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| Sophie's Lounge (it's usually not so empty) |
Sophie's lounge is not what I expected, but I still love it. I actually thought it would be like a small bar, but it's really just a kitchen and a big hangout room. The kitchen is off limits to everyone, and you can only microwave if the Sophie's worker does it for you during opening hours (I believe Dutch laws restrict the use of the kitchen by so many students). Sophie's sells several varieties of beer (this semester we had cherry flavoured, Heineken, and Amstell) and wine for only 1 euro (which is about 1 dollar). Soft drinks, candy, and different snacks are sold there for reasonable prices as well.
Food: Hmmm....there's a lot I can and can't say about the food. I'll put it this way: you'll be excited to have any food sometimes, sometimes your favorite dish will be served (I love the crepes and French toast), and the food is good at first and then you'll probably get sick of it. At breakfast (8:30am - 9:30) only breads, drinks, and fruits are available; at lunch, or brunch on Sunday, (11:30- 12:30pm, or 11 - 12) theres an actual dish put out, as well as meats, cheese, the salad bar, breads, fruits, and lots of drinks; and at dinner, (6pm - 7, or 5pm - 6 on Sunday), it's the same as lunch except usually a bigger dish with more options, usually the meat and cheese is taken away, and only water is served. There's a lot of fried food, and if you are not a vegetarian, get used to eating pork. For you vegetarians, the options are pretty good.
Students started really complaining about the food a few weeks before the end of the semester. If you are unsatisfied, talk to the resident coordinator about your feelings, sometimes that can make a change. (S)he'll try to organize a food committee, so join if you want better meals. Plus, the Meer Market (see "Town of Well") is cheap, pizza delivers, and there's always the Vink. And remember that Nelly has feelings too; please don't say or write mean things where she might hear/see. Don't complain unless you're completely out of options.
 Vending Machines: There are four vending machines in the V.B.: one sells candy (snickers, Mars, skittles, M&Ms- plain and peanut, Bounty, and a great unfamiliar kind called Balisto), and the rest sell drinks. One is a hot drink dispencer, with hot chocolate (so good), expresso, tea, and coffee. The 2nd is a soda machine, with the regulars. And the last sells iced tea (try the lime flavoured), Evian water, and sports drinks.
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| This room (V.B. 7) has been rearanged and isn't always so tidy, but it's a huge single above the R.A |
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| A huge quad in the MC (has it's own private bathroom!) |
Rooms
The rooms are all unique. For the most part, they're of good size. There are a few singles and doubles in the V.B., and the majority of rooms in the Main Castle are triples. My favorite room is tower room two in the V.B., which is a huge triple with window seats and a great staircase (the girls up there now feel like princesses). The only drawback to the tower rooms in the V.B. (there are two) is that they don't have sinks (as the rest of the rooms do) and they're far from the showers.
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| My sink |
I found the beds to be very comfortable. The blankets and pillows provided are nice, though in the beginning students complained about the latter. If you inquire early enough Hubert will give you a better pillow.
Each student has his/her own bureau, desk, lamp, and a little shelf connected to the bed (convenient for alarm clocks). There are cork boards for hanging pictures and papers, because you're not allowed to put anything on the walls (it ruins the old paint/wallpaper)
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| My desk, corkboard, the vest I stole from Huber, and my bed |
You'll notice how thin the walls are, so be considerate and keep music and noise down after quiet hours.
Cool keys- one of my favorite aspects, especially when I first arrived, was the futuresque electronic keys. Theyre little white chips that you wave in front of black pads to enter the main doors. Great for safety and fun for students. Just dont loose them, theyre expensive (35 euros or so) and a hassle to replace.
I can't tell you how often students loose their keys. Someone just came into the computer lab and announced that she dropped hers in the moat, literally as I started writing this!
Computer lab: 18 computers with high speed (usually) internet connections and word processors. Printing is free. We had to fight to get AIM on 6 of the computers (perhaps you'll make more progress with this venture), mainly because several options are restricted in order to avoid problems. You can't download anything, but you can upload photos. Most of the computers have CD drives to play music, and you can attach your headphones in the back. Usually the computers are available, but when papers and exams are coming up, good luck. Theres no food or drink allowed in the lab. You can't connect a personal laptop to the internet anywhere in the Castle, having one is useful for watching DVDs, playing music or games, and typing papers in the peace of your own room.
Reference room: aka the library and where Chester's office is located. In the Main Castle, down the hall from Sophies. The collection is small, but it has some good leisure reading books, some extra textbooks for class, computers (offline) for typing word documents, and it's a quiet place (usually) to study or meet. It also has some newspapers and magazines.
Laundry: there are 4 washers and 4 dryers available for students, and they are all free. You only have to buy soap (2 bars for ,45 euro cents at Sophies) and find a vacant machine, which usually isn't too difficult. Oh, and don't steal other student's clothes from the dryer/drying racks. We need all the socks (and other clothes) we brought.
 Movies: a small, random selection is available for a deposit of 5 euros per video(you'll get 4 euro back when you return the video). The R.A.s and the resident coordinator have the keys to the "vault", so when you want to rent a movie ask one of them. There should be DVDs available starting Fall 2003.
Haircut: You can get a adequate haircut right inside the Castle by making an appointment by phone with the local hairstylist. I did it and she did a great job, and it was only 15 euro, including a tip I gave her (10 euro without tip).
Rules: despite what the non-R.A. students say, I don't think that there are many rules, nor are they unreasonable. All the rules exist for particular reasons that maintain the safety and preservation of the Castle. You'll learn them when you get here (and probably find ways to get around them), but don't kill the messenger (aka your R.A.) and please understand that we are doing our jobs when we ask you to obey the rules.
Work study: there are several work study positions, as well as a few emerson employment available, and you'll learn more about these during orientation. Jobs include:
working at sophies- serving drinks, food, etc. Shifts are about 4 hours long.
driving teachers- driving a manual stick-shift Nissan to pick up and drop off professors at the nearby train station. I did this and loved it. Each shift is only 30 mins long (that's how long the round trip drive is).
security- good job for night owls, as you have to walk around campus at 11pm and 1am to make sure noise is down, lights are off, windows and doors are closed, etc.
dining hall cleanup- clean tables, vacumn floor, help cooks
resource center- several projects and tasks in the resource center/library (shelving books, entering information in the computer, etc.)
various jobs with Hubert- working in the garden, refilling the vending machines, etc.
Weather: All depends on what semester you're here. Spring 2003 was fantastic, and apparentely the best weather the Netherlands has had for 20 years. Lucky me! However, regular seasons are pretty wet and cold between November and March. Bring all weather shoes, jackets, and clothing. Don't forget the umbrella.
Average temps
General information on the Netherlands (and other destinations) can be found at Lonely Planet
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| Winter and Spring 2003, photos by Liz Cocco |
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| an M.C. hallway |
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