I've arrived! At 4:50 am this morning I left the comfort of my bed in Copenhagen to begin my busy day of travels to the Netherlands for my study tour as a part of my class.
I still don't really get if it's proper to call it the Netherlands or Holland? If anyone knows... please inform me. When I asked some Danish people they were so confused as to why I would ever call it the Netherlands. Here they say Holland but I've also heard people say that Holland is a specific part of the Netherlands. So yeah, I'm very confused.
For most of the plane ride I tried to sleep. Unfortunately for me it was extremely unsuccessful and my neck just felt kinked the whole time. I am really exhausted now as I'm typing this. Flying over the Netherlands I saw a ton of fields and even more cows. Each little plot has upwards of 50 cows which is crazy. We landed in Amsterdam and got a nice coach bus to Utrecht where we will be staying for two nights (out of 4). Utrecht seems very industrialized (from what i've seen thus far). Unlike Copenhagen there are not as many cute shops or cafes. I'm sure this won't be the case when we next go to Amsterdam. I'm sure my opinion will change after a day or two here.
We had lunch at a wonderful restaurant called Harbour. Two meals a day are included from our program on our study tour.... and they definitely didn't skimp on the quality of food. We had huge sandwiches (that had 3 layers of bread with various veggies, cheeses, meats, and egg in it). We then got fries, tea, brownies, cheesecake, and coffee. Let me just say that fries here are way better than in the US. When they get cold they stay crunchy which is way more appetizing than soggy cold fries.
Next we went on a field visit to the GGD (pronounced Che Che Deh). There are 26 of these preventative health centers in the Netherlands and combined they serve about 16 million people. They are run by the government and focus on all areas of prevention (TB, sexual health, vaccinations, environment, obesity, etc). Six different workers talked to us about their jobs and what they do specifically in the GGD. It was really interactive and fun. We also got a TON of free stuff. People in Europe are SO generous when it comes to trying to please a crowd. We got free hats, jump ropes (part of activity), mints, candy, key chains, portable cellphone/iPod chargers/camera charger, bike seat cover (a MUST in northern Europe), drinks, notepads, pens, and more. A highlight was the cheese platter....... great cheese. I applaud you, Netherlands.
Now I'm sitting on my bed blogging as my assigned roommate sleeps in the bed that is set up directly next to mine. Were basically sleeping in one big bed which is a little too close for my comfort. I guess theres no such thing as having two non-touching beds which is okay.... but I literally have never met her before. I'll make do.
I can't say what's on the agenda for tonight. I'm extremely exhausted and were all stuffed to the max.
