La la la, geld?!

Ok, I could bore you all with how my Christmas holiday has almost completely started (simple thing to finish tomorrow morning), or with how Just and I are still not being challenged academically, but let's not.

Just and I had the most epic weekend so far here, resulting in many good stories and new concepts and words being introduced in our newly-named 'Filla Flamoes'. I handed in my last major paper on Friday (Just was already done a bit earlier) and that evening we went for dinner with the Politics department profs at the house of one of them. After finally finding the house, we had a good dinner with a few drinks, and Just and I decided to pay a visit to the Union afterwards. Some keywords: Kopparbergs, dancing, Double Jack and Cokes, VETO!, Anything as long as it's a double, Paki women and their friends (thank God for the veto system), ja dahaaag, daaaag, nou, daaaaag, and many other possible things we don't remember. Saturday was spent watching indoor field hockey, and at night I was working.

Then came Sunday... We went out with a few guys from Just's hockey team and it was epic. Accompanied by Rennie, Fergus, Jazzy and Horse (who was very happy with his new nickname 'paardenlul'), we started a drinking spree that was just a bit too much. From Social to Fat Sams, there were beers, shots, double jack and cokes (seem to be a returning thing), and an incredible amount of some indefinable blue stuff called V-Ice. A pound a bottle already quite says enough, and even more so if, after you had 8 of those in 40 minutes, of which 4 were downed, you notice that the label on the back is written in Chinese. The veto system kind of failed, and we ended up at the lamest afterparty ever. Luckily, Just was on a roll, and I almost pissed my pants laughing about all the remarks he made on the people present. Exit Just and Leon.

This weekend led to two new concepts and variations on those, which will stick with us for the rest of the year: Loebas and Flamoes. Verder is alles super hier. Just vertrekt morgen en de 21e ben ik weer terug.

NOU, DAHAAAAAG... JA, DAAAAG.. DAAAAG HE!

What A Week!

I made it back home to Dundee. My flight was delayed an hour and a half, so it took a bit longer than I had hoped for. Being back in the City of Discovery, which really is an outdated nickname, trust me, kind of feels like being home again. It's strange how quickly you're able to adept.

Last week was an amazing week. The first weekend, with my amazing friend Laura's party, was an excellent way to kick it off and see some people I care for. On Sunday, I left for Ypenburg, where the IDL (Instituut Defensie Leergangen) is located, to work with Pax Ludens, as described in my previous post. Three words come to mind when I think about this week: beautiful, tiring and confusing.

The simulation we had set up and during which we assisted and guided the players went extraordinary well. Our Control Team worked like we worked together every day, which was quite an accomplishment. The evenings were filled with drinking beers, talking to the local bartender John, and sleeping short but sound in my little room. Hence beautiful and tiring.

Confusing because that's what being back home seems to be... Nothing had really changed, except of course the fact that my parents have moved, but seeing old friends was as if I had never left. Amazing. Also, my excellent sense of timing, for which some of you know me, has made it even more confusing, but also more beautiful. Don't blame me for being vague, I'm absolutely exhausted :)

This week will be a lot about studying, I have a presentation tomorrow and two essays to finish for the weekend. Although I'm sure I will make it, it is good to know that my professors have already told me that I can get an extension without any problem, due to the fact that I missed a week and they seem quite interested in what I did back home.

After this week, my semester is over. Nada to do until mid-January. Excellent... I'll be flying back to the Netherlands on the 21st again, and I will stay there until the 9th of January, which gives me some more time to meet people. I'm looking forward to it...

For now, I'm back to my presentation... The institutionalisation of peacebuilding is waiting for me... Ouch.

Shame On Me!

I have not made a single post to this website since September 25th. 6 weeks is a little too long, and I doubt it if anyone will actually ever navigate to this page again to see how I'm doing. Oh well, at least I'm trying to keep people updated on my life here (sort of, really).

So, a month and a half of no posts... What have and haven't I been doing? I haven't really been studying. The programme doesn't demand that much work to be done, and I'm taking full advantage of that. However, essay time has started. Two essays and a book review due in a week and a bit. The draft version, that is. Considering the essays are only 2000 words and the book review a mere 800 it should prove to be no problem. I still have the feeling I'm doing well on my programme.

I have been playing a lot of sports. Football three times a week, sometimes four, depending if I make the team on Saturdays (squad is subject to change). Also, Just and I picked up swimming. Great exercise.

Enjoying myself, fully. Parties, drinking, meeting interesting and less interesting people, tagging along to more parties, celebrating Halloween, celebrating every random night you can possibly imagine, chilling, being a couch-cow between 5 and 7 watching E4, daily, more fun, more sports, going to Tannadyce to see Celtic slaughter Dundee United, more chilling, more parties, glowsticks, work work work work work WORK, relax and sleep. Oh how I love sleeping.

Anyways, I'm really starting to feel settled here. It was a great decision to leave The Netherlands and move here. Surely, I miss certain people, but it's worth it. More than worth it...

In a week and a half I'll be travelling back to The Netherlands. I'll be working with Pax Ludens on a simulation exercise for HDV (Hoger Defensie Vorming). 5 days in a hotel, in a place where you have to show your passport to get in. Should be fun. Hard work during the day, relaxing in the evening. The best thing about is that I get to see some people who are important to me again. Also, my parents have moved. The house that I grew up in became too big. I'm anxious to see their new place.

Whoever said it would only rain in Scotland has been very wrong. Sunshine, almost daily. HA!

Some pictures of my room:

Classes (or the lack thereof), TV Programmes, Poker Nights and Foam Parties

It has been another very interesting week. Just is back in The Netherlands now for his operation on his knee, and we're hoping he'll be back and up and running again in two weeks or so. Also, I had my first classes. Turns out that I only have 4 to 6 hours of class a week, but a lot of reading to do... Incredible amounts of reading actually.

Oh, must take note of another amazing Channel Five programme I have seen here before our digital TV subscription was installed... Highlight of the week must have been "Guys and Dolls" (or something like that), in which seemingly half-normal men (except one who also looked like a complete nutcase) talked openly about their sexual- and strong emotional- (no I'm not kidding you) relationship to their life-sized female dolls. Surprisingly, none of them had a lasting relationship with a woman who doesn't always have a stiff neck and a half-open mouth.

Yesterday I went to play poker at the pad of some colleagues of mine I hang out with a lot (same gang, different day), which was great banter. After that we went to a foam party in the infamous London Nightclub, which was a great night out, or so I seem to remember. Surprisingly, today wasn't a very active day, although I did have football practice for two hours tonight. It has been a long summer, but I can slowly feel I'm getting there again (which isn't that high hahahaha).

Anyways, I do have an interesting week coming up. Class tomorrow evening, Champions League Football in the Union with my colleagues afterwards, then Karaoke hahaha, and class again on Thursday. Also, three evenings of working this week, and Sunday, the football season starts for the local amateur league, in which I play with a team of colleagues from the Union. Also, I am solely responsible for iFish now Just is gone, and I will have to clean the tank tomorrow.

For some reason I do not seem to be able to upload any more pictures, will figure it out soon!

Picture Update

As promised, a picture update, but not after telling you about my last week. Last week was Fresher's Week at the Uni, which basically meant a week-long party, during which I had to work several shifts. It was great fun though. Also, Maurits was here, which was amazing, and Just screwed up his meniscus during hockey last week, for which he will be operated probably coming Thursday... Now, I'm ill, the Fresher's Flu as people round here tend to call it. However, it will all be good again soon.

Yesterday I saw the best movie of my life. Channel Five premiered the long-awaited sequel to Legally Blonde, creatively called Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde. Especially the part where two congressmen walked up to replace Bruiser's Bill with a pink and scented version of the Bill had both Just and me crying. Also, we couldn't handle the suspense when there was only one day to go and 15 autographs to collect and it seemed impossible, but it all ended surprisingly well.

Now for the pictures...

iFish


Just and his father


Maurits in Starbucks

Baywatch in Dundee

It's been only two days since my last post, yet it is time for another update. My father, who joined me to Dundee for a couple of days left on Thursday morning, and that afternoon, Just moved in. So far, living together has been quite brilliant. Considering the fact that we have very little to do just yet, our days consist of chilling. Just has the occasional hockey practice and games now and then (my football will only start in a week and a half), and I have some working obligations for the coming week. Tonight I will be doing my first shift in the biggest club of the Union (recently voted as club of the year in Dundee), the Mono. Should be interesting. Also, I'm picking up my good friend Maurits from the trainstation in a hour, who decided to book a flight and come by already since this is his only holiday this year. He will be with us for 8 days. Tomorrow we got a visit planned to the football stadium with a few guys from my work, to hopefully see Dundee United completely slaughter Hibernians, yet when examining the quality in both squads that seems to be a mere utopia.

Also, Just and I found that the appartment was a little too spacious and pimpy to only share with the two of us, so we decided to adopt three extra housemates. Mitch, CJ and Hobie have found their way from the pet shop to a nice little red fishtank in the corner of our livingroom (hence the Baywatch names). We both have to admit that having goldfish has spiced up our appartment a little (I got them for Just's birthday), and seeing Just hug the tank right before we went to bed last night was indeed a truly emotional and heartbreaking experience.

Last Thursday I had my first staff party at DUSA (the Union), which was absolutely brilliant. Imagine a free BBQ, very fun people, pints for a pound and therefore a fulltime drinking experience from 17:30 until 03:00. The hangover was quite killing, but it was more than worth it! Also, the weather has been absolutely brilliant the last few days, culminating today in an almost clear blue sky, a blistering sun, and 26 degrees. Who said it would only rain here?

Pics of our appartment, our iFish (a white Apple sticker decorates the fishtank) and the city will soon follow...

So far...

... so good! I have arrived safe and sound in Dundee and I'm liking it! My appartment is simply brilliant, the city is nice, and the people are incredibly friendly! It seems that everywhere you go and people hear that you are foreign they randomly start chitchatting with you about where you're from, what you're doing here, etc.

Uni looks good. The convenor of my MSc has been very helpful with arranging stuff for me and finding things out, and I'm actually looking forward to starting classes. Also, I found myself a job as a bartender with the infamous Dundee University Student Association (check it out at www.dusa.co.uk), a building which houses four different bars. I just had two introduction days, and met so many cool people that I'm pretty sure this year is gonna be an absolute blast.

My father just left. My landlord is bringing him to the airport now, which is very kind of him, considering that he had to pick my father up at 6:45 in the morning. This afternoon, the landlord's son, who is a teammate of Just (the landlord is his coach), will pick me up and we will drive to Edinbrough together to pick up Just. He's also gonna love it here.

This afternoon I have my first bartender party for all bartenders of the Union (approximately 100, or so I think), with a free BBQ and supposedly quite some free booze. It will be fun to meet these people drunk tonight, and I'm so definitely looking forward to it! After that, there will be an afterparty close to my place, so I should go and check that out...

I'm going back to bed... I was up at 6 making coffee for my father.

Leon

P.S.: Special thanks to one of the neighbours for not putting a password on his wireless internet :-)