Matt Hill in Leiden

Home and Graduated

2008-07-21T13:10:00.003-05:00

So the year in Leiden is over. I have returned to the USA with my Masters Degree in tow. What an incredible ten months I had in the Netherlands! Such an amazing country, people, and environment. I have only been back a short time but it is quite a different feel in the states. Everything is so much bigger and faster. Maybe that is just the reverse culture shock settling in. I am sure it will take a few more weeks to clear out the Dutch air and replace it with American.

But life must go on and as one chapter closes, another opens up...
With that I leave you with some final pictures.

From the Dutch-Denmark Friendly Match

Dutch Countryside

Master of Science in Public Administration!

OWisOR- “Our World is Our Responsibility”

2008-05-08T18:03:00.004-05:00

“Our World is Our Responsibility”
An International Students’ Conference

LEIDEN, THE NETHERLANDS – As Rotary Ambassadorial Scholars left their home countries
to gain experience in a new living and social environment, six scholars currently studying in the
Netherlands organized an international students’ conference inspiring young people to begin
paving their own paths to impact the world.

On April 5, 2008, at the Kammerlingh Onnes

Building, the home of the Faculty of Law at Leiden
University, over one-hundred attendees actively
participated in a full day of lectures and in-depth
discussions surrounding humanitarian topics of
Built Environment, Peace, Food Security, Health,
& Ecology. Attendees included university students
from all over the world, fellow Rotarians, Rotary
Scholars, and alumni of various Rotary educational
programs. The conference speakers were a varied
mix of academics and real-world practitioners,
which also included Rotarians from other clubs
around Europe. As a result of the gracious
sponsorship by local Dutch Rotary Clubs and the time donated by the speakers, the attendees
were able to participate at no cost.

The speakers provoked and challenged the participants to think and question issues regarding
climate change, peace and conflict dilemmas, and unequal distribution of resources. Kentaro
Hayashi, who is simultaneously a current Rotary Scholar and a doctor-volunteer with Doctors
without Borders, spoke about his experiences in conflict zones around the world, which included
a recent trip to Iraq.

Annabelle Slingerland, a Dutch
physician, spoke at the conference about her work with
Kid’s Chain for Diabetes and the importance of taking
a holistic and pro-active approach to managing
pediatric health issues.
A Rotarian from Germany, Paul-Josef Ziesler gave a
detailed presentation on Rotary’s World Community
Service programs with a focus on women’s health in
developing countries. He inspired participants to
engage in such work in third-world countries. In
addition, Jos de Krieger, an architect with 2012
Architects, discussed the need for reusing waste
materials in designing sustainable architecture. A
former Rotary Scholar, Shital Dixit, presented her
doctorate dissertation on how the environment and
climate change can have a significant impact on food
production.

The conference was capped off by a Rotarian from Scotland and Keynote speaker, Robert
Thompson, who spoke about his Group Study Exchange experience with Rotary’s clean water
project, which thus inspired the audience to become engaged and active citizens to help face the
challenge of humanitarian issues worldwide. The conference was concluded by a panel
discussion of all speakers where attendees were given the opportunity to ask questions about how they can get involved in humanitarian related projects.
After the long day, conference attendees and speakers further discussed issues and got to know
each other at a reception and dinner held at Het Koetshuis de Burcht, Leiden. District Governor of District 1600 Hans Meerburg was in attendance and was very impressed by the conference. At the reception, he noted that such a conference should be an annual event.

Overall, the conference was very successful, and attendees walked away with new ideas, a
greater understanding of Rotary International, and an awareness of a personal mission.

Thank you for the financial support of the following Rotary Clubs:
- Rotary Club Amsterdam Hoog-Zuid, the Netherlands
- Rotary Club Deft-Vermeer, the Netherlands
- Rotary Club Leiden, the Netherlands
- Rotary Club Lisse-Bollenstreek, the Netherlands
- Rotary Club Zoetermeer, the Netherlands
- Rotary District 1590 & 1600

OWisOR Organizing Committee (L to R): Matt Hill, USA,
Elisa Mayes, USA, Janita Han, Malaysia, Christin Reynolds, USA,

Katrina Perehudoff, Canada, and David Nguyen, USA

Koninginnedag

2008-05-01T13:41:00.004-05:00

It was Koningnnedag here in the Netherlands yesterday. It is a national holiday to celebrate the birthday of the Dutch Queen's mother. But basically it is just another excuse to drink beer. Now most people associate the day with the party Amsterdam, but Leiden too has an excellent festival. This year they even had the world's best DJ play here. Armin van Buuren is his name and he was actually born here. I went down and listened to the music and found it to be pretty good. So with that I leave you with this...

Have We Lost Our Ability?

2008-04-19T04:41:00.003-05:00

So I came across this article in the BBC the other night,

Danish PM jogs with Facebook fans

Denmark's Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen has gone jogging with about 100 people he met through the social networking website Facebook.

It goes on to say,

One of his Danish Liberal Party aides, Soeren Lauridsen, said Mr Rasmussen was enthusiastic about Facebook as a way of connecting with ordinary Danes.
"He has 12,000 supporters now on Facebook - he's only just behind [California Governor] Arnold Schwarzenegger, and he's the Europe Facebook champion," Mr Lauridsen said.
and "for him it's a way to reach a lot of people who are not specifically political", Mr Lauridsen added.

Now this is great, but it got me thinking. When does something like this happen in the US? I could never imagine this taking place. Sure our leaders engage the public but is anyone being innovative and fresh with their approach? It is as if there is a disconnect between the elected and the population, both functioning separately in their own world. The appearance is that the elected only enter the public sphere when the must make a speech to explain something or defend something. Never for the reason as simple as a desire to listen to the people. But really have our politicians become so disconnected from the populace? I scan the newspapers everyday and I find nothing about our American leaders, both local and national, doing much to reach out to and listen to citizens' opinions. This of course comes when 81% of Americans thinks our country is headed in the wrong direction. So again I ask, what is going on?

While you ponder that, here are a few more pictures from the Keukenhof.

A View From Abroad...

2008-04-18T03:54:00.005-05:00

I am a bit busy with the thesis at the moment. But I have had a few side thoughts the past couple of days. Trouble is stirring in the US. No doubt about it. Look in the News. We have this example,

Retailing Chains Caught in a Wave of Bankruptcies
The consumer spending slump and tightening credit markets are unleashing a widening wave of bankruptcies in American retailing, prompting thousands of store closings that are expected to remake suburban malls and downtown shopping districts across the country.

And this...

Foreclosures Jump 57 Percent in Last 12 Months
Home foreclosure filings surged 57 percent in the 12 month-period ended in March and bank repossessions soared 129 percent from a year ago, as homeowners struggled to make mortgage payments, real estate data firm RealtyTrac said on Tuesday.

What do people think?

Aside from all of this stuff I have been enjoying the nice weather. This is one thing I did recently. A few pictures from the amazingly beautiful Keukenhof Gardens.

Holland and a Controversial Film

2008-04-09T05:22:00.003-05:00

So while I finish all of my work at the end of the third quarter there has been an interesting debate taking place here in Dutch society. This right-wing politician, Geert Wilders, recently released a film about how Islam is an extreme religion. He is very nationalist and has been hammering away on this issue of Muslims and immigrants for many years now. Due to this, he has in my opinion, successfully managed to chip away at the notion of Dutch tolerance in society. Instead now there is an ever increasing anti-immigrant resentment forming in the country. This also stems from two previous, high profile killings of public figures that have been used as 'evidence' to demand a more homogeneous society instead of the multiculturalist society that Holland used to be famous for. While the film is not as bad as people originally thought it would be, it is still interesting to view. What are your thoughts?

Money is a Beach

2008-03-18T13:06:00.004-05:00

So the American economy is tanking at the moment. Quite an interesting time to be living in Europe. Unfortunately, there is little left for me to do except make it through my studies and hope for the best. It really is crazy to see headlines from the paper saying, "Dollars tough to sell on streets of Amsterdam." I mean the dollar has lost 10 cents in the last month and over 20% of its value since I arrived in August.

While I am not going to get into the reasons for why this dollar predicament is happening conveniently while I am in Europe, I think it is still very important for not only Americans but other internationals to think of the repercussions that the collapse of the dollar could have. I think this exchange rate graph nicely sums up the extremes of this decline...

So with that I leave you some pictures from the beach which is only about 10 kilometers from here and still is free to attend!

Happy Chinese New Year

2008-02-17T14:54:00.005-06:00

The other week was Chinese New Year. It is the year of the rat. The same year that I was born. I had heard that The Hague was having a celebration in their Chinatown. Who knew they had one? So I went their on a nice sunny Saturday to see what was going on. And to make it even more exciting the city laid out a one kilometer red carpet which was apparently the world's longest. It was quite crowded but very interesting. It was celebrated in the traditional manner, complete with the dragon dance for good luck in the upcoming year.

Dragons

Trappist Beer... mmmm....

2008-01-28T09:55:00.000-06:00

So a few weeks ago I had the pleasure of visiting a real Trappist brewery here in Holland. For those that don't know what Trappist beer is you can read up more on it here. But in short it is beer that has been made by Trappist monks. These monks follow strict religious rules and live an extremely simple life, yet they make some of the strongest beers in the world. This is all done in the confines of their monastery where making beer is the way in which they support themselves.

What is unique about true Trappist beer is that there are only seven such breweries left in the world. Six are in Belgium and one is in the Netherlands. Located in the Abbey of Koningshoeven, southern Holland, the monks have been producing their brand label La Trappe since 1884.

A view of the Abbey. (We could not go in)

Originally, the monks of the abbey used the brewery as their centerpiece in which they sustained their livelihoods. Yet in recent years they have had to remake themselves to cope with dwindling numbers of monks. While this has not deterred the monks, they have largely shifted over to the role of Board of Directors with brewery operations as most work has been taken over by a professional brewing company. But they still also assist in crafting the beer themselves, adding the much needed religious flavor!

Say a prayer before you enter the brewery.

The brewery grounds.

The monks also have land in which they cultivate to sustain themselves and to earn additional income. It is also located on what used to be the King's royal hunting ground, hence the name Koningshoeven (royal land).

Jackpot!!!

Happy New Years

2008-01-16T08:31:00.000-06:00

Hello all- I have been quite busy since I last posted. Sorry for the delay, but I have been doing great and enjoying life in the Netherlands quite a bit. I have had many visitors come through and also finished my second quarter of school. Its amazing that I have been here in Leiden for five months now! I also just recently returned from some holiday travels to Germany for the New Year. So to get you up to speed on my activities these past weeks I leave you with these...

A nice weekend with my cousin Catherine and her friend Elizabeth. They visited from London where they were studying abroad. We just hung out and I showed them around the city. It was a lot of fun.

Elizabeth, Me, Catherine

I also did some Rotary presentations. I attended my local club, Leiden RC and also my host club, Zoetermeer. I made presentations about myself, where I am from, and what I am doing here in Holland.

Me and friend, fellow Rotary Scholar in Leiden, David, at Leiden RC.

Zoetermeer Club President, Me, Host Rotarian Eiso

This was followed by a visit from my friend Georgia. She spent a week here in Leiden seeing how I lived. She had just spent the last four months working on small family farms throughout Europe and was really tired. So while I did my school work, she caught up on her sleep. It was very nice to see her.

Georgia Asleep

Then it 'snowed.' It was not like Minnesota's weather, but somehow snow appeared on everything. It happened during the end of the quarter so I had this to look at from my desk while writing papers. It was an enjoyable view.

From my desk window

At one of the windmills

Before I knew it the date was December 22 and my long-time friend Ryan came out to visit and spend Christmas with me. Ryan also got meet some of my other friends and we had a nice Christmas Eve dinner together at my apartment. We spent about a week here then headed out to Berlin for New Years.

Ryan and David, Christmas Day, Kings Bar

Me and Ryan in Leiden

Our first stop was Potsdam, where we explored the Royal Palaces of the old German monarchy. Potsdam is just a short train ride outside of Berlin and is still quite preserved in it's historical character. We spent most of our time at what is known as Sanssouci. It could be considered a smaller, German version of the Palace of Versailles. While it would probably be nicer in the summer it was still amazing to see these palaces:

.

Sans soucci is French for "without cares" Me at the palace

Another palace.

Historical Fact: This garden hosted the Potsdam Conference of 1945, in which Truman, Churchill and Stalin decided the fate of the post - WWII world.

We then spent a few days for the New Year in Berlin. We saw a lot of the sights, which is easily made possible when you have a city with an amazingly efficient transportation network. We then met up with my friend Phillip from Leiden to ring in the New Year. Phillip, a German, was also with 12 other German friends which made for one very fun night. A real German New Year!
Here is a few of the pictures from Ryan and I sightseeing.

The famous Reichstag, German Parliament

Remnants of the Wall.

The Berlin Cathedral and the Berlin TV Tower

After the New Year, Ryan had to return home. So I decided that since I was so close to Phillip's family home in Frankfurt it would be worth seeing. It was a very nice end to the trip and a very interesting city. It is known as the Manhattan of Europe because it is the only city with a skyline.

Named the "Meinhattan" because of it's resemblance to New York and its location on the Mein River.

From the ground
and from 200 meters up

Me at the European Central Bank

Home of the strong Euro...

Our train ride along the Rhine.

One of the many castles.

After those few days in Frankfurt I returned back to comfortable Leiden and waited for my next visitor. Katie, my girlfriend, arrived recently for an extended stay. We are enjoying our time together. It is really great having her out here and things could not be more wonderful!

Katie and I

Sinterklaas

2007-12-03T13:53:00.000-06:00

The holiday of Sinterklaas is big deal here in Holland. Very similar to Santa Claus but more of the original saint part connected with the holiday of Saint Nicholas. It has been going on for the past week and can be seen all over the city as it marks the holiday season here in the Netherlands. What is different about Sinterklaas is that he comes with helpers known as Zwarte Piet who are not elves, but rather helpers who come on his magical ship to assist in delivering the presents.
So being the ambassador that I am, I decided it would make sense to go and take a visit to the house of Sinterklaas here in Leiden the other day. While the line was to long to sit on his lap I did manage to get a picture with a couple of his helpers.... I don't think this would go over too well in the US......

School Protests

2007-11-26T17:49:00.001-06:00

So I have had to postpone my post about my tour to the trappist monk brewery for some other pressing news taking place here in the Netherlands. In recent days I have been following news stories in regards to students protesting their yearly required hours in the classroom. Now this is not university students protesting, but rather youth of the ages 14, 15, 16 who see their 1,040 hours of required classroom time as excessive. Many students apparently feel that their instructors must fill the mandated hours with fake and time consuming lessons only because they are mandated to use all of the required hours.

Now, I was not thinking much of the protests today until I ran into one happening right here in Leiden. As I was doing some early morning shopping (11am) I accidentally biked right into the middle of a group of probably 200 youth chanting, cheering, lighting fireworks, and tipping over signs as the police followed in pursuit. It was pretty crazy to see because I would never imagine this happening back in the US. I mean maybe some isolated protests here and there but nothing this massive by young teenagers, especially over classroom instruction hours! As it turns out, these protests have only grown here in the Netherlands and now spread across the country. In Amsterdam they even had to call in the riot police to disperse the crowd. So with that I will leave you with these images, a video clip, and your own thoughts about this..... Enjoy!

I'm back

2007-11-13T18:48:00.000-06:00

So I haven't written in a while. I have been quite busy with school and enjoying my time in Leiden. I have three new classes this quarter that are very interesting. They focus on democratic institutions, international development, and neighborhood participation. Aside from school, me and some of the other Rotary Scholars in the Netherlands are planning a student conference on humanitarian issues for April. As for the weather, it is getting colder and the rain is falling more often but things couldn't be better. Other then that, the only problem I am having is to read everyday about the dollar falling further in value against the euro.... but hey! at least the economy here is doing quite well. The Dutch economy is enjoying a seven year high.

On a lighter note I will leave you with a clip from Dutch (American) Idol...

Update: Blog Action Day!

2007-10-23T20:10:00.000-05:00

Well, the results are in. Blog Action Day was a huge success! There were over 20,000 blogs registered, with a total of 23,000 blog posts, all concerning the environment. Bringing total RSS readers to over 14 million people!!!

Check out the impact of the day on the chart below.

I think it was pretty cool to play a minor role in something so far reaching and diverse. As for my time in Leiden it is now being filled with my final papers for the first quarter. It's crazy how time flies, two months here already!

Guess What Today Is???

2007-10-15T17:00:00.000-05:00

So today is Blog Action Day. This purpose of this day is to have bloggers' around the web to unite and put a single important issue on everyone’s mind - the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future.

Being an ambassador of goodwill and understanding amongst cultures, I figured that it would be fitting then to address a very relevant topic that is being discussed in Holland at the moment. As we all (should) know, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded the other day to former American Vice-President Al Gore AND the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which is a United Nations supported organization. Given the award "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change," I think this is a logical choice for the committee. Yet many people, from my reading of online American based forums and news sites, have attacked this award for the purpose of either they a.) have political differences with Gore or b.) they do not believe in the notion of climate change.

This is quite unfortunate because the evidence of what the globe is facing is quite obvious. While people have called the film Inconvenient Truth, which helped to win the peace prize, as being based on unscientific principles this is simply not true. As people will also point to the recent ruling by a judge in the UK, about the film being shown in schools as further evidence of the 'lies' in this movie it only requires two seconds of research to disprove this as one large farce led by corporate interests. According to recently disclosed political documents it has been shown that the man who took the film to court has strong connections with both mining and fossil fuel corporations, having accepted 1 £ million ($2 million US) in political donations for the party of which he is a member. These people are even further discredited by the fact that the leader of the party is connected to a controversial "documentary," The Great Global Warming Swindle, which has been supported by oil industry interests.

On the other hand, a fellow blogger has taken a few moments and shown that the discrepancies in the film, as ruled by the judge, to be quite inaccurate based on existing research. In his analysis he has compiled evidence which continues to point to the existence of global warming. Read the article, it is quite good.

Lastly, I think it is also telling that aside from many of my European friends being encouraged by this award, it also goes to show about the priorities of Holland and the US at the moment. In an unscientific but coincidental(?) search of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website I saw no mention of the Nobel Prize being awarded to Gore or the UN Panel. Alternatively, it is featured very prominently on the the Dutch environmental agency equivalent.

So with that, some parting words of wisdom: Do a little more research to discover the truth and also question whether the US truly has it's priorities in the right place when it comes to our environment. And don't forget to participate in Blog Action Day!

Surviving Leiden's Ontzet

2007-10-07T12:37:00.000-05:00

The festival was great!!! It was quite amazing to see the city transformed into a giant festival and carnival. Every bar or restaurant in the city had either live music or a DJ playing outside, many of which were located in the canals on floating stages. The streets were full of vendors and stalls selling everything from smoked herring to toilet seats. It was quite eclectic during the day with a full blown party at night. So here are some pictures from the festival...

Me enjoying the 'typical' Dutch Herring... mmmmm....

The carnival during the day...

The 'festival' in front of Leiden's town hall...

The party at night...

Official Oct. 3 Site

2007-09-30T08:33:00.000-05:00

If you are interested in the official site... Get out your Dutch/English Dictionary!
http://www.3october.nl/

Leiden Under Siege!!!

2007-09-29T09:19:00.000-05:00

October 2 and 3 are big deal here in Leiden. These dates are comparable to American Thanksgiving except for a different purpose. Instead the City gives thanks (originally) for surviving the siege of the Spanish army in 1574 during the Eighty Years' War. This is a significant event not only for the city but also in Dutch history as it was a turning point that eventually led to Dutch independence and the end of the Spanish empire.

Of course it now has turned into an annual fall festival complete with a carnival and the canceling of classes, where the entire city comes out to celebrate what is known as the 'Relief of Leiden.' This happened on the 3rd of October when a Dutch army flooded out the Spaniards and came in boats filled with food for the besieged citizens. This famous painting by Otto van Veen depicts the relief of the city (1574).

In gratitude for the successful defense of the city Prince William of Orange awarded the city the University of Leiden which was established in 1575. This picture shows the original city as it would have looked during the siege.
So this Tuesday and Wednesday I will be out with friends and the rest of the city enjoying the festival and the traditional Hutspot stew. I'll make sure to post some pictures from the festival later.

Onward I Go

2007-09-17T05:38:00.000-05:00

So I still have no internet at my apartment. It is a strange feeling but I guess I have to just get used to it and find other ways around it (like coming to the library). Even for a first world country you would think it would be as easy as plug and play but alas life goes on...
Anyways I have finally settled into my new apartment and classes. I am currently taking two classes in Public Administration. One focuses on theories of administration and the other on international public organizations, such as the UN. Yet what makes it all the more interesting is that I am the only American in the entire department of 60+ students beginning this year. The classes last only six weeks before a new block begins and it's crazy to think this block is already half way over.
I also continue to make new international friends and now count as having friends from Germany, Russia, Holland, France, Denmark to name just a few.
I recently took a boat trip into the Dutch countryside. Enjoy the pictures and the video!

Internetless

2007-09-06T11:36:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone- sorry to say but I have no internet at my new place for the time being. I am working on getting it installed. Then I will get back to sharing my Dutch stories. It's strange being disconnected.

Holland is International!

2007-08-31T20:43:00.000-05:00

Caught this in the news the other day. Very fitting considering I have met so many international students these past two weeks. Sorry for the short post but I have to get some things organized before I move into my apartment tomorrow.

Foreign students numbers top 6,100

Thursday 30 August 2007

Some 6,315 foreign students have registered for Dutch universities and colleges this summer, up by 1,000 from the preceding year, according to figures from the immigration service IND. The increase is largely because of less stringent immigration policy for students, said the IND.

An Interesting Government Policy...

2007-08-26T07:34:00.000-05:00

So I was scanning the Dutch news headlines the other day and came across this interesting article discussing a new government policy aimed at reducing joblessness. Read it here...

State funds tarot card readings for jobless

Monday 20 August 2007

Tarot card readers, astrologers and spiritually-based ‘personal development programmes’ are being given government funding as part of efforts to get people back to work, the Volkskrant reports on Monday.

The paper says more than 2,000 companies are currently operating on the market to boost people’s employability.

‘It is a new market, anyone can join in,’ says Ryanne Dijkstra, of Blik op Werk, which is developing a quality standard for reintegration companies.

Christian and Socialist MPs have called for an end to the subsidising of some programmes. ‘Such woolly projects do not help in finding a job,’ Christian Democrat MP Eddy van Hijum told the paper.

However, career coach Erica Groenendijk, who uses tarot cards, said the government should let the market do its work. Companies which are not successful will have to close down, she pointed out.

Since 2004, the jobless and people on incapacity benefit can get up to €5,000 from the state to pay for courses to help them find work. Last year, some 42,500 people were following such reintegration projects, the paper said.

http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2007/08/state_funds_tarot_card_reading.php

What do you think about that? Interesting approach to solving joblessness, maybe. I will have to look into this further. But nevertheless it does speak to the different approaches that the Dutch take in ensuring that all of their citizens have some sort of social support.

Other then that I have made it through the first week of the induction program. Was very good to meet other international students from all over the world.

Don't forget to subscribe to the blog by clicking here.

Off to the international BBQ!

What a great first weekend...

2007-08-19T16:31:00.000-05:00

Wow! I have barely been here 3 days and I have already done so much. Here is a quick list of my activities thus far in Leiden:

1. Met the people I am living with for two weeks (very cool)
2. Believed to have secured an apartment
3. Toured the city
4. Listened to a famous Dutch DJ
5. Saw an amateur club soccer match

So let me begin... I met the students I am living with for the two introduction weeks, Eric and Marion. They both attend the University and live in apartment with two cats. They have been most helpful and guided me to getting a cell phone already and have been my translators for all my Dutch questions. It has been already very enjoyable to discuss and share about ourselves and cultures. Something that struck me as interesting tonight was the fact that they have never met an American and I had never met a Dutch person.

Along with that they have also helped with finding me an apartment for the school year. As rental space in Leiden is very limited I have been worried about finding an available apartment. But thanks to my new friends' help I believe I have found the perfect spot located in the center of town on one of the main canals. I am going on Monday to sign the lease making, this one less thing to worry about.

I have also acquired a bike from my friends' and took it out for the first spin on Saturday morning. I went for a self guided tour of the town and was amazed at how historic Leiden is.
While I have not learned all that much about the city I did manage to capture some of it on film...

Your Dutch flower stall at the Saturday morning market

A View of the center canal in Leiden

One of the historic Leiden windmills

Another view of Leiden's canals

Then on Saturday night we went to a disco to hear a famous Dutch DJ. It turns out the disco is unique to the city (and also the first time I had ever heard of such a thing). It turns out the disco is run on a not-for-profit basis, thus meaning all of the costs to the visitor are as low as possible. When I asked my Dutch friends about this they simply said, "They [the disco] want everyone to have a good time." Talk about a nice city!

And lastly, on Sunday I biked 20 minutes to a nearby small town of Zoeterwoude. Here my friend Eric grew up and still plays for the amateur soccer club SJZ. What they are most proud about is the fact that they moved up in the amateur league for the first time in their club's 60 years and now play in the third highest Dutch soccer division. While it was only a practice game with a team from The Hague it was good to get out and see the national sport.

All in all a great first weekend. Tomorrow is the start of the induction program...

Pre-Departure Countdown...

2007-08-15T15:36:00.000-05:00

Finally, after months of waiting for acceptance from Leiden my year in the Netherlands is ready to take off. I have everything that I plan on taking with me ready to go and I just hope that my suitcase and backpack do not weigh too much to get on the plane with. This already has been a whirlwind adventure from the day I received my Rotary Ambassadorial scholarship and I am still flying by the seat of my pants. The good part is that at least I know where I will be staying for the two orientation weeks preceding the start of the school year. Of course this all has been made possible through the 'Rotary connection,' as I am staying at the apartment of a Rotarian's son from my host club.

On some other notes I am truly looking forward to the start of my studies and living in Europe for a year. I can not wait to see Leiden and go to a university which was established in the year 1575

Stay Tuned...

2007-07-20T13:50:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone!!! My blog is under construction. Come back soon to follow my Rotary adventures in the Netherlands...
Cheers!