Easter Dinner - Sides

Easter Dinner - Sides
Originally uploaded by Leslie_007.

Bake Potatoes & Corn (and Rice)

Easter Dinner - Entree

Easter Dinner - Entree
Originally uploaded by Leslie_007.

Roast Pork in an Apple Sauce Rub

Easter Dinner - Starter

Easter Dinner - Starter
Originally uploaded by Leslie_007.

Smoke Salmon on a bed of fresh lettuce

Jose's brother and Cousin leave

Jose's brother and Cousin leave
Originally uploaded by Leslie_007.

A nice pic of Jose's family with me in it as well

Ana!

Ana!
Originally uploaded by Leslie_007.

20 min after Eric leaves, Ana, the newest Trainee (at the time) arrives!!

And off to the Sunset.....

And off to the Sunset.....
Originally uploaded by Leslie_007.

Eric leaves =(


*editor's note, Eric actually comes back 20min later to pick up the jacket he left behind

The Mood of the House

The Mood of the House
Originally uploaded by Leslie_007.

Shi's expression pretty much describes how we all felt when Eric left =(

Sunday: Eric Leaving

Sunday: Eric Leaving
Originally uploaded by Leslie_007.

Me, Eric, and Shangxia

Eric's Farewell Dinner

Eric's Farewell Dinner
Originally uploaded by Leslie_007.

Trying to decide what to order at the Mexican restaurant. Decided on the Chimichanga

Party =)

Party =)
Originally uploaded by Leslie_007.

The Theme was something about spending a day at the Beach. I borrowed a pair of water wings

Near the End of the Party

Near the End of the Party
Originally uploaded by Leslie_007.

A nice photo with my AIESEC friends

Easter Eggs

Easter Eggs
Originally uploaded by Leslie_007.

After 20min in a mould and chilled, the Easter eggs are complete. MMMmmmm.....

The Chocolate Chef

The Chocolate Chef
Originally uploaded by Leslie_007.

This guy taught us alittle about how to make and use chocolate

A view of Nijmegen from across the River

A view of Nijmegen from across the River
Originally uploaded by Leslie_007.

There use to be a fort built on this grassy side of the bank so invading armies can lay siege to the city

The Bridge in Nijmegen

The Bridge in Nijmegen
Originally uploaded by Leslie_007.

This is the nicest bridge in Nijmegen. It use to be longest bridge in the NEtherlands, but not anymore. There is also a legend where two workers were fell to there death when the right pillar was still hollow. The workers decided that it would be too hard to get the two bodies out, so they filled in the pillar with concrete and entombed the bodies. Legend has it that when ships pass through at night, people can hear screaming from the two men

A rather exciting Week(end)!

Hi People

Hmm…I seem to be writing on a once a week basis, hence my uber long entries with this one being no exception. Monday (the 21^st) was a typical working day and Dutch class night (and the weekly pub gathering). Pub night was fun, but it was special since we held a special tribute to Jose, who will be leaving on the 1^st of April. It was also Shangxia first meeting most of the AIESEC people. Jose brother and cousin arrived from Spain on Tuesday for a visit. It was fun since they barely spoke English, so there was a lot of Spanish in the house for the coming week. Wednesday and Thursday past by with relatively little fuss and that leaves me with this long Easter weekend and the main focus of this entry

On Friday, I left in the morning for the reception weekend in Nijmegen. No offence to my AIESEC Twente peers, but it was the best reception weekend I experienced yet. Nijmegen is about 2 hours train ride South of Enschede. It is also one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands, as it was built by the Romans. It is also an oddity in the Netherlands since it is one of the rare cities built on high ground, making it quite the strategic city in early times. Due to the ideal location, Nijmegen was once a walled city, and much of the buildings and layout of the city reflects this aspect. Also, Nijmegen is near the banks of a River, and is prone to flooding every year. The Dutch have created a series of walls to keep out the water as well. About 10 of us AIESEC Twente people and I (being the only trainee that could come) arrived a little after 1pm and met up with the other arrivals from the other parts of the Netherlands. The first activity was a walking tour of the city. I learnt a lot of history about the city (too much to be able to write about here) and took a lot of pictures. It was the most descriptive walking tours I have had yet, so I quite enjoyed. As part of the walking tour, we had a pit stop at a chocolate factory. We learnt how to make Chocolate and Easter eggs (including a lot of free samples). I took plenty of pictures and videos. The walking tour continued afterwards and ended when we got to the place for dinner. My only negative remark for the weekend was the dinner. We had a choice between fish or Pork and I should have ordered the fish. The pork was done in a stir fry style and served with potatoes and damn were they salty. No matter though, it was the party in the evening that made the day. The party had a beach theme so people were decked out in colourful clothing. I brought along the most “beachy” thing I had with me and had a very good night. Talked and danced with a lot of people and had a good time. After lunch the next day, I left early back to Enschede.

Saturday continue…

The reason for rushing back was that we were planning to go out to a nice dinner since Eric was leaving on Sunday. In addition, Eric’s brother and his wife (as in Eric’s brother’s wife), came over to visit and give Eric a ride to his parents place on Sunday. Jose’s cousin and brother were still with us at well. We decided on the nice looking Mexican place that I have always wanted to try. It was good food since I haven’t had Mexican cooking in a while. I also satisfied a craving for Tiramisu by sharing it with Mizu for dessert. It was a nice dinner and a chance to give Eric and Jose our parting gifts that Mizu, Shangxia, and I had bought covertly during the week. We got Jose a webcam, and Eric a Japanese cookbook.

Sunday

Sunday was an emotional day. Mizu left bright and early to go to Amsterdam to see her Mom who came up from Japan. Also, Eric left in the morning. We said our good byes and Eric officially left the AIESEC house for Japan. Eric was leaving is going to be hard since he was my tutor, the person that I seek advice from, my toughest critic, and my strongest advocate. It is also sad since I feel like the original crew of the AIESEC house are almost all gone. Solimon, Shi, Eric, Jose, Mizuki, and I seem to be the original members in this new house, and after next week, only Mizu and I will be left. To fill in the gap, and start the 2^nd generation, we have 2 new trainees arriving to fill in the space with Shangxia already arrived last week. 20 min after Eric left on Sunday, Shangxia and I went to the station the welcome the newest addition to the AIESEC house. Ana, after spending the weekend in Amsterdam with her sister, finally arrived in Enschede. Ana comes from Serbia and will be working for Tronex (sp?), the same company Solimon use to work for. Ana is a great fit to the house, and I get along well with her. The rest of Sunday was spent getting to know her. Embarrassingly, due to mix up in communication with Jose (who spent the day in De Haag with his brother and cousin), nobody was ready to prepare supper that night and all the stores were closed for holidays. Ana stepped up to plate on her first day and made a nice Moussaka, basically Greek (but really Turkish) lasagne, using the food we manage to scavenge from the fridge.

Monday

It’s weird here. Dutch people here usually don’t get Easter Friday off, and instead Monday is a holiday. I took Friday off to go to reception weekend therefore having myself a nice 4 day weekend. After finally being able to sleep in this weekend, Jose prepared a nice (and coronary incident favouring) lunch of eggs and Dutch bacon for all of us. After lunch, Jose’s brother and cousin left to go back to Spain. Afterwards, I took Ana for a walk around Enschede. Strangely, I have yet to take any pictures of the sights and sounds of Enschede, so I brought my camera along. Since it was Easter weekend, I had in mind to prepare a special meal. I made a Pork roast (marinade in a pork rub, garlic sauce, soy sauce, and the special ingredient, Apple sauce). Along with it, I had rice, corn, bake potatoes and a smoke salmon on a lettuce bed as a starter. The pork roast took longer then expected due to the face that we didn’t have a shallow baking pan and I used a glass salad bowl instead. Besides reducing the amount of heat that reaches the roast (and lengthening cooking times), I also did not have meat thermometer so I has to improvise. After an hour delay, the roast was finally done, and we had a nice dinner to celebrate Easter.

Today and the rest of the week

Today is a normal work day for this shorten week. I have a business trip on Tuesday and Friday so I’ll be having a busy week. The Japanese trainee will be arriving Wednesday night, and with Jose leaving on Thursday, we’ll have to squeeze him into the littlest room until Ana can move into Jose’s room and Shinichiro, the Japanese Trainee, will get the two littlest rooms. Mizu returns on Thursday while Jose leaves that day. Depending on his schedule, I may go with Jose to the airport to see him off. I’ll miss the guy since he’s my drinking buddy, and his term of endearment for me, “Mr. Choy” is something I’ll miss hearing. Jose is an around great guy, and we had many good times together =(

Mizu should also be headed home on Thursday. On Saturday, I’ll be headed to Amsterdam for the first time. My aunt is over there for business and I am going to meet her and tour Amsterdam with her.

I’ll try to update this again later this week but no guarantees. Following this entry, I’ll be putting up a lot of pictures from throughout this week

Enjoy

LEs

A nice Group Photo

A nice Group Photo
Originally uploaded by Leslie_007.

Sandra, Eric, Mizu, Shangxia, and Jose

The Soup

The Soup
Originally uploaded by Leslie_007.

Consists of Tofu, spinach, and Vermechelli in a mushroom broth

My Chinese Meal =)

My Chinese Meal =)
Originally uploaded by Leslie_007.

My Stir fry noodles and my Orange & Pineapple Salmon

Mizu shows why Japan is in the center of the universe
Originally uploaded by Leslie_007.

Mizu shows why Japan is in the center of the universe

Dinner with Maya

Dinner with Maya
Originally uploaded by Leslie_007.

Shangxia, the newest trainee from China, is the girl in the blue.

A Week in Review

Hello

Shangxia, the newest trainee from China, arrived on Tuesday night. It is nice to have someone new in the house as things have gotten quiet since Sol left. Shangxia is currently staying in my old room, and she is starting to hit the culture shock. Also, the house will get a lot more cramp as Anna, the Newest Trainee from Yugoslavia, is arriving on Thursday. Jose is also having family come visit him starting Tuesday so we'll be having a jammed packed house. Lots of fun ahead =)

On Wednesday,we held a nice dinner for Maya, who left back to Japan on Friday. Because both Jose and I promised to make something special, we had a Spanish and Chinese meal that night. Jose did most of the cooking with sausages and a Potato and Egg dish. I supplied the filler with a simple egg fried rice. Alcohol was flowing all night with wine and beer being served with dinner.

Thursday was a busy working day for me as I went to 2 different meeting in 2 different cities. Since I asked for more work, I been put on 2 additional projects, including an exciting joint project with Ukrainian Health Authorities. Perhaps a business trip to Odessa maybe in my favour =)

Friday was a good day. It started out with my company screwing up again. To review, my company seems to have a hard time paying me on time. My first paycheck for January was delayed for 15 days. My second one so far for the month of February was also delay 15 days, but that was due to a mix up in accounting. So, I finally got paid for February on Wednesday and had a promise that all future paychecks will arrive on time on 31st. So, I expected my paycheck for March to come on the 31st. Now imagine my surprise on Friday when I was doing some online banking when I realised that I suddenly have more money then I should. I checked and it turned out that my company paid me again on Friday.I'm thinking, since they promised me to be paid at the end of the month, will they still and will I get double paid? Because my parents raised me to be honest, I'm going to let my boss know that I been paid earlier so they shouldn't issue another payment on the 31st. Secretly, I hope I get another payment anyways on the 31st since extra money is good =)
Also, on Friday, Sandra came over for supper so we had a nice meal courtesy of Jose.

Saturday was another long day. Jose got me to start running with him so I tried to get up as early as I could (10). I also had to leave early to mail my airmiles stuff to Vancouver before the post office closes. After lunch, we spent the day in the city where I purchase some extension cords to compete juryrigging my rooms electrical system. I now have outlets near my desk and bed. I was also in a good mood and went to see the Chinese shop and get cooking advice from the Chinese lady there. 20min later, I set up to cook a really nice Chinese meal for dinner that night. I made Stir fry noodles, Orange and Pineapple Salmon, and a nice vermechelli, tofu, and Spinach soup. Everything turned out great, and I made enough food that Eric and Sandra could join us from dinner as well.

Today.
After sleeping in, I made a nice lunch for everyone since I was craving bacon. I purchased Dutch bacon to try. It's very thick, almost like a pork chop. It turned out alright, but I now know that it isn't smoked, so I have to season it myself. Today also marks 6 months that I have been with Connie so I am allowed to open the package that she sent me. She still has something from me, that I made her promise not to open until today, from the last package I sent her. We'll open each other's gifts via webcam sometime later today =) [to Connie: Happy 6 months Honey!]
Tonight, our whole house hold is going to out for Salsa night again. Jose and I plan to enjoy the view as usual while the rest of them dance.

That's all for now.
More later

LEs

Good Canadian Reading

The Former Canadian foreign Minister (Lloyd Axworthy) recently wrote a entertaining commentary defending the Canadian decision to reject the participation with the US on the Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Program. For those who don't know, BMD is a US program that will see the development of missiles and tracking stations designed to warn, track, and shoot down long range enemy missiles fired at North American (well, mainly to protect the US). Canadian participation was requested by the Americans on a mainly political basis. The idea is not very popular in Canada, as most people don't see the risk of North Korea or Iran firing ballistic missiles at the US any time soon to justify the expenses that will most likely be requested by the Americans. Ultimately the Canada rejected participating in it, much to the American's Chagrin. The American Secretary of State (Condoleezza Rice) cancelled her trip to Canada in response but later decided to go again. Axworthy letter was in response to this cancellation. It's a really humourous and witty letter.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/westview/story/2610442p-3026695c.html


Enjoy

LEs

The Weekend (and Monday)

Hello

Fun weekend I just had

On Friday night, Jose's friend came over to visit him and stayed with us for the weekend before returning to Spain on Monday. For me, Friday was pretty quiet and a good chance to catch up on some reading and TV shows that I have been missing

Jose cooked a number of traditional Spanish cuisine during the course of the weekend reaffirming his distinction of being the head chef of the house. The highlight for Saturday (and maybe the weekend) was the party I went to in the evening. Eric's friend, Sandra, had a birthday party along with a Spanish girl who was leaving to go back to Spain (although only temporarily). I met a lot of International students and added several more contacts to my MSN because of the party. Also, Berta (the Spanish co-host of the party) made damn good Sangria so I may have been more talkative then usual. After several glasses of Sangria, I stumbled home late on Saturday night. It was a good party =)

Sunday was a quiet day for recovery from Saturday night's festivities. I had a lot of time to catch up on my Dutch studies. I'm still learning the basics, but I should be able to introduce myself, ask people how they are doing, Where they come from, and make plans

ex:
Mijn naam is Leslie (My name is Leslie)
Hoe gaat het ermee? (How goes it with you)
Waar kom je vandaan? ( Where you come from?)
Zullen we naar de markt gaan? (Should we go to the market?)

Still a lot to learn and stuff to memorize but I feel that I'm improving. Dutch classes are on Mondays from 7-9. I missed the first several classes so I was a little lost when I jumped right in, but after yesterday class, I feel that I have picked it up to around the level of my classmates.

Besides Dutch class on Monday evenings, the other highlight Monday night was the usual Monday night get together at the pub with the AIESEC people. It is something I always look forward and it was a nice way to relax after a long day. I went home just a little later then I planned to so I'm a little bit sleepy today. Tonight, the new Chinese Trainee, Shangxia, arrives. This should create some excitement in the household and help fill the void since Jose and Eric are leaving soon.

Lastly, Congratulations Peter on being promoted to the MC. We all knew that you could do it. We'll come see you in Rotterdam

That's all for now

LEs

A Random Collection of thoughts

Hello

Some people have mentioned that I haven't updated in awhile so I figure I should write something to appease my fans.

On Tuesday, I got some field work and got to observe a homecare nurse for the day. It was nice to see how the organization works from the front lines rather then from my lofty desk up in management. Actually, I felt like a medical resident following a doctor around on rounds. It was quite sad in the morning actually, as I saw some middle age patients with conditions that I know won't allow them to be around in 6 months time. However, my day and mood improved substantially in the afternoon when I got to spend time at the baby wing of the Carint health services. I got to sit in and observe the pediatrition checks up on new babies. I like babies I guess, I was in a good mood for the rest of the day

Wednesday was also a good day. One, I got tickets to the final games before the quarter finals for the World Championship of hockey in Austria. It was a good deal, 90 Euros for 3 games. Who I'll be watching I can't really tell, since it's set up as second place in B plays 3rd place in C...etc. The good news, is that if Canada is in First in Pool B (so ahead of the US, Slovakia, and another team), then I'll get to watch Canada vs 4 C. I'll have a place to stay as Innsbruck has an AIESEC LC so I can coordinate with them to get lodging for the night. If cheap, and I have time off work, I may stay an extra couple of days since it would only be 5 more days more for the entire thing to finish. I'll try to get tickets to the final or something. Again, it all depends on work but they're ok with me going since I gave them warning well in advance (the game is on May 10th)
Also, next month, I'll be going to Belgium (Antwerp) for the weekend. The AIESEC there is hosting a fun weekend and it's my chance to go to Belgium quite cheaply. It is just a weekend outing, so I don't have to miss work.

In the evening, we (Mizu, Jose, and I) went to Maya's house where she cooked us a nice traditional Japanese meal. It was very good. I have to return the favor and prepare a Chinese meal before she goes back to Japan

Lastly, some random things:

-I know I'm Canadian when I say "Washroom." Dutch people usually just say "Toilet" (when speaking English) or the "WC"

*reference: Marjon*

- We say Canada uses the metric system and proud of it. But how come we still use feet/inches to talk about height?

- English (apples and oranges) ; Dutch (appel & sinaasappel). Dutch class going well since it is grammatically easier then French.

- European stereotypes: Belgians are known for not being the sharpest tool in the shed. The Dutch are known to be cheap.

- Congratulations to my brother, who has gotten an Engineering Internship in Switzerland

- It's sad that Jose will be leaving back to Spain after April 1st. Eric my roomie may also be gone very soon too for a work term in Japan. Good thing New girl is coming very shortly, so the house won't be too lonely

ok, that's it for now

LEs

Reception Weekend

Saturday was our AIESEC TWENTE reception weekend. AIESECers from all over the Netherlands came over to Enschede for a weekend of fun. Well, not all over, since the turn out wasn't really that great. There was only 1 trainee from another place and I think some of the LCs weren't represented.
People started arriving about one and we took them to the location that we were using to stage the festivities. After Lunch, we arranged Salsa lessons for everyone. This was a first time for me, and I have to admit, it was quite fun (I might have discovered a new past time??). After learning some new moves, the next activity was a treasure hunt through out the city. We had to go from place to place answering questions about Enschede. I learnt a lot about the city, and the meaning/significance of the statues and the buildings I walk by everyday. Dinner was great, and was probably my favorite part of the reception weekend. We had a delicious dinner of ribs! Mmmmmmmm.....
Afterwards, we killed sometime at home before the party started at 10pm. The Tiago (the only trainee from elsewhere ) and another AIESECer stayed over at our place since we have two extra rooms currently. The two of them had sufficient time then to drop off their stuff and make themselves at home. Also, most of them fell asleep promptly when we got home, so we had to wait until the woke up before leaving to the party. We arrived at the party fashionably late and none of us had a costume (the Theme was middle Eastern). The party wasn't as lively or fun as in last reception weekend in Maastricht, and the alcohol wasn't free either. Also, no offence to the DJ, but the music wasn't that good either as not too many people were dancing. Still, a couple hours and beers later, we stumbled home to sleep.

The next day was a quiet one, and I tried to spend the day studying my Dutch. I also caught up on my TV (via download). That evening, one of Eric's friend came over for Supper (Sandra, the German girl I met from Eric's recital). I cooked an uber traditional meal of Beef & zucchini in a garlic black bean sauce and a simple egg fried rice. After dinner, we went to a Salsa bar to expand on what I (and what the rest already know) learned on Saturday. I mostly sat around and watched the really good people. Still, I had a good time. Finally, I finished my Dutch homework before sleeping

It was another good weekend. (sorry, no photos:Perhaps I'll get some later)

LEs

Dutch Comedy Night

Ever feel dumb when you hear a joke and you don't get it, but all your friends do, so you laugh with them any ways? It felt a little like that when I went out for a comedy festival at the university. It was a lot of fun, although I didn't understand a lot of the jokes.
The first act I saw was an American group based in Amsterdam called, "Boom Chicago".
For those people who are familiar with Drew Carey's "Who's Line is it Anyways," It was exactly like that, only I was seeing it live and not on TV. Basically, the comedy is all improv and the audience shouts out suggestions for the actors, and they improvise on that information for every skit that they do. It was funny, since it was in English. After that, we went briefly to see some stand up comedy. It was alright, but I didn't get the jokes since it was in Dutch. Afterwards, we went to see this other Dutch guy's act.
All in all, it was a good night. Something different from the usual Friday night routine.

This weekend is our reception weekend, so AIESEC from other parts of the Netherlands coming here to party. Therefore, expect updates later this weekend


LEs

Dutch Life: Tough Transit Police

Hey

Something else to add that didn't really fit in to my last post. I had a very interesting experience witnessing the Dutch transit authority in action. Normally, one or two people will come to a train compartment and go around to every person asking to see their ticket or pass.. On Thursday, me and my colleague had to take a quick intra-city tram ( 2 compartment bus on a rail) to our destination. At one stop, 6 transit cops got on my compartment, 3 at either end. It was almost military like as 1 cop from either end went seat to seat checking tickets, while the 2 at either end prevented anyone from getting off until their tickets were verified. It was almost like something out of the Cold War in the former USSR. It was more funny cause this one guy obviously didn't have a ticket, and we was all mad when the cop started writing a ticket. The guy was swearing and threw the ticket on the ground and refused to pick it up. The cop was calm the entire time and finally talked him into picking it up, and leaving the train.
Funny moment for me =)

LEs

Snow vs the Train: Murphy's Law and my big meeting on Thursday

Hey People

Sorry I haven't updated in awhile, but nothing too interesting has happened since Tuesday. ON Thursday, I had to go to Utrecht again, this time for a super meeting. It had snowed the previous night (snow is something I don't miss from Canada) and I soon realised the uber efficient Dutch Trains cease to be when there is snow. Normally, the trains here are great and if it says it leaves at 835, it will be gone by 836. Any given Train comes about every 30min, but to some of the bigger destinations, you can sometime take another train that also stops there. To get to work from Enschede to Borne, I usually take the 835 train and I arrive in Borne station at 853. The trains are like the c-trains at home, but with 5-8 compartments that are interlinked together. They are also separated into first and second class. The first class has more comfy seats and just a better chance of having a seat but obviously, a bit more expensive. For me and most people, it's not worth the extra money and 2nd class is just as good. Also, Enschede is the end station so we usually get a seat anyways. Lastly, when I go to Utrecht, somebody usually drives, and so I get there in about 90 min or longer with traffic.
Anyways, on this particular Thursday, my co-worker didn't want to drive because of the snow. We only got 5 cm, but up North, people were snowed in. Anyways, I had to get up extra early and met her at Enschede station to catch the 727 train. Jose is usually the earliest one of us to leave as he leaves the house by 650. Anyways, when I got to the station, he was still waiting for his train since it was experiencing a delay of 30 min. Our train was the "inter-city" train was is normally the most efficient and is the one that goes to the airport (takes 2 hours). In addition, it is not the first time I went to Utrecht via the train. My sharp eyed readers may note that in my second week I went to NATCO II and that was in Utrecht and we went by train.
Our train left on time, but at our next stop, the first of many unfortunate events occurred. The doors to the train stopped working. This stop was at Hengelo, a smaller city, but a major hub (like City Hall station to transfer between Sommerset and Whitehorn train) so lots of people needed to get off and on. Only the doors at the opposite ends to the train were working, so it was amusing to watch people make there way between the carriages to either end to get off and on. That meant are train was delayed for 10min as a tech had to be called. 10 min later we left Hengelo. 3 stops later, are train stopped at another station. The driver announced over the PA that the warning signal lights and the barriers that come down to stop traffic have working from here to some distance. 20min later, The train announced that it was to go back to Enschede, but people can get off at the station before (Amelo) and switch to another train which goes along a different route and will bypass the parts (this is mainly for people going a lot further like to the airport and Amsterdam. For us, we were suppose to ride it another couple of stop to Amersfoort where we would switch trains, and travel another 15min to Utrecht central station. However, with this detour, it would be the equivalent of going from Anderson to Whitehorn but has to get off at Victoria park, wait for another Dalhousie train that'll take us to the end of downtown, Get off at 7th street station, catch a Sommerset train to go back towards City Hall and finally switch trains at city Hall to go to Whitehorn. All this instead of just getting off the first train at Olympic Plaza, and getting on a train at City Hall. At this point, my colleague decided to call off our attendance of the meeting since we'll be super late if we take the detour. The train arrived at Amelo when a new announcement came on the PA saying that one track has been fixed, and this other train will be going to Amersfoort. We excited got on that one, thinking that we might actually make it to part of the meeting. However, it was at this time that one of my gloves fell out of my pocket and was never seen again. They were the leather ones I never wore in Calgary, but often over here. Luckily I still have my wool flip mittens I usually have.
WE arrived in Amersfoort and waited for the last train that will take us to Utrecht. As we been use to, the announcement came over head that our train was delayed for about 20min. We finally arrived in Utrecht station at 1030. Taking a quick intra-city tram, we arrived at our meeting at 1110. We were more then an hour late =(
Anyways, the meeting was alright, all in Dutch as usual. Also, I realised it was the same presentation and content as the last 3 meetings I been to, just this time with a bunch of new people. I always look forward to lunch at this meeting, and was quite happy when we broke for lunch 30min after I arrived with my colleague. Rest of the day went by quick, and I started noticing other people start to nodd off (there were only 12 of us in a round table, so very noticeable). Another college of mine drove us most of the way back to Enschede and we took a train the rest of the day. And that was my adventure on Thursday =)

LEs

My Lecture

After 3 weeks of preparation, I finally presented my lecture today. My talk covered the basis of Canadian Health Care, Home Care, and Telemedicine. My power point presentation featured thirty slides . I think it went well and the 30-35 people there learned something from me. The group I was speaking to represents Biomedical Engineering Students who are planning to go to Canada on a study tour later this year. The other speaker was a Canadian doctor and he talked about his experience in telemedicine. He was a very good speaker and was quite interactive with the audience, so it was a tough act to follow. Overall, it was a very nice experience

This weekend is our reception weekend, so AIESEC people from all over the Netherlands will be coming here to party this weekend. Before this, I have a big meeting on Thursday with project people.

In other news. Eric received his paper work finally and will definitely be going to Japan. Congratulations to him as he has been waiting for this news for awhile.


That's all for now
sorry I haven't updated in awhile, but nothing too exciting has happened

LEs