This article is slightly disturbing...

Care for some dog or bull testicles? How about an aborted deer fetus? Don't want to go on a national television program like Fear Factor to eat them? Well, I have the restaurant just for you.
By the way, if you can read this article without starting to feel even slightly sick to the stomach, please do not let me know...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/5371500.stm

Rugen Island, Germany 17-20 August

Two weekends ago, Arno and I decided to drive somewhere...the original destination was Copenhagen in Denmark but we decided instead to go to the supposed home of my ancestors - to Rugen Island in northeastern Germany. It is very close to Scandinavia.

Most people are probably not even aware that Germany has some islands, but in fact it does and this one in particular is very beautiful. It is a nature reserve and family beach resort and was formerly part of East Germany. There are a few parts of the island with the good ol' Communist housing blocks. However, for the most part the houses are cute, quaint and beautifully situated.

You may notice that some of the photos aren't so great and that's because we had to use a disposable camera! We brought our digital camera and had forgotten to charge the battery and bring the charger!

Enjoy the rest of the photos by clicking HERE.

Groningen, Netherlands

Groningen is the largest city in the far northeastern part of the Netherlands and since I'd never been there, my friend Brian and I recently visited for a day (it is 2.5 hours by train each way to/from Amsterdam). The city was nice with, some rather pretty buildings (in photos below), but it was not too drastically different from many of the nice Dutch towns and cities so I don't have many photos from there...it was good to get out and see a new place, though!

Gay Pride in Amsterdam

One of the best gay pride celebrations happens to be in Amsterdam. What is unique about the Amsterdam gay pride parade is that the floats are on boats and travel down a canal rather than a street! It was really interesting to see some of the outfits - these Amsterdam festivals are always good fun! The photos below include Arno and my good friends, Brian and Jaap.

Our trip to the U.S. 1-22 July 2007

Finally - I am posting our photos from our trip to the U.S. Photos include shots from our road trip to Miami, Key West and our short visits to the Everglades, St. Augustine, and Savannah on our return to the VA/DC area.

Photos from top: South Beach; Jared, Susan and myself; storm in SoBe; Arno and I in Savannah.

I've been Simsponized

Here's my Simpson character. My hair was a little wavy in the photo I used and this is what came out! You can simpsonize yourself at www.simpsonizeme.com

Sailing around the Spanish Islands in the Mediterranean Sea

Sailing around the Spanish Islands in the Mediterranean Sea....yes, it was just as lovely as it sounds. As many of you know, Arno and I joined some of my friends on a week-long sailing trip which began on the Spanish island of Mallorca and continued to Ibiza, Dragonera, and past some other islands. My friend, Jaap (or Jack), is a certified captain and able to charter sailboats so, fortunately for myself and the others, we sailed a 45-footer called "All of Me" from Mallorca to Ibiza, around, and back. I absolutely loved it. The feeling of being on the open water and (sorry for the cliche) with the wind in your hair was simply amazing. We also got to see some dolphins swimming and jumping alongside the front of the boat! :o)

Arno, unfortunately, became seasick the first day and was actually the only one to become so the whole week (sorry, babe!). The rocking took a bit of time to get accustomed to but once we did, standing still no longer felt so normal! I remember going to dinner on one of the first nights and literally felt like I was dramatically swaying from left-right the entire time ...so strange how the human body can adapt so easily to such different circumstances!

All-in-all it was wonderful and very relaxing. I got a nice tan and learned a little about sailing. I will definitely do it again! Thanks, Jaap!! ;)

Please enjoy the rest of my photos by clicking on this link and, be forewarned, there are LOTS of the boat and of me and Arno!

Keukenhof flower gardens

Since I clearly could not spend Mother's Day at home in the U.S. with my own mother, Arno and I spent it with his mother and father (pictured below). We went to the world famous Keukenhof gardens located close to Leiden where I go to University. It was a nice day but unfortunately we were just a week and a half too late to catch all of the flowers in full bloom which is apparently spectacular! All in all, a very nice relaxing day with Arno's parents :o) For more photos, visit my kodakgallery site here!

Koninginnedag (Queen's Day) 2007

Last weekend was Koninginnedag - the huge, country-wide festival is to celebrate the Queen Mother's birthday. Everyone wears Orange because the royal family's name is ORANGE, wow! Basically, the celebration includes lots of street markets, music, relaxing in the park, and beer.
















L-R: Robert, me, Arno, Marnix, Nike, Rudy, Jeske, Jeroen

Cycling, Dancing, and the Beach...

The past several weeks have been spent doing some work for the organization I am with part-time, working on my thesis, and spending time with Arno and friends in the nice weather we've been having! I love it! It's not summer weather yet but the temperatures have been those nice, pleasant ones you have in early Spring. Just fabulous. :o) I hope all of you have had a nice Easter! Check out the rest of the photos here!!!


















L-R: Mirjam (Arno's good friend, and now mine), me, my friend's friend from Denmark, and Ulla (from Denmark).




L-R: Me, Arno, Mirjam and her boyfriend, Remy.

Skopje, Macedonia

Dear family and friends,

It has been some time since I've posted photos but that's because Arno bought us a new camera in February and I have yet to plug it up to my computer. This blog is on my short, but sweet trip to Skopje for a conference on implementing internship programs at universities throughout the Balkans. My good friend, Ida, from my course in Leiden also happened to be visiting her hometown of Skopje for the weekend. So, when I wasn't in the conference, I was out with her and her friends and family eating, drinking, and being merry.


See the photos here! (be forewarned, there aren't many!!)

In Bizarre News...

...I ran over a cat (an alive one) with my bike. Yes, something which can only happen in a society where cycling is a way of life and not merely for recreation. I was cycling down this quiet neighborhood street behind Arno - we were almost to our apartment. Another man was cycling to my left. The cat ran under his bike tire first and then scrambled out only to run underneath mine. In the commotion, I noticed that I ran over several parts of the cat's body before it could escape. Yep, not your everyday warm encounter with domestic animals...needless to say, I was a little shaken up from witnessing that happen under my very own bike tire and the cat, although alive, will be in some pain for a little while methinks. Sorry little kitty!

Recent photos of my baby brother

Little Jared is so adorable. Here are some recent photos of him!

First time in snow

What is this??

We send our troops to fight and put their lives on the line in war zones and don't help them when they're done and returned home? This is ridiculous. See article below.

__________________

"Hundreds of U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are ending up homeless."

Feb. 24, 2007 - Kevin Felty came back from Iraq in 2003 with nowhere to stay, and not enough money to rent an apartment. He and his wife of four years moved in with his sister in Florida, but the couple quickly overstayed their welcome. Jobless and wrestling with what he later learned was posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Felty suddenly found himself scrambling to find a place for himself and his wife, who was six-months pregnant. They found their way to a shelter for homeless veterans, which supported his wife during her pregnancy and helped Felty get counseling and find a job. A year later, he's finally thinking his future. "I don't want to say this is exactly where I want to be—it's really not," he says. "But it's what I can get at the moment."

Young, alienated and often living on their own for the first time, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans increasingly are coming home to find that they don't have one. Already, nearly 200,000 veterans—many from the Vietnam War—sleep on the streets every night, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. But young warriors just back from the Mideast—estimated around 500 to 1,000—are beginning to struggle with homelessness too. Drinking or using drugs to cope with PTSD, they can lose their job and the support of family and friends, and start a downward spiral to the streets. Their tough military mentality can make them less likely to seek help. Advocates say it can take five to eight years for a veteran to exhaust their financial resources and housing options, so they expect the number to rise exponentially in a few years. "Rather than wait for the tsunami, we should be doing something now," says Cheryl Beversdorf, president of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.

The problem is mainly a lack of resources, advocates say. There are only about 15,000 beds available in VA-funded shelters or hospitals nationwide, and nearly every one is taken. In some smaller cities there simply aren't many places for a homeless veteran to go. And as affordable housing units shrink nationwide, veterans living on a disability check of, say, $700 a month, (which means a 50-percent disability rating from the VA), are hard-pressed to find a place to live. Most shelters require veterans to participate in a rehabilitation program, but a "fair amount" of veterans just go back to the streets once they leave, says Ed Quill, director of external affairs at Volunteers of America, the nonprofit housing group for veterans that helped Felty.

The VA says it's making a concerted effort to reach out to vets before they hit bottom, says Pete Dougherty, the VA's coordinator for homeless programs. Intake counselors are trained to ask questions, especially of newer veterans, to seek out mental health or other problems that could lead to homelessness. "We're much more sensitive than we were 40 years ago for signs of problems," he says. And they have expanded some services. Last week, the VA approved $24 million to boost aid for the homeless, which will allow them to add about 1,000 more beds and increase the number of grants to help the growing population of homeless women veterans and those with mental illnesses.

Much of the work with new veterans is being done one soldier at a time. At New Directions in Los Angeles, a center that rehabilitates homeless veterans, Anthony Belcher, a formerly homeless Vietnam vet who now works at the center, looks out for one particular Iraq veteran who shows up at the center about once a month, filthy, drugged out and tortured by PTSD. "He's a baby," Belcher says. "You can see it in his eyes." So far, the young vet is too wary to accept more than a night's bed or a hot meal. But as Belcher says, at least he has a place to go. That's more than many of the thousands of vets on America’s streets can say tonight.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17315490/site/newsweek/

Prague, Czech Republic 22-25 February

Prague, what a beautiful city. When walking around its streets, you can almost imagine what it may have been like in the Middle Ages. It is sometimes called the "city of a hundred spires" and "the golden city". Indeed it is, as you will soon see from my many photos....the Christians, Austro-Hungarian empire, Jews, Nazis, and Communists have left their mark on the city which is quite evident when exploring it.

It is a very special place and I am looking forward to when I go back next (no plans yet but it will be in the not so distant future). My good friend, Ida, from my course in Leiden is now living there with her boyfriend who is also a good friend of mine and Arno's.

Arno and I drove there which took approximately 9 hours on the German highway and is by no means relaxing. The rest of the weekend was spent walking around the amazing, majestic capital city taking in all of the different, ornate architecture styles and colors. We visited many-a old-fashioned pubs and restaurants, which was great.

The pub culture is somewhat similar to what one would experience in the local pubs in Ireland. The locals are locals, going every night or a few nights a week at least, seats are automatically reserved for them, and there is likely to be some jovial singing. Not surprising once you discover that the original 'pilsner' beer is from the Czech Republic town of Plzen, which is nearby Prague.

To get just a hint of its raw splendor ( my photos hardly do it justice), see all of my photos here.

The map is just so you can orient yourself with where the Czech Republic is in relation to other European countries. It's considered to be a central European state ;)

Arno

Arno - (pronounced "ar-no")

1. He is my babe 2. He is of Dutch origin, approximately 5'11'', with gorgeous, wavy light brown hair 3. He is smart, talented, silly, ambitious, successful, funny, thoughtful and very romantic 4. He possesses the world's most beautiful smile and also the world's most amazing blue eyes that immediately brighten a room when he enters it

5. He has been dating Melissa Ruggles for almost one year 6. He and Melissa are incredibly happy together 7. Melissa wants Arno, and everyone else, to know that she loves him very deeply 8. He is the wind beneath her wings 9. She looks forward to seeing Arno every minute of everyday 10. Arno and Melissa will conquer the world together and live happily ever after.

I love you, Arno!!! We have so many things to look forward to together :o)

If interested...

For my thesis, I am writing on reforms which have taken place in Brcko, a town in the northeastern part of Bosnia. Why? Well, I thought I'd provide you with a link to an article from 2005 which gives a background on the town and it's significance in Bosnia and in the Balkan region as a whole. Happy reading.

http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article327745.ece

Amsterdam, Edam, and Zaanse Schaans

Last weekend, my American friend Kelly (who I met and lived with in London) and her fiancee, Steve, visited Arno and I in Amsterdam.
We walked around the city a lot, showed them the infamous red light district, visited a cute town outside of the city called Edam, and also visited an area with a few windmills, Zaanse Schaans. It was a really fun time!!! The majority of my photos are from Edam and the windmills. We had rare weather on those visits so the photos turned out quite well.

View the other photos here!

New Year, and New Apartment

So, unlike past years when I've flown back to Europe for New Year's arriving on the morning of the 31st, I planned it a little better and arrived the morning of the 30th -- doing that definitely gave me time to get over some jet lag! Arno, three of his guy friends, and myself headed to a bar/club in the center of Amsterdam that had a Las Vegas themed party. They bought fun suits for the occasion, as you can see ;o) Happy 2007 to everyone!



















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Below are photos of the apartment and surrounding area from where I am now living in Amsterdam. (Hint: name of the street is pronounced similar to 'rows-strat').















We are the 2nd floor up from the street level, the balcony with the green thing on it...