Well I’m finally home and settled.

I’ve been at school for a couple months now, and everything seems about the same as when I left. It almost feels like the whole time I was in Amsterdam I was just dreaming. It was all one long dream and almost as if it never happened. I think mainly because it isn’t possible to see the people I saw everyday anymore, it isn’t possible to go to the places I went everyday, and no one back home can relate to my time over there except my roommate Pete. Luckily Pete was there on most of the adventures so he and I reminisce.

Although it seemed like a dream that came and went, I’ll never forget my time in Amsterdam though. Everyone always asks me, “How was it?!” All I can tell them are some of the stories or some of the details or about some of my friends. They can’t completely understand though because they weren’t there. But I do always tell the people who ask that it was an amazing time and that I got to meet some amazing people and travel to some amazing places. Each of which is 100% true.

The experience changed my life in ways I couldn’t have imagined. It gave me a different outlook on the world and the people living in it. It taught me that no matter where you go, you can find similarities between yourself and the people there. It taught me not to jump to conclusions about “what you already know” because you probably don’t actually know and you’ll feel stupid when you’re proven wrong.

I met some of the most amazing people ever while on my trip. Each and every one of my friends while I was over there will remain in my memories for the rest of my life. It truly was because of such great people to spend it with that my study abroad experience was so great. Without the people who made the moments, the experience could’ve been much different. I hope to see each and every one of them again someday, and luckily some of us are reuniting in the summer. We’re all meeting at Sasquatch in WA at the Gorge. If anyone ever reads this, thank you for being a great friend.

Also, I can’t forget the places I visited. Some of these destinations like Prague, Barcelona, Paris, etc. have pumped up the travel bug that was already in me. I feel so grateful to have been able to see such beautiful places. Many people dream about traveling to some these places all of their lives and never get there. It makes me feel lucky to have had the opportunity to try the food and see the sights in all of these great places. And of course I can’t forget the nightlife and the fun times I had with my friends.

I was myself when I was abroad, and in fact maybe more so than I’ve ever been without all sorts of environmental factors. I got to learn about what it is that I like and what about me makes me who I am. Coming home a lot of my friends told me they noticed I was different but in a good way. My best friend told me I was different and I asked him, “How?” He said, “I don’t know. You were cool before, but now you’re just cooler.” From his oh-so-eloquent response, I gathered that it was possibly because I was able to talk about almost anything all night when we were hanging out at a bar in my hometown. I attribute this to my time abroad because I was able to talk and relate to people from all over and of all ages. Eventually I had quite a variety of friends that I’ll probably have forever. Though it may be hard to stay in touch, technology can only make it easier and easier.

In as much a happy yet concluding tone as I can express through text, thank you to everyone who made my time abroad such a special time. Know that you contributed to the lifelong story that is Jeremy’s life (yeah 3rd person seemed fitting). Thank you to all the readers of this blog, you kept me writing when I thought it was useless. Now I’ll be so glad for the rest of my life that I have this journal/blog to look back on when I’m thinking about Amsterdam and the friends and fun times I’ll never forget.

Tot Ziens.

Now that my parents’ arrival date is exactly two weeks away, I’m scrambling to re-live all of my favorite things in Amsterdam. Of course I’ll still be here for a few days once they get here and I need to show them around so it’s not “goodbye” quite yet.

Last Wednesday was my last day of volunteering at J.P. Coenschool. I learned a lot helping out those kids. Much more than I thought when I went for the first time. They taught me how everyone has their own views that are affected by their environment, but everyone also has an innate base to be able to relate to another person. Some of the kids even told me I was their favorite teacher, and that was a self-esteem booster. (See picture in the slideshow)

This past weekend, most of my close friends were gone traveling to either London or somewhere else so I had the whole weekend to myself. I re-visited some of the places I’ve been meaning to go back to like De Pizza Bakkers, Happy Corner, and De Beste Doner. I skated for the first time in awhile which helped clear my head and made me feel like I wasn’t wasting away all weekend long. As you can see in the pictures, I decided to make some homemade burritos with the ingredients available at the Albert Heijn. At least in tamed the beast until I can get some real Mexican food back home.

Monday was Sinterklaas’s birthday and we celebrated in the CIEE office and afterwards we celebrated with a group of my close friends here. The CIEE office celebration was cool because they had all of the traditional Dutch sweets and my CIEE teacher, Bonny, dressed up as Sinterklaas (which, if you are unfamiliar with Sinterklaas, kind of looks like Santa and the Pope had a Dutch saint as a love child). The story of Sinterklaas is this:

He was born in Turkey so long ago he can’t remember. Now he rides his steamboat from Spain (impossible) with his white horse Americo and his helpers Zwarte Pieten (literally, Black Petes). Yeah he has little black helpers…

Anyways, after the CIEE celebration my friends had a little Sinterklaas game planned and we drank and enjoyed each other’s company. There were some great gifts in the pile, and we all, no doubt, had a blast.

So far this week, I’ve been mainly trying to get all of my exercises and summaries and anything else together since my classes are wrapping up pretty soon. I finished up my last actual assignment to turn in today and now all that leaves are the finals. They shouldn’t be too difficult and the timing is pretty good too because I’ll be all done by the time my parents get here.

It’s really starting to feel like the semester is coming to a close. Especially because the weather is nearly driving me crazy. (I’ve included a picture of the only nice day that hasn’t hailed in the past week or so.) Everyone is getting things back home settled so it’s starting to become a reality that, yes, you do actually have to go home after this. Personally, I’m ready to go home right after traveling with my family. I am definitely going to miss the fun times I’ve had here, the great people I’ve met, and this place I’ve been living in for the past four months. However, I can also say I’ve learned a lot of the things I wanted to learn since I’ve been over here and I’ve grown up a little. Plus, I can’t wait to get home and see everyone again!

Miss you all! See you very soon! [countdown is at 28 days]

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My trip to Paris was fun and brought back a lot of memories. Memories of high school when I went to Paris and throughout France with my friends and Mr. and Mrs. Holmes. It brought back memories of USC and some fun times I had at the lofts with my buddies. And lastly, it brought back memories of who I was compared to who I am now; it made me think about what I’ve done in life so far. Enough of that introspective analysis, onto the daily breakdown of days leading up to Paris, my time in Paris, and up till now:

Wednesday: Last Wednesday I had an exam in my comm science class. I am sure I did well. Weird way of taking tests though – they put us in a huge warehouse-type room and watch us all silently. Some old guy even moved my hat away from me as if I had written a secret code in the hat. After the exam, Nichole, Denise and I met up with my friend Adam from USC. We hung out in Leidseplein and then I went to Paradiso after.

Thursday: Thanksgiving! I stuffed myself even though there wasn’t any stuffing. Well supposedly there was, but the stuffing I’m used to doesn’t resemble Spam. The dinner was great, though. It took place at an old fort in Nieuwmarkt in the area I guess they use for large parties who rent it out. I’d been using that building as a landmark for the majority of my time here, so it was cool to eat inside of it. When I came back from the CIEE Thanksgiving dinner, I was greeted by my close friends in my kitchen for a second serving of Thanksgiving. (Thanks Alli, the pumpkin pie bars and mashed potatoes were delicious!) All in all, a pretty good Thanksgiving for my first one away from home.

Friday – Sunday: I left for Paris in the morning and when we arrived, Pete and I met up with Manon. She took us all around Paris and by the end of the weekend we’d seen most everything someone would want to see in Paris. The Notre Dame, drinking wine on the Seine, Sacre Coeur, Montmartre, drinking champagne under the Eiffel Tower at midnight when it sparkles, Champs Elysees, a Christmas Market, etc. So I would say we did all of the touristy things. However, thanks to Manon, we also got to see the Paris only Parisians get to see. Manon took us to the park and we ate camembert and french bread, she took us to the best falafel place in Paris, she took us to her favorite pastries store and chocolate store, and most importantly she taught us to use the metro.

* A notable story to tell is that on the last night, we all were at the Christmas market and met some guys in the US Navy. They were pretty cool and we all went out to a bar and hung out and laughed for hours. Talking with them put something into perspective for me. It made me realize how lucky I am to be doing this semester in Europe on my own accord (thanks Mom and Dad), but it also taught me that it’s not the only way to see the world.

Anyways, it turned out to be a really great trip. We got home late Sunday night so I just went straight to bed.

Monday & Tuesday: I had a to-do list, but I ended up not getting too much of it done. I instead took advantage of the time I’ve had with the internet since my internet has been really crappy the past week and a half or so. Pete and I watched How I Met Your Mother for hours and Kevin and I watched Weeds for hours (Both great shows btw).

Wednesday: Today I’m about to go to my very last volunteering day at JP Coenschool. I’ll be sure to take some pictures of the last day so I have proof I’ve actually been helping little kids with their English language skills.

I’m really getting homesick at this point, but I’m also trying to appreciate every last moment I have here in Amsterdam. It’s hard knowing that a lot of the people you’ve become so close to, though, may never be in your life again. I really want to make sure that doesn’t happen with some people, but for others it’s inevitable that I’ll never see them again. I’m still trying to figure out how to deal with that because I don’t want to invest too much in them if that’s the case, but I also don’t want to have already seen them for the last time. In my own opinion, there’s only one sure thing I can do and that is enjoy myself while I’m still here and still with these people. My philosophy is that there is no reason to not enjoy every situation you find yourself in. So that’s exactly what I’m going to do (and have been doing).

I miss you Mom, Dad, and Snee! And Aaroneill, Jakeneill, Con Con, and Poagey. And Peter and Joe and Kevin Wee. And everybody! I hope you all have a good rest of the semester and a good holiday season. It’s been weird not being with everyone during these times in the year when I usually get to see everyone, but I know what to expect when I get home and I’m looking forward to it. Love you family and talk to you soon!

- Jeremy

It’s pretty late, and I’m still not feeling too well so I’ll keep it pretty short -

This past weekend, my friend Manon came out to visit me in Amsterdam. It was really nice seeing a familiar face, and it kind of reminded me of home. We reminisced about funny stories from USC and about all of our friends back home. Still, we’re almost on the other side of the world though. Manon is studying in Paris, and she’ll be there for another whole semester when I come back to LA.

The weekend essentially consisted of me showing Manon around Amsterdam and introducing her to a bunch of my friends. We went to Vondelpark, a couple of shows at night, throughout the city, and we even ate frites at Manneken Pis. She’s definitely missing those frites. It was a really fun weekend, but sadly I didn’t take too many pictures. There are a few to look at, but I grabbed them from my friends. (see slideshow)

I have an exam tomorrow at 5 pm (well I guess today). Luckily it is in the building down the street this time instead of way the heck out in the middle of nowhere like my last one was. After that, I’d like to check out the documentary film festival (IDFA) that’s going on around the city. Then THANKSGIVING with CIEE on Thursday! And then Paris this weekend so Manon can show me around her new stomping grounds. It’s looking like it’s going to be a good (and busy) week ahead. And I’ll be sure to get back on my picture-taking game

Love you family! Miss you! Can’t wait to see you in less than a month!

Miss you all back home! Hope you’re doing well and, in case I don’t get the chance later this week, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

- Jeremy

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A day ago I got back from Prague. All I can say is wow, what a weekend! Being in Prague is like stepping back in time to the medieval ages. It’s called the “city of spires” and “the golden city” for a reason. And my friends and I definitely made the most of our time there. Here’s a day-by-day breakdown of what went down:

Friday – I arrived in Prague for Kevin’s birthday which was 11/11/11. I checked into my 5 star hotel (which I got for a bargain) and trekked over to Kevin’s 5 star hotel. Already a good start. When I get there, we decide it’s going to be a classy night. We went to the cigar lounge and smoked some Cubans and drank a bottle of champagne (our money is strong in the Czech Republic). Feeling like complete ballers, we decided it was best to go all out for the rest of the night so we went to the biggest club in Prague. It was a five story club with a different themed club on every story. It was one of the coolest venues I’ve been to, but the ratio was way off; the crowd was probably 90% dudes (and most were creepers). We called it an earlier night than expected, but at least we kept it classy and didn’t stumble into the hotel at 4 am. I called it a night, went home, took a bath, and went to bed.

Saturday – We did some sightseeing and paid to go to the top of the Astronomical Clock Tower. After climbing all of those stairs though, our stomachs were rumbling so we ate some traditional Czech food. I had a “butcher’s plate” with about six different types of meat and some dumplings. Delicious! That night we went out to the Hard Rock Café. Somehow, I don’t think I’ve ever been to a Hard Rock before (at least that I can remember) but it was really cool. Definitely my kind of place. That night some of my friends from Amsterdam were celebrating Celia’s birthday, but after a long night I was too tired to stay out late. Plus the cold was biting and I literally could not feel most of my extremities. So I took a hot bath and went to bed.

Sunday – Kept it classy with a half day spa day. I got a deep tissue massage and had some fish “exfoliate” (tickle) my feet. It was pretty cheap too because I went to a Thai massage place. Then Kevin, Vita, and I explored Prague some more. That night, we booked a ghost tour of Prague. It would have been pretty tame if had not upgraded to the tour of the catacombs and pre-gamed the tour with some absinth at a fancy, underground pub. Our tour guide was really giving me the heebie jeebies. He was related to R.L. Stein or something. My imagination was running wild and throughout his stories I could picture each scenario taking place because the city is so old and looks its age. After the tour, it was freezing cold and we were all a bit freaked out so we called it an early night. I took a hot bath and went to bed.

Monday – We had breakfast at Café Louvre – a cafe where Albert Einstein and Franz Kafka used to eat. The food was great and the ambiance of the place was great as well. Kevin, Vita, and I rented an old car from 1928 to drive us around the city for a grand tour. We saw the castle, tons of churches, and pretty much everything Prague had to offer. Then they had to fly home to Amsterdam, but I still had till 2 pm the next day. So I went back to Café Louvre for dinner and had an impeccable dinner for St. Martin’s weekend (St. Martin brings in the white winter in Prague apparently and the weekend we went happened to fall on the festival for his arrival). I got a 1/4 of a roast duck with some dumplings and red pickled cabbage. I also, for some reason, thought I was a spy and ordered a martini like James Bond. I probably thought I was a spy because I was a kid in a 5 star hotel room by myself and every time I had to get to the front desk to ask a question I had to say “excuse me” and/or “thank you” in a different language since tour groups from all over were always in my way. Anyways, back to the story. While I was eating my dinner and people watching, a gorgeous Czech girl walked in the door and sat down with two middle-aged women I had been watching for a bit. I thought to myself for a second a decided to just do something ridiculous. I wrote my phone number on a piece of paper along with “I’ll be at Hemingway’s tonight. Enjoy.” I had the waitress bring the note along with three glasses of champagne over to the table, and, as I sipped the last of my James Bond martini, they looked over to see who sent them the champagne. I stood up, winked, grabbed my coat, and walked out. I got a text not too long after from the girl, but sadly she couldn’t meet up that night. She must’ve liked that crazy gesture though because she found me on Facebook and now I have a cute pen pal in the Czech Republic.

Tuesday – Yesterday I woke up in the morning and went to Café Louvre for breakfast (it was across from my hotel so that’s why I frequented it). I noticed some of the waitresses looking over at me while I was reading USA Today and eating my breakfast. They were talking amongst themselves and it made me feel like they recognized me from the night before so I decided to eat quickly, pay the check, and leave. Then I went souvenir shopping for a bit and checked out of my hotel. Then I had to fly home to Amsterdam. When I got back though I felt good about getting back to my room and almost felt like I was coming home. Even though Prague was amazing, being away definitely made me appreciate my decision to study in Amsterdam. When I finally arrived at my building, I realized I was starting to catch a cold so I went to bed fairly early and took some Nyquil.

Wednesday – Today I had class and some chores to do even though I was feeling pretty sick. I got most of my stuff done so I went to Yao’s birthday for a little bit. I didn’t want to go out to the club since I’m sick, but at least I went to PHK for a bit and got to see it for the first time even though the semester is over half way over. (I guess now it’s technically Thursday and I’m going to bed and resting for a long while.)

[Look through the pictures to better understand my weekend in Prague]

(You may notice some of the pictures are not from Prague. They are from Amstelveen actually because last Thursday I went there with Pete and Taira for their class. It’s where the nearest mall is and it’s a suburb of Amsterdam. We also went to the Cobra Museum which is a modern art museum.)

Miss you all and can’t wait to see you! It’s only a little over a month left! I’m trying to enjoy every last minute.

- Jeremy

Lately I’ve been falling into a routine of waking up, doing homework or wasting time on the internet, going to class, cooking dinner (or having someone cook me dinner), watching a movie or a few TV shows online, and going to bed. In the beginning of the semester, CIEE told us that there were going to be phases during our time abroad – the honeymoon phase, a slump where you fall into a routine, another exciting time because you know you won’t see your friends for awhile (if ever again), and one final slump when you get home because you wish you were back in Amsterdam. I can definitely tell which phase I’m in now, and I’m surprised they called this spot on from the beginning. I’m blaming the slump on the cold, gloomy weather. I’ve never had to wear so many layers just to go out and it’s only the beginning of November! Cold and cloudy is not my thing. I don’t think CIEE is correct about being sad when you get home though because I’m excited to see California (and the sun) again. Hopefully, the next exciting phase will come soon.

I have been frequenting some museums and exhibits lately.

Firstly, Museum Night 2011 was awesome! All of the museums in Amsterdam were open late and served champagne/wine/beer and some even had DJs. I didn’t get to go to nearly as many as I planned on going to, but it was fun nonetheless. The video below is a video of the opening ceremony – a light show which set the mood for the entire night. There are also some pictures from the Schipvaartmuseum where the opening ceremony took place. I thought my family would appreciate the pictures of the old ships since Halloween just came and went and my whole house was transformed into a pirate ship like it is every October 31st.

Also, I went to an exhibit about the discovery of human anatomy for a class I’m probably not going to stay in, but it was a pretty cool exhibit. See pictures below.

My favorite museum I’ve gone to lately is the Van Gogh Museum. It was amazing seeing works of art that could be recognized by most of the knowledgeable population around the world. Sadly there are no pictures because you aren’t allowed to take pictures inside (you have to buy prints in the gift shop…), however, there are some pictures of Museumplein and the huge “Iamsterdam” sign there.

I’m leaving for Prague on Friday for my buddy Kevin’s birthday, so hopefully that will bring me out of the routine and jump start the next exciting phase CIEE predicted. I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures and write a nice, long post when I get back on Tuesday.

Love you Mom, Dad, and Sneery! I send lots of love to all my friends and family too! See you soon!

Even though my exams were over, a lot of my friends still had exams last week. So while everyone was studying the building was calm. I just sat at my computer for a couple days and only went out for food. Understandably, I was feeling lethargic and cabin fever started setting in so I decided to go out and be productive with some friends that didn’t have exams either.

Alli, Pete and I went to the Rembrandthuis, which was actually more than what I was expecting. On the outside it looks like a skinny, tall building like the ones you’d find along the canals. Inside, however, it was set up as if Rembrandt and his students just up and left one day. I made paint the old-fashioned way and perused through the gallery of Rembrandt’s paintings and sketches.

The next day Pete and I went to De Hortus Botanicus. The botanical gardens were awesome! A mini hedge maze, numerous greenhouses representing different climates around the world, and a butterfly garden are just a few cool things this place has to offer. Truly one of my favorite places in Amsterdam and luckily it’s just down the road from my dorm.

By Friday, everyone was ready to let off some steam. The ISN Halloween party was that night and I don’t think a more ridiculous group of people has ever biked around Amsterdam (and that’s a VERY bold statement). I was in a skin tight green man suit with a glittery green mask to match – I was…The Human Cave. Enough of that, more of the party. It was such a crazy night and the whole club, Odeon, was packed with people in costume celebrating the end of exams. The night undoubtedly got out of hand for many many people, but it was so fun nonetheless. My buddy Davis DJed downstairs for a couple hours so it was fun till early in the morning.

After a couple days of resting, we were ready to venture out on Monday. Pete and I decided to bring everyone to an open mic night at a little bar called Candela in Leidseplein. Pete played and is one more step up to stardom. Yeah Pete! USC Thronton baby!

Also I got a haircut, registered for classes for next semester, 2nd block has just started, and I had a CIEE meeting today which really set in the idea that I’m half way through. I’m not sad though. I’m really happy because I know that all of the fun times I’ve had so far have only been half of my adventure. Being out here has definitely taught me to appreciate a lot of the things I have back home like friends, family, and (of course) Mexican food. I’m missing California, but I’m enjoying the Netherlands and I can’t wait to tell all of these stories to everyone.

Miss you all! Love you family! See you soon!