Tales from the Oudegracht

I have no doubt that you have all been dying to know what I’ve been up to. Here is an overview:

It has been a little over a week since arriving here, anxious, clueless and friendless. For somebody as impatient as me, it is still a little frustrating that I still find myself plagued by the first two qualities in this list (the continued wait for a timetable probably isn’t helping) but I am truly glad to say that the latter, friendlessness, is set to be a problem that should soon evaporate.

 

On Wednesday evening, a whole group of us equally-floundering Erasmus types met up and had dinner in the SSH, effectively a halls-of-residence-but-shared-and-not-quite-type-thing where many international students are staying for a semester. Having spent much of my time between practises wandering around Utrecht city centre on my own or reading my book on a secluded bench, it was genuinely lovely to feel part of a group and somewhat more like an actual student again. Wine and jokes flowed in equal measure (British sarcasm is more internationally compatible than I thought) and we all bonded over that paradigm of student culinary adventure: pasta. The group, many of whom I met at the HKU intro day (see the previous post!) are a really relaxed and fun mix of people, whose different cultures, personalities, jokes and mannerisms mean that it is very difficult to run out of conversation!

Yesterday was the ESN (Erasmus Student Network) Introduction, which also seemed like a good way of getting to know some more people. A lot of walking - including a ‘handy’ city-tour to the areas that I had walked around on my own for hours. A game of pool, some beer and boat-trip later and ‘group 1’, to which I belonged  (I believe it more indicative of a common desperation to find people than a genuine accolade), wound up at the house of our guides Edwin and Willem for a barbeque and some “beersch”. Although the day itself was rather disorganised, the boat trip though Utrecht’s historical canals and wharves was as beautiful as riding halfway home sitting side-saddle on the pannier of my bike (well piloted by Timi, from Finland) was hilarious.

I cycled in today to try and get some more practise done. It is apparent that us saxophonists are a dreadfully ungodly lot, as it transpired than most of second floor was fully with the sound of saxophones diligently practising scales and studies. This led to the final social surprise of this week – cycling out to a reservoir to eat crisps and relax in the ridiculously warm weather with a few fellow Saxophone nerds. It was once again reassuring to meet people with similar interests and I was able to ask lots of questions about working with Johan, and how the course works here in general. As helpful and relaxing as this lakeside sun-burning session was, I also feel a little intimidated – the saxophonists here appear to have a far greater focus on classical saxophone that I do, and I hope that I will be able to keep up with expectations of the course whilst still managing to become the musician that I want to be at the end of it.

Still, enough about worthwhile intentions and other such financially-unrewarding rubbish! Tomorrow is the first Saxophone Orchestra rehearsal and I hope to find out my timetable. It really does feel now like things are about to get going properly. Whether I will be able to fulfil the expectations of an environment like this whilst still trying to adjust to my new surroundings remains to be seen, and it certainly a source of apprehension. However, this whole year is a challenge that I have bestowed upon myself and, in the undying vernacular of Hitchin Boys’ School, I will have to “man up" and get on with it - preferably without complaining through a self-indulgent public medium. Like a blog.


Oh.