Pictures!

<-- My Room

<-- Inbounds in front of the castle in Gemert at DOC

<-- The 5 Canadians (It's suppose to be a Maple Leaf)

<-- Traditional Dutch Food. The blue box is Hagelslag which is chocolate sprinkels you put on bread for breakfast...so good. And in the jar is Pindakaas (peanut butter), which isn't really typical, I just think its funny that it translates literally into peanut cheese.

<-- The sign we wrote Harm

<-- The Bat

<-- The Bikes at My school....That isn't even all of them, I couldn't fit it all in a picture.

School!

Hello All,

So school starts tomorrow, I'm very excited. I really like the Dutch school system. Everyone gets to pick a stream of learning that perpares them for the type of work they want to go into. Meaning, I get to take simplified math and no science!

My schedule for the year is

Monday
1 - Lichamelijke Opvoeding (Gym)
2 - Lichamelijke Opvoeding (Gym)
3 - Economie (Economics)
4 - Spare
5 - pluz (I have no idea)
6 - Mattschappijleer (History)
7 - Music and German Liturature...I don't know why together...
8 - Music and German Liturature
Tuesday
1 - Spare
2 - Levensbeschouwing (Religion)
3 - Maatschappijwetenenschappen (Social)
4 - Economie (Economics)
5 - Beeldende Vormgeving (Art I Think)
6 - Spare
7 - Frans (French)
8 - Spare
Wednesday
1 - Spare
2 - Engels (english)
3 - Maatschappijleer (History)
4 - Spare
5 - Spare
6 - Spare
7 - Maatschappijwetenschappen (Social)
8 - Spare
Thursday
1 - Levensbeschouwing (Religion)
2 - Nederlands (Dutch)
3 - Pluz (??)
4 - Spare
5 - Spare
6 - Wiskunde (Math)
7 - Maw (??)
8 - Beeldende Vormgeving (Art)
Friday
1 - Spare
2 - Nederlands (Dutch)
3 - Frans (French)
4 - Wiskunde (Math)
5 - Spare
6 - Maw (??)
7 - Engels (English)
8 - Spare

Today when I went to get my schedule, we had an orientation thing with it. So I was with my class and one of the teachers was talking in Dutch and I sitting in the back corner trying to keep up when all of a sudden I here my name and he points at me, and every turns around and stares at me for a good 30 seconds. It was funny.
I also met a couple of people that go to my school, everyone seems very nice. And the school is beautiful.
Also, the first week in September all of my grade gets to go up to the North of Holland for a week long sailing camp. And in october I might have the opportunity to go to Paris to see all of the art museums.

Thats it.

Doei!

Jayden

p.s. remember! i love comments, so if you have something to say, or just to say hi, let me know your reading and post it!

Back!

Hello All,

I am back from DOC and life in Bentelo is good. Tomorrow I go to my school to pick up my scheldule and meet with my counsler and vice-princepal, then on tuesday school starts! Everything is great here.

Doei!

Jayden

p.s. remember! i love comments, so if you have something to say, or just to say hi, let me know your reading and post it!

Just an update...

Hey Everyone!

I am still here at DOC and everything is going great! Dutch is going pretty good and everyone is really nice.

Not much has happened since I last wrote.

Yesterday we (all the inbounds) went to a Rotary meeting in Gemert, and it was very different than the ones in Medicine Hat. Everyone had to get up and introduce themselves to the club (Hallo, mijn naam is Jayden Lloyd, Ik kom uit Canada. Ik woon in Hengelo.). After that we danced and talked and socialized and stuff.

Three days ago, Sara and I were watching Miss Congeniality 2 while Harm was visiting a client. In the middle of the movie, a bat flew into the room, made a couple circles, and flew out into the hallway. We didn't know what to do, so we just shut the door so it wouldn't come back in. After the movie we walk out of the room to see if the bat was still there. It had progressed into the bathroom. So, not knowing what to do, we trapped the bat into the bathroom and wrote a note on Harms chalkboard that there was a bat in the 2nd floor bathroom, in case we fell asleep before he got home.

After about half an hour, we realized that that was probably not the most curtious thing to do, so I phoned him. Explaining to my host father that there is a bat in his washroom (wc in dutch) is something I was expected doing this week, but he just laughed at us. So he came home and got the bat out.

As I'm writing this, i realized that it doesn't sound as funny as it actually was, but let me assure you, it was absolutly hilarious....

I think thats about it.
I'm still loving Holland.

Doei!

Jayden

p.s. remember! i love comments, so if you have something to say, or just to say hi, let me know your reading and post it!

DOC!

Hallo,

I am currently in Gemert, Holland, which is about 2 hours away from Bentelo (where I'm staying). Which is kind of crazy because its all the way across the country. The distances between places is strange here. It takes all of like 4 hour to drive across the entire country, which is insane, in Canada you can't get anywhere in 4 hours!
So I'm in Gemert now for DOC (dutch orientation camp), to learn Dutch and experience Dutch culture and stuff. And its really cool, I'm living with a Rotarian for a week, his names Harm, and hes really cool, he's an Architect. And I'm also living with a girl named Sara, who is another inbound from Washington.
Today we started DOC, we didn't have any language class, but we went and saw a castle and a farming museum, and got to know our fellow inbounds. At DOC there is 5 Canadians, 5 Americans, 5 Mexicans, 2 Argentineans, 1 girl from Venezuela, 1 girl from Thailand and 1 girl from Japan.
On another note, the weather in Holland is so much different! It's humid here, like you never really dry off. And it has rained off and on for the entire time I've been here! But I like it, everything here is sooo green!
And on another hand entirely(I know I'm jumping around a bunch, there is so much to tell), everyone bikes here. I know that you all know that Holland is like the bike capital of the world, but I always thought people were exaggerating a little when they said that. But no, there are bikes EVERYWHERE! And the bikes are all built for tall people(everyone in the Netherlands is tall), so starting and stopping is not very much fun, I can only touch the ground on my very tippy-toes, so starting I always wobble because I cannot push myself to start going and stopping I cant touch the ground to stable myself when I stop moving, Harm laughs at me a lot.
Ohh! and I almost forgot, my host family got me a clock! and...it ticks! very loudly. The funny thing is, I can't sleep with it! I thought that was funny.

Doei! (informal goodbye, Tot Zeins is very formal)

Jayden

p.s. remember! i love comments, so if you have something to say, or just to say hi, let me know your reading and post it!

p.p.s There aren't any pictures yet, which is kind of sad, because it is a beautiful place. However I forgot my camera install disk at home, so I am emailing my parents right now to see if they can mail it to me! so pictures coming soon!

Made it!

Hello!

I am here in the Netherlands! The flight was very long but i made it. I cannot believe I have already been here for a full day...it feels like much more.
Today we went into Borne and got my bank account set up, got me a bike and a phone. I also got a tour of the Winery (which is very cool) and finished my dreamcatchers with Emy.
I love Holland, the buildings are really cool, and the people are very nice. I really like my host family, and the kids are great. Mart (my 10 year old host brother) is just like Josh.
Tomorrow I am going to my Dutch Camp, so you might not hear from me for a while (depending if I have internet access or not).

Tot Ziens!

Jayden

p.s. remember! i love comments, so if you have something to say, or just to say hi, let me know your reading and post it!

Almost There!

Hello Everyone!

So I have 3 days until I leave for Holland, and I could not be more excited!
Before I leave, I have many people to thank for making this journey possible.
First of all I would like to thank both my Sponsor and Host Rotary Club for making this exchange possible. My Host Families for bring me into their home, and everyone else that makes this exchange happen. Finally, I would like to thank all my family and friends for being so supportive in the past year preparing for my exchange, and for the year to come. I will miss you all so much.

Tot Ziens!

Jayden

p.s. remember! i love comments, so if you have something to say, or just to say hi, let me know your reading and post it!