Dutch News in ENGLISH please!!

Hello Everyone
So last week we (URDS) went on a expedition to......Paris, Milan, Brussels...nope!! If only...sigh. We went to Oude Noorden, yeah thats right, Rotterdam......just down the street. But interesting it was...hoping we'll do more of it. We had a lecture at the Office of the Sub-Municipality North that spoke to how participatory planning was utilized to address social tensions that can happen in a multi-cultural society such as this.

I learnt so much in the few hours of talk and the tour that I realized that my experience so far it has been very superficial. I've allowed my opinion of the Netherlands to be formed by the few places I've been and people I have met. I wanted to know more about the challenges this country faces, its people, its politics but the language is the biggest challenge. I can't read the papers and I can't understand the TV news.

So what to do? I know I could not be alone with this desire to feel more integrated and a part of this society for the few months here. Well I will continue to find additional sources of information but the for now one good place to go would be http://www.expatica.com/. This is a pretty cool website that actually delivered more than I had anticipated. But its self-described as the place for "news and information for the international community" for those who "do not speak the language".

Here you can find a summary of the latest headlines BUT there are also links that take you to:-

• Moving to the Netherlands
• Life in the Netherlands
• Forums and Connect
• Health and Fitness
• Housing

So until I can dig up more news sites in English, this will have to do. Check it out and see if this can be a resource for a more satisfying 7 months left in the Netherlands.

Cheers!!!

P.S. So as promised here's a few more online news sites in English http://www.dutchnews.nl/ and http://www.nisnews.nl/ and a favorite of mine http://www.rnw.nl/english. So all you income students for the Masters and short courses....read up a little on the what's what and the who's who before joining the gang. :0)

Spring Break

Hello Folks
Man those words "spring break" never meant much before...back home in Ja we call it good ole "Easter Break" but after 137 days of missing sunny 25 degree weather the word SPRING!!! is definitely more meaningful. So what I am going to do with this rebirth of nature...what else but breathe back life into mine too. Drop the books, shed the laptop and head for the airport.

Now I gotta admit that my travels here have been modest, besides going home in Xmas I've pretty much just enjoyed Dutch towns and my colleagues could say much more about travelling tips but I found Ryanair to be the best I could find. Sure they charge for everything, hand luggage, checked luggage and heard online they are planning to charge for use of the restroom...my goodness...but their quote for a trip from Eindhoven airport to Barcelona then Barcelona to Paris was less than my usual Easter trip to Florida which is a few miles north of Ja. I'd say that's pretty darn good. So guys http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/ it is. Of course doing it in groups makes hotel costs much cheaper but if you have friends to hook up while there...well there's more funds to enjoy french cuisine and spanish museums.

Coming back from Paris to Rotterdam I chose the bus, its 6 hours but i wanted to do an inland trip and see the sites. I used http://www.eurolines.com/
So there you have it!! There'll be more as the rest of the gang tells you what they did. So folks its Spring Break and though I'd love to be hanging out on the Jamaican North Coast with a cold Shandy in my hand, Shaggy on the land and the cool tropical breezes caressing my once sunstarved now sunkissed derriere...I'd say this Easter break is looking mighty good. Keep yah posted til next time.