Mandy: Star Struck

I think I’m realizing how fast time is speeding by, so I am filling my time with all kinds of things, and I thought I would give an update (and I admit, I am currently procrastinating writing essays…)

Saturday, I went to Brighton for a day trip, which was filled with fish & chips, shopping, the sea, and great company! I hope to visit again sometime…preferably when it isn’t so cold!

Sunday I attended the Remembrance Sunday service at the WWI Cenotaph (similar to the tomb of the unknown soldier). It was an incredible event where thousands of people lined the streets of London to honor veterans. Most people wore poppies, and there was a parade of veterans that laid down poppy wreaths at the tomb. It was a solemn ceremony that I was honored to attend. Afterwards, I was able to fan-girl at the fact that I got to see all of the Royal family (The Queen, Princes Charles, William, Harry, and Princess Kate. Oh and England’s Prime Minister) participate in the ceremony! It was pretty surreal to see them! 

Then Monday was the Hunger Games: Catching Fire world premier at Leister Square! Andy, Isaac and I stalked the red carpet and had a great view, even though we got there only an hour early (some people had been there since Friday!). We stood through the rain, but it was well worth it to see some really great actors – Stanley Tucci, Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Banks, and Donald Sutherland. Donald Sutherland said in an interview on stage that he had attended the Dirty Dozen premier in the same theater in 1967, which I just think is so cool.

 

And TOMORROW I get to see the biggest star of all – Alex Copeland! Barcelona here we come! 

With love and stars in my eyes,

Mandy

Alex: A Wrap Up of My Week

Hallo!

I was going to write this post on Thursday after I was on a high from my Community Volunteer Experience, but that didn't happen so now I'm going to tell you all about my week.

Monday: I spent Monday really missing my sisters. I Facebooked about it, but it's genuinely true. It's ridiculous how much I talk about them and then it finally hit me that it's hard to live my life without them. So relieved Louisa is enjoying GW though and I cannot wait to run into her on campus!! And I'm sure Sam is loving adult life so much Facebook is too college for her.

Tuesday: Dil, Lindsey, Priya, Lyla & I bought last minute concert tickets to see Birdy at the Melkweg. What. A. Beautiful. Soul. It was a truly incredible concert and Birdy n' her band sounded beautifully haunting and absolutely flawless. I miss live music and it really turned my slumpy Monday mood into gratitude for the experiences I have had thus far. It was also great to share such an amazing concert with some truly amazing people. We treated ourselves to Burger King afterwards and for a Tuesday, had a pretty solid night.

Wednesday: I GOT AN ISP ADVISOR. His name is Laurens Buijs and he's one of our module coordinators/ lecturers for our class. His research was part of our pre-departure reading assignments (and he's only 31!) and he was hands down one of the classes' favorite lecturers. I am so excited to have his guidance on what's going to be a stressful four weeks of conducting my Independent Study Project.

Thursday: I had my Dutch Final. I'd rather not talk about it and move on. I had my real first day at my Community Volunteer Experience! I went to help with Future Kids, a program where social work students tutor kids after school. I was really early so I went to Starbucks with the coach of the student (who is a 4th year student herself). She was so so helpful in laying out what I would be doing at Profor and telling me all about her time studying Social Work in Amsterdam! Then, I went to the elementary school that they tutor at. My job was just to observe for the day and I had a blast doing it! The other Master student's there were so welcoming and friendly. I'm so excited to go next week and weeks beyond that! (It was also good to talk to people in their 20s who are from Amsterdam!) They were extremely interested in my sexuality studies and had lots of questions, but it was awesome to talk to people outside of my program!

**Also we went out for drinks to celebrate the wonderful, Priya Nair's 21st birthday. Priya may be one of the coolest people I have ever met in my life so I hope she has a wonderful birthday weekend. love you gurl.

Friday: We went on a field visit to HIVOs located in Den Haag. HIVOS is a NGO that does advocacy, programme building and funding for NGOs all over the world. We focused on the work they do for women's rights and LGBT rights. It was a really neat organization! We then went to the beach because it meant a lot to my Academic Director for us to finish where we started (we visited a beach in Heemskerk during orientation week). Oh, did I mention that was our last day of classes?

ITS ISP PERIOD TIME. GET READY.

To research and emails,
Alex

 P.S. ICANNOTWAITTOBEINBARCELONAWITHMANDYNEXTWEEK. #spain #22

Mandy: Visiting Family

I feel like it’s been a while, so here’s a post to catch up:

Last weekend I had the most perfect weekend with the Anderson’s in Cheltenham! (For those who don’t know, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson are the parents of my best friend from GW, Phil, and his amazing sister Steph, who also goes to GW). I am so thankful that they hosted me for the weekend. It made me miss Phil and Steph, but it was wonderful to be with their parents! It’s quite phenomenal how different it feels to be in a real home as opposed to my dorm here or a hostel on the weekends that I’ve been traveling.

The Anderson’s were excellent tour guides as they showed me around the town and surrounding areas. As much as I love London, there is nothing like the British countryside, especially as all of the leaves have changed color for fall. The train rides there and back were stunningly beautiful with rolling hills, fall sunlight, vibrant colors, horses, and sheep, of course! We had great food (including lunch at the best country pub - see picture below), successful shopping, wonderful company, and honestly, it felt like I was with family for the weekend. It was exactly what I needed to recharge for now the month and a half I have left abroad. The Anderson family is so dear to me and I am incredibly grateful for a weekend with them - it had been much too long since I had an Anderson hug. And it was so fun to finally meet their sweet dog Nina :)

This week is my reading week, but I still had 2 classes that I still had to attend that were somehow perfectly placed so I couldn’t really travel. So I have spent the time catching up on reading (I suppose that’s what reading week is actually supposed to be for…). But tomorrow I am off to Brighton for a day trip and one week from now I get to see, hug, and dance with the beautiful Alex Copeland in Barcelona, Spain for a weekend that we have been dreaming about since January. My countdown has officially begun.

This week also included the 5^th of November - Guy Fawkes Day! Friends and I went to see fireworks in Southwark and enjoy the festivities.  

That’s about it for now! Cheers! 

Alex: Simply Livin' the Holland Lifestyle (w. a quick trip to Oslo)

Hallo friends & family,

Right now, I am just checking in because I know it's been a while. Also, I could tell you a little bit about Oslo, Norway where I went this past weekend and got to see Sondre, a good friend (who's from Norway) from high school. 

 I went with three girls from my program, Sarah & Lindsey & Charlotte, and they were perfect traveling buddies! I am really grateful that they agreed to go to Oslo with me on one of our 2 travel abroad weekends. I am also grateful that Sondre let us crash at his place, because we had a good time & saved some serious money.

Here are some important facts about Norway that you may or may not know:
1. It's really cold.
2. It's beautiful.
3. The public transportation system works on an honor policy and we bought 80 kronnen tram passes that we didn't actually need.
4. It may be the most expensive city in the world. 
5. Lindsey really likes the idea of a sculpture garden. Charlotte does not.
6. People in Oslo are like Canadian nice. 
7. I don't think a lot of people think 'Let's take a holiday to Norway!' But I definitely suggest it. Especially visiting a city like Oslo and working up North where the reindeers live. I hope one day I can get back and visit the wilderness of Norway.

Overall, it was a really wonderful trip to Norway. We visited sculpture gardens, drank to stay warm and visited the Nobel Peace Prize Center. What an interesting place to say that you spent a weekend in, that's for sure. 

In the second part of this blog post, I would like to introduce my Independent Study Project, which is a big component of all SIT programs. Next week is our LAST WEEK OF CLASSES. No more Dutch class, no more 10-3 in the SIT office and all research all the time. We get the following four weeks to conduct our own personal research to put together our Independent Study Projects (ISP).  I spent 8 hours in a Starbucks on Sunday finalizing my ISP proposal. My topic of study focuses on Netherlands laws revolving around immigration, adoption and marriage policies and how they have changed over time. I am going to use these laws and oral histories of families who were affected by these laws to get an idea of how the legal system can shape the idea of family in the Netherlands. I am hopefully interviewing youth & young adults who come from alternative families that were most likely shaped by Dutch law. 

To find my interviews, I will be starting to volunteer with the NGO, Profor Foundation, and starting tomorrow, I will be teaching children English! I'm excited to have some responsibilities because this semester has really just been about making friends and spending some serious $$$ (which we're all struggling with now).

Anyways, life is good as always here in Holland. Last night, after an evening SIT event, Myell, Lyla, ShaVante, Sarah and I were late night bike riding to go get some ice cream and I had an 'infinite' moment. I couldn't stop smiling because of my love for these people, this city and this moment in time. The thought of December terrifies me. Anyhoo, we have 2 parties for Halloween this weekend (hopefully there will be tons of pictures to document it!) and 2 papers due. Let's hope I can do it all. 

Lemme know if I left something out,

Alex

Mandy: Brussels Delirium

This past weekend Andy and I packed our bags and went to Brussels! (For those who don’t know, Andy has been good friend and fellow theater kid at GW since freshman year and is also studying in London this semester).

The trip there was rough, to say the least. We took Megabus there on Thursday night, expecting to sleep for most of the 8 hour bus ride. But Megabus was not so kind to let that happen. We stopped about 2 hours into the drive to go through customs out of the UK, then stopped again to get on a ferry for an hour and a half, then back on the bus for 4 hours until we got to Brussels at 6am. After wandering around a still dark Brussels we found our hostel and realized we couldn’t check in until 4pm.

We took refuge in a café, where I felt more sick and exhausted than I have in a long time. Andy was a true blessing and ever so patient as I attempted to pull myself together. Then we got our second wind and went on a 3 hour walking tour through the historic part of the city. (Side note, for anyone traveling in a big city I HIGHLY recommend Sandeman’s tours. They are free tours in most major cities and are amazing). The tour gave a fantastic overview of the city – architecture, history, politics, commerce, food, and the guide’s personal love of Brussels.

After that, we checked into the hostel and met 2 other travelers – Megan and Tom. Megan is Canadian and was in her 6^th week of backpacking through Europe. Tom is Australian and interning in Haas, and travels when he can. After a much needed nap, Andy and I met up with them for dinner.  We had so much fun with them! We were all exchanging stories of traveling, and although we had just met, it kind of felt like I had known them forever. After dinner in Brussels’ famous tourist area of seafood, we went to the most famous bar in Belgium – Delirium. The bar has it’s own “village” with several different bars: the main one has over 2,400 kinds of beer, above that is a bar specializing in microbreweries and international beer (with 300 kinds of beer), a café with 400 kinds of vodka, and a bar with 300 types of tequila. It was the place to be! The 4 of us sat at a random table with 3 guys from Moldova and had the best time. Then to end the night we got the famous Belgium frites (fries).

 (yes the name of my drink in the picture is Pink Killer)

 

The next day, Andy and I started the morning with heavenly hot chocolate and cappuccinos and wandered through the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula, which was absolutely gorgeous. Then we took the metro up to the famous Atomium (which I still can’t pronounce correctly) and wandered around there. It was very cool to see the outskirts of the city and we stumbled upon a park that was picture perfect Autumn. After some chocolate shopping, we grabbed some dinner and visited the Delirium Vodka bar and…sampled…some of the products there and ended the night with more frites.

Sunday, Andy got his last waffle and then we went to the Comic Book Museum, which is actually one of the coolest museums I’ve ever been to. Belgium is famous for it’s comics (like the Smurfs and Tin Tin) and the museum showed all of the work and art that goes into creating a comic.

The bus ride back was easier than the first, but still long. We took the chunnel back, not the ferry. The bus literally drove into a train car and we rode along.

It was an incredible weekend, an amazing city, and I couldn’t have asked for a better travel partner ;) 

 

(song credit to Andy)

Mandy: Something Educational So We Can Do Something Fun

Cheers loves!

This weekend was wonderful! My Aunt Margie and Uncle Rob came from Boston to London to visit me! We had a full weekend of museums, music, great food, getting lost, and a few pubs in between it all. 

The educational included:

- Learning how to deal with Tube line closures

- The Ashmoleon Museum in Oxford

- Kensington Palace (now one of my favorite places in London)

- The National Portrait Gallery

- We visited John Snow’s Pub, which is built on the site of the water pump which the source of the cholera epidemic in the 1800s (that visit was fun as well ;)

And as Margie said, now that we have done something educational, we can do something fun!

-      We went and saw Once: A New Musical. Wow, what an amazing show!! I’m now addicted to that music. The set was also a working bar, so the audience could go up before the show and during intermission, which was just so cool! It was a great story with fantastic Irish music. I'm now very excited to go back to Ireland!

-       A day trip to Oxford

-       Seeing Princess Diana’s, Princess Margaret’s, and the Queen’s most iconic dresses at Kensington Palace (the picture is us doing the Princess Wave)

-       Wandering through Harrod’s. I was speechless at how massive, beautiful, and overwhelming one store could be. The Christmas section was such a fairytale.

I am so blessed to have Rob and Margie in my life. It was extremely difficult to say goodbye. The timing of them visiting could not have been better – seeing family was exactly the encouragement (and hugs) that I needed. I love having so much fun with them, hearing of their adventures, learning from them, and hearing my family history. It was very cool to be reminded that my ancestors started in this country and here I am studying in the same place. 

This weekend I am off to Brussels, so next week expect stories of chocolate galore! 

 So you can get a taste of Once:

Marissa: Hey girl, do you work for the government?

Hey girl, do you work for the government? Because you… SHUT. IT. DOWN.

We can’t stop? Oh, but, WE DID STOP.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik1bdoufPt0

I have been working at the senator’s office despite the shutdown. Most of the staffers have been furloughed, however, many still come into the office. Everyone in this office is very committed to what they do and spirits have remained high, with people bringing food and goodies in for each other. The other day, the senator invited us to a wine and cheese break to thank us for all of our hard work.  To give you an idea of what a big deal this was, since I have started working here I have not seen or interacted with the senator. He’s usually in and out for votes, and his office is on the first floor, whereas the intern den is upstairs.

It’s been a unique experience to work during this historical time. Now I can always say I was on the hill during the notorious shutdown of 2013. Also, there was a woman who ran her car into the gates of the white house and then into the gates of MY senate office building.  There were shots fired, and sadly she was killed by the police. Everyone on the capital had to go into lockdown mode. I was not in the office that day, and I stayed home the next day until they actually figured out what happened. So, like I said, this is a very unique experience working at this time.

All around the city there is free food or discounts for government employees! And in some cases, a price increase for members of Congress! 

Last week I got to summarize a house bill for animal welfare and I recommended that the senator introduce a senate version of the bill. My supervisor really liked my report and said he was going to give it to the senator! This made me feel indispensable, because not many people on the hill are overly interested in animal welfare legislation. This gives me more opportunities to do projects, because I’m not competing with the other interns over doing those types of projects.

The other day Hunter and I celebrated our TWO YEAR anniversary! We went out to a fancy restaurant, Rasika, last night and ordered everything. He gave me a card he made that made me cry. And I gave him a deck of cards, and written on each card was a different thing I love about him. <3

I am going home this weekend and will be carving pumpkins and going apple-picking! Hunter is also coming to join in on the fall-family- fun. :D

MIDTERMS HAVE BEEN HORRIBLE.  That’s mostly why I haven’t posted in a while. Anyway…

Hunter’s parents recently went on a week-long cruise that left out of Baltimore, so they were in DC for two weekends, before and after their cruise. We had so much fun – the first weekend we went to Eastern Market and bought straw fedoras, and then went to this place called ArtJamz in Dupont, where you have access to an art studio and can paint whatever you want, and they serve alcohol. FABULOUS.  

Then on the second weekend, Hunter and I road-tripped to Bmore, and we all went to the National Aquarium there. It was quite expensive, but absolutely amazing. I could have spent all day there, just watching the octopus, or the sharks, or the DOLPHINS. THAT’S RIGHT, THERE WAS A WHOLE BUILDING FOR THE DOLPHINS. We watched them have “recess” where they proceeded to throw all of their toys out of their tank. They looked like they were happy, but I admit, I felt a little guilty… Are dolphins supposed to be in tanks? I have been meaning to see the documentary “Blackfish” about how orcas are not supposed to be confined in places like Sea World (and thus, they go insane and kill their trainers). I need to see that documentary and look into dolphin development/intelligence. I know that they are one of the most intelligent types of animals, behind chimpanzees.

Jacqueline and Brian are like my second parents, so it’s always such a pleasure to spend time with them. They even take my side if Hunter and I have a disagreement! Haha!