Silenced By The Storm

Hi my dear readers,
Currently I'm sitting in my corridor hallway doing my homework underneath an emergency light. We haven't had power in three days; it is as if I'm camping indoors. This mess started on Saturday, when the entire East Coast was hit by a freak-snowstorm! Suddenly, it started snowing like crazy, at least 30cm of snow fell from the sky. It messed up the power lines, and now 85% of Connecticut is left without any power, including my school. We have one generator, and the plugs only work in one room. You should see that room: filled with extension chord, after extension chord, after extension chord. Everyone is loading up their computers. Food is becoming scarce, and we have to do with only a couple hours of daylight since the winter is coming around. First of all, it made me realize that indeed we are very, VERY, dependent on power, and light, computers, etc. Second of all, it made me a little scared also; are we really messing with the world to much? Mother nature obviously is hating us right now.. Hurricane after hurricane, earthquake after earthquake, snow storm, after snow storm. What's going on?! Unlike all the other New-England prep schools, my school doesn't have any sympathy; we are not getting the day off, we do not get to go home. We have to stay in a 100 year old boarding school without power + cold showers.. We are still having classes tomorrow in the dark..What is this?! Everyone's upset & confused & doing their homework in the hallway where there is some sort of light at night. I am just stunned by this extreme weather, never experienced that in the Netherlands! I'm also stunned by how dependent on internet we are, it's nuts! We become beasts when trying to plug in our computers! Crazyness... what has our world come to??

I love you guys, and be safe okay?
I'll be updating more often.

Love, Laura.

We'll keep our hearts close, and remember those memories for eternity.n

I've had a great summer. I know it's not over yet, but it truly feels like it.
I'm so overwhelmed. Just wow.
I've met so many new lovely people, reunited with the old.
Seen so many new countries & places, new impressions, new views on the world.
I think this summer has done me good in so many ways.
I'm just going to recap:

June 3rd: Bye school.
June 6th: Hello Holland!
- Pinkpop! Wow, just wow.
June 12th: Hello Prague!
June 18th: Hello Vienna!
June 24th: Back in Holland
- Saw allmost all of my lovely friends
- Had a week alone with dad (this has never happened before)
July 15th: USA baby
- Party hopping
- Swimming pool crashing
- U2 concert
- Tennis
- Reading
August 5th: Back in Europa
- France, St Paul de Vence.
- Holland
- Saw all of my best friends.

Now, August 22nd:
Sitting here, sorta sad, because I had a great 3 days with my friend Lonneke. We wrote & composed a song together. It sounds awesome. It's kinda funny because I met her during a camp in Scotland, and she lives on the other side of the Netherlands and we only see each other 3 days out of the year, which makes our friendship so special. We have so much in common, including our passion for music.

So, I am just sitting here, my brain exploding when thinking about this amazing, crazy summer. So many memories, summer 2011, I know that when I'm 30 having a midlife crisis, I will be crying for nights wanting to go back to 2011. But the people I need to thank the most are my parents. They have made my life so beautiful and filled with all these wonderful opportunities.

Am I excited for school?
No. Sorry to say, but I love my freedom right now and do not want to think about being at boarding school again. So closed off from the world. And I like boys. Don't want to miss them anymore. Oh well, once I step back into the nunnery I am sure I'll be back in the hang of things and with my nose in the books. High Honors for 3 terms is my goal. Reachable? No doubt. My healthy vegan lifestyle will get back on track, and I have to say that I am excited for the fall drama production. Greatness. Yes.

I have trouble saying goodbye
To memories
These times flying by


Swimming in the moonlight
Writing songs
Street artists in my eyesight


The colors
The music
The culture
The freedom.


I have trouble saying goodbye.

Hey little poet hiding in me, how are ya doing?

House Of Emotions

I was sitting there on a plastic looking chair. The floor squeaked whenever I moved my feet that were surrounded by 7 dollar K-mart sneakers. My skin was a little pale & no cosmetics were applied to my face yet. My hair was quickly pulled back and looked really messy. I was wearing the same clothes I wore yesterday: a flowery Forever21 top & a greenish pair of pants. This is what we call post-sleepover.

I was sitting there waiting for my Dad to come and pick me up.

I tried to observe my surroundings. All the people, the emotion, the pain.

The little girl eating a cookie together with her grandmother. The girl's mother sitting next to them; tears in her eyes.

The young couple: a blonde woman and a tall, skinny man. A baby between the two. I could see the smile; we are parents!

The father with his 3 year old son, his son is a cancer patient. These moments together are more special than for most people.

The mother with her 3 kids. Screaming and crying: "I don't want to go to the doctor! No mom!" Checkups aren't the easiest thing. I was a pain.

The family obviously missing a member, waiting and praying. Will the missing one be okay?

The lost foreign person who does not know where to go. Wandering around, not understanding the language, getting worried about her appointment.

And then there was me. Sitting in the hospital because I met up here with my Dad. Observing people like a creeper. 

Follow My Blog!

Hi lovely people!

Thanks to you guys the traffic on my blog is quite significant lately. And because I realize so many of you all read my blog regularly I thought: Why not follow my blog? You will get updated whenever I post something new so you won't have to go and look for it. Just click the "Join this site" button on the right column of my blog. You can join with a Twitter, Facebook, Google, and AIM account. It's easy, do it!

Love You All!

Did I mention..? I love music.

I write original songs
I play the piano & harp.
I love to sing.

But most of all: I love listening to music!
When you look at my iTunes library you will mostly find 30 Seconds To Mars, U2, You Me At Six, Kane, Keane, Adele, The Script, Linkin Park, Beyonce (I know, really random!), Taylor Swift, Michael Jackson & Amy Winehouse. I love jazz/pop sounds, but I also love me some really good rock music.
Okay here are some of my favorite music videos/songs of all time. Make sure to listen to them!

Make sure to listen to the entire 30 Seconds To Mars album This Is War. It's really a masterpiece

My personal favorite Amy Winehouse song.

The best Adele song ever. Ever.

What's your musical taste? Anything I should listen to? Let me know!

Only 1 Month Of Summer Left

In a month....

- I will be sharing a room

- I will have limited closet space

- I will miss homemade food

- I will miss my parents

- I will be studying like CRAYZAY.

- I will be eating EasyMac & ramen noodles.

- I will be auditioning for the musical

- I will be practicing the harp

But most of all..
See all my friends again!!

While I do not feel ready to go back yet, I am excited to be back with some of my favorite people, have a new roommate, and decorate my room :). I really hope I have lots of things to tell you guys, I can't wait to blog about school. Sophomore year is going to be very exciting....Elections, SAT prep stuff, new classes, 10 new girls in my grade... Yes it's going to be different.

Are you all excited for school? Or not at all? And hey, if there are some cool blogs I need to check out, tell me. I'd love to read some cool blogs.

Have a great day & enjoy your summer.

Edition 2 of Funniest YouTube Videos

 I already made a post like this about a year ago, and in the past year I have stumbled upon more YouTube vid's that made (and still make!) me laugh so hard. Hope you enjoy. Which one is your favorite? 

1 - SONGS IN REAL LIFE

This is so creative, so funny. Warning - a little inapro-pro.

2 - GANG FIGHT. 

Remember Rebecca Black? Remember Friday? This is a parody video of some bad lip readers. It made me cry. 

3 - JENNA ROSE, MY JEANS. 

Ha haha haa. Jack my Swag.

4 - HOOKED ON YOU.

You're plastic. Won't you be my Barbie girl? Thanks ARK.

I'm a Jetsetter

Hi everyone!
Currently back in Holland after sitting in an airplane for 7 hours with Delta stewards & stewardesses who have black circles under their eyes and desperately need some sleep. I had the annoying person in front of me, the occasional kick in the back of my chair, and the crying baby. The mushy food, the creepy toilet that makes a weird flushing sound, the man snoring. Been there, done that. I've been on an airplane 4 times already this summer, a little crazy if you ask me, I feel like a Jetsetter. But I am having lots of fun.

So what am I going to do in Holland for the next few weeks?
1. See friends! I've missed you guys so much, shoutout to Megan.
2. Ride my bicycle.
3. Enjoy the rain (the heat in the US is getting annoying).
4. Eat cheese like a crazy person. Nothing beats Dutch cheese. Nothing. I swear.
5. And probably read. Should I start writing book reviews on my blog? Yes? No? Leave me a comment.
6. I'm also going to France for a week! St Paul de Vence, lovely place.

My roommate and I are already discussing room decorations. She's Mexican, I'm Dutch, we are going to have this funky foreign theme going.
Oh and did I mention that me and my wonderful friend Liv Burns are starting an Alternative Eating Club at my school next year? Vegans, vegetarians, omni's... everyone's welcome, and it is going to be so cool.

So please leave a comment, tell me what you are thinking, what you are doing.
Enjoy your summer!

Judgements

Person:           "So what are you doing over spring break?"

Me:                 "Flying back home."

Person:           "O right! How long is the flight to Denmark?"

Me:                "You mean..Holland?"

Person:          "Yes.. Isn't that a province in Denmark?"

Me:                "No... It's a separate country..."

Just an example of a conversation I had a while ago. People can't seem to find the difference between The Netherlands and Denmark. But that's not the only thing.

Person:        "You smoke weed everyday right?"

Me:             "No??? Do I look like I do???"

Person:        "Well.. you are from the Netherlands!"

Me:             "That doesn't mean I do drugs..."

Or the question so many people ask: "Have you been to the red-light district?" no..No...NO!

People have very interesting judgements and views on Holland. Just like we think that all Americans are fat and eat donuts all day. But once you actually go to the country you are judgemental about, it will prove you wrong (for the most part). I mean: Yes, softdrugs are legal, so is drinking when you are sixteen, and yes prostitution is legal, but it does not mean everyone does it/or uses drugs etc. The same here in the USA: of course, there is a big obesity problem, but it does not mean that EVERYONE is fat, and that EVERYONE lives on donuts. The world generalizes negative judgements about different country, and thinks every single citizen in the certain country is that way.

Asians are from a different planet.

All immigrants are criminals.

Every muslim is a terrorist.

Are any of these statements true?

No.

Will they ever be true?

No.

Is it fair for us to judge?

No.

Yet it's a human thing.

I got the best of both worlds

A short note: sorry for not blogging for so long, I can come up with a million excuses but I've just been lazy. Sorry. Here I am again! You should thank Steve, a good friend of my parents, who I've known for many years now, for reminding me to update my blog. Thanks Steve! :)

School is over. I made honor roll, all 3 terms, which is really exciting because this has been my first year at an American school! So i've studied hard, made new friends, faced difficult times (oh tell me about it), and had an awesome first year!

I've had he roommate issues, the bad grade, the annoying teacher, the bitch that gossips about you. Yet I also had the awesome roommate technoparty, the awesome grade, the lovely teacher, and the best friend! So it all evens out. I'm thinking about (don't get your hopes up yet!) writing & publishing a book about my boarding school experience. Exciting or what? This will not happen soon though, think about a couple of years.

So, to give you a heads up: this summer I've been everywhere! Prague, Vienna, Holland, USA. I made tons and tons of pictures, I selected a couple and posted them on my Flickr photostream, check it out:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lauradelight/ :)

What have I noticed lately? The difference between my Dutch and American friends.

I've grown up in a city, independent, and not sheltered at all - this is the way most of my Dutch friends grew up as well. I'm not scared of traveling by public transportation alone, going to a city alone, biking at night alone (maybe not the smartest thing, but oh well), etc. Most of my American friends grew up very sheltered; driven by car everywhere, not exposed to certain types of people, not very independent.
Conversation topics differ a lot depending on what continent the friend is from. Let's put it this way: I can talk about religion and politics with the Dutchies without having it to end up negatively. Oh man, I remember sitting at dinner tables at school and people walking off as if they were ready to burst out of anger.. I guess my Dutch friends don't really care as much. My American friends have a different sense of humor, are more relaxed and laid-back. Oh, and a tiny detail about my American friends: I live with them. I know them very well, and they are all amazing people.

Another thing that people ask me a lot: Do I feel like a foreigner in my home country after having been gone for SO LONG? The answer is no. It feels as if I never left every time I see the grim, rainy sky through the window in the airplane. It's all the same, nothing changes, but I am confused. I feel at home in America and The Netherlands now! People then ask me: "But if you had to pick one.." I say: "Hannah Montana didn't have to choose, she had the best of both worlds, and so do I!" (smile).

The funniest study hall ever

For the people who do not know what study hall is: it is a time that everyone has to be in their room with their door open (to make sure nobody is making noise) and studies + does homework. The funny thing is about having your doors wide open, is that you can peek into the room of the girls who live across from you. You bet we took advantage from that.

I just have to say: the 2 girls that live across the hall from me are amazing. One of them is the coolest Korean I know, and the other one is a Jewish ginger with the coolest clothing you will ever see. Instead of do our homework, we decided to "communicate". My mom had just brought me a lot of clementines, so me and my roommate decided to write on it and through it across the hall. 

The study hall proctor sitting in the hallway didn't know what was flying across and just let it go. But then the war started. We began to throw more and more clementines, while they wrote Korean characters on them and threw them back at us. It was a big clementine war. The facial expression of the study hall proctor is hard to explain, but it was the funniest ever. She had no clue what was happening: why are there clementines flying across the hallway?!? 

When study hall was open we just started laughing and laughing and couldn't stop. I don't think I've had fun like this in such a long time. 

And: the sun is shining today!!! Happy easter!!!!

How to live with your friends

Boarding school is not like they project it in books or tv-series, it is a little more complex. I am going to do my best to explain to you what I experience at boarding school and social structures. Please do exactly as I write, and you will find yourself completely understanding me, and getting a different view on boarding school life.

Please think about your 3 closest friends; think about the jokes you make with them, the amazing memories and conversations you have had with them. Think about how you are all so excited every time you see each other; new stories to tell, gossip, and other updates. Imagine being in the same room with these friends 24/7. Yes. Do it. Can you feel it? The nervous feeling of just wanting to be alone? That is what I feel. That is what a lot of boarding students feel.

Friendships in general are very hard to maintain; it is vulnerable, sensitive and amazing at the same time. But actually living with all your friends gives you the opportunity to truly discover who these people are. They are not always fun, peppy, perky. They can be mean, obnoxious, annoying, odd, weird; but they have their moments to be this person when no one is around. Imagine people being around you all the time (apart from your relatives). Wouldn't it drive you nuts sometimes?

 Having to always think about other people, turn down your music, turn of your lights to keep them satisfied, it is very tiring. Trying to forget about everyones flaws (which I definitely have too) is very hard at times: "This annoys me about so and so" and "she is so obnoxious when she does blablabla". It is very hard to always keep a smile on your face, and be the same girl, because secretly we are all hiding a lot from everyone; secrets that only you know; funny habits that are very personal. But at boarding school you are over exposed.

For example: you love this one friend; she is so much fun to be around, you have great conversations with her. Imagine her like this now: her home is very unorganized, she has old pizza slices under her bed, she picks her nose. Do you like her as much now?

Living with peoples strengths and weaknesses is very hard. But I have to say it's a great learning experience. I have never met people like this before, I have never been confronted with my own flaws, I have never had to live with my friends.

It is a huge adjustment, but I think I will carry around these memories my entire life. They will definitely help me in the future. Just got to get through this. Without my mom kissing me good night at 10.

Bittersweet Winter

What a winter.
I can't believe how much snow has fallen, and the cold that I felt the past couple of months. All the schools around are closed, expect for mine, ironically. Walking to class was a struggle; slippery stairs, snow up to your thighs, cold wind blowing you the opposite way. But I survived! I survived a New England winter! Me and my friends at school would snuggle up in one of our rooms, make hot chocolate and do our homework together, trying to avoid the cold and snow!

This winter term has been very long and hard. Academics here are very rigorous, which I did not experience at my old school in the Netherlands. People want you to work extremely hard, and earn high grades, above an 85 at least (8,5 in Nederland). This was an adjustment for me. Back home, I was happy with a 70 (7,0). The classes are very intense and the teachers extremely passionate about what they are teaching. After classes I can always go to their office and ask them questions, or go over homework. The nice balance between academics, athletics, and fun is what has kept me going this entire term. Of course, I have had moments where I thought: "I just want to go home, and sleep!!!!" , but the great sports program, arts program and music program combined with the great classes is why I always keep going. I learned a new sport this season: squash. Even as a player on the Thirds team, we had matches against other schools in the area, which is also a great socializing opportunity! Winter term has been harsh on me, up and down sides, but I can't wait for spring to come, and the new classes I will be taking (including an interesting history elective!). I'll keep you posted

I am very sorry I have not been consistent on my blog, I am promising right now, that I will post many super exciting things.

I have a question for you:
What would you like to know about? Are you thinking of going to boarding school?
Ask me anything! I will be more than happy to answer!