Moving Time!

Hello everyone, remember me? I know that it has been a while, a long while. So I will refresh everyone's memory about me... I'm Deirdre, the canadian exchange student currently living in the Netherlands. I can not believe how fast time is flying. This is my last week with my second host family. I moved to my second host family the first weekend in December, four months ago now. Next week I will be moving to my third and FINAL family. The word FINAL scarys me...in only 3 short months I will be back in Canada again. Don't get me wrong, of course I'm looking forward to seeing my family and friends again. I'm just not looking forward to saying goodbye to the ones here. Oh where, oh where did the time go?

The last few months have just flown by here in Holland. I have definately fell into a routine with school, handbal practice, school friends, my host family, dutch lessons, dance class and the preschool. My lanuage skills have also definately improved. I am amazed myself by how much I can understand and how naturally Dutch comes to me these days. Of course I skill make mistakes when I am speaking and I still have a huge english accent when I speak dutch... but it just keeps improving ( i hope!). During the last three months I have visited Den Haag and het Maurits huis (this is the museum with "Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Johannes Vermeer), the taping of "Pauw en Wittemann" in Amsterdam (a Dutch late-night television program), followed an Economics and a Philosophy class at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, followed a few Geneskunde classes at the Rabound Universitie in Nijmegen, visited Groningen, welcomed the new Southies at the Dutch Orientation Course in Zeist, celebrated Carnival at the Peuterspeelzaal, watced the Graafschap- Eindhoven voetbal match, visited het Dick Bruna Huis and het Central Museum in Utrecht, wintersport vacation with my host family and two other families in Italia, visted Burger's Zoo in Arnhem with my biologie class from school, visit to het Joods Museum in Amsterdam, bike tour through Amsterdam with my host parents, Rotex weekend in Putten, and a weekend visit to Schiermonnikoog with my host family. The last few months with my second host family have been great fun. I have been very privileged to stay with this family and I will treasure the memories for ever!!!

On March 12th I turned 19! My hostfamily through me a birthday party that I will never forget. I think that I should try to introduce the three kises into Canada. I find that it is so more personal than a handshake or even a hug! On Saturday March 10th four exchange students (Heather, Rachel, Ana and Jackie) came to Doetinchem to celebrate my birthday. We toured the city saturday, enjoyed C'est la Vie saturday evening and prepared "Canadian Food" sunday for 45 guests, along with the help of my host mother of course! On sunday we woke up at 10:30am and were busy in the kitchen until 2:30pm. The menu included chicken wings, spare ribs, hamburgers, potato salad, cesaer salad, coleslaw, and grilled vegetables. Dessert was an assortment of candy, stropwaffels, rice krispy sqaures and brownies. We also made an Angel Food Cake for dessert, but unfortunately it didn't work out! Thankfully the weather was beautiful and we were able to barbaque and sit outdoors. The guest list included friends from school, members from my handbal team, exchange students, my host families and wintersport families. It was definately a birthday to remember, maybe my best birthday ever.

This upcoming weekend I am travelling to Den Haag for the Rotary Residentie Weekend. I'm really looking forward to it. I will be staying with a host family for the weekend, and also meeting up with the other exchange students. The agenda for this weekend includes a visit to the Gemeente Museum, Escher in het Paleis, Madurodam, Scheveningen and a sight-seeing tour of Den Haag. I return on sunday evening and then I move to my third family on Tuesday. Also in upcoming news, my parents are coming to visit me April 19th until April 26th. I'm looking forward to it. It will be nice to show my parents Doetinchem and also Amsterdam. Then they can also learn a little bit about Holland and all the things I have seen and done this year. My host mother is also travelling to Toronto, Ontario the week after Easter for Business. I think it's so amazing that she will be able to meet my parents and visit Simcoe.

I would also like to note that the weather in Holland has been beautiful the last few weeks. No more rain (I hope)! It's so beautful and sunny that I have even been sporting my flip flops!!!

Well that brings this update to an end. I hope everyone is doing well, I miss you all so much. I will make sure to update more often. I PROMISE! I know you are all dying to see some more photos. Let me asure you, I have been taking a lot of pictures.

Dikke Kusjes!

Deirdre xxx