Orange isn't flattering. And no my hair is not orange.

My motivation to blog right now is at about 20%, but I do it for you, no, actually I do it because I don't want to get "why didn't you blog yesterday" comments.

It is currently 3:41 am and I just (about 15 minutes ago) got home from the bar.

Today was a slow day. I'm sure I was up to some unreasonable hour doing not much of anything last night and as such I slept as late as possible. Unfortunately that meant only sleeping until about 11am. This doesn't sound that early but I've been going to bed around 3am here (I swear, the schedule here is the most ridiculous!!). But I had to get up because at a previous event a student reporter for one of the student papers had approached myself and a couple of the girls I live with about writing a bit on where we live and three things we brought with us or were in our room that were special to us. I guess she does this bit (kind of a UofGroningen Cribs deal) every week. So she was coming to meet us at Noon.

When she came she looked through the three of our rooms, but both girls didn't really have the time to give her for the interview etc. so it came down to me. From there we discussed the three items (read: she asked me questions) then a photographer came to take pictures of the items and me in the room. It was quite fun and quite bizarre. I will be in next week's paper. I'll let you know when the link is up for your reading pleasure.

After she left I was waiting for a girl I live with to come pick me up to go to find some orange clothes for the evenings Dutch Party - aka wear orange party. Sadly, and for whatever reason, she did not show up. Eventually I looked for her but she was nowhere to be found. As such I put off doing many things I had intended to do, but I'm ok with it. After I realized she was probably gone I had a much needed nap. After said nap I made dinner.

At 7:30pm we had a Dutch lesson as part of our Intro Week. It was quite fun, but also not easy. Learning new languages never are. I think I've got some basics but it is always different when people talk slow and you can see it in writing compared to how people really talk when you are out and about. It lasted just over an hour.

After I biked to Jumbo - the grocery store that is also in a football (soccer) stadium, which is attached to a gym, theatre, and school I think - to get some essentials that I ran out of (mostly milk). By the time I came home it was almost 10pm. The Dutch Party at the bar (the Great Pianos) was starting but because people go out so late I wasn't worried about making it there on time. I met a girl in my group who gave me an extra orange shirt she had and then met another girl from my group for some wine prior to the bar.

We sat and drank until almost midnight when we decided it really was time to go to the bar. On our way out we met a few girls going the same way but without a bike so we gave them a ride, here it is very common to see people riding on the back of others' bikes, kind of side saddle. They have a very sturdy back rack which allows for this.

So we get down there and go into a different bar for a cheap shot - not my idea - then go to The Great Pianos for the real party. It was fun but I maintain that the music isn't that great, and it was really loud! And I mean the kind of loud that just sounds like noise half the time and makes you cover your ears out of pain. I ran into a couple of girls from our group and we danced. It was quite fun. I can see how it is easy to stay out so very late when you don't leave your house until 1 or 2am. But I knew better and came home, which was a good thing because when I sat down I could feel my head pound and my shoulders tense, I'm tired.

Supplementary: Differences, food:

• All the foods that now come in plastic containers for us (coffee grounds, peanut butter, etc.) still come in glass jars here. I find this strange.
• Beer is served in such small glasses that I don't really know if it €1.50 is cheap for a beer or if for the actual same liquid amount I am paying much less. Either way I like not paying $7+ for a beer.
• I don't know through what magic they have made their peanut butter but it is like nothing I have ever sampled and something I assure you I will miss when I come home. It is natural peanut butter (think the stuff that separate) but it never separates. It is the most delicious - tasting like real peanuts - but is fairly smooth and never gets crusty and never separates oil from the peanut butter, you never have to stir it. I don't understand, and I'm not sure I want to. The bad news is, I've been eating it like yogurt... or ice cream? I can't stop myself it is so delicious. Turns out I'm going to get fat not from the beer and cheese, but from the peanut butter.

And it is now 4:05am, g'night.