Room 11 & The Weather

Tonight, CIEE (the program coordinating my study abroad experience) took twenty or so of us out to a Room 11 concert. They are a Dutch band similar to/reminds me of a combination of Feist, Norah Jones, and Pink Martini. Most of the lyrics are in English, which was nice, and the lead singer was so cute- pink-tights-and-cowboy-boots-cute. The concert was actually really great, everybody seemed to have a good time clapping and dancing. Our seats were up in the very top of the theater where the grading of the seats was really steep, almost to the point where I thought I was going to fall foreward and onto the floor seats. Overall, a great night and I reccomend the band to everyone. As we all stepped out of the theater, one strike, two strikes of lightning touch the horizon followed too soon by a thick rumble of thunder. Sara, Caroline, and I RAN to our bikes to try and beat the rain. Just after our first meters of pedaling, fat drops of rain came pelting down. The bike ride from the theater is only about five or six minutes, but I can assure you that they were some of the worst minutes of my life. The rain quickly transformed into ice and hail accompanied by the slickest wind. I had hail in my eyes because it was coming straight into my face. The last four minutes of the bike-ride were an endless barrage of ice to my face, neck, and hands. I thought the whole "bad weather" phenomena had passed with last week's 54 degrees and sunny, but I guess it's as they say April showers (and late March hail storms) bring may flowers. And I can't wait to go riding in the tulip fields.
CIEE has planned a few more of these cultural outings: this weekend they are taking us the to infamous delta-werken, or the mechanism that keeps the Netherlands above sea level, where we get to learn about the Dutch fight against the sea, which is apparently their biggest enemy. Then on the first of April they are taking us to a Netherlands vs. Macedonia soccer game. And it's all for FREE!
Here's a list of things (commodities and abstract ideas) I miss about America: Chips and Salsa, vietnamese food, driving, milkshakes, the heat, the real ocean, seafood (because it's way too expensive here), ovens (because our student flats don't have them), being able to afford to live a normal life (because the dollar is so weak and growing weaker by the minute)...
Things I will miss about Amsterdam: biking everywhere (which I plan on importing), stroopwaffles (delicious cookies- a pack of 10 for 67 euro cents), free museum entrance (with my museum card), brick buildings, sapori sandwiches (but I think we can re-create those)...