Day 3 – Word From the Netherlands!
March 26, 2017
Student reports of experiences have been streaming in all day. From many more trying the raw fish, Haring, to visits to Amsterdam, Leiden, De Rijp, and more, students have been able to take in boat rides, visit museums, perfect their biking skills, play traditional Dutch games (Sjoelen), practice their Dutch language and don Dutch clothing. The faculty had the opportunity to visit Den Haag (The Hague) and take in many of its sites and locations.
Devon reported being able to convince a sales person that he could speak Dutch. Sterling learned how to ice skate. Jerry played Sjoelen. Joe and Luciano ate Haring. Chris and Sebastian visited Amsterdam.
Ivan took a trip to a small village called De Rijp and had this to say: “Yesterday, I went to the little village of De Rijp. In order to get there, we had to drive onto a boat that helped us cross the river because there wasn’t a bridge. The town had a stone road and all of the buildings were made in the 1600s. I also learned that all of the old fashioned windmills were created to pump out water from the land near it. That land is now used by farmers.”
Kobe tried Paling (a fish) a learned about himself: “Tried Paling for the first time. Wasn’t willing to try new things but Sophi (his host) convinced me to give it a try and it was great. So, I should try stuff more often.”
Luciano went to the beach and learned a little geography in the process: “went to the beach. There are windmills in the middle of the ocean and it’s about 8 hours by boat to get to the other side, which is England.”
As the faculty visited The Hague, they marveled at the way cars, bikes, trolleys, scooters, and people all share the same pathways. There are not always clear distinctions between roads, sidewalks, bike paths, or trolley paths. Navigating these areas at times is a bit of an adventure. Oh, and don’t miss the occasional person on horseback.
Tomorrow morning we will all attend school with the host students.
