Day Two- Dutch Flamenco

This morning I was woken up by the spastic ringing of church bells from the village. It sounded as if someone was angry and decided to take it out on the bells! We got dressed and went to breakfast. After breakfast were a few sessions on castle grounds rules, computer lab, and how to use the laundry machines. We had lunch then walked into town to get toiletries and notebooks from the “everything under one roof” store. The name is very literal-they had everything from Dutch hallmark cards to hairbrushes, hardware supplies, coloring books, and candles. We made a stop at Spar, the supermarket, for some snacks and stroopwaffles. After going to a few meetings we had dinner. I had my first taste of red sauce in the Netherlands and to my surprise it was actually really good! There was also a delicious Belgian chocolate-icecream cake thing that was incredible.

One of the things that surprises me here is how environmentally conscious people are. Huber and other staff members keep reminding us to unplug or laptops and other things when we’re not using them. They also tell us to make sure to turn off all of our lights when we leave (mostly because they cause a fire hazard. As Huber says-“This castle is old and made mainly of wood. Shit burns.”). They also are conscious of how much water we use.

Some upcoming travel plans include Portugal, Switzerland, Belgium, Scotland, and our spring break adventure to Prague, Vienna, Budapest, and Berlin.

Tonight there was a performance by a Spanish guitarist and flamenco dancer/singer in Sophie’s. The music was so beautiful! Everyone really enjoyed the Sephardic, Gypsy, and Spanish songs that they played. After a few, the couple asked if anyone was a musician that could join them on guitar. Our friend Jared volunteered and grabbed the castle guitar. He and the guitarist played awesome blues music while another girl and the flamenco dancer improvised blues lyrics. Then they started playing Hotel California and everyone sang along. Afterwards a few people stuck around and messed around playing blues and other songs on the piano and guitar. Before the concert I was able to skype with my parents and sister for a few minutes which was great. I also got to skype with Lane tonight which was much needed! I’ve found that the best internet service is on top of my bed so if anyone skypes me they’ll be in for a bird’s eye view of the room!

Tomorrow brings a later start to the day which means a little extra sleep!