Brooklyn in Den Haag V - Friday February 4, 2011 - Saturday February 12, 2011 - The Journey Begins

February 5, 2011

StayOkay Lobby 17:30

Our first breakfast in the Netherlands, at 't Pannenkoeken Huisje at Scheveningen, by the North Sea.  We ate poffertjes (traditional mini pancakes) and had a more hearty breakfast as well.  A perfect beginning to our big adventure -- and a good way to recover from the plane.

*UPDATE: NEW (AND COMPLETED) JOURNAL ENTRIES ADDED AS OF FEB 8

I know I say this every year but....MOST. AWESOME. TRIP. EVER.  I've been mentally composing this piece of writing since somewhere over the Atlantic during the Friday/Saturday night that we lost, and there keep being wonderful things that I should put in, but I'm so sleepy right now that I know I won't do it justice.  I'm hoping that some of the twenty kids writing around me (most of whom napped for longer than I have) will have come up with good things.  So, without further ado, the journal entries of those who volunteered to help with the blog, with my comments in between:

Ryan O'Neil:
Feb 4-5
So the first day here has been all right.  The sun rises at like 9 o'clock compared to the 6:30-7:00 sunrise.  (Ed. note: Sietse, the buddy I was chatting with on the train noted that this was one of the things that people never think about until they meet people from other parts of the world.  He was puzzled when asked what time the sun rose as we rolled through the darkness toward the Hague at 7:30 am.  The kids all physically felt like it was 1:30 in the morning, but the absence of the sun made them suspicious about whether the time had actually changed.)  After we got settled at the Haag we went out to eat at the pancake restaurant near the beach (Editor's note: Scheveningen).  It was really windy outside and I almost lost my hat.    (Editor's note: Due to the kind attentions of our friends at StayOkay we were able to go straight into the rooms, instead of simply leaving our luggage.  This gave us forty minutes to unpack or - in my case - lie down and rest horizontally, although I wasn't yet relaxed enough to actually sleep.  A rare luxury for travelers who arrive at 8:00 in the morning - in the dark - and one that John Heegle (teacher, as opposed to John the student commented on favorably.)

Ryan's narrative continues:

So I had ordered this apple powdered sugar with bacon and cinnamon pancake.  It was prety good until halfway through it because it was really sweet.  My stomach was hurting for a while, but I'm fine now.  Later we went back to the Haag and rested a while.  Before some of the roommates went to sleep we did a few pranks on the other rooms.  After that my room was knocked out for like two hours until we were disturbed by Alison and Stephanie waking us up saying we got to go downstairs and write our journal.  So here I am. >:0

Alison Byam's  point of view (expanded on in today's video journal) is substantially similar to Ryan's but can only be described as the smugness of the awake over the sleepy:

So, woke up yesterday in America at 6:00 and have been up since then.  It is now 5:28 pm in the
Netherlands which is about 11:28 am in America.  Ask why am I still up.  (Ed. note: Why?)  Well, when everyone was up during the flight I changed my time to the time over here (Netherlands) and saw it was night so went to sleep.  So NO jet lag for me. :-) 

Shakeria and Alicia on their first airplane

(Ed. note: I was sitting behind Alison and in front of two of our students who had never been on an airplane before.  Our airplane newbies were giggling hysterically while I tried to strike a balance between being reassuring and kind to them on their first flight, and my suspicion that they might be disturbing others, not to mention my own ardent desire to doze off.  While I hesitated Alison covered herself with glory by turning around and hissing, "Yo, will you two stop hackling!  People are trying to sleep!"  I like the word "hackling."  It sounds half-way between heckling and cackling, which describes a hysterical giggle very well.)

Alison continues:

Stephy and I almost died going to the Hostel because the wind was blowing so hard Mr. Whiston and Mr. Heegle had to grab us and save our lives.  Stephy and me stayed awake when everyone took a nap and we got to bang on the doors to wake people up (including the teachers) to come down for dinner.

The pancakes here are amazing - way better than the ones my mommy makes.  "Sorry mom!"  I like it over here.  It's nice and peaceful, not much noise (Ed. note: Except the wind....I hardly napped because of the rattling windows - it really is unusually stormy here!).  There aren't many cars around, or any policemen.  Alison, you're not in Brooklyn anymore!!!


Kenya Rodriguez is one of our two juniors, who have been gamely keeping up with the seniors, all day.  Her journal entry combines the exhaustion we're all feeling, with the sweet contentment with being here that we are (I think) all feeling.

Feb. 5, 2011
Dear Journal,

Today is my first day in Den Haag! :-)  The airplane ride was good.  Didn't fall asleep at all. ;-)  Arriving we met some buddies.  They gave us some goodies.  Pretty cool.  When we were walking to the hostel we encountered some heavy wind!  We were like all over the place.  It was funny.  Let's say kind of a "nice" welcoming.  Haha.  The hostel is comforting.  And we went to a pancake house near the beach.  Den Haag has awesome sites. I can't wait to see more! *
        - Kenya R.
**************************

19:15 PM
Dinner is over, and half of the kids have retired upstairs where they will probably be wakeful after being sleepy all day.  Alison, Stephanie, Alicia, Shakeria and Steven M. are involved in a spirited game of scrabble (using my ebook reader dictionary as a reference).  The other teachers and Mohamed are playing Monopoly.  And there is a steady stream of students calling home with their newly purchased phone cards, to reassure family and loved ones that they are safely arrived, happy and very sleepy.

I feel a little lazy having left all the funny anecdotes to the kids, but my role for today is an editor, not a
fellow writer.  Now, on to setting up the blog.  (Temporarily without photos due to my camera battery
dying.  More photos will follow.)  For now, signing off with much sleepiness....

-Rebecca Pawel

UPDATE: FEB 8: Nancy Sucuzhanay has added her impressions:

Well, I am finally here and I am TIRED!  But it's worth it.  I came to the place where I have dreamed of going for years.  It's very beautiful here.  The people are okay as well.  When we arrived at the airport it felt different from the U.S. automatically.  The first thing I noticed was the bathrooms are called toilets.  It was funny to me.  Then from there on it was like a dream.  I really can't remember most of the way to the Hague.  But what I do remember was the train doors.  It was very interesting to see just to get on you have to push a button o_O.  The trains here were must faster than the ones in New York City (sort of reminded me of the NJ transit trains). 
The place where we are staying is very nice.  The rooms feel like home and it's very cozy.  The pancake house where we went to eat was very unique.  When I ordered pancakes I was expecting American pancakes but what I got was what looked like a wrap/burrito tortilla thing with strawberry jelly.  (Editor's Note: a crepe)  I was doubting that I would be filled up.  I didn't even finish my food.
Now what annoyed me was the money exchange!  OMG!  I fel like I was being ripped off.  I exchanged $140 and got back like $80.  Oh, how I wanted to go hood!  But our money is less so I guess it's okay.  We have our phone cards.  Ya!  Now I can call my loved ones.  After getting our phone cards we went to sleep.  I never had the best sleep ever until now! ;)  I enjoyed this so far even though everyone including myself is cranky and moody.
The End