its toll. But no, apparently the problem is I talk too much! This should come as no surprise to people who know me in real life. Probably a few readers could have also guessed that I am very loquacious. My plan for the next phone bill ends in 3 days and I am already 13.50 over. So, the moral dear friends is expect a lot more texts from me to coordinate plans. But, the good news is my data usage is hardly anything. So more pictures! 

As I mentioned in the happier of my two posts this week, on Sunday the Verlo- and I stumbled upon Zumba at the Domplein. Here are some more shoots I took with my phone. As you can see, the weather was yucky, but dancing sure was fun!

Then I caught Mr. Atticus looking adorbs. Seriously, I might be partial, but you would be hard pressed to find a cuter cat. Just look at those furry toes!

I don't know if you know, but the European Championships for Football (Soccer) are happening right now. Voetbal is huge here in The Netherlands. Stores have been stock piling oranje gear for weeks! Holland is in what is know as the Group of Death, with Germany, Denmark, and Portugal. Our first game was last night against Denmark. I went all out with my adorable lion mane that we got for buying a lot of Holland Edition MM's. Too bad we lost! Even though we had possession of the ball I'm guessing 95% of the game. We just had a bit of trouble with too much heat on the ball, as our shoots kept flying over the goal post. Oh and Denmark's goal was absolute shite. Seriously, luck was not on our side. Next up we get to play Germany who beat Portugal last night.

Next week I promise to be in a better mood! I am excited for my inburgering classes to finally begin on Tuesday, but the shy kid I was in high school is starting to sneak back in. I am convinced that I will have to introduce myself in Nederlands before the class that already knows each other, so I have been rehearsing what to say about myself all week! Yep, I'm nerd. Also, this was my first full week of giving up soda, and I have been exponentially more tired. Next week, I'll be consuming more coffee.

• I had my first hardcore bout of culture shock after my Inburgering Orientation. It was not pretty, but like I said, I am mostly over it. 
• I did some Zumba in the Domplein.

What did your week look like?

I love living here in Utrecht, but some things the US just does better! Here are some of the things that I took for granted about the US.

Shopping-

• Prices, everything besides food is cheaper in the United States. I don't think it has that much to do with the exchange rate either. 
• Mega stores! I really miss one stop shopping. While specialty stores are really quaint, it takes a long time to know where to go for what. I miss knowing that I could get it at Target!
• Store hours, I respect that people need to spend time with their families. But if you discover that at 3pm on a Sunday that you need a calculator for a test first thing Monday morning, you better hope you live near a major train station that has a book store, because otherwise you are shit out of luck. Unless it is a grocery store, the store will close by 6pm on a weekday, unless it is Thursday when it might be open until 8. Open for four hours on Saturday and closed on Sunday. It is anyone's guess as to when it will be opened.

Food-

• I miss a good cheeseburger, I haven't found a good one just yet.
• Mac and Cheese requires some heavy searching for cheddar cheese. 
• If you forgot something, you have to bike all the way back to get it!
• Being able to bake a cake when I want to, my oven is the size of a microwave.
• Taco Bell, Chick fil a, Sonic,Zaxby's,Waffle House, Taco Mac, Marlows. 

Odds and Ends-

• Magazines, I miss my subscriptions! Subscriptions do not save you any money here, and magazines are expensive.
• 3 ringed binders, paper here has holes all up and down the side.
• Office supply stores.
• Stand up vacums. Seriously, why are all vacuums the kind with long hoses that you have to drag all over the house?

What did you take for granted about your home country?

Image Some rights reserved by Guillaume Capron

Yes, yesterday was Mother's Day, but my mom was traveling, so I figured I would write this to her when she would see it. Probably one of the last things that any mother wants to hear is that her daughter is moving across an ocean and is doubtful that she will ever return. Which is what my mother had to deal with when I moved to The Netherlands in October. That being said, she has been amazingly supportive! We have always been incredibly close, but I think moving away from home might have made is even closer. I am so lucky to have her in my life! 

Mom and me at my going away party! Look at the amazing cake!

Me, Nana, Mom, and my Godson Logan

Love you Mom! 

For those of you who are non-expats, allow me to take a minute to first explain what Inburgering means here in The Netherlands. For those of you in The Netherlands, feel free to skip this paragraph! Basically, when you move to The Netherlands and are a non-EU citizen, you are required to take an exam. This exam is about both the Dutch language and living in society here. There are a lot of different tracks you can take, you can also opt to do a portfolio in place, or in addition to the exam. To prepare you for this, the Gemeente (think Province) will provide classes for you. According to the Utrecht Gemeente website, this can be anywhere from 2 to 4 times a week. According to most expat blogs I've read, the trend seems to be 3 lessons a week, 3 hours each time, for a year. You are required to go to at least 80% of these classes or you have to pay all the money back. I'll probably have more information on this after Monday.

Most people are called for their initial interview after living here a lot longer than I have. I actually volunteered to start early. (I'll hold a second for your gasps). While most expats I know try to avoid this like the plague, I wanted to go ahead and start as soon as possible for a multitude of reasons. First, it is really time intensive and I would rather do it now when I have the time to devote to studying. Secondly, I am in the process of applying for Universities here, so I want to get more of a part time job to work during the next four years that I am hopefully in school. Part-time positions are more likely to require a working knowledge of Nederlands. In addition, rumors are that in a few years inburgering will still be required but not necessarily financed, do it while it is free is my attitude. Finally, the cultural part is probably a lot more useful if you are brand new than if you have been in the country awhile. A lot of people complain about this part because you should know it after you have lived here for a bit. I tend to not pay attention in class to stuff I already know, so this is another safe guard I have for myself. 

When you read up about the process, almost everyone unanimously agrees that working with the Gemeente is one of the hard parts. There are a ton of stories of people being switched between different workers or not being contacted. I can already attest to this. I filled out the form to volunteer on March 1st, when I received an automatic email response telling me I would be emailed my initial appointment time in a max of two days. A week later and no such email, I called to see what was going on. After explaining my inquiry to three different people, I was told my information would be passed on to a colleague and hung up on. Last Friday, I called again and was informed that the office is closed on Fridays. Lovely! So, you can imagine my surprise when I got a letter in the mail yesterday telling me that my appointment is next Monday. Less than a week's notice! After my talk, I am required to take a placement test. I'm guessing I am still at the beginning level. Wish me luck! 

*Also, I would like to apologize in advance for the numerous amount of Inburgering posts that will probably take over my blog since the Inburgeringscursus is about to take over my life! 

Flickr photo by: COCOEN daily photos

This week has been pretty strange to say the least. Yesterday, marked weeks until the day that I get on the plane to leave for The Netherlands. I know, I can't believe it is that soon either! Today, I learned that my company is not going to keep me on board after I move to Europe. It's fine, but I was expecting for Loek and I to have that as extra income, and it would have been nice to know before a week and a half before my last day. So, it is a little shocking to suddenly not have a job, like I planned. I didn't mention the possibility before because, I didn't want to jinx it.

I could dwell on this, but I can't help but, be so excited for the time to really get to know my new country, before I can get a work permit for a Dutch company. In 20 days, I move to Europe, and in 21 days I get to be with the love of my life. It has been 6 months since we have seen each other, so needless to say, we are excited! Loek gets the keys to our new apartment a week from Friday. So, my time before I leave will be spent wondering what it will look like when he is done. I will have to help him move the bulk of his stuff the first weekend I am there. That will be interesting, we don't own a car. 

Anyways, I plan to spend my new found freedom, learning nederlands, making use of my museumkaart, cooking the verlo- dinner, and learning to ride my bike. I could not be more ready for the next phase of my life to begin. I plan on spending the next few weeks going out with a BANG!