belly dancing

*this is an advertisement for the type of hot chocolate I previously mentioned-- just put the chocolate on a stick into hot milk, wait and enjoy!*

I've been riding my bike through the city this weekend. On Friday I rode it for the first time all the way into the center of the city, but I chose a hectic time to travel and so almost crashed into another bike or got hit by a car... but I didn't, thanks to extremely low speeds used by all those moving through the city. Although generally it's faster to ride than walk, it takes me a long time to lock and unlock my bike, and so at the moment it's not convenient to ride my bike short distances. But today I rode to church and back-- since it's Sunday I didn't really have to deal with any other people on the road.

This weekend has been fairly relaxing. On Saturday I studied and relaxed in my apartment and then went to a free salsa class, which was a lot of fun. The course taught only the most basic things, but the instructor was so full of energy that the hour long lesson flew by. I wanted to take a ladies salsa styling course, where they teach the women how to flip their hair and wave their arms to make the basic moves look fancy and sexy, but the timing of the course didn't work. So, I was thinking of taking a regular salsa course, but I wasn't that excited about it. Then Felipe (who had told me about the salsa courses) asked what "buikdansen," another class option on the school's list, meant. Belly-dancing!! I immediately signed up. My first lesson is Wednesday!

*fish market-- 3 days a week the square is filled with vendors selling fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, nuts and more*

*fish market*

*Harmonie building-- where I have all of my classes*

a bit random

Tonight I ate rabbit for the first time. It is surprisingly delicious, but I couldn't help but picture furry bunnies with every bite. Nevertheless I finished my rabbit stew-- I am a very bad person.

No classes tomorrow! 3 day weekend!! Which means I don't have to set an alarm-- this is a fantastic feeling.

new bike

The picture is of me in front of a pancake boat, a restaurant-boat which sells (you guessed it!) pancakes. These aren't "normal" pancakes, big and fluffy with syrup and butter, but more like a crepe married to an omelet. You can have a large pancake filled with strips of bacon, onions, eggs, ham, or sweet things like raisins, apples and cheese. On the table, there is a giant pot of stroop, which is like a cross between maple syrup, molasses and honey. It's a nice place for brunch.

Well, I may not be going to Finland as planned. The city where the conference is held is a slightly obscure city, which means that traveling for a two day conference may very well take about two days and cost quite a bit of money. So, various plan g's, h's, and i's are being looked into, since all of the previous arrangements of planes, trains and buses aren't working to our advantage.

Julian is now in Las Vegas, the city of lights and various other things for a civil engineering conference. It's a rough life. As sad as I am that we probably won't talk every night as we usually do, I'm looking on the bright side: I'll be able to go to bed early and get more sleep.

Today I bought a bike. God orchestrated a great blessing by allowing me to meet Zephyr a few days ago, who is flying home to Taiwan and needed to sell her bike. I was quite happy to buy the bike from her-- she gave me a good price and bought me extra locks. She even threw in her "pimp my ride" keychain!

*my new bike*

We met at the train station, which is very close to my house, so I was planning on riding the short distance today and venturing out in short "let's get used to riding in traffic" trips at a later date. She seemed very nervous to send me on my way, continually asking me if I knew how to ride a bike. She had me practice riding around the train station a little while until she was more or less convinced that although I'm not a great bike rider, I won't kill myself.

So I set off on the bike path and was riding happily along until I crossed under the bridge where I lived and realized that the bike path would not lead me either to the top of the bridge or to the correct side of the road. Therefore, I would have to ride into the city, turn around and come back. This meant riding next to and around cars, people, other bikes and dealing with the traffic lights which have separate signals for bikers. It's not too overly complicated, but I was riding alongside people who have been biking since they were 4 or 5 and who ride nearly every day. In addition, I was riding the type of bike with a pedal brake, which I kept forgetting about and so had brief moments of panic both stopping and going. I looked like a spazz at the stoplights, but I made it home in one only slightly shaky piece. Then I realized I have a garden! It's filled with trash and rusted bikes, but it's a garden nonetheless. My bicycling adventure has begun!

*my garden/backyard filled with rotting bikes*

Address

By the way, somehow I have had my address wrong but still received mail. Anyway, here is the correct address:

Leah Overholt
Rabenhauptstraat 50A
9725 CE Groningen

Odds and Ends

*Flag of Nederland*

*Aa-Kerk silhouette*

*canal of Groningen*

*in front of the calliope*

*Dajo and his wife Antonia blowing out candles on their birthday cake (Antonia jumped out of the picture because she was too excited)*

So, it's been a nice week. Last Friday I walked about 4 km through the rain to find a small group for international students, where I met a few really friendly people. We had dinner, sang, prayed and had a quick Bible study-- a low-key but refreshing evening. Then Saturday I spent most of the day with my new friends from Bible study at a surprise party for the leaders' Dajo and Antonia's birthdays. We ate, played games and had a nice time just hanging out. Sunday I went to my first charismatic church, which overall was a good experience. That afternoon I went with Kristina and Felipe to a movie hosted by the exchange student network here, but unfortunately it was canceled after an hour of not being able to successfully play the DVD. Today I had a presentation for one of my courses, so now that it's done I have a slightly easier load of work for the rest of the time here.

After class today I went to a cafe with Kristina and Olga, where I ordered hot chocolate for a warm treat on the second sunny day since I've been here. The hot chocolate was a bit different than I expected, but very innovative. They served hot milk along with a piece of chocolate on a stick. So the idea is that you set/stir the stick with a lump of chocolate on the end, thereby making yourself fresh hot chocolate. The whipped cream also came on a separate saucer. Very build-your-own.

I am planning on traveling to Finland in a few weeks for a clinical linguistics conference (depending on how much travel will cost)- Suomi here I come!

Rainy Days

This is my life in Groningen. I love this town, but out of the 9 days here, it has rained 8. It's not a heavy downpour, but the constant on and off mist-drizzle combination is starting to get old.

Classes

*doesn't it look fun*

Today was the first day of classes here in Groningen. We've only had 2 of 3 so far, but they look promising. They both carry a fairly heavy work load, but it's distributed evenly over 11 weeks, so hopefully it won't be so bad. Here is the problem: in an abstract sense, I think they work sounds ok, even interesting/exciting. But, in reality, I don't feel like doing my homework. I've read one page out of 2 journal articles and lost my motivation. I bought a nice blanket today, so instead I want to curl up in the fluffy, soft, cushiony-goodness and read my book, not an article on aphasia and verbs. I need the study bug to bite me.

Groningen

Here are some pics of the city:

*Martini Tower, in the center of Groningen*

*along the river*

*this is the main university building-- very fancy!*

Welkom

Today was my first full day in Nederland. I got groceries and took a walk to the center of the city. It's really amazing how many people are riding bikes, and with plants, skirts, heels, groceries, kids, guitars, etc. The city is very quaint with rows of Gingerbread houses and cobblestone streets. It's a bit dreary and constantly drizzles, but other than that it's very nice. Here are some pictures from my first walk to the city and of my new home:

*I live on the second floor-the 3 windows belong to my room*

*the desk/table area*

*the couch and alcove which houses my bed and sink*

*the living room type area*

*relaxing by the fireplace/heater*

Goede Avond

Hello from Groningen! Today I arrived safely in the Netherlands, a beautifully green and clean country. It's surprisingly not as cold as I expected. My flights and trains went smoothly, although I wasn't able to sleep. My Dutch mentor met me at the train station and brought me to my house, where I am sublettinga room. I've only met 1 of 3 roommates, but she is very nice and helpful. I have mainly unpacked and slept this afternoon, but tomorrow I will go to the city center and explore. I would take pictures of my room, but it's a bit dark since I can't figure out how to turn on some of the lights. But let me say that it is very large and comfortable-- there is a fireplace, lots of bookshelves, huge windows, an alcove with a bed and sink, a table and desks.

I was very sad to leave the US-- especially to leave my family and Julian. I cried a lot on the airplane-- I was the weirdo across the aisle inexplicably (but quietly) sobbing. I'm hoping they will keep us busy and the time will pass quickly until I can see them all again. I think after we all adjust to me being here it will get a bit easier too.

For anyone who is interested and wants to send me things, my current address is:
Leah Overholt
Rabenhauptstraat 50A
9725 CE Groningen

*this the Nereida's (Julian's roommate) crazy bird who is very loud*

*We got to go to church with Chris and have dinner after with some friends!*

*dancing at Cecilia's with Zuzana and Herbert*

*by the White House after attending (sneaking in) an Annie Liebovitz exhibit*

*at the airport*

♥ ~*~ ♥

My time in America has been completely wonderful. The first couple of days were a bit fuzzy since I was pretty jet-lagged, but I do recall going to my first Rueda salsa class and loving it. (Rueda salsa is dancing with several couples who continuously trade partners-- kind of like a salsa version of square dancing). Then I drove with Julian to Athens, where we visited with friends. We met more friends for dinner in Columbus and then spent the next 5 days in Sidney, visiting friends and family for the holidays. Now we're back in Washington, and I have a week left before I head out to Groningen. It's been wonderful to be among friends and family, although it would be much nicer if everyone was in the same place.

Anyway, the big news is that while we were in Athens, Julian proposed and I heartily accepted. First he drove me to places that were meaningful for us, and at the last place (where he had asked me to be his girlfriend) he showed me the following pictures on his new camera:



After I scrolled through the pictures I was crying and said yes, and he hugged me and told me he didn't have a ring but he wanted to give me a sweater. I was still crying as I opened a large box, inside which I found a smaller box which had an even smaller box and a ring inside-- the lies!!!

Being engaged feels a little strange, but I'm getting used to it. The word "fiance" used to stick in my throat, but it's becoming fun and even easy to say. So, that's the big news. We don't have a date for the wedding since I won't be done in Europe until next November and there are a lot of details to work out. So, I'll save that information for later posts. For now, here are some other pictures from my vacation.

*dinner in Columbus with Daniel, HiuYin, Jarrod, me, Asa, Charles, Jim (and Julian)*

*visit to the Halls*

*visit to the Medinas (here with Gaby and Diana)*

*fun with the Overholt family*

*visit with friends in Athens: Julian, David, Maria, little Karen, Carlos, me*

*Julian and Bartley*


*dinner with Leah V*


*New Year's Eve Toast with Julian and Herbert at the Havana Village*


*dancing in the new year at Havana village*


*Happy New Year!*