Lombok

We once again started with language class this morning. When I got a break from learning how to do all my shopping in Dutch, I went off to a really cool art shop I spotted a few days ago. I went inside and found hundreds upon hundreds of prints to look through and I spent my whole break in between classes just picking out posters for my dorm. I found some really interesting prints in there, but I settled on a really beautiful blue ocean scene.

We had our lecture for today in a church and we learned about religion here in the Netherlands. I had a really hard time staying awake in class again. I'm not sure why I get so sleepy during the day here, but it's becoming a real problem, so I went for a cup of coffee again today. 

Part of our homework was to travel to Lombok, which is the multicultural district of Utrecht. It always impresses me how many languages these people know. Their signs are in Turkish but they speak Dutch for the locals and English on top of that. I feel so unworldly compared to the people here. We went into many of the shops and found cheap produce and snacks, cool souvenirs, and delicious looking bread, along with a bunch of American things written in a different language. We walked through this district for a while until things started to close (6pm or 18:00 uur) and headed back to the dorms. (Hint: If the pictures are ever too small to see, just click on them to make them larger.)

I spent the evening getting to know another one of my unit mates and a new Dutch friend. We talked about things like politics and the differences between growing up here vs there and it was really cool to get to see another perspective on things we have grown up with as truths. I feel like I am actually using my brain for the first time in so long. Instead of watching tv and napping like I would be doing back home, I am learning about foreign countries and practicing another language. I sometimes surprise myself with the things I am capable of doing. Tomorrow, we have a group trip to Amsterdam where hopefully I will make it to the Van Gogh museum. Hopefully.