I just can't decide which sounds shorter: 14 days or 2 weeks.... I actaully think it are the 14 days that sound shorter (to me of course, I don't know about you).
Tomorrow it will be only 13 more days and it sounds like a century shorter than 14 days! (notice the hyperbole?)
Today was quite a short day: re-examination, 2 hours of class (and during one of these hours I received my insurance card - school arranges an insurance for us during this work experience ^^) and then I had to go to Leiden to receive my certificate for the LAPP-top program Russian Studies, and after I came home I sat behind my laptop and ordered my Oyster Card!
Okay, to begin with: I'm really starting to dislike paying over the internet to British/American countries! They're so obsessed with creditcards!
At first I tried to order my Oyster Card via the official website, and it said you could pay with a Maestro card, so I was really happy "Yay, finally no creditcard!". But then the website claimed my card number was invalid, so I called my bank's customer service (thank you by the way for enlighting me!) and the guy on the phone said there's also a credit card version of a Maestro card and that that's the card they probably accept. "Yay! I can't pay on this website!"
Seriously, why are they so into credit cards? They're no good: what makes people think that if they can't buy something now, they later might have the money to pay it? So they get a credit card and pay back the credit later. If you don't have the money, just don't buy it or do it later!
Well, after the credit-card flop, Google quickly had ours paths cross with that of http://www.visitbritain.com/nl/NL/. Thankfully here they also offered Oyster cards ánd it was possible to pay with iDEAL ("Yay for visitbritain.com.nl!").
So I ordered my card and that's where the Oyster story ends! I really wonder how they thought that name up... "Oyster" card... What does it stand for? Guess Google will tell me someday.
Besides that, my dad also rang to Scotland, to the Student Accomodation something of Stirling uni, to be precise.
You see, we received information about accomodation from the person in Stirling organizing our visit there and it turned out it was possible to stay overnight in a student dorm! Great, right? We figured we'd do that, because it would be an amazing experience!
So as I said, my dad called to arrange it this morning, but then he was told he couldn't stay there, because he is not a possible applicant.
Which leaves me in a dillemma, there are two options:
- My dad and I stay in a B&B
- I stay in a student dorm and my dad stays in a B&B
I really do not know what to decide. I'd love to experience what it's like to sleep in such a student dorm, but it also feels so stupid to go on a trip with my dad and then stay in separate places.
My mom says that maybe I should just go for the student dorm, because who knows whether I'll even end up studying there?
What would you do? Because I really can't make up my mind and we have to decide soon. Preferably tomorrow....
I'll keep you posted,
donderdag 26 april 2012
woensdag 25 april 2012
GLOBE Workbook
Well hello lovely people from planet Earth,
Today we received the GLOBE workbook (pictured above) at school, which is a workbook in which we'll have to fill in assignments when we are abroad for our work experiences, and I find it quite an odd workbook.
I have made some photographs of my favourite quotes.
First of all, when I arrive at Michael O'Mara Books I should walk straight past Madeleine or whoever will be waiting for me, to see where the emergency exits are and what the evacuation plans are. I will not leave to say hello and introduce myself until I have studied all the exits and plans carefully and know them by heart.
I will have to know them by heart, because school is going to check up on whether we do: some pages later in the workbook it is required to fill in if I saw these safety rules and if so, what they were.
Besides that, school encourages us not to be afraid to be emotional or feeling whatever. They've even demanded that we document the feelings we have on the first day (after we had to work) and after the last day of work.
It all comes across to me as kind of silly, but whatever. It's required to put effort into filling in the workbook because if not, you won't get a sufficient for your work experience (yes, it will get marked).
What I didn't tell you before is that we will also have to give a presentation about it on the 7th of June. To my surprise (and slight disappointment, as it is the first presentation ever I looked forward to giving) the presentation ought to be just 10 minutes. Last year we, when we were in year 4, had to listen to four presentations from people who had been on work experience, but I think those presentations were each at least 20 minutes! I don't know how you can include it all in just 10!
Well, before I go, one last "tip" from the workbook:
I'll keep you posted,
I have made some photographs of my favourite quotes.
First of all, when I arrive at Michael O'Mara Books I should walk straight past Madeleine or whoever will be waiting for me, to see where the emergency exits are and what the evacuation plans are. I will not leave to say hello and introduce myself until I have studied all the exits and plans carefully and know them by heart.
Besides that, school encourages us not to be afraid to be emotional or feeling whatever. They've even demanded that we document the feelings we have on the first day (after we had to work) and after the last day of work.
It all comes across to me as kind of silly, but whatever. It's required to put effort into filling in the workbook because if not, you won't get a sufficient for your work experience (yes, it will get marked).
What I didn't tell you before is that we will also have to give a presentation about it on the 7th of June. To my surprise (and slight disappointment, as it is the first presentation ever I looked forward to giving) the presentation ought to be just 10 minutes. Last year we, when we were in year 4, had to listen to four presentations from people who had been on work experience, but I think those presentations were each at least 20 minutes! I don't know how you can include it all in just 10!
Well, before I go, one last "tip" from the workbook:
I'll keep you posted,
vrijdag 20 april 2012
20 days!
Yes, you read it right: only 20 more days until take-off! So far time has been flying by and on the 10th of May I'll be doing the same!
I thought it was about time to give you another update on the process so far, so here it is!
Tonight my dad had a Skype-conversation with Amanda (Tom is currently in Toronto so he wasn't available) to talk things through about when we would be arriving in London, and so on, and so on. I don't exactly know what else they discussed.
At some point they had me come into the room as well to join the conversation because Amanda wanted to know what I usually eat for breakfast.
She actually turned out nicer than I had anticipated (in the emails she was a bit... short of words is perhaps the way to put it). So that's good!
Amanda and Tom would like us to bring a 'good-sized chunk' (I think that's how she said it :P) of Old Amsterdam (which is a cheese). Apparently it is possible to carry cheese with you for two-three days without refrigerating it. This remains a riddle to me, but if my dad says it's possible I'll just believe him (a girl's got to be able to believe her dad, right?).
But, considering I'm from the cheese-country ánd they want us to bring cheese with us, I bought this goodie for them that I found the other day. Matches the Dutch cheese, don't you think?
Think they'll appreciate it?
Well, either way, I do think it's fun to give and it looks nice (and Dutch :P).
So after the talk with Amanda our plans regarding our ROADTRIP have changed a little bit. This is what our three days will probably be like:
- Thursday 10 May: arrive at Edingburgh airport, rent a car, drive to Dundee, visit uni, take a stroll through the city, drive to Stirling to sleep at an accommodation at the campus of the uni!
- Friday 11 May: wake up lazily and take a stroll through the city, back to the uni for the tour/visit, grab things and start driving in our rental and off to London! on our way to London, we'll probably spend the night in York (my dad says it's a great and very picturesque city, and as I mentioned before, I'll just believe him if he says so).
- Saturday 12 May: continue our ROADTRIP to London, drop off the car, do something, get to Tom and Amanda, chill and relax and then in the evening my dad'll have to go back into the city to catch a plane.
So. That'll be three crazy fun days.
Our initial plan was to start driving towards London on Satuday and arrive on Sunday, but Tom won't be there that weekend and Amanda is busy that Sunday so they'd rather have us come on Saturday. Which is fine too. Means I'll have an extra day in London! Maybe I'll meet Vera so we can buy a birthday-present for Charissa (:
I don't think there's much else left to say, so in that case:
I'll keep you posted,
I thought it was about time to give you another update on the process so far, so here it is!
Tonight my dad had a Skype-conversation with Amanda (Tom is currently in Toronto so he wasn't available) to talk things through about when we would be arriving in London, and so on, and so on. I don't exactly know what else they discussed.
At some point they had me come into the room as well to join the conversation because Amanda wanted to know what I usually eat for breakfast.
She actually turned out nicer than I had anticipated (in the emails she was a bit... short of words is perhaps the way to put it). So that's good!
Amanda and Tom would like us to bring a 'good-sized chunk' (I think that's how she said it :P) of Old Amsterdam (which is a cheese). Apparently it is possible to carry cheese with you for two-three days without refrigerating it. This remains a riddle to me, but if my dad says it's possible I'll just believe him (a girl's got to be able to believe her dad, right?).
But, considering I'm from the cheese-country ánd they want us to bring cheese with us, I bought this goodie for them that I found the other day. Matches the Dutch cheese, don't you think?
Well, either way, I do think it's fun to give and it looks nice (and Dutch :P).
So after the talk with Amanda our plans regarding our ROADTRIP have changed a little bit. This is what our three days will probably be like:
- Thursday 10 May: arrive at Edingburgh airport, rent a car, drive to Dundee, visit uni, take a stroll through the city, drive to Stirling to sleep at an accommodation at the campus of the uni!
- Friday 11 May: wake up lazily and take a stroll through the city, back to the uni for the tour/visit, grab things and start driving in our rental and off to London! on our way to London, we'll probably spend the night in York (my dad says it's a great and very picturesque city, and as I mentioned before, I'll just believe him if he says so).
- Saturday 12 May: continue our ROADTRIP to London, drop off the car, do something, get to Tom and Amanda, chill and relax and then in the evening my dad'll have to go back into the city to catch a plane.
So. That'll be three crazy fun days.
Our initial plan was to start driving towards London on Satuday and arrive on Sunday, but Tom won't be there that weekend and Amanda is busy that Sunday so they'd rather have us come on Saturday. Which is fine too. Means I'll have an extra day in London! Maybe I'll meet Vera so we can buy a birthday-present for Charissa (:
I don't think there's much else left to say, so in that case:
I'll keep you posted,
dinsdag 3 april 2012
H to the Arry Potter
Hello sweet people,
We all know the books that J.K. Rowling wrote about some young wizard called Harry Potter. Most of us also know that these books have led to the biggest film-productions in the world and how much of a success these films were.
After the books came to an end, last year it was also time to say goodbye to the anticipation of yet another Harry Potter film: part 7.2 was finally released and concluded the story of Mr. Potter and his friends.
BUT! All hope is not lost yet, because one can still enjoy the wonderous world of wizards: first the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando came to life, but since March 31st 2012 (last Saturday), it is also possible to be wowed by the Harry Potter-world much closer to (my) home!
Can you guess where this is/I'm going?
That's right: The Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio Tour - the tour that takes you through many of the billion sets that made Harry Potter. I've heard that you can even ride a broomstick (for quite the amount of money) and get your picture taken! Also, there's (of course) butterbeer available!
This weekend I booked a ticket to this Harry Potter Studio Tour for May 26nd at 1pm! (is anyone else going on that date?)
It actually was harder to book a ticket than I had expected: as it turned out, on the website of the tour ALL weekends in May had already been COMPLETELY booked and therefore were unavailable. I didn't think those tickets could even sell out (as in, I thought they'd just let anyone in who had pre-ordered a ticket for that date and time).
That's when I started searching the internet and coincidentally, after finding a ticket on eBay and then finding out it didn't ship to the Netherlands (*SIGH*), I found a website which told about Golden Tours and how they could help you getting to the tour. As it turned out, they don't just help with that: via Golden Tours I was able to book a ticket for the day I wanted and it includes transportation from London to the Tour!
I'm so glad I could get a ticket and it cost me the same as when I'd have gotten a ticket from the tour-website and have gone there on my own. It feels more relaxed to have the transportation taken care of for me: once I'm in the Golden Tours-bus I'll probably feel less doubtful about having taken the right one than I would have when having to get on a train.
That's pretty much all I've got say for now, except: ONLY 38 MORE DAYS! - time is flying so fast right now!
I'll keep you posted,
We all know the books that J.K. Rowling wrote about some young wizard called Harry Potter. Most of us also know that these books have led to the biggest film-productions in the world and how much of a success these films were.
After the books came to an end, last year it was also time to say goodbye to the anticipation of yet another Harry Potter film: part 7.2 was finally released and concluded the story of Mr. Potter and his friends.
BUT! All hope is not lost yet, because one can still enjoy the wonderous world of wizards: first the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando came to life, but since March 31st 2012 (last Saturday), it is also possible to be wowed by the Harry Potter-world much closer to (my) home!
Can you guess where this is/I'm going?
That's right: The Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio Tour - the tour that takes you through many of the billion sets that made Harry Potter. I've heard that you can even ride a broomstick (for quite the amount of money) and get your picture taken! Also, there's (of course) butterbeer available!
This weekend I booked a ticket to this Harry Potter Studio Tour for May 26nd at 1pm! (is anyone else going on that date?)
It actually was harder to book a ticket than I had expected: as it turned out, on the website of the tour ALL weekends in May had already been COMPLETELY booked and therefore were unavailable. I didn't think those tickets could even sell out (as in, I thought they'd just let anyone in who had pre-ordered a ticket for that date and time).
That's when I started searching the internet and coincidentally, after finding a ticket on eBay and then finding out it didn't ship to the Netherlands (*SIGH*), I found a website which told about Golden Tours and how they could help you getting to the tour. As it turned out, they don't just help with that: via Golden Tours I was able to book a ticket for the day I wanted and it includes transportation from London to the Tour!
I'm so glad I could get a ticket and it cost me the same as when I'd have gotten a ticket from the tour-website and have gone there on my own. It feels more relaxed to have the transportation taken care of for me: once I'm in the Golden Tours-bus I'll probably feel less doubtful about having taken the right one than I would have when having to get on a train.
That's pretty much all I've got say for now, except: ONLY 38 MORE DAYS! - time is flying so fast right now!
I'll keep you posted,
Abonneren op:
Posts (Atom)