Dutch lesson take 2

3 march 2010
So, plans for the day... Here at work until about 12, then off to Antwerp Centraal Station. All going according to plan I'll catch the right train to Brussels. After that I've got a schedualed appointement getting lost in Brussels, and if I can overcome that obstacle I shall be rewarded with 3 hours of Dutch. :D I'm so enthusiastic its painful. Ok probably more painful than anything else. After the lesson I think we're all going out with some of our counselors. Apparently. Hmmm must check what time the last train to turnhout is. It seems likely that I will forget to do this. Really wish I could fall asleep on the morning train but never can. Everyone else seems to be able to.

When I got off the train at Antwerp today I had my headphones in- listening to my i-pod. So this guy comes up to me, (sound like Peter Cooke and Dudley Moore there) the only person in sight wearing headphones, and starts asking me for directions. Why he chose me of all people, I will never know. Perhaps he enjoyed the idea that by talking to me I'd be more inconvenienced than anyone else. The funny thing is, what he wanted to know "where platform 23 was." Now if you've ever been to Antwerp Centraal, you'll know there are loads of signs everywhere pointing to the relevent platforms. Anyway, I pointed vaguely in what I thought was the right direction. He took off before I could say anything else. It was then that I realised that I had in fact pointed him in the wrong direction. So I did what every good person would do and made a hurried exit towards the Metro hoping I'd be gone when he figured it out. I did inadvertently point him towards the sign that told him where platform 23 was, so hopefully that appeases my karma. Hopefully it also teaches him to read the signs. You know, rather teach a man to fish than give him a fish and all that stuff. Of course that was exactly what I was thinking as I fled the scene... Hehe, more like idly wondering how long he would wonder around the station before he found his platform.

Really cold this morning. But sunny at least. Although the sun is more of an ornamental thing right now. At Dirks prompting I've been trying to think of some social differences between Belgium and NZ. It's a little difficult thinking of them off the top of your head though. However, a few things I have noticed: It seems like pretty much everyone here carries a hankerchief; whereas in NZ not many people do at all, and if they do they're usually of the ancient generation. (If anyone other than the ancients in NZ read this then let it be noted that I said usually of the ancient generation, not always.) I've had relatively limited experience going into other peoples houses in Belgium, but here it seems that no one really takes off their shoes when they go inside. Which suits me just fine, people who know me know I like keepng my shoes on. For some reason, the more and more I read that last sentence, the more it sounds like an innuendo. For a change it really isn't.

Take away pizza is pretty expensive here. My pizza cost the equivalent of 20NZD whereas the more expensive places in NZ are more like 16NZD for the more expensive pizzas. Alcohol on the other hand is much cheaper - people in NZ would go crazy if they saw some of the prices. Gluwein is about half price here compared to back home and yesterday I saw a promotion which included a big bottle of jagermeister plus 4 shot glasses, all for the price of 26NZD. Now I'm not 100% sure but I think in NZ you'll pay around that for a smaller bottle. I should really get some sometime.

I wonder if there's such a thing as compulsive yawning. Its random enough to be a disease. I'll google it and see....

Yup it exists, often as a symptom for something else though... like brain stem stroke... good thing its one of those light hearted compulsions then... (google failed to find me any light hearted compulsions but they definately exist... like a compusion to point at humoursly shaped clouds or something)

If I was a language teacher I would really pity my students. Because it would be far too tempting to mess around with them. Just some subtle stuff. I'd teach it mostly right; but then I'd teach them to say something stupid and use it as a greeting. Like "Pottery is the epitomy of excellence." Which would be so worth it to see them deliver that line to a confused stranger, while maintaining the nervous grin of someone who's meeting someone for the first time and has some minor doubts about the pronounciation of his words. No. I definately should not be a language teacher. Although lets be honest, knowing only English, the chances of that happening are fairly slim anyway.

Alright, off to Brussels in a bit.
Cheers