Knowing that I’m going to stay in Amsterdam until June and that I got a 7 in International Economics, I left Amsterdam for the weekend (10-11 Nov). Two Slovenians and me had planned to do a weekend trip, and two Italians joined it; our targets: to visit the north of the Netherlands and Hamburg (Germany), our wishes: to have a great time.

We left Amsterdam on Saturday morning by car (we had rented one for two days). The first stop was the Afsluitdijk, the 30km. dike that “closes” the IJsselmeer allowing the Dutch to keep dry their “low lands”. It was a quick stop since it was very windy!!!

After driving along the Afsluitdijk, so once we’re in Fryslân/Freisland, we visited a pair of places. First, we took a look at Harlingen, a fishermen’s village; I don’t think it has anything remarkable (especially if you aren’t taking a ferry to the nearby West Frisian Islands) although we bought some cheese pieces that turned out to be very good!.

In Ljouwert/Leeuwarden, our second stop, we rambled for a while and we had a “cheese lunch“: we had several sandwiches each one of them made of a different type of cheese (garlick cheese, spicy cheese, …) we had bought before. Personally, neither there my expectations were fulfilled, may be because I was expecting the north to be very different from what I had already seen (…I don’t know why I expected such a thing). Anyway, the trip was being nice because people was being nice.

The next town we visited was Groningen. There the day-light hours ended up while we had a drink at the most popular bar of the town (I had a hot chocolate that put me in the mood to drive 300km up to Hamburg). However, when trying to get out of Groningen we got lost, so it took us a while to take the proper way to Germany (in fact, it was so because there’s no sign pointing out Duitsland !!). We also had problems with the directions in Germany because there were road repairs.

But eventually, we got to Hamburg and, after asking for it several times and driving around the city for a while, to the hostel in St Pauli neighbourhood. Although we’re tired, we went to have a beer at a near bar; that night I enjoyed the tastiest beer I’ve ever had: a 0.5l. tap Franziskaner.

However, the next day we weren’t able to get up early, so we missed the popular environment that it’s said to be found every Sunday morning in the Fischmarkt. We only had time to enjoy the last songs of the weekly concert that takes place indoors; it was very nice and cosy, enough to be willing to come back to Hamburg and get up very early in order to enjoy the event!!.

After a walk along the surroundings of it, we went to the city center. There we admired the Rathaus of the Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg, an stunning building that gives evidence of the richness that the city had (and still has) thanks to its harbour.

We also climbed up (in an elevator) to the top of St Nikolai-Kirche, in ruins since the Bombing of Hamburg in 1943, in order to enjoy the views, but at the same time we got conscience of the tragedy.

We’re also touched, in another sense though, by the weather: fortunately it wasn’t rainy, but it was f***ing cold!!! ( 5ºC ).

I have to say that Hamburg left me an odd feeling, I mean, it would be difficult to say why it worths a visit…

It isn’t a city with astonishing buildings and monuments (although a quick dip in its history gives you reasons enough to come), but there’s something in its environment that gives it personality, and I guess it’s something related with what we experienced in the Fischmarkt…

And there is not much more to be told… the way back to Amsterdam was smoothly and quick despite the rain and the darkness…

We had had a nice time together… It was a nice road trip.

Road trip: the North of the Netherlands & Hamburg (slightly above 1.000km in 2 days)

Compártelo

Nota introducoria: Sí, un post con este título puede perfectamente ser colgado en un blog escrito por un estudiante Erasmus. Y sí, aunque se esté de Erasmus también se hacen exámenes y se estudia para ellos.

El periodo de exámenes del Blok 1 consiste de dos semanas, pero - por suerte - uno tenía ambos exámenes la segunda semana: el 30 y el 31 de Octubre. Y digo por suerte porque también tenía que escribir, con dos compañeras de la UPF, un essay de entre 12 y 15 páginas a partir de un paper.

Así que entre escribir el essay, leer lo que me había quedado sin leer durante las semanas de clase, hacer los resúmenes para estudiar y - finalmente - estudiar, se consumió la primera semana.

Pero a pesar de las obligaciones académicas, hubo tiempo para “esmolar la serra” - cómo sábiamente le escuché decir una vez, en la UPF, al ex-entrenador de handball del FC Barcelona (no es coña, hay quién sabe de qué hablo) - . Y es que había motivo para ello: el viernes noche el roommate organizaba la fiesta de su cumpleaños en Sarphatistraat 153G…

…y así fue cómo en la 153G se organizó por primera vez una fiesta, la cual será recordada - entre otras cosas - por haber sido la primera room party en Sarphatistraat que se pudo prolongar hasta las 3 am.

Pero después de la exitosa velada, se tuvo que volver - previa limpieza de Sarphatistraat 153G - a la dura realidad: los exámenes estaban al caer. Sólo la anecdótica visita de un ex-informador de RENFE de la Estación Sant Andreu-Arenal amenizó la tarde del domingo.

Consecuentemente, hasta el martes hubo quién no salió a la calle. Esto explica cómo en Sarphatistraat nadie se enteró de la manifestación del Sábado en la plaza Dam, en la qué un centenar de personas protestaban contra la posible prohibición de los famosos “magic mushrooms“, la cual fue un hecho al cabo de unos días.

Y con esto llegó el primer exámen. Y al día seguiente, el segundo (y último) . Con la mala fortuna que ambos eran a primera hora del día y tenían lugar en el IWO-tentamenzaal (edificio sólo utilizado para hacer exámenes, el cual se encuentra a las afueras de Amsterdam).

Y así terminó el Octubre… se espera que los resultados de los exámenes no empañen lo bien que ha empezado el Noviembre: de fiesta en fiesta para celebrar el fin del exams period…

Compártelo

On Saturday 20th, my roommate, our Brazilian neighbour and me visited Rotterdam and Delft (the first was my roommate’s suggestion and the latter mine, so we went to both because they’re close to each other).

So, we left from Amsterdam (”dam on the Amstel”) and, after an hour-train trip, we’re in Rotterdam ( “dam on the Rotte”), the second-most-crowded city of the Netherlands, the second-largest harbour in the World and the unfortunately bombed city by the Nazis on 14th May 1940.

Since the day was sunny (but too chilly!) the first we did, once we had grabbed a tourist-map, was walk up to Euromast (185m), take the lift up to the 150m height terrace and enjoy the views while taking many photos.

But the best had still to come: the rotatory glass-lift that raises for 30m more from the terrace!!. A nice way to enjoy the views!. I would say that’s the second best thing I found in Rotterdam.

After walking to the center and eating we found what I (modestly) think is the best one there: een Kubuswoning (the Cube Houses).

They’re amazing!! I don’t know how living there is like but the outside is really nice.

Moreover, when we walked around them we discovered that there’s a kind of pedestrian street that goes “under” them. Then, we realized that there many more cubes than simply those seen from the main street. For a moment it seems that you’re in the middle of a huge “cubic-shaped mushrooms’ forest“.

By the way, why are they so less known?? I mean, I don’t think the city has much worth to see that these amazing houses and the views from Euromast…

Anyway, we left Rotterdam in the begginning of the afternoon in order to spend a couple of day-light hours in Delft.

I wanted to go there because I remember that in the History of Art’s class book there was a painting called “Gezicht op Delft“ (View of Delft) painted by Vermeer.

The old town is nice to visit, specially its Grote Markt, almost as beautiful as Haarlem’s one.

Once it was dark we had a (delicious!) hot chocolate in a cosy bar. There ended our day trip, nice enough to forget for a while about what is coming: exams’ period.

Compártelo

Ara que ja han acabat les classes del blok 1 (*), i abans que faci els exàmens, és un bon moment per fer una valoració de les assignatures que he cursat:

D’entrada dir que em vaig matricular a quatre cursos, però només amb la idea de centrar-me en International Economics i escollir un altre (o dos, si realment valia la pena) d’entre els altres tres (Institutional Economics, Public Economics, History and Methodology of Economics).

International Economics (320BE): Aquesta assignatura aprofundeix en els temes de comerç i de, sobretot, política monetària a nivell macroeconòmic. A la UPF es convalida per Economia Internacional II. El professor (Veestraeten) és un belga/flamenc bastant “caxondo” sempre disposat a deixar anar algun comentari graciòs que no sempre recull rialles. Hi ha dues hores de lecture i dues més de tutorial per setmana, el primer és la classe pròpiament dita mentre que les altres dues hores són per corregir els exercicis -voluntaris- setmanals (i l’assignment si toca). Durant el curs s’han de fer, en grups de quatre, tres assignments (setmanes 2, 4 i 6) i un essay (deadline: l’últim dia de classe). A més, s’ha de llegir un “patacot” de fotocòpies (350 pàg.) en les quals està tot el temari de l’assignatura, o sigui, més del que es parla a classe. Ja veurem a l’exàmen, però no és fàcil…

Institutional Economics: micro-institutional perspective (329BE) : Aquesta és una assignatura bastant peculiar; d’entrada el títol, si bé no es pot dir que no sigui l’adequat, despista una mica durant la primera part del blok, ja que el professor (Knaack) es dedica a fer una re-evaluació de la revolució industrial -personalment, no suficientment convincent, si bé almenys té un enfocament menys ortodox de l’habitual-, i, per altra banda, el que succeeix és que té un munt de lectures (>500 pàg.), moltes de les quals es fan pesades. Al final, l’assignatura s’ha tornat a posar interessant. Diria que és una assignatura “de tranquis”, en el sentit que vas a classe, escoltes i vas llegint semanalment, però que l’has de portar al dia perquè si no se t’empatxen les lectures acumulades.

…aquesta va ser la meva tria durant les primeres setmanes de classe; però desprès de veure que Institutional Economics no era lo que m’esperava (amb això no vull dir que no estigui bé), vaig provar d’anar un dia Public Economics…

Public Economics (324BE): és un misteri com aquesta assignatura es convalida a la UPF per Gestió de l’Empresa Pública… una simple comparació de programes evidencia que economics of conflict o social choice theory són conceptes distants d’altres com copagament o contractació externa… I l’altre misteri és el professor (Abbink), un home de laboratori: callat, immutable i solitari. El temari no sembla ser gaire extens (ja veure’m l’exàmen…) donat que cada grup ha de fer una presentació d’un paper - i això ocupa moltes hores quan hi ha molta gent inscrita -, però abans del dia de l’exàmen cada grup ha d’escriure un essay bastant llarg sobre el paper que ha presentat prèviament.

…i bè, em va convèncer (el fet de la convalidació va ajudar), així que durant la segona meitat del blok 1 he estat seguint tres assignatures, però amb la idea de només presentar-me als exàmens de International Economics i Public Economics… espero que la jugada em surti bé!.

Ah!, sí, ja me n’oblidava… la quarta assignatura a la qual em vaig inscriure va ser:

History and Methodology of Economics (319BE): …de la qual en vaig tenir prou amb la primera classe: si bé la primera hora la cosa es va posar interessant amb el professor parlant del Wiener Kreis (primera vegada que un servidor en sentia a parlar…), a la segona va quedar clar que el tema del curs era Observation in Economics, un tema que, a part de no ser de la meva predilecció, està pensat per aquells/es que volen fer recerca i experiments al laboratori (sí, a Economia també es fan experiments i també es fan en un laboratori).

I amb això us deixo, el periode d’exàmens comença el dilluns i un s’ha de posar a estudiar; per sort, els meus exàmens són el 30 i 31…

(*): Aquí el semestre està format per dos bloks (sí, en neerlandès s’escriu així), cadascun dels quals dura set setmanes i té el seu periode d’exàmens, per tant, si es compara amb la UPF, aquí en set setmanes es “poleixen” una assignatura de 5 crèdits ECTS mentre que el que escriu està acostumat a assignatures de 4,8 crèdits ECTS que duren deu setmanes (i que a més, tenen una hora més de classe per setmana i menys lectures).

Compártelo

Last week, the Italians I spent “la Nuit Blanche’07″ with and me devoted our Thursday to a nice bike trip.

It took us all the morning to get to Haarlem since we left Sarphatistraat later than we expected (around 11am) and we took photos to the landscape (a lake, the cows, the bike lane, …) and to us while we’re biking.

Once we got to Haarlem, we walked around for a while, had lunch and admired the beauty of the Grote Markt.

In the afternoon, we decided to get to the nearby sea coast… If only it hadn’t been so difficult!! But it was worth it…

But, since it took us such a long time to finally reach the beach, in an hour it got dark…

….however, it allowed us to enjoy a beautiful sunset.

Eventually, after biking through the darkness up to Haarlem, we came back to Amsterdam by train.

Compártelo

Last weekend, a crowd of almost 20 people from Sarphatistraat (me among them) spent their weekend in Belgium. We left Amsterdam by coach on Friday morning and, after taking a train in Bruxelles/Brussel, we got to Bruges/Brugge. We spent all the afternoon walking around the old city center and taking pictures of it; since we we’re tired and we wanted to save energies for the following night (la Nuit Blanche) we went to our beds early… well, not all did that, the two Peruvians had a Belgian beer drinking night and, after arriving to the hostel around 6am, one of them threw up… next morning, he had left the night before’s dinner in Brugge and he was bringing with him to Bruxelles/Brussel a big hangover…

In Bruxelles/Brussel the weather was not as nice as it was in Brugge, I mean, rather than being chilly and cloudy it rained… That’s why, after being at the Grand Place/Grote Markt and taking the typical photo in the Manneken Pis‘ corner, we decided to take a sightseeing tour in a bus… a common activity that many tourist do, but when you’re a 20 people’s group you’re willing to get a discounted fare since you know you have bargaining power… and when there’re two different companies’ empty buses parked in the same corner, your bargaining power increases even more!!… and usually happens (if not, they collude) that the two bus drivers get into a price war (starting to voicing lower ticket prices) … and it might happen (as it did) that the price war becomes a personal question and one of them gets into his competitor’s bus and tries to punch his face (a violent alternative of kicking your competitor out of the market)… But, besides that, the sightseeing tour was really nice (it even took us to the Atomium!), long (1h30′) and cheap (5€).

Afterwards, we went to have a beer at the Delirium Café, a pub awarded with a World Guiness Record because of its 2.004 different commercial beers you can find there (e.g.: a Cruzcampo… 6€!). After having dinner, we gathered at the Grand Place/Grote Markt, which at that time had become the “Botellón Place”… la Nuit Blanche’07 had begun!! However, at 1am Giulio, Teresa and me decided to go to see a concert held in a pub nearby… but, after getting lost for a while, when we reached the pub there was no concert there!! So, we decided to have a beer in a bar opposite to it. What a bar, man! It’s called “Booze’n'Blues” and once inside we realized we had got in a music temple: a “Frank Zappa plays Frank Zappa” poster hang it from the ceiling, a french chanson poster hang it behind the bar, a blues stars concert one in another wall… and an old jukebox full of vinyls ready to be played for 50 cents each; we’re chatting there until 3am. Then, we walked back to the Grand Place/Grote Markt but it was empty of people and full of garbage… and, after rambling around for a while we ended up in the same bar again. There it ended our Nuit Blanche, having a cup of tea while listening to some rock&roll classics coming from the old jukebox… It was not the kind of night I expected, but it was nice though.

But what I wouldn’t have never expected after such a night was meeting the guy we met in the bakery where we’re having breakfast. He was a vagrant who had slept that night in a street of Bruxelles/Brussel and, unusually (as he said), was having breakfast in a bakery; rather than asking us for money, as it may be expected, he just wanted to hold a conversation (he even tried to invite us for a coffe). He explained us that he had been living in several places of the world (he was able to speak Dutch, French and English); he had had several jobs, although nowadays he earns some money playing the saxo in the streets; and that he has been a “whisky drinker” for more than 20 years. He advised us to travel around the world and enjoy the present as much as we could. Personally, I had the impression he had come out of a de André’s song. Although he had been in many places he was still looking for a place where people would be warm and talkative; after my Italian colleagues suggested him to go to the South of Italy, he told us that they weren’t the first to suggest him that, so he’d move him to there as soon as he could gather enough money.

Touched by that unexpected meeting, we left him in the bakery since we had to meet the rest of the people before taking the coach back to Amsterdam. We met them at the lockers of the Gare Bruxelles-Central/Station Brussel-Centraal and, after getting to Bruxelles Nord/Brussel Noord, we took the coach back to Amsterdam at 12am.

Compártelo

Bé, a aquestes alçades ja és hora (com algú em va recordar fa poc) de parlar del motiu (oficial) de la beca Erasmus… els estudis.
Estic estudiant a la Universiteit van Amsterdam (UvA) , institució fundada el 1623 amb el nom de Athenaeum Illustre per a ensenyar Filosofia i Comerç (els neerlandesos, una nació de comerciants!). Durant el segle XVII es van introduir els estudis de Medicina, Dret i Teologia. El 1815 va ser reconeguda com a institució d’educació superior, i al 1877 va esdevenir la “Gemeentelijke Universiteit van Amsterdam” (Universitat Municipal). Així doncs, el nom actual data de 1961, quan el govern central es va fer càrrec del seu finançament.

I jo, estudiant d’Economia, estic estudiant a la Faculteit Economie en Bedrijfskunde (FEB), la qual va ser creada el 1922. Segons es pot llegir a la seva web el seu departament de recerca està entre les 10 millors d’Europa… quelcom que, en la modesta opinió del que escriu, no es correspon amb la biblioteca que té: petita i amb un horari increïblement restrictiu (estic molt ben acostumat a la UPF, ho sé!)… .

Roeterseiland (és el conjunt d’edificis que es veuen al centre del fons de la imatge)

…l’edifici on es troba la FEB forma part del “campus urbà” de Roeterseiland, juntament amb altres facultats.

… oi que Roeterseiland sembla una fàbrica?? Ho dic perquè té com una espècie de xemeneia coronada amb el logo de la UvA que de lluny li dóna un “aire fabril”…

…ah! Gran detall!! Donat que estem on estem, Roeterseiland no podia ser menys i té, just davant, un flamant coffee shop…

Compártelo

Después de tres semanas viviendo en Amsterdam, se puede decir que ya he terminado de hacer todos los trámites y gestiones necesarias…

Con este post quiero, simplemente, dar cuenta de ello por si a algún/una (futur@ Erasmus o no) le interesa:

Recoger las llaves y firmar el “Lease agreement”: Esto és algo que tod@s tienen que hacer el primer día que llegan, a no ser que alguien que haya llegado antes le recoja las llaves en la oficina de De Key (Hoogte Kadijk 179), aunque en este último caso tendrá que volver otro día a firmar el contrato.

De Key vende un nórdico, un cojín (fundas incluído) y una sábana por 30€… que en el Ikea de las afueras valen la mitad… todo depende del espacio que tengas en la(s) maleta(s) y el tiempo que tengas… si lo coges, te lo dan en la misma oficina.

Aviso: dependiendo de dónde te alojes vas a tener que cruzar todo Amsterdam.

Obtener el carnet universitario: la Universiteit van Amsterdam (UvA) te cita, al poco de llegar, en su Service & Information Centre para que recojas la Student Identity Card y actives MijnUvA (e-mail, materiales de clase, etc.) y te da cita para registrarte como residente.

Comprar una bicicleta: …bueno, aunque sin haberlo vivido por haber sido afortunado y haber ganado una bicicleta de alquiler en la bike-lottery de la UvA, aquí va lo que me ha llegado a mis oídos al respecto.

Hay básicamente dos opciones, una legal y más cara (comprarla en una tienda) y una ilegal y más barata (”buying it to a junky on a bridge“). La legal te puede salir por más de 60 y menos de 90 (dos candados incluídos), pero ten en cuenta que al marchar puedes recuperar una parte importante revendíendola. La opción ilegal te puede salir por 15-20€ (sin candados) pero te arriesgas a que te pille la policía en el momento de la transacción o, menos probable aún, que te paren un día por la calle y comprueben si tu bici es robada.

En ambos casos estamos hablando de bicis de segunda mano, pues una bici nueva se va a más de 150€ .

De candados hay de dos tipos: los que bloquean la rueda de atrás y las cadenas. Las cadenas las puedes comprar por 15€ en un mercado al aire libre.

Comprar un número neerlandés de móvil: …sí sólo el número, la clave está en llevar un móvil liberado desde casa; sinó, tendrás que pagar por un aparato con número.

En el mercado hay muchas compañías, todo depende de si quieres llamar a casa o no y de si quieres contrato o pre-pago.

ISN en los Introductory days te ofrece una SIM Card gratis de pre-pago con 2€ de regalo.

Abrir una cuenta corriente: UvA te recomienda ABN-AMRO porque tienen un acuerdo con la oficina de la plaza Dam según el cual no te piden estar registrado como residente (en otras oficinas y en el resto de bancos sí te lo piden), así que puedes abrir una cuenta corriente a los pocos días de haber llegado y no tenerte de esperar a registrarte como residente. Al abrir la cuenta te dan una tarjeta de débito Maestro y puedes pedir el servicio de banca electrónica. El tipo de cuenta es de estudiante extranjero, lo que supone un coste de unos pocos euros al trimestre, pero si posteriormente pides el SoFi number (número de la Seguridad Social, imprescindible para trabajar, + info) entonces tienes que avisarlos para que te cambien el tipo de cuenta y no te cobren nada.

Durante la primera semana se forman colas desde antes de las 9h (hora de apertura) delante de la oficina de ABN-AMRO en Dam; vale la pena madrugar porque a media mañana ya no aceptan más gente.

Registrarse como residente: El trámite más fácil, son 5 minutos. Tienes que ir el día asignado, el cual lo convienes al recoger la Student Identity Card, en la oficina correspondiente (Dienst Persoonsgegevens) con el contrato de arrendamiento del piso o residencia donde estés viviendo (copia y original) .

Enviar el “papeleo” a la universidad de origen: …como cada universidad es un mundo lo único que puedo decir es que en la Internacional Office de la FEB (UvA) le envían ellos los papeles por fax a tu universidad, así que te ahorras unos euros.

Compártelo

Síííííííí!!!

Aquest matí ha estat una gran satisfacció comprovar que el meu nom està entre els afortunats que han conseguit una beca de tipus A!!!!

Avui (tot i que fa un dia molt dolent) és un gran dia!

Això s’ha de celebrar!

Compártelo

This afternoon I when to play football to a nearby pitch, it’s the first time I play football since I’m here. Somehow it was those informal football matches I sometimes play with my friends in BCN, but this time I had to shout “backwards” rather than “darrera” or “detrás” and so on… (actually, I realized I have to improve a lot my football vocabulary in English, it’s essential in these situations!).

I played in the so called “Iberian team” (three Spaniards and one Portuguese) plus one English guy, who honored his origins playing that “straight-forward way” English are said to play football. So, as many (guys? juas!!) can imagine it was a bit difficult “mixing” with him (in football terms); I mean mixing it with the Iberian “multiple-touch&passing style”. But we did it!! And very well, I think.

Our opponent team consisted of two French guys, a Slovenian, a Polish, a Dutch and a Bulgarian… yes, they were one more than us!

I enjoyed it a lot, although once in my room I realized I got a blister on the sole of my right foot!.

Compártelo