Bicycles / Insanity Day 2

Bicycles

To anyone thinking of studying abroad at HAN, YOU WILL NEED A BICYCLE. It's the main mode of transportation because you won't have a car and public transportation (buses, trains) is quite expensive to international students. Because they pay such high taxes here, the Dutch students are able to ride for free--but the rest of us will pay at least €3.00 (~$3.94) if not more for one trip. If it takes you more than one bus to get to your destination, you can start doubling and tripling your costs, and that doesn't even count getting back home.

When you ask any of the locals where a good place to get a cheap bike is, you will get some version of, "The train station at night." I am not kidding, every single person we asked said that from some of the faculty at school to the students to just some people out and about. Stealing bikes in the Netherlands is very common.

Some advice I have for someone looking to get a bike here: DO NOT SKIMP ON YOUR BIKE. "But I will only need it for 6 months!"---You will save money spending more on a decent bike in the long run.

We had one of the Dutch students from buro302, where we work, to take us to a second-hand shop. He helped translate and negotiate prices. It was only Matt, Michael, and I the first trip here. I found my bike, Little Red, right away. It was a mountain bike like the one I had as a child, looked like it was in decent shape compared to some of the bikes at the shop, it was fun-sized--just like me :). I gave it a little test-ride. It was actually rather terrifying to be on a bike again for the first time in years. But it seemed like a pretty okay bike. The man said €50 (~$65.74) and I was sold. 

Then Matt and Michael found their bikes and the man said he'd give us the three for €200 (~$262.96) to which the boys said, "Perfect, €66 each!" Some simple math tells me that this deal is not a win for me, but I didn't want to make an issue of it so I forked over the €66 (~$86.78) ....and then later got even by making the boys (probably just Michael) buy my bike lock.

On the way home, Michael's bike would only ride in 1st Gear so he was pedaling twice as fast and going no-where. Matt's brakes didn't work. My bike was looking pretty good. The next day Michael and Matt went with Sav and Sarah to exchange their bikes and get the other two new bikes. This trip was more successful except Michael now has a bike where the handlebars are loose and sometimes don't turn the front tire when they are supposed to. Both Michael and Sav's bikes have been spray-painted making it clear they were at one point stolen bikes. Since then: 

• Sarah has had two flat tires
• Sav's lost a pedal
• Matt's chain has fallen off
• Little Red is the worst of them all:
• The chain fell off at least twice on every trip that I made until getting the chain tightened
• Switches gears on it's own while I'm riding it usually finding it's own happy place in 1st Gear
• One flat tire
• Just all-around exhausting to ride

Today when I came home from class, L.B., a student from Latvia brought a few bikes back from Amsterdam (how he came across these bikes is a mystery to me). And he brought one special that is small enough for a tiny-human. He fixed it up for me outside at let me test-ride it. It's so beautiful. Another €100 (~$131.48) later, I have a new bike that works like a charm. This one I will actually be able to sell back when I leave. I will try to find a home for Little Red but I feel bad putting that disaster on anyone else--the shop it came from didn't even want to exchange the bike for money.

Also, if any of you are still reading: I need a name for my new bike, its real solid, a nice black matte frame, with a touch of orange with little thumbs up on it. Any suggestions for a name would be appreciated.

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Insanity Day 2 - Plyometrics

I can sum this up in one word: DEATH.

Sarah joined today also. It was hard work and I think I turned a pretty lovely shade of purple. Tomorrow I will try to hydrate more throughout the day to prepare for Day 3. Oh, and being extremely sore from the Fit Test yesterday did not help. 

One of the other international students living in our house walked in the room to see the five Americans following a workout video and he pulled out his phone and started recording...and critiquing my form. Next time I'm going to come after him while were doing our uppercuts.