A (relatively) regular week

This is one of the first times that I don't have some random trip to write about... but in all honestly I needed this relaxing week! I'm going to try an be that eternal optimist my dad is so good at being and say that in a way this whole 'passport losing' situation has been somewhat of a blessing in disguise; for two weeks I am grounded in the Netherlands which will force me to relax, catch up in school work, and limit my excursions within Holland. It's funny but even though I came here to see Holland most of my travelling has been to other European countries and there is still so much I want to see in Holland. It's just very unfortunate that this 'blessing in disguise' had to cost me about $400 Canadian (GRRRRR!!!) (The scene out of my window is becoming a lot greener!)

So basically Italy is no longer an option for my coming spring break due to the lack of passport and monetary funds but I will make the most of this week in the Netherlands. Loretta will be coming to stay with me next week and we'll probably get into our usual mischievous adventures. She has grown a special spot in her heart for this small country out of all her travels, it makes me proud!

Even though this week was very regular I certainly had those "Cheryl" moments. I learned that you should NOT pick daffodils from grassy public areas. An old man helped me learn this lesson the hard way. But one of my favorite parts of this week was going to church and practising my dutch with the nice elderly men after the service. Cheryl and I went across the road to one of the few non-catholic churches across the street and listened to an entire service in Dutch. Although we couldn't understand the service, we had some great small talk with the old men afterwards. They were more than happy to help us out. This Church had some free coffee and huge slices of apple cake afterwards too. At this point, I welcome any free food as this is a welcome change from the canned tuna and yogurt I lived off of for a few days while my budget was stretched!

This past Monday was a special day for our floor; Arthur, Alice (pronounced Al-ee-chuh) and Natalia all celebrate birthdays this week so we had a tri-birthday party for them. (Alice's mom, Alice, Arthur and Natlaia) Honestly, our floor gets along incredibly well! We are forming such a family for ourselves and the thought and effort that everyone put into making that day special for the birthday people was so touching. Cheryl and I had a little arts and crafts session and made amazing homemade cards for them. One of the running jokes on our floor is how Arthur has taken over the role of Paolo's mom; Arthur cooks all the meals for him and Paolo while Paolo sits down and watches. Arthur received a lot of gag gifts related to his culinary talents and Cheryl and I made a certificate that entitles him to a free meal made by Paolo for once. Paolo was not impressed by this certificate but Arthur sure thought it was a wonderful gift! (Paulo is not happy about having to cook Arthur a meal for a change!)

On Tuesday we had our usual mentor group dinners and since I hadn't been able to go for the last few weeks, it was really nice to see everyone again. Throughout these next few days people will be leaving to either travel or see family during our week off... I think there will only be about 3 of us left on our floor! It will be a rather quiet Easter for me but a well-rested on nonetheless. Happy Easter everyone!