school in the netherlands so far

hey ! this post is going to be about my time at school in the Netherlands so far ! right now, school is my favorite part about the netherlands so far. I love my friends and teachers, and every day is fun. i've been in school for about a month now. i'm going to bullet point cause that is easier for me.

- one of the first few days of school, i decided to take a different path home (idk why) and i ran into a bunch of kids leaving a different school and everyone was honking at me. really scary, now i stick to the one path i know.

- second week was the hardest week of school for me.. it was when i was still trying to figure out my friends so i definitely missed my friends back home a lot

- for gym class, we have to go to a different building that is like a ten minute bike ride away from my regular school. no one told me about it, so i asked a girl and she put the address into my google maps. i got lost and was super confused by the roundabouts and made all the wrong turns, so i gave up and got off my bike and sat on the ground for a few minutes. then, i finally got there and missed like an hour of it and when i walked in the gym everyone just turned around and stared at me. it was super awkward, but then a few girls came up to me and asked if i wanted to bike back with them and now they're some of my closest friends :)

- the vending machines have belgian sugar waffles, fruit drop candy, and maltesers.

- there is this one girl named Anna that I met who also loves concerts which is so so exciting. we are going to see the Driver Era together in November !

- she also came to my house and we made heart pizzas yum

- the teachers are all super nice and great and accommodating. my favorite teachers so far are my history and math teachers. history because he's funny (i think.. i don't really understand the jokes he makes but the students all laugh so he must be) and my math because he is my mentor teacher so i've gotten to know him well. but honestly all my teachers are great luv them

- idk if i should say this but i'm going to cuz i think it's funny. i was video calling my friend alex who is in Milan right now and we were comparing how attractive people are in the places we live in now vs back in Houston. we both think that on average the people in NL/ITL are more attractive than Americans, but not many people are like way more attractive than the people in the US.

- people pack up their stuff so quickly when class ends. i usually have my notebook, books, and my laptop out to translate during class so i'm always the last person to leave the classroom. everyone leaves fast so they can get first pick in seats for their next class which is apparently super important

- lunch is always a sandwich. i think i've eaten 100 sandwiches already

- a few girls invited me to get egg rolls at a stand near school during break, but they were closed which is sad.. but i got boba !! it's still not as good as from home tho

- it rained hard for the first time last friday when i was biking to and from school and it was so scary. i had to put my hood on, but that blocks my vision so i can really only see straight in front of me. almost got ran over

- i tried model un club after school. very similar to back at home, debate kids are the same everywhere. they served pie so i think i'll try it again this week.

- we make a lot of comparisons with American politics and society during my classes. super interesting to hear them talk about this from their point of view.

- my schedule is super nice. i start at different times like at 8:20 or 11:00 and then can finish at 1:40 sometimes or 4:00.

- my teachers cuss more casually. i feel like Dutch people in general cuss more.

also this is kind of random, but this is a pic of the hall i have to bike through everyday to get to my backyard. i crash into it like 90% of the time, but yesterday, I made it through! by the end of the year, I hope to be able to not fall off my bike every time i go through this tunnel thing.

overall, i'm super happy to be at my school, scala college. the people have been so great and classes are fun. tomorrow, i go to gym so hopefully i know the way haha .

see u soon,

Amelia