Baby Bambi.

Last weekend I put up an extra photography post from my little adventure on Saturday, so if anyone fancies taking a wee look then that'd be lovely. I basically took my bike out and cycled along the river taking tonnes of pictures. I have some of the photos from that day on this post, just to brighten it up a little, but my favourites from Saturday can be viewed just by clicking here! Cheers!

Uni wise, things are starting to get serious. I'm getting more and more reading every week, have a test every Friday and assignments are looming. But, on the whole, I'm really enjoying my classes, so I don't mind putting in the effort.

Everybody is feeling the pressure. And that was illustrated on Tuesday night. Normally, nearly everyone goes to club Bed, but this week that wasn't the case. So many folk were wanting to stay in and study. I must admit, at one point I was very tempted to do the same, but I ended up going out and having a really great night. There was a lot of drinking done that night - wasn't feeling too rosy the next morning. But it was nice to let my hair down: dancing, mixing drinks, pea soup recipes, a casual two hour conversation sitting in the street and stumbling in at half four. Why not?

If you have been paying attention, you will know that I joined the gym last week. Big step for team Nat! But on Thursday I actually went. I know - shocking, right? It was actually pretty good. I went to a step class with my mate, because the actual real gym is far too scary for a first attempt. Would rather ease myself into it. Gyms scare me! The class was fun - and the hour was gone in no time! It wasn't too difficult either, well, that's a lie. What I mean is that it wasn't too physically difficult, but me being as uncoordinated as I am, couldn't seem to get my feet in the right place, at the right time. Honestly, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and it was like watching Bambi learn how to walk. Such a ridiculous sight.

In other news, my Dad and Mama Flem (she adores that nickname) are visiting next week! Yay! The Fleming clan (partially) reunited in Rotterdam. Well, they would be if my parents were actually bothering to visit me. But, no. Guess who's staying in Amsterdam? Gits. Oh and I need to get them both a birthday present as well. Got an idea that won't bankrupt a poor student? Leave a comment. =P Haha, I'm so organised...

Received a letter and a postcard today! Actually, they might have came a few days ago, cause I barely ever check the mail box. The postcard was sent from a new friend, who was in Munich for Oktoberfest, and the letter was a reply from my wee auld grandpa. Absolutely adorable. Love getting handwritten mail. I wish it was more commonplace.

Right, I'll have to love you and leave you now. Common room party tonight! =)

*squeak squeak*

Few words.

Saturday photography venture:

Inner child.

This was only my second week at EUR and the work is already piling on. Think it's safe to say that most of this coming weekend will be spent reading textbooks...while everyone else is buggering off to Oktoberfest. *sigh* Oh well! But this week has been a good one, I've had lots going on.

Official Welcome Ceremony

Erasmus

Tuesday was the university's Official Welcome Ceremony. I was half expecting the first two hours to be totally overrun with dull speeches. But it wasn't like that at all! Yes, there were speeches (some more interesting than others) but I enjoyed most of the official "sit-down" part of the event. There was a guy dressed up as the statue of Erasmus, who was posing for photographs with students and staff, then gave a speech in Latin (with an English translator). It was a bizarre spectacle. The university had also organised for an American stand-up comedian, Greg Shapiro, who lives in Holland, to perform at the event. Which was incredibly cool of them. He was absolutely hilarious.

Greg Shapiro, stand-up comedian.

Once the ceremony had come to an end we were all shepherded along to the sports building to have a typical Dutch dinner. It kind of reminded me of Scottish food, in that, it didn't look the most appealing, but it was nice and homely once I'd actually tried some of it. The ingredients were similar to typical a Scottish meal, as well, with lots of potato and meat. It was nice. And, if I'm not mistaken, I believe that I tried (and liked) stamppot - a dish that everyone has been going on about it since I arrived here, nearly 2 months ago! We got a pancake and a few free drinks too. Lovely. Entertainment wise there was a short hip hop dance performance then some music to have a wee dance to.

We had a few hour to kill before heading to the usual Tuesday Bed, so a group of us headed back to one of the girls rooms on campus for some pre drinks before heading out for the night.
It turned out to be one of my favourite nights at Bed (excluding the creeper that I managed to acquire)... It wasn't too busy, I knew lots of people there and it turned out to be a really good laugh! Yay!!

Proof.

As a result I had a bit of a slow start on Wednesday morning but I was very productive with my day and even joined the gym. All I need to do is get off my backside and go. Maybe in a few days... =P

Thursday was a mixed day for me. I spent a long time studying and working on an assignment - boo! BUT, it was also pancake boat trip day! I had been looking forward to this moment for quite a while, and was pretty buzzin' for it. The trip was organised by the uni as some kind of integration activity - which was really nice of them. There was free all-you-can-eat pancakes and a ball pit. Amazing. The ball pool totally unleashed my inner child - which was reflected in my first pancake choice: bacon pancake with chocolate, sweets, fruit and marshmallows. Beaut. I got to know a few new people as well, which was great. I was very jealous of everyone who was heading off to the "Insane White Party" afterwards, but I had to study for a test the following morning.

Perfection on a plate.

Very glad that I stuck to my guns and went home after the boat, as actually managed to make it to the test. It was pretty hard, but hopefully I did okay. Following that it was a quick trip to the doctors surgery to (finally) get registered with the huisarts, or GP.

By Friday I had pretty much ran out of all food and had to do a major shop at Albert Heijn. The cycle home, carrying all my groceries, was dreadful. Exhausted. So then it was movie time, watching Easy A and not making any attempt to write my blog. I don't even nearly have an excuse for being a day late this week, I was just feeling super lazy.

Oops! My bad.

Toilet Rant.

The final weekend before classes begin. I'm really looking forward to studying properly again. I've kind of gotten bored of introductions, and because I don't have work to occupy myself with, I've just been longing for something productive to do. (Bet I'll regret saying that in a few weeks!!)

So, what did I do with my last weekend of freedom?

Friday night (a week ago) was really fun. A small group of internationals (mostly IBCoM) went to the pub to play some games. The place we went to is literally about 4 metres from the front door of my building. It's ridiculously close. And it was actually a really cool little place. The evening consisted of a causal chat and a few drinking games (well, technically I was still drinking water because I hadn't managed to shake off the cold yet, but just ignore that part). The first thing on the agenda was some card game that I had never heard of before, and it was fun, but I spent most of the game in a state of confusion. Too many rules! After that we played "Who am I?" I was Mickey Mouse in the first round (easy!), then, for the second attempt, I was forced to show off my atrocious knowledge of football - I had no idea who Lionel Messi was. Apparently he's a big deal. Oops! Finally, we played some pool. And it was a really fun, chilled out night, which was just what I needed! Excellent.

Saturday was in interesting one as well. It was the World Port Days Show at the Erasmus Bridge. It was a lovely night so I decided to cycle over there on a whim. Wasn't really sure what to expect, and even afterwards I'm still not sure what did happen. There was some music (which may, or may not have been live), boats sailing back and forth, a random band on a floating stage and water getting sprayed. I really don't have any idea what it was all about. Obviously, some kind of celebration of ports (maybe) but I don't know. It was weird. Cool, but weird.

The finale was definitely worth the wait though - there was a massive fireworks display, and I surprised myself by getting some half-decent pictures. Night time photography is really difficult, especially without a tripod.

Monday brought the start of classes. And despite all my prior enthusiasm, it was a bit of a shock to the system. I've got a feeling that this year is going to be a lot of hard work! All my classes seem really interesting though: Media & Diversity, Cultural Influences on Communication and Communication & Organizations. But, my books cost me an arm and a leg. 90 euros for 2 books? Ouch. Luckily my Erasmus funding arrived just in time, which softened the blow a little.

Unfortunately a killer headache floored me on Tuesday, meaning no night out for me. But I'm ready for next time!

One thing that I have noticed about Holland, is the toilets. I realise that this is going to sound totally insane but it's almost as if the Dutch are trying to hide them from me. Honestly, in the uni for example, it always takes me so long to find them. The signs are ambiguous. Then the toilet door is disguised as a cupboard or a classroom, with only a tiny sign next to it. Or it'll be hidden behind a wall. What is that about? Now that I've written it down I feel a little bit mental, but it bothers me and makes the whole peeing process far too stressful for my liking. Okay, rant over. Don't judge me. Haha.

Finally, a birthday shout out to my fab wee mum and dad (from last week). Hope you both had a good one! Don't worry - I'm not going to declare the number on the internet! *evil laugh*

Let's dance.

I've been having a love affair with my duvet and tissue box for most of this week. So, as I'm sure you can imagine, this post is likely to be the most exciting yet... Yes, having the cold sucks. And I'm going to milk it for all its worth, because, why not?

However, I did manage to venture outside once over the weekend. My intention was to go on a quiet cycle round Kralingse Bos & Plas (forest & lake), instead I discovered some kind of fayre. Initially, I thought it might have been cool to wander around but after further investigation it seemed very child-oriented. But I enjoyed my little bike ride once I'd finally escaped the tents, flags and music. Was definitely in the mood for some alone time.

Casual cycle

Tuesday was probably the first note-worthy day of the week (unless you count my cheesy baked potato success). The IBCoM students had a introduction meeting, which was actually aimed at first years rather than exchange students. It was pretty pointless as we were only there for the last 5-10 minutes. On the plus side though we got to meet our buddies and other folk from the course, which was pretty cool. We did some kind of really random scavenger hunt with a (dodgy looking) human pyramid and posing next to a Santa statue or "the gnome with the butt plug". Wait, what? Holland is mental. Although, I didn't find out that it was a butt plug until afterwords - me and my innocent mind assumed it was a Christmas tree! Apparently not. I wish I had the pictures from that day!

Afterwards a big group of us went to have Italian food. I had pizza. Again. No regrets. Beaut. Met some really cool people over dinner as well. What a friendly bunch.

Then it was home for a quick freshen up before Bed (the club, not the sleeping device). Yes, that name is going to get old, and fast. Haha. Anyway, after a quick-ish turn around it was time for a few pre-drinks on the beautiful roof terrace. It was a lovely chilled start to the night. Then, from home, it was only a short cycle to the club. Bed was mobbed. It was pretty fun once people started to leave and there was actually room to breathe, but before that it was too crowded for my liking. To make matters worse I was loaded with the cold and completely sober. Not the best combination. Definitely enjoyed the night more once the place had quietened down a little. And the last couple of hours were great. I guess the night is just a bit too popular! =) Think I got home around half three? But I was far too tired to remember. On the plus side - no cycling mishaps this week!

Thursday was a pretty busy day as well. It was the centenarian celebration of the Erasmus University Rotterdam, so the Heartbeat Festival was held, on campus, to celebrate. It was awesome. We've never had anything like that back home! There was a big official opening ceremony with a performance to properly kick off the festival. After that there was two stages (rock and pop) to keep everyone entertained with lots of other stalls to buy food and drink. Personally, I chose to spend my free tokens on ice cream and chips! I did abandon the festival for a few hours to go to the second open practice of volley ball, but I returned to have a wee chat with some friends and catch the end of the acts. Oh, and I learned how to use the printers - always a challenge. Good night.

Heartbeat

Why am I so cheesy?

Today (Friday) was slightly less eventful. Thank goodness for that! The IBCoM exchange students just had an introduction day where we learned how to use the computer system. It was pretty similar to what we use back home, so no problems there!

Oh, and I finally got off my backside and decided to pick up my certificate for the Dutch A1 Beginners course. Yay!

Tonight? Looks like that'll be a wee chilled out night in the pub.

Got to dash. Later homies!