Frozen Food, Visitors and Amsterdam

Week 7 (07/03/16 - 13/02/16)

First week back after spring break went rather similar to all the other weeks so far. I completed my routine weekly shop on the Monday getting my standard groceries plus one extra, sausages. A favourite of mine at home and a staple of the Marshall household diet I bought these with a little bit of excitement. On the same day I completed another successful wash. Go me!

On the Tuesday I woke with anticipation of the sausages and scrambled eggs I would be having for lunch before heading off to class. I got ready and headed to the kitchen to begin the task of cooking. However to my despair I found my sausages completed frozen. Despite my heartbreak I couldn't help but see the irony as a common complaint of mine is the lack of a freezer in my flat. After many exchanged messages with Lucy and my mother I opted to fiddle with the fridge thermostat and hope that they were okay to cook the following day. I quick check before bed and the sausages seemed to be on track and would be on the menu tomorrow. However, once it came time to cook them the next day I found them once again completely frozen. I followed the same procedure as the previous day and hoped for the best the following day. Long story short, eventually after multiple freezing's and partial defrosting's I threw the sausages out through fear of food poisoning.

Nothing happened in class this week that was overly different to what has been happening over the past couple of weeks. However we had another meeting about organising our placement within a bi/tri-lingual school which I am thoroughly looking forward. As well as this within our "International Baccalaureate" class our tutor has arranged for us to visit an international school in the neighbouring town of Groningen that will be happening in the upcoming weeks which I am also thoroughly looking forward too as it will be our first look at teaching in the Netherlands.

I was up early on the Friday to catch the train to Amsterdam to meet my parents, who had come to visit, for the day and night in Amsterdam before we all travelled up to Leeuwarden on the Saturday. Obviously very pleased to see them I found it a slightly odd experience to be meeting up with them in a foreign place. We had a great afternoon in Amsterdam walking the streets, doing the Heineken Experience and of course you can't go to Amsterdam without walking the Red Light District. It was a massive culture shock as you literally go down a side street off the main street and you're there and it's an extremely busy area.

Tulip Market

"I think Amsterdam is to Holland what New York is to America in a sense. It's a metropolis, so it's representative of Holland, but only a part of it - you know, it's more extreme, there's more happening, it's more liberal and more daring than the countryside in Holland is." 

- Anton Corbijn

I think they should go back to the 1963 design

When your parents visit you dine well

We travelled to Leeuwarden on the Saturday and it appears my parents brought the good weather with them. After checking them into the student run Stenden Hotel I took them for a tour of the town surprisingly myself with how much I actually knew about the place. My dad made the fair point that Leeuwarden is actually a very cultural and historical little town. After a weekend of good company and good eating it was time to say our goodbyes and for them to return to the apparently sunny Northern Ireland. 

With St Patrick's day coming up and various placement days I'm looking forward to the coming weeks.

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