Adventure awaits

Hello friends, family members or simply curious folk!

After hesitating for several weeks, I finally decided to create my personal blog...... so here I am! :D As you have probably noticed, I left Belgium 3 weeks ago. My new aventure should start in the Netherlands, in the small and beautiful city of Utrecht (for all those you have never heard from this city before, it is situated 25min away from Amsterdam^^). It is obvious that it will be literally IMPOSSIBLE to share all the impressions and feelings I get here during my stay, but I'll do my best to let you participate the most in my aventure!

Sooo, where could I start?! I arrived here the 31st of August, as my Introduction Day was foreseen the 1st of September. Being a Belgian who only had a 3hour-ride to Utrecht, I don't have interesting stories to tell you about my arrival (that also means no hipsterlooking picture from the view through the window of my plane - I'm so sorry to disappoint you folks^^).

1st of September - The Introduction Day! The director of my university gave a speech and all the exchange students had lunch together. On that day I met my FIRST Korean friends (You'll quickly understand why I emphasize this word! Actually it turned out to be my destiny to hang out with Koreans, but details will follow^^) It's also with these two sweet girlies that I made my first sightseeing of the city of Utrecht.

After the general Introduction Day, an Introduction was organized within each department. That was quite cool, cause it gave you the opportunity to meet students who actually study the same as you are! And guess who I met there.... right! My Korean fellows! At this point I could make a little bracket concerning the Korean populace : Korean people are a very friendly and warm-hearted folk. When going out during the night, they do like drinking beer while having a whole meal! By the way, I already had the chance to taste the Korean food! It is spicy and dishes are often covered by a deposit of cheese.

So, that's it - my very first impression of the Netherlands! See you soon! <3

Hey everyone! Today I'd like to share with you my first trip with the ESN. Our trip went to the city of Rotterdam.

Next to Amsterdam and the Hague, the city of Rotterdam counts to the biggest Dutch cities. Indeed, these three major cities, together with Utrecht, outline an area known as 'the Randstad'. This area is one of the most influential and densely populated economic areas in northwestern Europe!

During the Second World War, on May 14th 1940, a German bombardment destroyed almost the entire city center of Rotterdam. The ruins smoldered for days. But rather than sitting down and giving up, the people of Rotterdam set to work. Only four days after the bombardment, they embarked upon the reconstruction of their city, opting to establish a completely new city plan. Moreover, Rotterdam's port is until today the biggest and busiest harbor in Europe. It used to be the busiest port in the world between 1962 and 2004, but now stands on position six - after Shanghai, Singapore and others.

Once arrived in Rotterdam, the whole group made a boat tour on a very fancy boat. After the boat tour we went to the best place one can find in the entire city - the Food market! Man, I can tell you this is literally a food paradise! There you can find anything your heart is longing for. Besides the broad choice of food, the paintings figuring on the Food market's ceiling are also amazing!

In the afternoon we were split into different groups. Within our groups we made diverse activities and discovered the city at the same time. We finally locked the day up in a small "Eetcafé" where we got Pizza. All in all, the day was really fun! Even if I had already the opportunity to see way more beautiful places in the Netherlands, I really spent a great day in good company!

Hey everybody! Today I'd like to share with you the way I celebrated Saint Martin this year. But as some of you maid not be familiar with this event, I'll first give a short explanation of both- the event's origin and the way people throughout Europe use to celebrate it.

The first thing you have to know, is that this event is based on a very particular story: Once there was a brave and noble man named Martin. He was riding his horse, when he suddenly catched sight of a poor man sitting at the roadside. As it was a cold winter night, the beggar was freezing to death. When he saw the man, Martin had compassion on him and got off his horse. He then took his sword and divided his coat in two pieces. After doing so, he gave one piece to the beggar.

The story of Saint Martin is quite known in the European countries and is celebrated each year in the month of November. In each country, people (already at a very young age) use to tinker street lights to carry them afterwards during the "Saint Martin-procession". Obviously there are cultural differences in the way to celebrate this event. Thus I was really excited to be able to experience the Dutch version of the Saint Martin festivity.

The whole experience started in the early evening of the 3rd of November and took place at a big known square in Utrecht. This place was not only filled with stalls selling delicious food (R.I.P delicious Apple cake^^), it was above all decorated in a way I've never seen before. Street lights of any shapes and sizes were spread over the whole square! The scene was breathtaking!

Here an impression:

Besides this fact, the whole evening was perfectly scheduled: several bands and any type of artist came to entertain the people. There was something for everyone - young and old.

It really was an amazing experience; an experience, I'll soon not forget!

Hey! I'm happy to annonce you that I made it to the marvelous De Haar Castle today!

This medieval fortress equipped with towers, ramparts, canals, gates and drawbridges is located in the centre of the Netherlands. The origins of this castle are suspected for the middle of the 12th century. Meanwhile, as a consequence of many destructions, the castle had to be rebuilt. This happened in the late 19th century. It were the then owners (Baron Etienne van Zuylen van Nyevelt van de Haar and his wife Hélène de Rothschild) who initiated the restoration under the supervision of the architects Pierre and Joseph Cuypers.

Concerning the design of the renovated rooms, the Cuypers made use of the most modern techniques of that time. Good examples illustrating this fact, are the installation of a generator for electric current, an elevator and a steam central heating system.

Remark: In total, the castle has 200 bedrooms and 30 bathrooms.

Kasteel de Haar is also surrounded by over 100 hectares of parkland. In order to comply with the Baron's desire for shady trees, more than 6000 large trees between the ages of 30 and 40 were planted. These trees had first to be transported by horse and carriage across Utrecht. The baron therefore bought buildings in Utrecht, so that the latter could be demolished to create space for the transport route (!).

The architect of this landscape park, Copijn, decided to create theme gardens of various garden architecture styles. For this reason, some parts of the park are reminiscent of the gardens of Versailles.

I really enjoyed this visit. It took me back to the glory days of the castle and showed me the splendor that surrounded the international rich and famous in the early 20th century.

Hey guys! I’m so excited to share the so-called ‘Social Inclusion Days’ with you!

The Social Inclusion Days were an initiative from the Erasmus Student Network. In total, more than 500 local associations in 40 different countries participated in this two-week project. The idea was to raise awareness and to provide opportunities for international students to learn how they can contribute to improve society as European citizens. And of course, we (ESN Utrecht) were active too!

Visit to a children's hospital

Our first destination was a children’s hospital located in Utrecht. Since we only had one hour at our disposal, we took the right time to reflect on what we would like to offer the kids. We finally came up with the following idea: as the children have not been able to travel the world, we wanted to bring the world and its beauty to them.

That’s why we tinkered a passport for each child. At their arrival, a photo of each child has been taken (thanks to a polaroid camera) and then glued on their passport. Now the journey could begin! Through various games, songs and puzzles the children had the opportunity to tour the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Greece and Australia. They loved it.

Remark: The entire animation has been live broadcasted in the whole hospital, so that every child could participate in the journey.

This experience has certainly left some lasting memories in my heart.

Bands for the Better

I also had the chance to participate in the second (and for me last) ‘Social Inclusion Days’-event.

The ‘Bands for the Better’-evening was organized in cooperation with the Red Cross. The idea was to provide a fun evening full of music and great atmosphere. In order to reach this goal, four little and unknown bands (composed exclusively by students) took the stage. There was something for everyone!

Parallel to the various concerts, we - members from the ESN Utrecht - also auctioned a large list of useful items. In this way we collected 456€!

Here a little insight in our offer:

· a movie box with 4 movie tickets for Utrecht’s biggest cinema

· 6x tickets for Mula B (Dutch Rap)

· 10x gift card for bowling

.. and many more!

This whole evening took place to raise money for the so-called ‘3FM Serious Request’. The latter is an annual radio and multimedia fundraising event created in the year of 2004. In the context of this event, famous radio DJ’s from the Netherlands lock themselves up in a glass studio for six days. During those days, they eat nothing and just broadcast live radio and television 24 hours a day. The concept has grown each consecutive year and has spread beyond the Netherlands.

The ‘3FM Serious Request’ takes place in the week before Christmas. Its goal is to raise as much money as possible for a charity. This year all the money will go to a project to reunite children with their families: you have to know that there are currently more than four million family members who lost each other due to conflicts and disasters. This is particularly the case in conflict areas as Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

I am fortunate for having been part of such a great initiative!

Hey! The weather is getting colder and the celebration of Christmas is just around the corner. But before celebrating the arrival of Jesus Christ, there is another festivity : the celebration of Saint Nicholas! And this event is actually really a big of a deal in the Netherlands!

Every year on December 5th (No, this isn't a typing error!), the Dutch population celebrate Sinterklaas's birthday. But contrary to Christmas, the festivities surrounding this event are not limited to one single day! It is already in Mid-November that Sinterklaas arrives on his steamboat from Spain. On his long journey, he is constantly accompanied by his helpers, the Zwarte Pieten. The latter are usually colorfully dressed and made up with shiny black faces, curly back wigs and golden hoops in their ears. After Sinterklaas's major arrival date and point in the Netherlands (which is covered extensively on television), the children's friend makes a great entry into almost all towns and cities in the Netherlands.

But what would the Sinterklaas celebration be without any gifts?! It is actually the task of the Zwarte Pieten to climb down the household chimney to deliver gifts to those who have been good. Again, contrary on Christmas, these gifts are not just delivered on December the 5th: any time between Sinterklaas's arrival in November and his birthday in December, he and his helpers may decide to pay a kid's home a surprise visit at night. It is also during this period of time that Sinterklaas pays a visit to schools, offices, day care centers, old age homes and private homes bringing gifts, cookies ('perpernoten' & 'kruidnoten'), candies ('schuimpjes') and chocolate coins to the attending crowd.

Meanwhile, most Dutch families try to have the main celebration,known as the 'pakjesavond', on December 5 . On this day, families and friends get together for the exchanging of gifts. In the case of families with littler children, the parents either arrange a personal visit from Sinterklaas, or they merely ask a friendly neighbor to bang on their door. In this case, a big bag of gifts is deposited at the front door; bag which the Zwarte Piet deliberately left for the children.

The Dutch grown-ups on the other hand celebrate Sinterklaas in a quite different way! They arrange a sort of lottery in which they each trigger the person they have to make a gift and to write a poem for. The poem is a more humorous one, including memorable moments of the past year.

As you can conclude from the pictures above, I had the chance to celebrate Sinterklaas in Utrecht. I first celebrated it in the context of my Dutch language course. There we gave each other gifts and read the poem we have written for our assigned person. Afterwards, I celebrated Sinterklaas together with other internationals and native students. It really was a beautiful evening full of joy, laughters, and of course... perpernoten!

Hey! I think it definitely is worth introducing you to the challenge I accepted last week! And as you can read in the title, the challenge must somehow deal with... food!

After making some research concerning the Dutch culture, I realized that the Netherlands has indeed some very typical snacks and dishes to offer to its international visitors. I therefore decided to start a food challenge.

In practice, I designated seven snacks/dishes which can be found in the Netherlands, and will now do my best to try all of them minimum once before leaving the country. For you, dear readers, it means the following: as soon as I had the opportunity to taste one new Dutch snack/dish, I'll fill up the intended paragraph with information and pictures from the specific Dutch specialty. This will perhaps motivate you to come to the Netherlands and try all of these delicious temptations as well...

I really hope that I'll be able to taste all my designated snacks and dishes! So, wish me luck and keep an eye on this article.

The most popular Dutch sweet temptations :

1) Poffertjes

These beauties you just could admire are called 'Poffertjes'. Poffertjes are small, fluffy pancakes made with yeast and buckwheat flour. They are prepared in a special pan provided with several indentations in the bottom.

In general, these tasty treats are served topped with powdered sugar and butter; but variations with other sweet toppings such as syrup, whipped cream or strawberries can of course also be found.

Traditionally, poffertjes are consumed in fall and winter. You can find them at both, outdoor markets and street corners. I love them with all of my heart!

2) Stroopwafels

The second, but probably most eaten Dutch snack, is called 'Stroopwafel' (= syrup waffle). It consists of two thin layers of batter and a sticky syrup filling in the middle. Stroopwafels can actually be found in any Dutch grocery store; but is also freshly made at local markets or festivals (These definitely are the best!).

Funny fact: Stroopwafels were first produced in the city of Gouda in the 18th century. It was only after the year of 1870 that the production of Stroopwafels slowly started in other Dutch cities.

3) Oliebollen

They definitely are my favorite Dutch sweet temptation! Oliebollen are made of flour, eggs, yeast, salt, milk, baking powder and usually sultanas or raisins. In order to achieve perfection, the Dutch population uses to sprinkle those treasures with powdered sugar.

Traditionally, oliebollen are eaten at New Year's eve; but in practice, people eat them during the whole festive period and even during the whole winter period (I simply can not blame them; they really are delicious^^).

The most popular Dutch snacks

1) Hollandse Nieuwe Haring

The snack pictured above is called ‘Hollandse Nieuwe’ (Dutch new herring) and is considered one of the most popular Dutch specialties.

As you can see in the illustration above, the raw herring is served together with chopped raw onions and gherkins. Naturally, this Dutch snack can also be eaten in little pieces or just on a sandwich (called ‘broodje haring’). Concerning the preparation, it is a very traditional one: the fish is cleaned, the head is removed and the rest is conserved in a special way.

Interesting fact: This snack can only be called ‘Hollandse Nieuwe’ if the fish is caught between May and July.

2) Bitterballen

The so-called 'Bitterballen’ can also be counted among the most favorite Dutch snacks. It can therefore be ordered in almost every café and bar.

Bitterballen are indeed deeply fried meat-based balls: inside of the latter one can find a mixture of beef, beef broth, butter, flour for thickening and spices. This Dutch snack is usually served together with mustard.

The most popular Dutch dishes

1) Stamppot

What you've just perceived is the so-called 'Stamppot'. This traditional Dutch dish, mainly eaten during the cold season of the year, consists of potatoes matched with one or several vegetables (ex.: sauerkraut, endive, kale, spinach, turnip greens and carrots combined with onions).

Over time, variations of the traditional stamppot have become more and more popular. People have started to add ingredients as rocket, sweet potato or mushrooms.

As it can be seen in the illustration, stamppot is usually served together with sausage. Meanwhile it is also very common to see stamppot in combination with julienned bacon or stewed meat.

2) Erwtensoep

This typical, hearty Dutch soup is known as 'Erwtensoep'. The main ingredient of this traditional dish is dried pea (hence the name 'erwt' which can be translated by 'pea'). Adding to the latter, ingredients as potatoes, carrots, onions and sausages are really common.

Historically, this dish was considered a restorative for the brave ice skaters showing their talent on both Dutch canals and lakes.

Hey guys! Because it would have been ridiculous to leave the Netherlands without visiting its capital, my last trip was to Amsterdam.

Amsterdam, the Brussels of Belgium and the Paris of France. Just like their colleagues, the Dutch capital receives yearly millions of visitors from all over the world. Even more... Amsterdam is actually ranked fifth among the most visited cities in Europe(!) That means a lot for such a small country as the Netherlands.

But what attracts all these tourists? First of all, the city is known for its beautiful canals: they pass through the whole city and can be crossed thanks to small, graceful bridges. A second attraction are the, for Amsterdam typical, narrow but tall houses. Here it pays to respond to the historical past of the latter: in fact, it used to be customary to measure the taxes for a building according to its width on the canal. This explains why the then residents tried to build their houses as narrow as possible. Consequently, the furniture was transported through the windows into the house (as it was difficult to transport the latter across the narrow stairwell). Next, Amsterdam is also the city for coffee lovers. Cute coffeeshops can be found in every corner of the city. The last reason why Amsterdam attracts so many visitors is because it contains some of the world most famous museums: the Anne-Frank house, the Van Gogh museum and the Rijksmuseum receive annual visit from millions of tourists. I had the chance to visit the Rijksmuseum (see pictures below).

The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam is a Dutch national museum, situated at the Museumplein in the Amsterdam district "Oud-Zuid". Next to the Asian exhibition, this museum includes large collections of Dutch works from various eras. I was thrilled and walked several hours through this cultural archive. I found it particularly nice to find Dutch landscapes and the everyday life of Dutch farmers in this collection. I would recommend this museum to anyone who wants to know more about the Netherlands, its historical past or its cultural wealth.

Amsterdam - a beautiful city worth visiting at least once in your life.