Hmmmm...

I'm pretty sure this blog is supposed to be here so that everyone can read about my exciting life in the Netherlands and all the exciting things that I'm doing. I really am sorry to let you down, but between this Monday and today, I don't have anything all that exciting to write. It feels nice actually, that nothing all that exciting happened. Exciting things are good, but because there aren't any, it also feels sort of like I'm settling into life here. I'm used to going to school every day, so that isn't very exciting. I'm used to going to running practice, I'm used to the meals we eat (but, I'm still not so used to the cookies, candy, and desserts that I've stopped eating them all the time). Of course, everything I do here still feels different. But most things aren't scary, and I've gotten a lot of the "first time" things over with. For example, though, I still feel incredibly cool and European every time I ride my bike to school, or wear a scarf, or a pair of boots. The point is, I'm getting into a routine, and that's the sort of thing that makes me feel at home.


I did learn a few new things this week though. At running practice, I learned that the girls on the team stick together. If you start a work out with four people, you end the workout with four people. Even the girls who could run twice as fast as me if they wanted to will wait if we started the workout together. The miracle is, the fact that they're waiting for me makes me go so much faster than if they just left me behind. Also at running practice, I learned that the first time you do a circuit of 12x 30 second strength stations, it's not all that hard. But, the third time you do it it's very hard. (Brooke- they do box jumps on three foot high boxes!) And the build up run you go for after that is even harder. The coach always says to me "Kom op, Sofie!" Which is like "come on!" He's nice and helpful, and so are the other coaches. There's so many though, I don't know them all taht well.
At school, I learned that the girls here are really honest and upfront with each other. If someone asks a question about their hair, or the clothes their wearing then they give an honest answer. Or, if they don't like something that someone's doing, they just come right out and say this. I learned this while sitting through a twenty minute argument between some of the girls in this group project we're doing. It was so civilized though. Us girls at home mostly just role our eyes, and gossip about each other. But they just said everything they needed to say, and then the problem was completely fixed. Crazy how that works!

Okay, what else have I done this week? Hmmm...
On Friday I had two girls from my grade over to my house. We made chocolate chip cookies (everyone here wants to try American chocolate chip cookies), and then watched Never Been Kissed. It was a lot of fun, and the cookies were good, of course. I've decided I really shouldn't make any more American cookies though. If I'm going to consume that many calories, then I really should do it through Dutch food, and not American food. Personally, I think that pretty much any Dutch cookie is better than any American cookie. Any day!