GEBOORTEDATUM!

Day 10: Testing the Water! 

So today started out as a really really early morning due to my lack of studying yesterday. I studied and practiced my Dutch from 5 am until we left for class at 8:30. I think I listened to Geboortedatum, which means birthdate, 30 times just to get the pronunciation right. Dutch is not easy like our Professor says, but he was right that listening to it helps. I am so glad that is friday because class is shorter. Our professor lives a good 3 hour train ride away so we get out by noon! BEST Day Ever! Oh good news guys I got a 100% on my first dutch quiz. We will see how monday goes when we are tested over lessons 1, 2, and 3. After dutch I had my first bike ride in town, and let me tell you it was hilarious! The bike seat wasn't in the right position, but I thought that I could ride it. I couldn't. My feet didn't reach both peddles so I kept falling over when I would attempt to get on. After what I am guessing any dutch person would have found hilarious I finally beat my bike seat down and could ride it home to Huge de Grootstraat for some lunch. I just want to say that I am really out of shape because I died on the way back, plus my butt is killing me from the seat or maybe the brick roads, either way my butt is really sore. After lunch as a group we went to the Pilgrim Museum.

This museum is really amazing. I didn't get a picture of the outside because it started down pouring, but I got lots of pictures of the things on the inside. But the house deserves some explaining first. It is the oldest building in Leiden and was built in 1370 and still has a lot of the original things that would have been found in the house like the tile and fire place. Some things had been updated, but when I mean updated I mean like 1500 updated nothing new and modern besides one light in a section of the house. This isn't even the coolest part about this museum! Nothing is behind glass so you see the house as live in condition. It was breath taking to literally step back in history and see life then. I couldn't imagine a family living in a room smaller than my dorm room and not wanting to kill each other! But I have talked enough, and I know you all want to see some pictures so here you go!

Hunting was only for the well to do, but in this house built for a poor man you find it hanging.  Of course there is a piece of the puzzle missing here. This house used to be for priest and they all came from noble blood, hence they could hunt. In the back of this picture notice the beam that runs in front of the fire place (the big white thing). This building at one point was used as a butcher shop and once a family bought it they tore down the wall to find a beautiful original fire place! 

Here is the original tile, and right in front of the fire place there is a stool on the left for the adult to sit in and make dinner or warm the fire and a child's seat to the right. I bet that would pass safety regulations today! 

Here is a good picture of the fire place. This would all be a brick red color to give contrast to the white above. 

The wood here found above the fire would have had plaster on it and been painted. The wood was roughed up so that the plaster would stick. 

Here you can see the original paint color of the fire place with the plaster still attached! 

This cute little guy was tucked in the corner. 

I thought this contraption to move the kettle up and down was ingenious! 

At night the parents would place the peat they used to heat there home in here where it would still be lit and then the next day they would place it back in the fire. This way their home stayed warm all the time and they didn't have to worry so much about catching the house on fire. I also learned that sequestering peat from peat bogs is illegal in the EU because of the bad effects on the environment, but two countries still do it. Germany does it and sells the peat to Africa so they can use it for heating their homes and Ireland uses it in making whiskey somehow. 

Me in a chair that is from 1200!!!! I was so scared I would break it when I sat in it! 

The new meets the old! Here is a picture taken from inside the house out onto the street. 

So the rest of my day wasn't too eventful. I learned the weather here is really weird. We went into the pilgrim museum with sunshine came out to lots of rain, and while walking for maybe a minute or two it started hailing! There were no causalities, just some grumpy wet girls! After it stopped raining we headed home and attempted to do laundry which took forever! I am pretty sure all in all it took from 4-9 before I took my still wet clothes out of the drier and hung them around my room. May I also add that this was only a load of laundry and my two towels I washed separately.

How am I supposed to know what to do! 

After fighting with the washing machine we all went out for the first time. I met lots of really cool people and went to my first club! Didn't like the fact that beer was spilt all down the side of me, but found my new love! Rose beer! It tastes like candy all! I only had one for all you wondering!