Rome in ongeveer 50 uur

Last Updated on Sunday, 25 March 2012 10:11 Written by Administrator Wednesday, 29 December 2010 11:16

Het moet er nu maar eens van komen. Een blogpost over mijn tweede grote liefde: Rome. Niet alleen om mijn liefde te betuigen, maar ook om het/mijn woord te verspreiden: Rome is de mooiste stad in de wereld.
De gelegenheid was een kado aan mijn moeder: een weekendje Rome om te laten zien waar ik het altijd over heb. Een uitgesproken kans dus om de toerischtische highlights weer eens te doen. Tussen vrijdagmiddag 16:00 en maandagochtend 7:00 uur bevonden we ons in het oude centrum van de wereld, ook wel navel genoemd. Daarover later meer.

Read more: Rome in ongeveer 50 uur

Rome foto's

Last Updated on Friday, 14 January 2011 16:06 Written by Administrator Saturday, 04 December 2010 13:33

Meer foto's uit Rome

Looking back

Last Updated on Saturday, 15 January 2011 16:14 Written by Administrator Sunday, 16 August 2009 23:20

After a three month trip (actually it was 15 weeks and that was the reason I needed a visa) one should evaluate. Not only to answer to the request of the funders, but also to reflect on oneself. Or, less psychological, just to help remembering the fun. So, here we go.

1. Production
Writing, or inspiration for writing, was the main point of going to the US. Talking, reading, listening, presenting, sitting on the beach, it all had one single  purpose: inspiring me to write the method chapter for my dissertation. In addition some spin off in the form of paragraphs in other articles and non-scientific peer-reviewed pieces could come to be written. The results are satisfying. The method article has been set up, one previous article is ready to be resubmitted, a second article gained a complete section, a third article has been laid out, a user report  has been written, a first draft for a non academic journal is made. All in all a rough estimate of 10.000 words.

Video is the subject of most of the writing to be done shortly, but meanwhile I have been playing around with my camera as well. Playing was what I did. So far 6 videos have been made. Two are still in the making. Just look right of this post where latest video is shown. I got a little more used to using Final Cut Express, more skilled in shooting while riding in car or train, and found a lot helpful websites.

In addition, I have been cooking. That is, trying to create healthy dishes, often cheap, but foremost quick and easy, consisting of ingredients that haven't been flown in from far far away. That worked most of the time. The steak on the right was a New York steak, so it may have flown a little, sorry for that, but I hope the cow had a good life down at the prairies.

2. Culture (shock)
Summarizing I would say that I was not shocked of the differences immediately. Frankly, I guess we are all quite familiar with the American culture, which isn't that different from the western European's. Now, questions will be ( I had them too): Are there really so many fat people? Do they all drive their cars all the time? Is LA smogged all the time? Does everybody wears sneakers? Do they know where the Netherlands are? Is it still so much cheaper? Is everything bigger?
Most shocked I was when I was asked my ID trying to buy a bottle of wine at a grocery's store. The cashier really has to enter the birthday of the customer, so I do not blame him or her. Still, it took long to get used to, although I understand it. First week in Seattle I did not get my wine, because at Safeways the women wanted my passport. Driver's license was not enough. She is probably right. I should perhaps see it as a compliment, since she thought I was not 21 yet ;)
Yes many people are big (that's the eufemism), however many are not. It is mainly a socio-economic problem, so around the university campuses I saw more athletic boys and girls, than fat folks.  I see though why diabetes is a problem. Unhealthy food is simply cheaper and easier to obtain (which is also the case in Europe). Apart from that, there's hardly food without sugar in the supermarkets. Although more and more, around San Francisco even more than in Amsterdam, organic and healthy food is available, it still is expensive and not at eye height in the isles. Then, when even the supermarkets are too much fuss, there is so much choice for fast food, that it is hard no to get tempted. I gave in to it now and then.
Next, transportation. I guess I developed a new sense of distance and time. A two hour drive is almost next door when you are in the States. Especially in LA, it my take at least that time to get from one site of the city to the other. It doesn't matter by what means: public transport is horrible in LA (except the Blue bus between Santa Monica and UCLA); by car you are jammed most of the time. So I took my bike, which reduced my action radius, but resulted in a nice video.
One note on Starbucks: it is said to be evil. The coffee is okay, they have nice chairs, the staff is very nice, but somehow it's just too clean and crisp. I heard that when Starbuck settles somewhere, all small local other coffee shops suffer and will close in a short time. I had the best time in a local vegan communitarian (build by the community it said) and ecological shop, in Seattle, the home of Starbucks (where they in some shops down on Pike, the original logo with breasts can be seen).
As some Facebook app. already concluded, I should live in San Francisco. After my second visit, I must say, I agree. All the West Coast feels liberal (that is what we call progressive/left wing), there's a green awareness, especially in and around SF. In front of the civic center in SF there is a priority parking for hybrid cars that need to charge. Furthermore Zip cars (shared cars like Greenwheels) are popping up everywhere. Moreover, there are many good organic restaurants (all over, but In San Francisco you hardly will find a non-organic). More than I assumed there would be. All together, San Fransisco will be second in my list of favorite cities of the World. Nr. one still is Rome, third Amsterdam.

Purchases  I did and that were cheaper in the US: two pair of GAP jeans; two pair of shorts, one 'run forest, run" T-shirt, a white shirt with pants for the wedding, running shoes, hiking boots, a set of camping pans, a propane burner, a tripod video head, a spork, a platypus ..05 ltr water bottle, a UW mug, a UCLA mug, a UCLA hoody, a Dewey book, a Vygotsky book. 9 pounds over the weight limit wasn't that much (I was over more when I left)

Need I say anything more on the marriage? Here is the video.

3 Academia in the US
All in all it felt pretty common for me. Although Phd students start being students in an actual program with courses and exams, in the end we all are doing the same thing: learning to be academics by doing research. What they don not have is the ceremony with the Profs in dresses. They just arrange a formal defense, which was, in the case I experienced, wasn't really a defense. What I liked best of University life, was life on campus. UCLA has the typical American campus, with all the neo-classical buildings and students in the UCLA colors, the trees, the fields and all the sports facilities. Sometimes it felt like being in teacher PE training again, with all the athletes around. There is one thing I am still confused with: when is someone called a graduate?

Sure, I could go on and on. However, this it it.  I had a great time and it was a big experience. I was homesick for a while, am glad that I am home, but I the country and it's people are fascinating. So there is a chance I''l be back..... 

Final weekend Lobster

Last Updated on Saturday, 25 July 2009 22:11 Written by Administrator Saturday, 25 July 2009 21:48

In a few days I'll be leaving, so I treated myself.