Dutch treats

Its a great time to be in Holland. Its already the holiday season, and the grocery stores are full of new and delicious sweet treats. This is a stroopwafel in my hand - one of my very favorite things about this country. I've also had some tasty cookies, the best chocolate milk ever, and some awesome pies. Mmmm, traveling is fun.

What I'm doing in Holland

Here is a picture of where I am working here in Holland. This is the Tandheelkunde, or Dental School. The building is home to the Biomaterials Department, where I am studying / researching / working. My apartment is about a 5 minute walk from here.

If I'm lucky, I'll procure a bicycle from the department tomorrow. Yippee! The Dutch lover their bicycles...I'm a big fan too. They are environmentally friendly, provide great exercise, and reduce traffic.

Lots more to come about my adventures (past, present, and future)...

In The Netherlands

I arrived in The Netherlands this past Wednesday. The trip was fairly uneventful except for sitting next to this very interesting young lady. She was born in Uruguay, moved to the US for high school and college, then participated in the Peace Corps in Bangladesh, tried out modeling for a bit (before realizing she liked food too much to be a model), and then realized her true passion was studying science and is now studying for a doctorate in biochemistry. Ok, so I made this person up, but I did meet an Austrailian woman travelling to The Netherlands to learn about her parents hometowns. Neat-o.

This is my fourth trip here for research projects. By now, I'm used to it and really enjoy it. Here is a shot of my apartment here - I live on the 6th floor. My place is completely furnished by IKEA and is quite nice.

One interesting story - I went to the neighborhood grocery/convenient store yesterday afternoon and this nice older lady started talking to me in Dutch. She was pointing at some ice cream and I tried to help, but soon realized I had no idea what she was talking about. In English I told her that I didnt speak Dutch and I told her I was "Amerikaanse," Dutch for American, but she kept right on talking away. I don't know why I kept listening, but it seemed to make her happy. Eventually she gave up. Nice lady though.