My First Regatta

         Being a new, inexperienced rower, I was beyond ecstatic about my first regatta of the season last Sunday. I imagined a beautiful sunny day, with many young, built, shirtless men, carrying around heavy boats, coaches and parents laughing and eating food, while watching the graceful sport from the sidelines, and us rowers having a great time with one another. While many of these expectations were met, I may have romanticized the reality of the sport just a bit.

            That Sunday morning at 5:45, there I went, my hands wrapped tight around my cup of coffee. It was raining, it was dark, it was cold, and we had to drag one teammate out of bed. The next hour on the bus many of us continued sleeping or watched the sunrise, which instead of turning the sky into a kaleidoscope of beautiful colors, was soon covered with clouds, leaving it completely dull and grey. But it didn’t faze me because Ed Sheeran was singing me lullabies, I was wearing my favorite sweater, and our dear coaches provided us with some bagels and cream cheese. What was there possibly to complain about?

            Soon we arrived at the venue, and it started pouring. I found myself in this place that was filled with boats, wet bodies, and muddy feet. While trying to set up the tent, which was the only thing that could keep us dry, we soon came to the realization that it had broken, and could only function as some sort of fort that one could crawl under. Nevertheless, I was completely soaked only twenty minutes after arrival, and my favorite sweater had become completely useless and disgusting. Off it went, and I was left shivering in my crew shirt and spandex. Right as I thought matters couldn’t get any worse, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the boat as we were rigging it, and realized that I had been foolish enough to wear mascara that wasn’t waterproof (because I wanted to impress those ripped crew boys, of course), and now looked like a soaking wet raccoon. Aside all these little things, I was very excited as our first race was approaching, the Varsity 8. We got in line to launch, carrying the heavy boat on our shoulders, while strange elevator music was blasting through the speakers, obviously getting us pumped for the race.

Before I knew it, I was pushing out power tens, pulling through the wind and rain, ignoring the pain of new blisters on my hands, trying to find that little extra bit of strength each stroke, and testing my mental toughness. There is one thing I strongly believe, and realized during the race: Crew girls are the toughest girls out there. We are not fazed by rain, wind, or mud; we don’t shy away from 6k erg tests, or weight-lifting circuits; we don’t stop, even if our hands are bleeding or legs are cramping. Crew girls are one of a kind. The race was very exciting as we flew by a boat, and held off another one for the entire time.

 The next race was not for another four-and-a-half hours, which may have been the longest four-and-a-half hours of my life. They were spent trying to find coffee, stuffing my face with Dunkin Donuts’ munchkins, and unsuccessfully trying to stay warm. I did, however, see some serious six packs and god-like arms, making it all worth it. After about an hour or so, I’d given up on socks and shoes, and was now sloshing through the mud barefoot, adding a whole new dimension to the experience. The minutes were ticking by, lips were turning purple, and the rain was getting heavier. When finally, we were called out for our next race, I did not think I still had it in me to do it all over again. Once in the boat, our dear coxswain came to the horrible discovery that her cox box (the machine which shows the ratings/time during the race, and allows their microphone to work) had broken. So there we went, without Kelly’s vital voice guiding us through the race, pushed and pulled, and I might have cried a little bit out of pain and frustration. Yet, to my surprise, we made it to the finish line; maybe not with a great time, or with great pride, but we made it, and no one can take that away from us.

That Sunday evening, at 6 pm, there I went, empty handed and barefoot, back to the familiarity of my home town. It was raining, it was dark, it was cold, but somehow we lifted each other through the day. My first regatta wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine, rather rough and never-ending, but boy was it an experience. 

Sweet Goodbyes

Where has the time gone? Every time I find myself back here, so much has happened, so much has changed, but I always end up right here on my blog.

The last six months might have been the craziest months of my life. I spent 2.5 months in Cape Town, South Africa, where I have made SO many memories! There isn't a day that goes by where my brain doesn't decide to take me back to something that happened while I was on exchange. Not only do I miss how gorgeous Cape Town was, I miss my school and my friends so so much. It didn't make it any easier when I had to go right back from paradise to "The Nunnery", where palm trees, beaches, and sunsets were traded for books, acne, and Oreo's. The last few months at school were tough. I had completely adapted to the African pace of life, and enjoyed taking it easy and being worry-free (well.. who doesn't love that?!). However, that's not how the people around me were living. I found myself back at school, sleeping through assemblies (and receiving far too many detention slips in my mailbox), forgetting (sometimes PURPOSELY forgetting) to hand in homework assignments, losing my drive to push through two hours of sports everyday, and drowning in this crazy world without trying to swim.

I had fallen in love with my new life that I had established so well. I loved the new, happier, bubblier "Laura", the Laura that wasn't afraid of consequences and lived life the right way, the happy way.
I did not miss the studious, serious girl I had once been. The girl whose highlight of the week was a banana chocolate chip muffin, and who cringed at the thought of what would happen if she broke a rule at school (because let me tell you, I had already been there and suffered the consequences).

I hated having to throw my new life away away and having to box it all up as a good memory of a time that I wish I could relive over and over again.

That was when I realized that I needed to change something about my real life. I needed to find a happy medium between how I was in South Africa, and how I was at home. After thinking and thinking, I figured out what the problem was: my school.

If you have followed my blog from the beginning, you will have read through some of my funny and more serious chronicles as a student at an all-girls prep school full of wacky traditions and interesting people. This school has made me into the person who I am now, but at a certain point it stopped providing me with opportunities for more growth. The strict rules and regulations are something I don't need anymore. I know how to accomplish my dreams, but now I just need to be set free. I need to find a new place that would be able to turn me back into happy AND studious Laura: the Laura that was a little 5-foot-tall freshman with braces that entered boarding school with high hopes, expectations, and dreams. But let's leave out the braces, and I kinda like being 5'7 now.

So here I am, completely changing things up. I am going to a slightly larger co-ed private school where I will be day student. And I can't wait to write about all the crazy things that will happen there.

In the meanwhile... I will be posting on here a lot more.
By the way, I'm working on a novel!

XOXO Laura

Woke up to this.

A New Adventure

Where did the time go? I haven't blogged since August?!
These few months all seem like a blur, even though many things happened and changed, for the better and for the worse. Sad fact #1: Gossip Girl ended. What will I do without my weekly dose of Chuck Bass?! Sad fact #2: school has been rough this year.

I am starting to figure out who I am and what I want from life, which makes things easier but also harder. I want to travel, see beautiful places, meet interesting people, see what the world is all about. These past months I have felt restricted, like I couldn't move. I was disappointed in the people around me, the people who are supposed to look out for me. Not only was this frustrating, but I also learned another lesson: people are just people. Even with a title, or an important position, performance is not guaranteed. I always try to see the best in people, but it becomes incredibly difficult when you are let down over and over again. Don't get me wrong, prep school has been great, I just feel that I need to move on and discover what living is REALLY all about. I don't believe living a fulfilled life means going to the best college, getting the best job, a lovely husband, three healthy children, and a golden retriever. Life should be much more than that. I believe we need adventure, we constantly need to remind ourselves to face our fears every day, do things that make us nervous, take risks. Because at the end of the day we will all die. I just don't want to lie on my deathbed thinking about all of the things I should have done.

This is why I am making some changes in my life, on which I will elaborate more when the time comes.

And what is my next adventure going to be? Catching my flight to Cape Town, South Africa tomorrow.

On The Last Friday Night Of Summer

I am cuddled up in my old, noisy, wooden bed, my newly dyed hair up in a messy bun, with a cup of Jasmine green tea in one hand, and Tolstoy's War and Peace in the other. While listening to the calming sounds of crickets, and of course, the background buzzing of the AC, I am reflecting upon my soon-ending summer.

This summer I have closed some important chapters of my life, and opened new ones. After officially/finally saying goodbye to my childhood home in June, I felt both sad and relieved. Sad, because growing up sucks. Relieved, because I am now able to move on from living in the past. My most difficult moments at boarding school were the moments during which I wanted to go back to my old house, and my old life. I kept thinking about things I was missing out on, and about how happy I used to be. Not knowing how self-destructive these kinds of thoughts were, I was constantly living in the past. Now that I had a good, long sobbing session in my childhood room, I am ready to be where I am: in the USA.

I had to close some other chapters as well. Chapters with certain people. As much as I wanted to believe that all of my old friends were still interested in me, that was a false hope. Of course, there are some that will stick around for the rest of my life, but the majority were just meant to make an appearance. I have discovered that because I have changed so much, I am starting to grow apart from some people. You know what, it's okay. I have met wonderful new people here as well, and whether they make an appearance or stick around, at this moment they mean a lot to me.

That is what I am learning to do: living in the moment.

Anti-Americanism

The numerous sandwich shops, excellent street artists, Ben's Cookie, free hugs, stunning architecture, and a grand historic value: Oxford was a great place to be. I went to Oxford for about two weeks for an academic and cultural program. It was a fantastic experience, however, not in the way I expected it to be.

Besides meeting great new people from all over the world (Lebanon, Panama, Spain, Algeria, Switzerland, Ukraine, Russia.. and sooo many more), I think I got something completely different out of this experience: a sense of how the world views different countries, in particular: The United States of America.

It is only a coincidence that I attend boarding school in that country, but I noticed this strange obsession that a lot of people from ALL over the world have with the USA. Please try to understand the following things that I am going to tell you, and try to make sense out of it. I took three courses during the program: Medical Biology, Business Management, and Public Speaking & Debate. Funny enough, while studying in Britain, I have learned many things about American companies such as Ford Cars, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Wal-Mart, and Proctor & Gamble. I have watched an extensive movie on the American national debt & economic crisis. I learned a lot about the Food Drug Administration (FDA), an American administration FOR Americans and how bad they are. I have debated topics such as: Should the US invade Syria? Should handguns be banned? Should torture be used to fight terrorism? Should we have universal health care? Do all these topics sound like familiar problems to any Americans? I think yes. 

But it does not end here, my Public Speaking & Debate teacher showed us two speeches in class: Obama's speech in 2008 when he won over New Hampshire, and Mitt Romney's speech in 2011 when he won over New Hampshire. However, we viewed the entire Obama speech, while we only watched three minutes of Romney's speech [A short disclaimer before I continue: I do not prefer any political party over another]. Not only did this highlight, in BRIGHT yellow, the incredible biased opinion of my teacher by not letting Romney finish his speech (and we had plenty enough class time left), he forced a popular view on all of us by saying that Obama is good, and Romney is bad. While I have no opinion about either of the presidential candidates, I think it is horrible to judge a man on three minutes of his speech, while we judge another based on twelve minutes of talking. No, it does not end here either. 

While debating the before mentioned topics in class, students would come up with arguments such as: the US is not a trustworthy country, the US does everything for their own benefit. And the moment I mentioned that without the US most of us would be speaking German right now, people would stare at me and continue their US bashing without any reason. I wish these people would look at their own countries and the mess that the Eurozone, especially, is in right now. We could have debated about Greece and Spain, the Euro, the European Union, the importance of the British monarchy, British healthcare. There were so many different options, the choices that were made in a short two weeks just left me shocked.

I felt something that I had never felt before. This feeling frustrated me for a long time, until I realized something: it had been happening around me all along: Anti-Americanism. And for me, knowing what is out there in the USA and what the country has done for us, sure it also has many flaws, it makes me look differently at Europe, and at my home country. 

I was definitely not disappointed during my time in Oxford, it made me learn a lot about the world.

XO

Thank you, USA.

Hello summer. Hello Holland.

I've had one crazy, long yet short, fun-filled, stress-filled year. Not only have I made a lot of new friends, but I have also learned new things about myself and about what is important to me.



I really do have some great memories from this school year. My roommate and I made roommate-diaries, which consisted of little movies in which we talk about our lives and make a bunch of silly faces, we shared our biggest secrets, and we learned to live with each others differences (which did take some time and patience at first!). I started to enjoy little moments of the day: taking a walk to the pond, my roommate leaving a banana chocolate chip muffin in my mailbox, sniffing the New England air, going out for pizza and giggling about the waiter who looks like a Mexican popstar, watching Boy Meets World with a friend while doing crunches at the same time, my friend bringing me an iced caramel latte from Dunkin Donuts (without asking!), sleeping on the other end of my bed with my head next to the window to hear the rain falling down, finding the dorm parent's dog in my room (on my beanbag!), reading the notes left in my closet from as early as 1935, talking to our neighbors with walky-talkies at midnight, banging on the ceiling with a field hockey stick to annoy the people living above me, and curling up on my bed after a long and tiring day and getting ready to watch another episode of my favorite show: 90210.

There are always things that make me smile.
What also makes me smile is that nothing has changed back home.
The cows still look the same, the cheese still tastes the same, my friends are still the same (except taller!).


I left behind my childhood two years ago. Climbing in my window and spying on the city, pulling pranks like throwing chocolate ice cream from the roof which landed on someone's white garden chair (oops!), or tossing dog poop over the hedge into the neigbor's garden (hehe). Not having a care in the world was great, and it's weird how all of that ended after moving to the USA. I'm glad we (as in: my family and I) did though. The USA symbolizes freedom (the Statue of Liberty, for example), and I know that I have become so much more independent and self-assured because of it. Being at boarding school changes everyone. Doing your own laundry, putting together your own breakfast, cleaning your own room, having tons of responsibilities, washing your own bedding, learning how to deal with a roommate, having to motivate yourself to do schoolwork, keeping your head up when you're feeling sick (you can't just not show up for class..), and the list continues. It's been very hard, not going to lie, but it has been great (as you can tell from my other blogposts). I'm just so grateful, for this entire experience, and how it has changed my vision of the future, and I have realized that there are millions of possibilities and opportunities: all you have to do is take them! The choice is completely in your hands. 14-year-old Laura would never agree on going to Oxford University for a pre-college program SOLO! Neither would 14-year-old me ever sign up for a 3 month exchange to Cape Town, South Africa. Thanks to my school, my fantastic teachers, my very inspirational friends, my parents, and of course my 3 AWESOME sisters, I have changed in the past 2 years. I have learned so much from leaving my comfort zone, and I think everyone should do something they otherwise never would.


I'm going to challenge you right now.
Rethink everything in your life. Take chances. Do whatever you thought you would never do.



XO Laura

The Average Day of a Boarding School Girl!

Hey guys!
I haven't written a "real" blogpost in quite some time...2011? Anyone? Last year is over, and I'm ready for more adventures and experiences this year! Because most of you that read my blog do not go to boarding school, or have any private school experience (private schools are very rare in The Netherlands!), I figured that you would be interested in a weekly overview of what my life is like!

T H E  A V E R A G E  W E E K  D A Y .

7:00 Wake up!!

7:15 Breakfast

7:40 Assembly
            This is where the entire school gets together and people make announcements. E.G., teachers that are out that day, events, club meetings, etc.

8:00 Class
           At my school you take about six classes every term, right now I am taking Chemistry (natuurkunde), South African History (Zuid-Afrikaanse geschiedenis), English, French, Honors Geometry (wiskunde), and drawing. The school system is very different here. Every class is about 40 minutes long, and there are only about 10 girls in every one of my classes. Each class meets everyday, and a lot is expected of you. If you are doing particularly well in a subject, you can move up to the Honors level, and thats why I am taking Honors Geometry. I remember being very happy with a 6 or a 7 in the Netherlands. Here, they expect a lot from you, and expect you to get at least above an 8,5 (85%), which is still considered low. It may sound to you that it must be easy if you can receive grades like that, but it is not easy, you have to work very VERY hard. It is equivalent to the Dutch VWO level.
8:40 Class
10:00 Break
10:10 Class
12:00 Lunch!
1:20 Glee period
              During Glee period, many singing groups meet. Glee period is also designated time to meet with your teacher to clear up things you do not understand. I never ever understood math back at my old school, and now it is my best subject! My teachers are very friendly and helpful, I like them a lot.
2:10 Arts
              Art is very big at my school, and you can take a wide variety of classes such as drawing, oil painting, ceramics (pottenbakken), kneedle arts (breien, ja echt!), black and white photography, platinum print photo, digital photography, and most of these courses are also offered on AP level (college credits).
3:35 Sports!
              Everyone has to do a different sport every term, of which 2 have to be team sports. Fall term I am in the musical, winter term I play interscholastic squash, and spring term i play interscholastic tennis. It is a lot of fun to be part of a team, and to have games against other schools at least once a week.
5:35 Dinner time!
7:00 Study Hall
            During Study Hall all of the boarding students have to do their homework until 9:00. This is a great quiet time, during which everyone is dedicated to their work, no distractions!
9:00 End Of Study Hall
           During this time, we all hang out on corridor, visit each others room, watch tv-shows, shower, whatever. It is time with which you can do anything.
10:30 In-Room
           At this time we all have to be in our rooms with our roommates.
10:45 Lights-Out
           This is when we are supposed to turn of our lights and get ready for the next day.


WEEEEEEEEKENDSSSSS!

Saturday:

9:30 Wake up!
10:30 Art class
12:00 Lunch
13:30 Get on the bus and go to your sports game.
18:00 Get back from the game.
20:00 Go away to a dance at another school (een dance is een feest)
1:30 am Back from the dance, have a sleepover with a friend, watch movies whatever.

So this is what my weeks look like! Quite different than before, but I am definitely enjoying this experience!

Please comment below!
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

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.