The Beginning of the End

Today was our final Symposium, an event in which we presented what we have learned in the last 3 months of our life. 

It was a beautiful day. 

There is something very satisfying to say "We have survived Oxford!"

 And not only that, but to say that we have grown to love every moment, even the awful this-paper-is-due-in-three-hours moments. This is what it means to be an Oxford student. 

What a wonderful way to end three months of hard work. 

And tomorrow begins the parting of the ways. Some people will be in the States by tomorrow night; others, like me, have a bit of traveling left to enjoy(:

But before I can do that, another short update on the Netherlands!

The second day of my trip was an...well, I guess an adventure, though I feel there needs to be a stronger word than just that! 

I set out that morning intending to find the house that my grandpa Vanderkamp had spent some of his childhood years. I have so many memories of my wonderful grandfather, and I though it would be even more special to find this one house. The house was in Dugerdam, a small cluster of houses just outside of Amsterdam. 

Let me briefly pause. As I had mentioned in an earlier post, apparently I had picked the absolute worst week to come for a visit. There was snow, there was a windchill, it was COLD...

Ok, back to the story. 

I had been told to rent a bike to go find this village, which is what we'll call it. Well, I decided that I would be Dutch and not spend money on the bike. Instead I would walk! There might also have been a bit of fear about completely wiping out on a bike in the snow, but let's keep that on quiet...

Also, having been a cross-country runner, I think of miles in terms of minutes instead of half-hours.

Combine all this together, plus the fact that Durgerdam was many miles away and you get 4 hours of walking in the bitter wind on the coastline trying to find this one house in this one village you think is down this way. 

4 hours. In the cold. bitter. negative degrees. wind. Yeah. 

Well, miracle of miracles, I made it(: And I still have all my fingers and all my toes. By the time I reached the house, I could barely move my fingers to take a picture, but how could I come all this way and not document this moment!! So here they are:

 Beginning the walk, not knowing the adventure that lay ahead...

Nope, not Dugerdam. But very cute(:

At least the sun was out. 

 Ha, one of the only pictures of me(: I couldn't really feel my face at this moment, thus the squinty eyes. 

 And finally... Dugerdam!!! This was the sloot behind the house where my grandpa learned to iceskate.

 You can imagine my relief...

 The house! The second from the end. 

 The ijselmeer in front of the houses.

  I fall in love with water every time I walk past it. This was a great place to live!

 More of Dugerdam. Right on the water. 

The church, perhaps?

Lots of boats!

And one last picture from the back. 

What can I say? An adventure. 

I know what my last name is...but I don't speak Dutch!

And that was the theme of my trip to the Netherlands, folks. I can't tell you how many times someone looked at my last name and then spoke to me in Dutch. Five minutes and one confused face later, they would realize that I actually understood very little Dutch and spoke even less. By the end of the trip I learned to start the conversation with a very American "Hi!"
  
The language barrier aside, I had a phenomenal time visiting the "Old Country." I've grown up with subtle hints of Dutch culture and varied stories of life "way back when," but none of it compares to actually experiencing it for yourself!! The Dutch people are among some of the friendliest I have encountered in my travels; certainly more welcoming than the English(: And for once in my life, my height was average!! One lady commented that "Everything in the Netherlands is small...except for the people." So true.

Amsterdam was the primary focus of my trip. Had I more time, I would have enjoyed visiting far more of the Dutch countryside, but you take what you can get when you are a student!! Amsterdam is a beautiful city of canals, tall skinny houses, and bikes. Seriously, bikes.

This was just one of many "Bike parking lots" as I would call them. As in many European countries, its the easiest and cheapest way to get around- even in the snow. Though I did see quite a few people wipe out. The hazards of the job, I guess. Looking back, I'm very thankful for the invention of the bicycle bell; I would have gotten run over otherwise....

This was just one of many canals in the city. There were boats tied up everywhere- I can imagine how busy the water can be when its warmer out!! And there is something simply wonderful about living near water, no matter how small it might be.

I did a walking tour of the city on the first day (which is probably my favorite part of any trip. Museums and monuments are fun to see, but nothing tells you about the city like simply walking around it). According to the locals, I had picked the worst weather week in the entire year to come. The sudden snowstorm and subsequent -10 degree windchill was a bit daunting to even the most fearless walker. But it was an adventure all the same! My fingers were so cold I didn't take as many pictures of the city, but here are just a few:

The National Monument, built in 1956 as a WWII memorial but is now considered a monument for peace. It depicts a crucified Christ, men in chains, and howling dogs. An interesting sight to walk past every day. 

 The Royal Palace. The Queen usually lives in the nearby city of the Hague, but she can stay here if she wants. Though I wouldn't want to as of this moment. Seriously, I can never get away from scaffolding. 

More of Dam Square. And carriages!

The old English Church, originally built in 1420. The Pilgrims stopped here to pray before continuing on in the Mayflower. 

More houses! These are actually reserved for women only.

One of the many busy shopping streets. 

More later!