Hmm, wonder how you say "40" in Dutch?

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I had, yet another, late start again today. (I don't think this time it was my fault. I didn't fall asleep until after 4 because somebody kept ringing me to get in last night. I guess maybe I should meet my neighbors in case it was one of them that locked themselves out last night & needed in. Not like I knew how to work the security thing anyway to be able to let them in... haha). First thing I did once I got up was go SHOPPING! Not shopping for the necessities in life (i.e. groceries, yuck), but shopping for clothes that I probably didn't need, but whatever. I love Europe for the sheer fact of the winter sales in January. I managed to get a coat & a cute top for the equivalent of $60. I don't think that's so bad! Unfortunately, I was hoping to buy a pair of shoes today. Bad thing is, I had no clue how to ask for a size 40 in Dutch. I suppose I could have written it down or just pointed to a sign that had "40" on it, but whatever. I didn't see anything that struck my fancy anyway. Better luck next time.

I then continued to just walk around the city trying to get my bearings as to where everything is. I think I'm finally beginning to get it because I can associate various streets with unique things (e.g. I know I can always find my alleyway because there's a VERY creepy clown on the side of one of the buildings leading into the Heilige Geest.) How weird is it that not once, but TWICE today, people spoke to me in French. What's that all about? I definitely heard them speaking Dutch to other people, & then when they needed past me, they would say, "Pardonnez-moi, mademoiselle." So bizarre. Luckily, I DID know how to answer them. hahaha. I mean if that happened once, I'd just brush it off, but twice is really weird to me. Oh well. If only I could get EVERYONE to speak either English or French to me, life would be soooooo much easier. haha.

Today was probably the most productive day I've had since I've been here. I got over 2 fears - 1) eating in a cafe by myself & 2) going out by myself at night.

I actually ate by myself in public for the first time today, conquering my first fear. I went to a sandwich/coffee shop right by my house & had a panini with ham, cheese, spinach, & tomatoes. Yes, that's right, I actually ate vegetables on my sandwich. (For those of you who know my picky eating habits, I'm sure you're just as shocked as I was). Best part is, I didn't die! Who knew that vegetables weren't just meant for side dishes & salads?! hahaha.

I conquered my second fear, as well. I figured that I had pictures of Maastricht by day, but I didn't have any pictures of Maastricht by night. I aimlessly wandered (like I'm so very good at) & eventually came up a back alleyway behind the St. Servaas Basilica. The way the lights shine off of it truly make it a sight to see. (These pictures don't do the majesty of it justice!)

On my way back, I stopped in a newspaper shop to pick up a magazine thinking that maybe it'll help me learn Dutch better. They had Newsweek in English, but I figured, "hey, I'll pick up the Newsweek next to it that's in foreign language so I can learn!" Dummy me picked up (& bought) the GERMAN version of Newsweek, not the DUTCH version. How brilliant is that? So much for my big plans of learning Dutch through pictures. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

The good news is that some people are moving in tonight & tomorrow, so therefore, I'll soon have some friends to run around with. (Thank God!) Game plan for tomorrow is to get my Student ID card from the law building & then get a bike.

I think that's all for today. Dag!

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Photos

Faculty of Law
The tower at the Faculty of Law, by night.

Grote Straat, by night.
The main shopping street in Maastricht.

St. Janskerk
The Protestant church that sits right next to St. Servaas, a Catholic church.

Comments

[Alice B.]

Flying Solo
Don't feel weird about eating by yourself...it's popular there! What is not popular is going to a movie by yourself in Carlisle, PA, like I did when I first moved. Talk about LAWkward! haha! And yay for people moving!