The Road Leeds To Rotterdam

Pilot - My First Week in Rotts

The week in pictures

For my pilot blog post, I have attempted to link Rotterdam to ‘anywhere’, like the Beautiful South song. This is because it has been the soundtrack of the past six months of my life.

This could be Rotterdam, or the most overwhelming experience I have ever endured in my life so far

I have landed on my feet in a delightful studio apartment, in the rather affluent student area called Kralingen (Anywhere: West Bridgford/Osterbro). Due to my wonky foot, I have been unable to explore the city to my full potential. However, I have been able to see a lot of Kralingen, which as well as international students/the Dutch middle class, is home to a huge forest and lake. I am very fortunate as there is a metro station fifty yards away from my apartment (Anywhere: James’ house, Clapham/Double S Topside). So, with my walking stick and leg wrapped in several bandages, I have seen various parts of the city centre. Rotterdam was bombed heavily during WWII, which led to a particularly modern revamp of the city. The architecture here is incredible. There are kooky cubed houses that welcome you to the centre, some magnificent bridges, and several skyscrapers that block out the sunlight that hits Holland (Anywhere: New York). This sun blocking malarkey is very rare; it rains a lot here (Anywhere: Manchester/Bristol). It is a very interesting place just to look at, and the bicycle lanes are a promenant part of the city layout, which I like a lot.

For the past week I have been learning the Dutch language through an intense Dutch course. The course is held at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, which has allowed me to venture the campus prior to the September student boom. I am in one of the four groups that are taking part in the course, and in our group we total at thirteen different nationalities. There are thirteen of us. Together, we speak over twenty languages, and vary in ages from seventeen to thirty seven (Anywhere: The entire world). This has been a fascinating experience for me. As well as challenging - Dutch is difficult and my course mates continually tease me because I’m so ‘obviously English darling’ (they often put on more of an English accent at this point. Anywhere: Buckingham Palace). I’m so obviously English because I’m crap at Dutch, and I talk very fast, and with ease, in English. Having said that, they insist that they are impressed I’m at least trying to learn. One step closer to becoming a RotterDAME..

RotterFAM

In the Whelan household this year, three of the four children will be living abroad. With John Boy continually tagging out to China, I feel slightly sympathetic towards my poor Mother. She will be left with only James (Anywhere: Hell?). My Mother came to visit Rotterdam over the weekend so she could come to terms with this ordeal and so that she could envisage me happy in Holland over the coming year. She kindly did my food shopping, and sorted out some domestic chores in my apartment (wonky foot/she is very kind/likes cleaning). We ate delicious pasta in an Italian restaurant (there is no Pizza Express here. Anywhere: My personal hell), walked a little around Kralingen Park, and went on the historical tram around the city. She was the first to sign the Visitor’s Book too (Anywhere: 12 Berkeley Crescent)!

What the DAM

There is grass underneath the tram lines here (Anywhere: Europe 2011). Additionally, in the Metro Stations they only have one escalator, which is operated on a traffic light system. It works by these lights, and by senses. They either go up, or go down, depending on where the traveller is heading. Lastly, they don’t really wear clogs here.