11/7/23
Hi all,
While I have many stories to tell this week, I’ll begin with some good news: all indications are that exam week went very, very well. As I write this I’ve only gotten one result back, (88/100 in Ecology, I'll take it. Could have done better but I studied the least for this one) but I’m confident based on it that the others will go down without much complaint. Predictably, the Dutchies were lackluster in their scores, but that didn’t stop them from sharing in our group chat the second they were released!
Anyways. Good news aside, it was a very exciting week. On Tuesday, Halloween, I was invited by Martin and Eva from church to their country estate Ter Hooge for tea. While there is a castle on the grounds, they live in a renovated oranjerie, the old greenhouse for orange trees in wintertime. It reminds me of a hobbit house, but above ground. The heating is done entirely by the sun (when it makes its weekly appearance) and a huge fireplace, which is full of copper pipes and is a great heat sink.
The family was able to buy the estate in the 1860s because they owned 1/70th of a sugar plantation in Suriname, they told me apologetically. Middelburg was once the center of the Dutch slave trade and there is little, if any reconciliation or information about this. Typical Dutch. For such a small country, they’ve had such a big impact on the world! This was a cornerstone in our conversation, and I’m proud to say that we spoke mostly in Dutch, breaking into English if needed.
While there are many weird Dutch festivals and traditions, I must tell you about one that nearly took place this week. It’s the Headwind Cycling Championships, informally the race up the “Dutch Mountain”. The race is held during windy conditions on the Oosterscheldekering, the 7-kilometer long storm surge barrier on the north side of Zeeland. But here’s the catch: contestants have to cross the barrier, going into the wind, on a single-speed city bike. Initially, I was disappointed as the race was scheduled for the same day as my Ecology exam, but I still have a chance to compete: the race was canceled due to extreme winds!
This was courtesy of Storm Ciaran, the first major storm of the winter storm season. Remember the Kanalratte from the last letter? The Dutchies tell me there can be as many as five of these per year! It wasn’t very cold, but the wind and rain was bad enough to keep everyone inside. My only ventures were to the HZ for my exam and to the Markt for vegetables. I holed up inside and listened to the 110 kilometer per hour winds rattle my windows all day. Such a storm always calls for the preparation of a big meal, so I made bao buns with my fellow American Ethan.
Inclement weather aside, I’ve been busy with the Red Cross as well. We are selling poffertjes, the ubiquitous mini pancakes of Holland, at one and maybe two Christmas markets in a few weeks. I contacted the municipality to see when the city’s holiday market is, and I was assured that there is none– we think something was lost in translation. The guy opened his email with: “Please reply next time in Dutch using Google Translate.” I suppose the poor guy must not speak English, as I tend to assume everyone around here does.
As we’ve resumed our normal 9 to 5 schedule at the HZ, Emil has been forced to wake up at a regular hour now. (during the break and exam weeks he would typically emerge from stasis between noon and 1:00) This was fine with me, since I’m often out of the house all morning anyways. But I get the feeling that he isn’t such a fan of the new schedule. I’ve seen the poor guy go through four alarms before rolling out of bed and out the door 15 minutes later!
I took advantage of sunny but very windy weather on Sunday to visit the beach for the first time in a few weeks and see if the storm washed up anything of interest. And it did: a dead eel and lots of foam! And now I can say, from experience: do not visit a Dutch beach in winter. The sand drifts the same way snow does in Minnesota, except here it knows to blow right into your eyes, nose, and mouth. Considering this, there were a lot of people out for a walk there.
This week is project week at the HZ, where we students are presented with an actual problem faced by an actual organization and told to come up with a solution– there is very little guidance here, and more to follow of course next week. Thanks as always for reading about my misadventures! Until then, this has been the life of Aaron.
Humble regards/beschieden groeten,
Aaron
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11/15/23
Greetings once again,
Last week, the 6th to the 10th, was project week at the HZ, where we worked in groups of students from different programs to tackle an actual problem presented to us by an organization or company. We were contracted by CAS Group NL, LLC to make their “Concert At Sea” festival more sustainable. (Though my first suggestion was to move the event to a less-sensitive location– the idea was not received well)
The coffee and snacks flowed freely in the canteen for this week: fresh fruit, tea, and coffee always available, with a wide range of snacks in the afternoon: stroopwafels, mars bars, cookies, chips, et. cetera. Yet another reason to love the HZ! On a few days I stayed late, and since nobody else was around, I left the building with 12 stroopwafels which now live in my freezer. It’s my understanding that they would otherwise be thrown out!
My group was all civil and mechanical engineers: Xiaoyi, Yehao, and Exuan from Shanghai, Maksym from Ukraine, and Richard from Slovakia. We wrote a report on this issue and prepared a large poster for display and judging. We were beaten by the Dutch group in the grades, who worked on the same project. It’s 1000% because they presented it to the judges in Dutch. Ah, the plight of the international student.
After emailing a lot of companies to see if they shipped in bulk to the Port of Rotterdam, we settled on edible cups and straws, and smoking areas to cut down on the amount of litter that goes out to sea. This whole endeavor was probably just a way to generate some good press for the organizers after some local backlash over the littering issue. I have our poster from the pitch we made to them hanging on my wall now.
Since it has been a while since my last letter, I’ll go over my new classes which started on Monday. So far, there’s no clear frontrunner for worst class, which I’m thankful for:
Integrated Water Management: An analysis of complex water related problems around the world, including the Aral Sea disaster, the situation in Venice, and how the parties responsible have been responding. My personal favorite so far.
Climate Change: A very broad overview of anthropogenic warming and its consequences. I know a lot about this already so it will be an easy class, and an enjoyable one too. On Friday we went on a tour of Middelburg and took notes of climate-friendly parks and streets.
Spatial Analysis I: Mostly examining and drawing maps by hand, and then investigating the areas in-person to see the differences and similarities. We’re studying Neeltje Jans island and the Eastern Scheldt estuary. This class is pushing me towards the Spatial Planning and Design specialization– this will be one of the hardest decisions of my life.
Sustainable Development: More of a long-term project than a class with lectures, notes, and exams. Our task is to find ways to make residents of Goes, the next city to the east, more aware of energy-efficiency options offered by the municipality. And in January, we will present it to the city council! I have luckily made a group with the Dutchies for this one.
And a scant five weeks remain until the winter break, so not much time to get things done! I look forward to seeing snow and hilly terrain the most. Until then, it will be a sprint to get as much completed as I can, since there’s just two weeks in January to get things done.
On our Friday trip to the city center, I learned a nifty expression in the local language. I mentioned to Hidde, one of the same Dutchmen in my Sustainable Development gang, how much I like oliebollen. “Kijk!” he exclaimed, the translation is something like “No way!” or “Hah!”. (Literally: Look, or see) I’ve been confused by this before, now I know.
It has not been all smooth sailing here. As I was cutting up a large bulb of fennel on Friday night, I managed to cut my left thumb deep enough to need stitches. (this was two bulbs for one euro at the market, how could I not get it?) So I walked down to the clinic where they were just closing for the weekend– I felt bad for keeping them there late! I had thought that I registered with this huisarts when I moved here, but it must have been a different one. So I wasn’t in the system, and had to pay €104 for one stitch. Feels like home, eh?
Luckily this should be reimbursed by my insurance, though I’ll have to pick up a note from them on Monday to prove that I’m not trying any sort of fraud. Regardless of where I actually registered, I like this clinic more. Dr. de Bruin may be the most stereotypical Dutchman I’ve encountered yet.
Through the Red Cross, I’ve orchestrated a new service to APV student housing on Thursday night: bread deliveries! Lynne, the legendary “bread lady” of Middelburg, goes around to all the student residences to bring day-old loaves from bakeries for free. This is high-quality stuff, too! Whole grain, seed loaves, raisin buns, and the occasional croissant.
On a recent trip to Ramsburg, the largest thrift store between Rotterdam and Antwerp, I found a lovely print of the Oosterscheldekering storm surge barrier for my wall. I was there to buy poffertjes (mini pancakes) pans for the Red Cross, but as happens when you go to thrift stores, one always leaves with some unexpected find or bargain. Anyways, it’s a great find– I think that the frame is hand-made, and as a student of water management I’m sort of obligated to have this hung on my wall.
I’ll write again when the time presents itself– as you can see, it was a busy week. Thank you for reading and have a splendid week!
Splendidly yours/prachtig van jou,
Aaron
—
11/29/23?
Hi folks,
I’ve just returned from the HZ Open Day where I had volunteered to man the student garden association table and maybe snare some new recruits. I’m able to greet them and say that this is the student garden association in Dutch but they see right through me and switch to English– at least I try! The HZ is very generous at these events with the free food, and I received no less than three sandwiches, two croquettes, several mandarin oranges, hot chocolate, coffee, and lots of chocolate squares.
Near sunset I was on a walk outside of town when I happened upon a couple from Rotterdam who had driven down the wrong path and gotten stuck in the mud. Along with a farmer, we tried to get the auto unstuck but to no success. The ground here is clayey and elastic, and more slippery than any ice when wet. The farmer went off to get the tractor, and since I was cold and muddy I went home.
The stitch in my left thumb has healed and I can cook again with both hands. On Thanksgiving this proved a challenge but I had some minions to do the chopping. I had four other Americans gathered in my apartment, crowded but happy. Ethan, who I’ve mentioned in these dispatches before, from Oregon, Spencer from Florida, and Anna and Liam from Hong Kong. (they’re both American citizens, but have always lived outside the US)
We had dried figs, nuts and olives to start, then disassembled turkey, mushroom, leek and gruyere bread pudding, mashed potatoes, lentil stew, and for dessert apple pie and pumpkin bread. Not bad for a school night! We all stayed up playing cards, snacking, and talking about the old country.
Meanwhile, in school, I was roped into a group project with a bunch of Dutchies without my explicit permission. They took “Well, I’ll think about it” as a yes and had me in their WhatsApp group chat within the hour. I begrudgingly accepted, and I’m making the most of it: our official title is the Joint Dutch-American Consortium on Climate Model Analysis.
Last night I was in the bike garage when I encountered my neighbor Stas and the barber of APV, Mateo. I hear a basic haircut is €5 or an equivalent amount of beer– It doesn’t take much to imagine APV as a prison, with more comfortable cells. Mateo typically did his work out by the canal, but now that it’s cold he’s set up shop in the basement. I find myself considering him over the other barbers of Middelburg, but I get the feeling I would seriously regret it!
I learned recently that I have access to the municipal swimming pool in Vlissingen with my HZ Sport pass, so I’ve been cycling the three kilometers there if I’m not busy in the mornings for some lanes. As should be expected in Zeeland, the place was full of senior citizens. But it’s a palace, like most public buildings here. Four pools, a cafe, 300 lockers, and built-in hairdryers. Certainly the nicest public pool I’ve ever seen.
Finally, we have had a frost here in Middelburg. About six weeks later than I’m used to but winter is in the air now. To celebrate I made borscht and took a nap instead of doing homework. The city ice skating rink in the market square opens tomorrow and they’ve put up a pretty big tree in front of city hall. Tis the season after all! I’ll see most of you when I return to Minnesota on the 21st. Thanks for reading and have a good week!
Season's Greetings/Seizoensgroenten,
Aaron
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