First week of classes!

Okay, so my schedule is: Mondays and Wednesdays I have Psycholinguistics, Clinical (or Ethnic relations), and Cognitive Neuroscience, Tuesdays off, Thursday just Clinical and Friday just Ethnic Relations! Each class is just under two hours with a ten minute break about half way. Usually the professors break the week into one day lecture and the other day exercises. So in my Clinical Psych class on Thursday we had an exercises where we spoke as if we were patients or listened as if we were psychologist and try to critique each other on how we preformed. That is definitely something I would not have completed in my home institution due to the large class sizes.

There is a LOT of reading assigned in each class, and this is agreed by everyone on campus. For Ethnic Relations alone, I will have read over 50 articles (1000) pages by the end of the semester. Usually assigned readings are not as important back home because the classes are too large to have a full discussion. There are also almost no tests. I have several presentations due, a paper, a midterm and a final. Unlike back home, where I would have a quiz or test ever two weeks. The work itself does not seem any more difficult then what is assigned at my home university.

Anyways, the Dutch do have different party habits! Tuesdays and Thursdays are party nights but Friday and Saturday are either go home to your family time or hang out around the town.

This Friday I booked my first two trips outside of the Netherlands. In two weeks I will be spending a weekend eating Belgium waffles in BRUSSELS! It is a 3 hour bus ride for about 30 Euros round trip! and the second trip will be to PARIS! For the SAME PRICE (30 EURO)! Round trip overnight bus for Easter weekend (April 22-26). The journey is about 7 hours!
Yesterday I went to Amsterdam for the day with some friends. It was incredible to see all of the tilted buildings and canals, along with the famous red light districts and coffee shop (which I did not have a chance to partake in if you're wondering). I also went to Utrecht Historic Museum this week, which was okay.

 But I must go read for my classes, so I might put some pictures up this week!

Vaarwel!