Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk

Actually, it's more like coffee and wine.

I really don't know where this last week has gone.  At all.  Buuuuuuuut there are new students coming today woooooo!

Classes are good.  Starting Monday I will have one class a day except for Thursdays, my busy day, where I have two classes.  I know, the stress of it all is too much.

This past weekend, Paige had some friends up from Brussels.  I was sick so I didn't go out much with them.  But on Sunday we wasted a few hours at a cafe in the library.  There are many places to waste hours in Amsterdam.  Unfortunately, I am very good at wasting hours.

Lessons are going well.  I can now circular breathe on a regular basis ( I feel like superwoman).  I'm playing in a flute octet as well which should be fun.  Open day was on Sunday.  It's like preview day but 100 times larger.  

It's hard to believe we're going on our fourth week here.  These past two weeks have been a struggle for a lot of people I think.  The first two were fun and vacation-like.  Now we're trying to get our lives in order and get in a rhythm, which is apparently very hard to do when your mind thinks you are still on vacation.

I went an entire 3 weeks without coffee and then for whatever reason decided it would be a good idea to pick it back up.  Gahhhh addictions.  Coincidentally they serve coffee at the time wasting cafe in the library.  Go figure.  Two of my favorite things.

I think it might be time now to figure out my solfege homework!

Mission Accomplished!

This morning I finally produced a note, and circular breathed, and sustained the note!  

Other than that, the weather here is pretty unpredictable like in New England.  My roommate and I ventured to an outdoor market today where it was pouring rain and whipping wind.  However yesterday it was super sunny and nice outside.

The conservatory is starting to feel a little more comfortable.  It used to be hard to practice because the rooms felt foreign.  They're starting to feel a bit more like home.  Though, every practice room I go into, I do plunk out a few notes on the piano to see if it is tune.  And go figure, every piano in every practice room is in tune.  Its almost miraculous.

The other University kids come in about 6 days.  It will be nice to have more people around.

I've tried french fries and mayo.  I'm not a huge fan.

Tonight there is a recital of the flute students of one of the teachers here.  It should be fun and good.  

I don't have that much more to say except that I wish the sun would come out and play!

American in Amsterdam

Of course everyone was watching the inauguration, but from Amsterdam it was a little different.

A few of us crowded into a dorm room with drinks in hand watching one of the most important days in history.  And I think we all agreed that for the first time in a long time, and especially since we've arrived here in Amsterdam, we felt truly proud to be American.  Don't get me wrong, the Dutch are much more tolerant and accepting of Americans than most other cultures.  Still, every once in awhile, it becomes apparent that people add a little extra layer of judgement on- good or bad.  Today, everyone was celebrating with us.  Even the public library held a party for the swearing in ceremony.  

Apart from that, I'm slowly getting more used to this place.  I hope everyone at Hartt had good IPO auditions.  I'm slowly but surely working up my own set of music.  Classes are kind of an afterthought which is very nice.

This week should  be boring but nice.  Hopefully my Paganini will actually start to sound like music.  To all the people at Hartt, have a nice first week, have fun with your new carpet, and appreciate the fact that you don't have to reserve a practice room before stepping foot into it.

What did the fish say when it ran into the concrete wall?........Dam!

So I decided it was time to get a blog.

I've been in Amsterdam for 2 weeks now and I've learned a few things.

Bicycles are dangerous.  Dutch people are pretty.  Stroopwaffles are death....death!  Cheese, bread, tea, wine, and beer are the only necessary food groups.  Online television is a god send.  Thirty minutes is a short walk, anything under an hour is doable.  Bicycles are dangerous.  Acoustic tiling helps acoustics...go figure.  The dutch have a bizarre transportation system.  Credit cards are not universally used.  Bicycles are dangerous.

Classes at the conservatory are definitely awesome.  Well, the ones I have so far.  Apparently course catalogues are not necessary here.  I'm taking music history with a professor who was head of early music at Paris Conservatoire for seven years!  I feel like I'll learn a lot and have fun doing so, which is good.  I'm also taking solfege... hahahaha.  All I have to say is Europeans are much much better at solfege.  I'm trying to fill my credits, so my new classes may include advanced rhythm or Japanese gamelan.  

I'm really enjoying my lessons so far.  Music is done differently here, especially early music.  Especially C.P.E Bach.  But, I'm slowly transitioning.  Luckily the acoustically phenomenal practice rooms are helping me get there.  

There are so many concerts here!  At least 4 a day on weekdays, about 7 on weekends, most of which are free.  So far, I've been trying to settle in, so I've only been to a few.  

It's hard to believe that I've only been here two weeks.  This place is starting to feel a lot more like somewhere I live.  I can practically walk with my eyes shut to the Conservatory.  I'm slowly but surely finding my way around Dutch pronunciation.  People even ask me for directions on the street.  

Things I will definitely take away from this, even if i were to leave tomorrow:

We have it better at Hartt than we sometimes think we do.  It is easy to take musical resources for granted when you live around them every day.  It is easy to take your sense of direction in a familiar place for granted.  Stressing out is highly overrated.  

So, now I leave to watch Mean Girls with my roommate!