Under the weather

I have been feeling a little under the weather the past few days, but am hoping that some apple tea and rest will bring me back in time for classes on Tuesday. I did not purchase the five euro (!!) cough drops but I have stocked up on curry soup packets which are delicious and don't have that much sodium like in the states. I finished the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and had a good time discussing Stieg Larsson conspiracy theories with some Swedish students at the weekly international student borrel. I also tried to watch that silly movie American Pie on a Spanish website (the US websites don't stream to Europe). However, as simple as that movie's plot may be, it was still too much of a challenge to make sense of it in Spanish with no subtitles, so I went to sleep again.

Last night I went out with some friends to a neighborhood called de pijp. We enjoyed some afternoon sun and then as it became chilly huddled under an outdoor heater- the Dutch will not take anything close to good weather for granted! And tonight everyone from my international group came over to my place. I cooked a big dinner which was a bit more difficult than at home because I had no oven or microwave! I made stuffed mushrooms, chicken with chorizo, brown rice and a big salad with green apples which is my new favorite after Sonora. It was also my first time buying white wine to cook with! We had a very nice time even in my small flat with ten or more visitors!!

Sending lots of love. If you leave some comments (family cough cough) I will especially be motivated with these blogs!!