Update...

My lungs are currently cleaning themselves out from the last few months total accumulation of tar... it's a very pleasant experience and I recommend to anyone who has not yet started smoking to do so, so that you might also have this pleasure.

It's been busy since I got here. I went to Groningen for a few days before coming to Woerdense Verlaat. In Groningen:
Wednesday: stayed up late, drank some good beer, watched "Sea of Love"(Al Pacino).
Thursday: stayed up late with Froukje and her friends for a girls-only-slumber-party (Luuk had to leave the house and find something to do with his friends...teehee!). We watched the entire BBC version of "Pride and Prejudice", drank wine, ate great snacks, and used facial masks. The party was interupted by the biggest non-tarantula spider I have ever seen in my life. It was as big as my hand for sure, and was crawling around on the wall in the living room, only ten feet away!!! Even in the midst of my own panic reactions, I couldn't help but be amused by the reaction of the group of girls. Every time the spider moved it was followed by a chorus of screams and each girl jumping further away from the spider. Eventually we all ended up on some sort of furniture, and yelling that someone should kill it. No one would at first, then one girl tried and only managed to knock it off the wall onto the floor where we couldn't see it any more (which is way worse than actually having it right in front of you). Finally, Froukje called Luuk and his friends (who weren't too far away), and they came to our rescue, laughing at us the entire time. We finished our movie and went to bed, dreaming of spiders and Mr. Darcy...
Friday: I watched my first theatre production in Holland. It was on the roof of a parking building, outdoors. It was a combined production between a British and a Dutch theatre, and was half in English and half in Dutch. Quite perfect for my first...
Saturday: Luuk and I finally made it to the Martinie Tower (which is where he was going to propose to me but couldn't cause it happened to be too windy that day). Climbing up was a bitch and I realized just how out of shape I am. Last year someone commited suicide, or fell off, or was thrown off, depending on who you ask... it's a long drop. On the way down, we got to watch the ringing of the bells. It took six men to play the chorus! That night we watch "Volver", a Spanish film with Penelope Cruz, at a European film theatre...I recommend it.
Sunday: slept in. Then came to Woerdense Verlaat, had coffee with my new aupair family, and went to bed.
Monday: Up at 7:30! And so it will be every week day for the rest of the year... Egh...
Wednesday: Found out that I might as well have worked for four years to earn 30,000 dollars to buy a horses ass with "diploma"stamped on it and showed that to the Free University, for all my bachelor's degree is worth in the Dutch academic world... If I want to do a master's in psychology at the Free University, I will have to do two out of the three-year bachelor program first. I will not suffer you with my reaction to that...

I have been driving alot, so I'm getting much better. Yesterday I think I kinda caused a teeny tiny little accident when I turned a little late and made the motor cycle, which was trying to pass me on the right, slam on the brakes and slide on the wet pavement. We didn't notice right away, and then it was too late to stop.
The kids are cute, but sometimes difficult, and I can't talk in Dutch to them very well, which makes it more difficult. It's only been two days though, so I shouldn't be so impatient. It takes a while to get used to a new person, especially when that person is allowed to tell you what to do...

Anyway, that's an update on my life. Now I have to finish my coffee and pick up the oldest from school. I still haven't learned to use the motorraft thing, so I have to row across the canal, which is humurous, I promise....
So, cheers to you all. Enjoy classes or whatever it is that you happen to be doing this week...
Ciao.