Jet Lag

Jet leg... let me tell you it's a real thing that wakes you up at 2am, 4am, and 6am every day for a week straight! At 4am you body is certain that it's 10 in the morning but the clock says differently. Thankfully, I am now a few weeks out and the jet lag has subsided. However, I still try and pull that excuse to go to bed early or to take naps, but my friends are not buying it anymore; instead, they just look at me and say, "You've been home for 3 weeks now, get over it #siudwi (suck it up and deal with it)" Experts say that it takes one day for every hour difference. And that is true for sleep side of things. Each day got a little easier and by the end of the first week I was only waking up at 6am instead of 2am.

And then life starts to set in... My sleep schedule has returned to normal, but there are several things that remain "jet lagged." For example, I find American coins very strange; they are so light and frankly I don't use them as often as I used euro coins. Secondly, I can't just call up a friend and say I'm biking over to your place now. I can't bike to the store or the market. Other things include ordering, I have to remember that when I go to order something that I can actually use English.

I think the biggest thing that has been "jet lagged" is the fact that Tuesdays no longer revolve around which Dutch city we'll be visiting this week as a SPICE family. Lately, I miss them all especially more than usual because I am in transition. Transition is a word that I will most likely be using for the next few months as I try and find my place after study abroad and after graduation. I'm also transition from being surrounded by a group of students traveling Europe to being with family in one stationary spot. And then one more transition this week. I'm transition from being at home with family and few responsibilities to a camp where I am surrounded by friends that feel more like family and where my responsibilities seem overwhelming at times. In these times of transition, I find myself missing the spontaneity of my time with the SPICE group, I find myself homesick for a group that it took me 4159 miles and nearly 3 weeks to remind myself that we became bonded by our similar experiences and our need for connection.

So friends that I may encounter during these times of transition. Be patient with me if I talk incessantly about the Netherlands. Bear with me if Dutch words are the first out of my mouth or instead of using the English word, I want to learn the Dutch equivalent. Hug me extra tight if I come and my eyes are red, I may have just bawled my eyes out missing Europe. Push me forward (or off my chair) if I keep talking about de vliegende paard. Tell me to #siudwi if I blame things on jet lag because let's be real, jet lag ended about 3 weeks ago.

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#katiespiceurope
#studyabroad

Katie interviews Katie

Q and A with Katie

SPICE 2016 group

Are you still alive?
-- Yes

Are you done yet? 
-- No

Are you fluent in Dutch yet? 
-- Nee, Ik spreek Engels. Although I did speak Dutch in my dream the other night... zo, ik spreek Nederlands een beetje

What has been the hardest thing so far? 
-- Not realizing how fast time moves. I mean we are already over halfway! I feel like it was just last week that I was stepping off the plane thinking "Alright... I can work with this... They have peanut butter thats a good sign." Everyone always say that time moves fast, but you don't realize how fast it moves until you reflect, and with SPICE we reflect a lot so its pretty clear how fast time moves.

How have you dealt with homesickness?
-- People interaction!! If I'm alone, I'm left to my own thoughts too much. Getting connected with people here whether that be the SPICE group, my host family, or making new friends at church. But, I am a processor so I also needed to talk things through with people who understand my word salad, so Skype dates are a must for me.

How have you dealt with having everything that is familiar 7 times zones away?
-- It feels so strange to say this but things here feel familiar now. I came back after spring break and realized just how familiar it is to hear dutch in the train station. But, I do miss the familiarity of buying things at and walking around Walmart. Spending Saturday or Sunday grocery shopping at Walmart was familiar and that was part of my weekly routine. Now I make my way around Hema or Jumbo after school and that has become as normal as my Sunday afternoons spent in Walmart

What has been the easiest thing to get used to so far? 
-- Having to do my Dordt homework all online. I spend my Monday's at home finishing almost all my assignments for the week.

What do you wish someone told you about studying abroad?
-- How much it will feel like home. How fast time moves. That you'll hear all this advice before you leave and not actually think its true until you get halfway and then you have your realization moment.

What is your favorite memory? 
-- See Dinner Time (My Study Abroad Recipe) blog post.

What do you still want to do in the next two months? 
-- I want to connect my two families. My sisters are visiting at the end of the month and my mom and dad are visiting at the end of the program. It will be exciting to be able to share this experience first hand with them.
-- I also really want to visit the Scandinavian countries!

Why do you blog? 
-- It's another way for me to process things and to see where things have changed along the way. Also, this way I don't have to overload everyone back at home with 4 hour long summaries of my 4 months abroad when I go home in May.

Has anything changed since you've been here?
-- A lot has changed. I've changed, America has changed, my home has changed. My home church NHLC shut its doors, which was heart breaking for me especially since I could not be there for the last service. Elections are happening so thats a big deal! And, I've changed. I think that I've become more independent. I've traveled all by myself and had to realize just how strong I have to be (to fend off the 80 year old marriage proposals), but I also have had to learn to rely on God more than ever.

Do you follow the news back home? 
-- Did I ever really follow news even when I was home? Lol! I think I follow it more now that I'm across the ocean. It's strange to me, but American news makes it in the Dutch papers and on the TV.

What is your favorite thing about the Dutch culture?
-- Hold the phone! I only get to choose one thing? Hmmm... Well, it's a tie between stroopwafels and Hagel Slag.

What other questions do you have for me?


Lord Jesus, Thank you for this opportunity. Please continue to walk with me and bless my time here in the Netherlands.

#katiespiceurope

Excursion #4 - Utrecht

The fourth excursion for SPICE took us to the city of Utrecht, an hour train ride from Zwolle. One would think that I would get tired of looking at the history around me, and that I would get tired of hearing stories about places that I have never heard about, or that I would get bored with the same scenery. Well, the day that that happens will be the day that I stop learning. I hope never to stop learning. I hope that I will always find at least one thing to brighten my day on the excursions and on my trips.

A guy walks into a bar. He looks around a little confused... walk out double checks that the sign says bar and walks back in. He walks up to the bartender and asks, "do you serve drinks here?" The bartender says, "We serve most anything from Beer on down!" The man says, "Oh good, I almost thought this was a church." The bartender replies, "Good thing you didn't walk in a few decades back!"

True story... Okay, well not really. However, the first stop on our Utrecht excursion was to a bar that used to be an old Catholic hiding church.

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A lady, so in tune with the will of the Father that she places her self in a position of humility towards her God for continuous prayer.

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The Dom Kerk was divided in half. Literally, divided in half due to a large storm that caused part of the building to collapse. The bell tower remains separate from the church. When you enter the gardens of the church you might be a little confused and want to start waving a wand around. I felt transported to the world of Hogwarts for a few minutes.

Three hundred and sixty five steps. Thats right. 365. Up and Up and Up. The Dom tower is the bell tower to the Dom Kerk. This tower is the tallest one in the Netherlands. The view from the top... Well, I'll just say that I'm glad there was a fence!

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A tradition for our excursions is to sit, warm up, and drink something (koffie, thee, etc). This café, was built on top of and in the old Roman sector of the city. The basement still holds two Roman pillars. Talk about history!

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The Rietveld Schröder House: Imagine a house that could change. Walls can move, windows can become walls, beds are couches, the ceiling opens up to let in light. And then change it all back. Rietveld was a man ahead of his time. A modern building in the midst of traditional Dutch construction, yet it holds true to the Dutch belief that space is everything.

The City of Utrecht from the Dom Tower

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Lord Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on us sinners. 

#katiespiceurope
#Utrecht

Wat // What // Qué

There are many things that are different from home, not bad ... just different.  Language for one. It is hard enough being 7 time zones away from your family, and then on top of that having a language barrier!!  Here are the thoughts that ramble through my brain.

My host family consists of Esther (the mom), Wietse (the dad), Yoran (the oldest brother), Aniek (the oldest sister), Romijn (the middle sister), and Maroes (the youngest sister). They have been wonderful and very welcoming. They are patient with me and I am with them. Because English is not the family's first language, finding a word is sometimes difficult. I am grateful that they try and communicate in English. And when they do speak Dutch, Esther or Wietse translate for me. For the kids, speaking in English is harder because for some they are just starting to learn English in the school. When they do speak in my native tongue, I am impressed and thankful for a little piece of ... well, peace, knowing that we can communicate. I want to jump for joy when they speak in English.

Despite, this small connection, there are times when I feel completely and utterly lost. When the whole family is at the eating table, everyone is excited and they love to talk. Church was all in Dutch. Random strangers walk up to me and start talking Dutch, asking directions. I feel frustrated that I don't know the language.  I have to focus twice as hard to try and pick up on other non verbal cues to know where the conversation is going.

However, during the 6 days I have been in the Netherlands, I have picked up several words. My peers say the same.  I am amazed at what our brains are capable of. My host family is a huge help (and so is Google translate). I learned numbers by playing games with my host sisters: Een, twee, drie, vier, vijf. They taught me the Dutch alphabet while drawing pictures. I am also working on reading Dutch (even if I can't understand it yet) by reading children's books and reading everything in sight. The family says I am doing "goed." Dank u wel! But, its so hard and I often feel inadequate like I am butchering their language. If at first you don't succeed try again! I keep trying because I want to communicate in their native tongue to show my appreciation for their hospitality. It seems early to be thanking them for their hospitality, but the first few days are critical - the adjustment period - so I guess its not premature. Pretty soon, I hope to jump for joy when I learn more Dutch!

Lord God Almighty, Thank you for your protection and guidance. Thank you for creating each one of us unique and in your image. Thank you for language and the means to communicate. May your name be praised by every tongue and nation.  Amen  //  Revelation 7:9

#katiespiceurope
#languagebarriers