Art and Squatters Clubs

Yet another week that flew by, and for no particular reason. Early in the week we got a little snow, but nothing substantial. The rest of the week as has been chilly and very wet.

Thursday night a bunch of us went and checked out Studio 80, another big club here that has free student entry on Thursday nights. The vibe was much nicer than that of Escape and the music was better as well.

Friday night we took it easy for the most part. Hung around Funen for a while before deciding to venture into Centraal in search of fresh chocolate covered waffles. After trying a few places that were crazy expensive we found a store a little off the beaten path that had them for a reasonable price. They are quite delicious. I stupidly forgot to bring my camera, but here is an example.

Yesterday Kelly, Stefan, Andy and I went to check out a small art exhibit at an independent art gallery. It was entitled "the  unutterable" and was quite strange. Some samples of the artwork are below.

Interesting note about this painting. The outline of the hand in her hair was not visible to the naked eye unless you looked at just the right angle. None of us noticed it until I took this picture.

After warming up in a nearby coffeeshop, Kelly and I headed to the Van Gogh museum where we saw an exhibit on Picasso's early years before meandering around the permanent collection. Unfortunately due to the cold and rain, it was very crowded. Thankfully we have museum cards that allow us to go back whenever we want for free. (They also let us skip the line!)

Last night we went and checked out a squatters club that a friend of mine I met in one of my classes was DJing at and told me about. The squatter laws here are fairly lenient which has lead to a very active squatters community. The particular "club" we went to last night is run by the Schijnheilig squatters organization and is located in an old elementary school building. They have outfitted part of it with a small stage and bar as well as a couple lounge rooms. The event last night was a fundraiser for a free socialist newspaper. It was a nice change from the commercial clubs. The cool thing about this organization is after they squat a building, they then temporarily loan it or rent it very cheaply to artists who need exhibit or performance space. I will definitely be going back again soon. 

My friend Sam laying down the beats.

Some fun wall art.

Energy!

This week flew by and I am not completely sure why it went so fast. Maybe it was the anticipation for Saturday night's expedition to Energy-The Network in Utrecht. On Tuesday, Kelly, Stefan and I attempted to make our own Dutch pancakes (from a mix), but the results were not nearly as good as in the restaurants. We determined we needed a pan that had lower sides in order to make flipping the pancakes easier. We also probably put too much mix into the pan at one time. On Thursday our Dutch teacher arranged for our class to get guided tours at the Rijksmuseum. While the historical context of the art was interesting, the art itself didn't do much for me. Thursday night Kelly, Danielle and I tried to find a shop we had come by a few weeks ago where they sold freshly made Stroopwafels. Unfortunately, after wandering around the windy streets in the Red Light District for an hour or so we gave up.

Friday night we took it easy in oder to save our energy for Energy. We again headed out to hunt for fresh Stroopwafel and this time were successful. While the fresh Stroopwafels are nice and warm, I must say I prefer the packaged ones in the store because of the chewiness and even distribution of caramel. We got a few scoops of amazingly delicious gelatto to wash down our Stroopwafels at the same store before calling it a night. I plan to go back as they have an amazing array of chocolate concoctions. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera.

 Kelly and I spent Saturday preparing for Energy, which mainly meant going shopping for glowsticks (a must have at this type of event) and lounging around our rooms. In the evening we carbed up on a delicious pasta dinner before meeting up with the other 20 or so people from our program who were going as well.

Before I go any further I should probably explain what exactly Energy-The Network is, which it not very easy to do. It is part concert, and part festival. This particular event featured some of the most well-respected techno DJ's of our time; including Tiesto, Wolfgang Gartner, and Tacodisco, among others. 30,000 people from around the world, yes you read that right, 30,000 people under one roof, came together to celebrate friendship, love, and happiness through music and dance. It is truly an amazingly incredible experience that is difficult to put in words, but I will try.

After meeting up with our fellow friends we headed to the train station to catch a train to Utrecht. Upon arriving in Utrecht we joined the hoards headed to the convention center where the event was held. Surprisingly it was quick and easy to get a locker and get through security. Once inside, the party started.   This kind of event is very different than your standard rockshow. Alcohol was being served, but nobody seemed belligerent and almost everyone seemed to be having an amazing time.

There was also a very strong sense of unity and friendliness. Yes, there were 30,000 people doing their own thing, but we were still all connected by the DJ's beats and rhythms. I never really understood why people like this particular style of music, but now experiencing it (and yes experiencing it really is the only way to describe it, as all of your senses are heightened and in tune with what is going on)  in the environment it was designed to be experienced in, I understand. You could talk to the stranger next to you as if they were your friend, or bump into somebody and instead of getting an angry glare you would get a smile and a "Sorry". I have never been in an atmosphere quite like it, and I will certainly never forget it.  It reminded me that as much hate as there may be in this world, there are still lots of genuinely nice people out there. Didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked since I got too caught up in the festivities, but some are below.

Here a couple short videos as well. Sound quality is terrible, but it might give a better sense of the atmosphere.

When the event ended at 7am, it was as if a magic bubble had been burst. No one really talked to each other as we dragged our tired, sweat drenched bodies back to the train station. The relative silence was almost overwhelming. All that could be heard was the crunch and popping of thousands of people stepping on empty cups and bottles as we made our way out of the building.

Walking outside into the rising sun with the slightest amount of frozen condensation falling to the ground was very surreal. Once we left the area immediately surrounding the convention center the frozen condensation stopped, which leads me to think it was the result of all the humidity that had been trapped in the building being released into the air. It was a night that I will NEVER forget and something I hope to experience again at some point in the future.

Going Dutch: Valentines Day in Amsterdam

After our Thursday night at Escape, Kelly and I decided to take it easy over the weekend. Saturday we ventured out into a cold, persistant mist to check out the Anne Frank House. After arriving in the vicinity of the museum, we decided we needed to warm up and grab a snack before standing in the rainy, cold line. We walked along a nice business district and found a little Turkish bakery where we purchased a delicious feta cheese roll and an even more delicious chocolate croissant-all for a total of 3 Euro.

After finishing up we headed back out into the mist and made our way to the Anne Frank House, where upon arriving we decided neither of us really wanted to wait in line in the cold and wet, and decided to check out the Royal Palace on the Dam Square. The Royal Palace was originally Amsterdam's city hall, but after the French invaded it became Louis Bonaparte's (Napoleon Bonaparte's brother) royal palace. We arrived a half hour before closing, but still managed to at least see all the rooms. I am planning to go back to take the guided tour at some point.

The palace wasn't very warm, so we went to find a nice place to grab a cup of something warm. We ended up at Abraxas Coffeshop, one of Amsterdam's coffeeshop that actually has a decent atmosphere and nice decor. We each ordered a very yummy "chocochino". It is kind of like a mocha, except the chocolate is in the form of chocolate buttons at the bottom over which steamed milk is poured, and then a shot of espresso is added. They were very yummy and warmed us up for the ride back.

Interesting note: most warm drinks here are served in glass mugs, rather than ceramic mugs.

On Sunday I checked out Amsterdam's impressive new public library. I have never been in a library quite comparable. It is 7 stories and has two restaurants. The inside is very slick and modern with tons of chairs and tables for reading, as well as a few hundred public access computers. Unlike many public libraries in the States, this one is clearly used well. In addition to the books and computers, there are pianos sprinkled throughout the library that anyone may play and a mini-movie theater. (first picture not taken by me)

Monday of course was Valentines Day. The Dutch seem aware of Valentines Day, but it is by no means "celebrated" in the American sense. It seems flowers are customary, but beyond that there is not much significance associated with it. In the morning I went out and got Kelly flowers and a box of chocolates. After giving them to her, we realized we didn't have a suitable vase so we made one out of an Orangina bottle and the wrapping the flowers came in. 

For dinner we went to a nice Italian restaurant down the road and enjoyed some filling pasta dishes. 

A Brief History of the Low Countries

This week I have learned more about the history of the Netherlands than I thought was possible in one week. All of my classes have started out with a lecture on how the Netherlands came to be. I will try to summarize it briefly.

The first evidence of mankind in what is now the Netherlands appears around 5000BC. The first written records describing the Low Countries (a term used to describe the area that is now the Netherlands before all the provinces and cities were united) are from around 50BC when the Roman Empire controlled the area. In 70AD the Batvians, a Low Country tribe, staged an uprising against the Romans and succeed in gaining independence. The next few hundred years saw the rise of cities and semi-independent provinces throughout the Low Countries.

In the 8th century, Christian missionaries moved into the region and started to take control of the cities. In 800AD, the Low Countries were annexed by Charlemagne. The next decisive event was the Spanish invasion led by Charles V in the early 1500's. The 1500s was a time of great wealth in the Low Countries due to the rise of the trade and merchant class, or the Burghers. It was also a time of great unrest. Due to the Protestant Reformation tensions began to grow between the Catholic monarchy and the Burghers.

In the mid 1500's Charles the V's son, Philip II, took the throne. He had no tolerance for the Protestants living in the low countries. In response to Philip's increased pressure on the Protestants, the people in the Low Countries revolted and began destroying Catholic churches in 1566. This was known as the Iconoclastic Fury. In response, Philip II sent an army to quell the uprising. Seven of the Low Countries banded together under the leadership of the William the Orange (the first in the line of Dutch royalty that still rules today, this is also why orange is the national color of the Netherlands) and defeated Philip's army.

In 1568, what is today known as the Netherlands officially came into existence as a semi-unified state. The next 150 years is called the Dutch Golden Age. During this time trade flourished and the Dutch built trading ports in countries around the world. While there was no state church, Protestantism was the accepted religion which forced all other religions to be practiced "underground". The Protestants did not persecute the Catholics and other religions, but they were not allowed to hold office or show their support of their religion of choice in the public sphere.

In 1795, the French invaded the semi-unified Low Countries with the intent of "liberating" the Catholics. Louis Napoleon (Napoleon Bonaparte's brother) was instated as the king of the Netherlands in 1801 and ruled until 1806. During this period Amsterdam became the capital of the Netherlands. In 1813, William I became king continuing the Orange royalty blood line. Over the next 100 years the Low Countries became more and more unified, eventually becoming the Netherlands that we know today.

Interesting side note. Below is the National Anthem of the Netherlands it was written in 1581, and was instated as the National Anthem in the early 1900's. Notice nowhere is there any mention of "the Dutch" or being Dutch. Instead they pledge their allegiance to the Spanish king, and proudly state that they are of German blood. Wonder how it feels to sing this at the World Cup for example?

William of Nassau
am I, of German blood.
Loyal to the fatherland
I will remain until I die.
A prince of Orange
am I, free and fearless.
The king of Spain
I have always honoured


My shield and reliance
are you, o God my Lord.
It is you on whom I want to rely,
never leave me again.
[Grant] that I may remain brave,
your servant for always,
and [may] defeat the tyranny,
which pierces my heart.


I did do other things this week beside learn about Dutch history. Monday night a bunch of us had a mini-Super Bowl party where we crowded around a computer screen drinking American beer at 2am to watch a relatively good stream of the big game. On Thursday we went and checked out one of the more famous clubs here, Escape. On Thursdays students can get in for free. Check out this link if you want to see some pics. There is actually a pic of Kelly and me in the album somewhere. 

http://link2party.nl/uitgaan/pictures/thumbs.aspx?Party=110210_RevealEscape

Last night we went and checked out some live Irish music by a band from Boston at a local Irish pub. It was a nice change of pace from the constant techno that plays in the clubs and bars here. I also found out this week that there is a flock of about 40 parrots that live in our neighborhood. They are the offspring of a few parrots that escaped the zoo a few years ago.

Volunteering and Nightlife

This weekend we ventured out to explore Amsterdam's nightlife. On Friday night we ventured to Rembrendtplein, one of the nightlife hotspots here. Lots of bars, coffeeshops, and clubs. We wandered in and out of a couple bars before Kelly found out she had been placed on a guest list for Studio 80, one of the top "underground" clubs here featuring up and coming acts. Her roommate's cousin works there and apparently tried to put Kelly on a guest list, but when we went to try and get in, they couldn't find her name so we decided to call it a night.

On Saturday most people in our group went to various volunteer activities that we had signed up for earlier on in the program. I signed up to help make lunch, and feed people at a local homeless shelter. After getting there it turned out there weren't many people who needed lunch, so we ended up mainly talking with the director of the shelter, drinking coffee, and eating Dutch pancakes. It was interesting comparing how the Netherlands handle the homeless compared to the US. It seems the biggest difference is that almost all homeless shelters here are state sponsored, versus privately funded in the States. They also have very strong programs in helping people get back on their feet, including helping them find jobs and, if they follow through with the program and are willing to wait, eventually an apartment of their own. The shelter we were at was mainly for recovering addicts who had passed through the fist phase of the program here. They each have private rooms where they are able to stay for up to 6 weeks while they receive medical and psychological treatment as well as job counseling.

Saturday night our goal was to find The Absinthe Bar and go to a real club. We failed on both accounts. We wandered around downtown trying to find the Absinthe Bar, but it must have recently closed as it was not at the address listed online. Supposedly it was one of the few places that had a license to brew their own absinthe. We then tried to get into a club, but the lines were insanely long and it was already fairly late. Instead we went to a bar that at night turns into a pseudo club. It wasn't that fun, so we left shortly after arriving.

The wind has been whipping here the past few days. It isn't very cold, but biking against the wind or even across it is treacherous. If the wind is at your back, it isn't really necessary to peddle since the wind just pushes you along. I apologize for the absence of pictures, but I am still waiting for my new camera battery charger to arrive. Apparently my other one fell out of my bag on the plane.

Week One: Class

What a week! This week was my first week of classes here at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). I am taking three semester long classes and one half semester class. On Monday I had my IES Dutch Language and Culture class. Unlike most classes here, this class meets twice a week for half of the semester (Monday and Thursday). It is a class offered by our affiliate program (IES) designed to give us a crash course in Dutch. The professor, or lecturer as they call them here, seems very energetic and enthusiastic. The course is mostly in Dutch, with English used where needed. My German has been quite useful in figuring out basic Dutch as the two are much more similar than I had anticipated. Dutch really is a bizarre combination of German and English. 

On Tuesdays I have the other IES course I am taking; Exploring Dutch Society and Culture. I am very excited for this class. The lecturer is very friendly and interesting. Basically we get to pick a research topic and conduct 45 hours of volunteering, interviews and additional research while we are here. She is apparently very connected to lots of organisations. I am most likely going to be researching Dutch public information campaigns. 

On Wednesdays I have Dutch Identity: Images of Dutch Society Through Time. Essentially this is a Dutch history course. The lecturer seems to know his stuff and is friendly, but this also is probably my toughest course in terms of the content and work load. I will most likely take this class pass/fail. 

On Fridays I have Social Trends, Social Problems, and Social Policies in the Netherlands. I think this course will also be very interesting. It is a sociological look at the Amsterdam and the Netherlands as a whole. In this class we will also be able to pick a research topic of our choice to write our final paper on. The lecturer is very energetic and engaging. He has taught this particular course 20 times, so he should really know his stuff. 

Classes here are different from my college experience in the States in a number of ways. For starters they only meet once a week. While this can be nice, it also means the classes are 3-4 hours long. Another major difference is that for most classes your entire grade is determined by 2-4 papers. Participation is barely taken into account, and tests and quizzes are nonexistent. Due to meeting only once a week, there is also a much greater emphasis on independent reading. For all of my classes (except the language class) I have at least 80-100 pages of reading to do over the course of the week. 

While I spent most of the week figuring out my class schedule, and how to get to my classes I also spent a fair amount of time getting lost in downtown Amsterdam on my bike. Central Amsterdam is crazy. Streets change names every other block, and there is no rhyme or reason to where a street might take you. Even with a map it can be quite disorienting. I think I have gotten lost enough that I kind of know my way around downtown now. The nice thing is, even if you get lost everything is within a 20 minute bike ride so it is not that big a deal. The scariest thing about biking in Amsterdam is the fact that motorbikes and mopeds are allowed to drive in the bike lanes. 

The weather has warmed up a bit, but it has been very cloudy. Hopefully we will get some sun soon.