DOC in Meppel

10/16/22- 10/21/22

hi, it's amelia! i'm going to tell y'all how my week at the Dutch Orientation Course hosted by Rotary Netherlands went. There were highs. There were lows. There were mids. Get ready :)

Sunday

I don't remember too much of Sunday. I took the train to Meppel which takes 2 hours for me, but the last train I took was with all the other exchange students. And I've got to be honest, I very much dislike riding the train with all the other exchange students. There were like twenty of us, and we don't know how to ride the train so we stupidly got onto the 1st class section, but we aren't first class, so we had to sit/stand in this small section before the seats, right where you first get on. And when there are 20ish of us all packed into a small space, we are obnoxious. There were a few other Dutch people in our area (poor them) and they had to hear us talking loudly in English, Spanish, and Italian. Not a fan of taking public transportation with the other kids. It ruins the vibe. I can't pretend to be a local Dutch. And then our train got delayed, so we had to wait an extra hour which was not so fun.

But, we got to Meppel and went to the school where we were going to have our Dutch lessons. I think some Rotarians gave some presentations, I can't really remember. Then, we went home with the host families we were going to stay with for a week. I got super lucky. I roomed with a girl from Italy Stella, a girl from Brazil Isa, and a girl from France Ninon. We became super close during this week. And Harry and Steineke hosted us. They were an old couple and so so nice and amazing. The first night, we ate dinner and then after, the girls and I watched Mamma Mia! because Stella is obsessed with Mamma Mia! The rest of the week, we listened to music from that soundtrack everyday. When we were getting ready in the bathroom, biking on the way to school, when we made dinner on Tuesday, all the time.

Monday

Monday was our first day of school. The girls and I got rental bikes and biked to school. We did Dutch lessons. Then, that night, we went to the Meppel Rotary meeting. I tried this drink Rivella which is from Switzerland, and it is really good. It tastes a little bit like sprite but kind of gingery or herby. I'm not explaining it that well, but it was yummy. After the Rotary meeting, the girls and I went to another exchange student's house and hung out with the other kids at a campfire. It was gezellig.

** got a flag from Meppel and gave the West U one to Meppel so now they have one from Houston! Also, this is a mental note if I'm reading this when I come back. The president asked us to take a picture of us at our host club back home with the Meppel flag and put it on Facebook #RotaryMeppel haha.

Also! We get ready in the bathroom, but since there are 4 of us, I stand in the bathtub because there's not a lot of space. I slipped in the morning and fell on my face. It was really funny haha.

** our daily mirror selfies. bottom picture left to right (Ninon from France, me, Stella from Italy, and Isa from Brazil)

Tuesday

Tuesday, we had Dutch school again. Not to brag, but I was in the highest Dutch class (i realize that was a total brag.) That night, the girls and I cooked for Harry and Stieneke. Stella made tomato pasta (SO GOOD), Ninon made crepes, and Isa made brigadeiro which I will definitely be making soon. It's super easy to make and so good omg. It's like a thick chocolate paste that you can roll into balls and put chocolate sprinkles on or eat with ice cream or really anything. I was so nervous cause I had no idea what to make. I made a salad. I was going to make spring rolls or gimbap, but we went to the Albert Heijn and the Asian section of the grocery store is so sad. There's like instant ramen, some rice, and some soy sauce and other limited seasonings.

When we got back home, cooking with the girls was such a vibe. We put on Mamma Mia songs and danced and cooked our food. Then, we ate dinner and talked a lot about our different countries, cultures, and how living in the Netherlands was so far. I don't know if this is me overthinking, but I am pretty sure that while the other girls got questions about like the wine in Italy or the cheese in France, I was getting so many political questions. Some of them rhetorical. Like if Russia continues to clamp down on Iraq, it will be crucial for the US to take action. Or questions about presidential and even the midterm elections, abortion legislation in the US and Texas, and the gas and oil industry in Texas. Which that isn't political but like I kind of wanted a cheese or wine question. I don't know, it felt kind of odd. But, like, it just goes to show how much other countries look to the US and the actions that our country's leaders are taking. Many people that live outside of the US have this perception of Americans molded by what they see in entertainment, social media, and the news, so it felt really important for me to explain that these outlets portray a small, niche group within the population of the United States. There are so many American people not seen and represented on the internet. It's kind of funny because when we did training before going on exchange and the Rotarians and Rotex were telling us that we would be ambassadors for our country and for Texas I was like yeah, right okay, but like now I'm finding myself defending Texas and the US on a daily basis. I have a lot more appreciation for Houston and the US than I realized.. but don't tell anyone I said that.

Wednesday

Wednesday was our fun day. The Rotex came to school and set up Dutch language games for us to play. We also dressed up in traditional Dutch clothing. Then, we went to Giethoorn and rode a boat to a small beach. Then, we ate pannenkoeken or pancakes for dinner.

Thursday

Our last school day and we had an "exam game". We freaked out when the Rotarians called it an exam, so they added game at the end to make it less scary. which didn't work. But, we basically had 6 different scenarios and we had to read a small blurb and then talk to 6 different teachers and have a conversation with them. They were things like telling the waiter you ordered chicken and not the fish they gave you, asking a stranger how to take the train from Zwolle to Rotterdam, or asking your teacher for an extension on your essay. It was a little scary, but the teachers were so nice and encouraging, so it was fine. I can make small sentences and kind of understand Dutch sometimes. Some kids were freaking out. There were even some students that cried because they thought they did really bad, but like c'mon, it's just an exam game. After, they let us bike to McDonald's and get food. Then, we watched Encanto in Dutch which was weird.

After school, I went with a few girls to a cafe in the center. I got an iced pumpkin spice latte which did not taste like pumpkin. I also ordered nachos for funsies which is the first Tex-Mex adjacent meal I've had in the Netherlands. Not great. The fries were really good though.

Also, Avery's mom sent her an amazon package with Halloween goodies and she did a little unboxing for us. I also would love a care package sent to me (mom, dad hint hint)

** the nachos looked better than they tasted trust me

That night, we had our farewell party. We had Chinese food. Not lekker, let's just say that. I miss Asian food! But then, after that the kids all went to the gym and put on dancing music. There was drama because an American had the AUX and played too much English music, so the Spanish-speaking kids were upset. They left and one of them stole the disco lights and they were all cheering. And then the music shut off and everyone was arguing. That's when I got a little homesick and started to miss my friends back home. Like are you kidding. Are we really fighting over music? So then the teacher had to control the AUX so no one would fight. Bro. I think this was kind of a lesson that all the exchange kids hanging out for four days is the breaking point. Last weekend we all had together (3 days) was great. More than 3 is too much.

** BeReal of us being confused by the drama. If you see in the background, one of the Rotarians Bas Siebrig has his hands up while all the other kids are trying to talk to him haha so funny

Friday

Last day. We listened to more presentations. Also! Not to brag but I'm going to brag again. I was one of the people who did well on the exams from Thursday! I forgot how much I fed off of academic validation, so this was really rewarding for me.

Also, when the Rotarians were going over the presentation over not doing the 4 D's (Drinking, Driving, Drugs, Dating) for Drinking it said no drinking excessively under 18. All the students were clapping and stuff because of their poor choice of wording haha.

Ya, by Friday, I think we were all ready to go home. On the way back, same situation with the train. We all squeezed into a small space. It was so chaotic. The Spanish-speaking kids were talking super loud across the room, all our suitcases were just laid on the ground in the center so no one could move around to get in or out, and at one point one of the girls got out their ukulele and started playing a song. I always feel so bad for whoever has to ride the train with us.

Okay, that was the week. Super interesting. See u soon!

- Amelia