Goodbye 2015.

Hello 2015,

It's almost time to say goodbye. Our time together is nearly over. Those 365 days I got to spend with you this year were absolutely incredible and I can't thank you enough for most of them. We had our ups and downs but hey who hasn't? Someone told me it's not really a healthy relationship when you don't have your disagreements or less good moments. I guess so. 

When December 2014 came to an end I was really excited to meet you and couldn't wait for all the adventures you had in store for me. My excitement was well placed as you were amazing. I also prepared a list of goals for us, hoping I would reach them and I did. Most of them anyway. For example I watched Big Hero 6 AND hugged a Baymax (evidence on your right), I went abroad (multiple times), I completed the 25 km walk, proceeded to the 2nd year of University, ate a lot of ice cream, went to a festival AND multiple concerts, slept outside in a tent and I went swimming. A big thanks to you for helping me achieve those things.

You helped me improve my taste in music as well, you introduced me to Halsey, Biffy Clyro, Panic! at the Disco, Walk The Moon and Twenty One Pilots, got me more into Troye Sivan, Chef'Special, Jeffrey Lewis, Fall Out Boy, The 1975 and All Time Low. Yeah, regarding music this year was incredible, I feel really satisfied with my current taste in music yet I hope 2016 can introduce me to even more incredible artists. 2015 you were not only great with music you were also great with art as in during my time with you I visited the Rijksmuseum, one of Holland's most famous museums. The Rijksmuseum was really amazing, so many different artists, styles of arts, centuries of art. It felt great just roaming it's hallways taking good looks at all the pieces of art everywhere and the marvellous architectural structure of the building itself. 
 









Then there was travelling. 2014 and 2013 helped me spend a lot of money on travelling some big plans were made for 2016 as well so with you I had to slow down on the spending money for travelling bit. Thankfully you understood my wish and helped me find the ultimate holiday destination, Domaine de Puylagorge. A Dutch campsite in France known for being a great holiday destination for families with one or more children with a disability. The work I got to do there was great, so great even I decided to go back in 2016. These were two great weeks for a low budget traveller like me this year. However our travelling didn't stop there, hell no. A few weeks after France I went to The Hague with my mum, dad and sister for a couple of days where we visited a Food Marked and went to see Billy Elliot which was amazing. Somewhere in April or May you pushed me and my friend to buy tickets for TATINOF (The Amazing Tour Is Not On Fire) in Brighton, UK. Possibly the best purchase of the year so thanks for that mate! This meant we head to go to Brighton as well so on October 30 we boarded a plane and went to Brighton for a weekend. Brighton was everything I could have wished for and more, it was practically the best weekend of my life. Even after Brighton you thought I needed another travelling thing so you gave me that last push to say yes to my friend who asked me to go to Disneyland Paris during New Year's eve. 
So when it comes to travelling you have been more than great for me and I could never thank you enough for the amazing chances you have given me!

 

Besides all the good stuff we went through there were some less good times too. In August my granddad nearly died but thankfully he's a very brave and strong man and I'm so grateful to still have him by my side. Then there were those times where my moods just dropped and the void became stronger again and of course the many times my anxiety tried to ruin my day. Thankfully you were a great companion and showed me how amazing my friends are and that I actually can trust them and am allowed to tell them when I'm struggling with myself.

2015 you have been so patient with me. You taught me so many things this year, sometimes I picked them up quickly and other times you had to pick me up from the floor a thousand times or give me that last push a couple of times before it struck me. You were a massive part in me growing stronger and finding out more about myself, who I am and who I want to become. You taught me that I can do anything as long as I keep fighting for it and keep approaching it in a positive way. Positivity is key is what you always say just as you can't stop saying everything will be fine in the end. Now the end is here, or our end at least and wow you were right. Everything is fine and I have you thank for it.

2015 I'll tell you one last time, THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH, for everything you've done with and for me this year. I will never forget you!

Love you lots,
ThatDutchGirl96

Diabetes vs. Christmas.

Hey there!

In a blog I published a little while ago I told you I am diabetic. Well I have diabetes, my diabetes doesn't define me as a person it's just something that is a (pretty big) part of my life. Now I don't want to spend a lot of time on my diabetes on this blog as it is not what I have started this blog for. However, since it is such a big part of my life, why not share my opinions, experiences and some of my personal tips and tricks with the world. 

Before we continue let me just drop some facts about Type 1 Diabetes Melitus. 
- Type 1 diabetes is the less common type of diabetes, 1 out of 10 people with diabetes has type 1 diabetes. 
- When you have type 1 diabetes you are completely insulin-dependent, your pancreas doesn't make any more insulin for you.
- You can get type 1 diabetes due to your own immune system destroying your pancreas but it's also a genetic disease. 
- When you have type 1 diabetes you need to either inject insulin for the rest of your life or use an insulin pump to satisfy your insulin needs. 
- As a type 1 diabetic you can't just eat whatever you like.

There you go, just a couple of facts about type 1 diabetes. You will find more information about Diabetes (type 1 and 2) on websites such as www.endocrine.com, www.diabetes.org and for the Dutch diabetics out there: www.dvn.nl and www.sugarkids.nl.

Now all that is done we can continue on with the real purpose of this blog. When you have diabetes, no matter what type, holidays like Christmas where a lot of food and irregular eating is involved are always a struggle. This Christmas is my fourth Christmas as a diabetic and so far I haven't found the golden trick to keeping my sugar levels on a decent level throughout Christmas. As I mentioned before, Diabetes and food relate to each other really closely. Us diabetics have a lack of the hormone insulin, the hormone that handles the glucose in your body. During Christmas the consumption of lots of sweets, Christmas dinner and other foods that contain high levels of glucose are everyday business. 
Just as any other a diabetic loves to join in the Christmas madness and consume a lot of chocolates or candy canes or eat way too much during the family dinner. This however is where the struggle starts. The other part is the length of the family dinner and when and how many glucose you will eat during this dinner.
Will you drink alcohol or a hot chocolate? Will you go crazy on the dessert?  How much time will pass between courses? Will the alarm of my insulin pump go off telling me it needs to be replaced? Will I go to a quiet place to inject my insulin? Is there enough space on the table for me to put my sugar level checking device or do I need to put it on my lap or somewhere else completely?

These are some of the questions I (used to) ask myself during Christmas dinner. I found an answer for some of them. Personally I'm not an alcohol drinker and during things like Christmas dinner I tend to drink (sparkling) water, sugar free lemonade or tea. When it comes to the amount of glucose I eat during Christmas dinner I usually check out the courses before the dinner starts. This to estimate the amount of glucose every course holds and to see if it's really crucial to inject insulin for like the soup or if I'm going to wait with injecting the insulin until the main course comes on. When it comes to dessert well lets say I'm not the greatest example of keeping the amounts of consumed glucose low. 

During my first Christmas dinner as a diabetic I got asked a lot of questions. Nowadays I'm still asked questions as siblings and cousins get girlfriends/boyfriends who barely know anything about it or are just curious as to why I handle my diabetes a certain way or how I deal with my diabetes during times like Christmas. For me the best way to deal with these  questions is to take a few breaths and realise not everyone is a walking diabetes encyclopaedia and then answer all their questions honestly. When it comes to my diabetes I'm pretty much an open book. I have learned that this works better than keeping it a secret because talking about it and informing others on your state of health allows them to help you when needed. 

As for my sugar levels. I don't think there's one golden secret to keeping your sugar levels under control. Give yourself time to count the amount of glucose you have eaten/ are going to eat and to calculate the amount of insulin you need. Don't wait too long with giving yourself the insulin as this will only result in high sugar levels. On that note however don't give yourself all the insulin before you've eaten the glucose holding meals as this will result in low sugar levels which make you want to eat more and end in high sugar levels. (trust me I know). 

All I'm left with is wishing you all a very merry Christmas! I hope you have a good one (all of you)! For all the people with diabetes out there or relatives of someone suffering from diabetes, I hope the information I've given you is of use. If you have some tips and/or tricks of your own don't be shy and please share them in the comments below. Together we can help one another in keeping our blood sugar levels stable.

I wish you all the best!
ThatDutchGirl96

(source: www.facebook.com/jongmetdiabetes)

Skype.

Hey there!

Before I start my blog I want you to know that I am not sponsored by Skype or anything. I just really like using Skype and wanted to share some of my thoughts about it with you. 

So back to the point. Skype. Skype, for the people unfamiliar with it, is this program to which you can connect to via your phone number, your Hotmail account and by simply making a Skype account. The program itself allows you to add your friends and either text chat or video chat with them. If you want you can even do both at the same time. Besides this one to one function there you can also chat with a bunch of your friends in a group chat. 

DO NOT take those group chat things lightly though! Before you have a functional chat with more than one friend at the same time some years might have passed. It's a mess, honestly. You can kind of compare Skype to MSN, the chat program that died a couple of years ago and was just the best thing in existence. 

There you have it, Skype in a nutshell. Now onto the real talk.

Well, I absolutely love Skype and I think it is super underrated. As in nowadays society we spend most of our time behind a computer screen or on our phone. Even for socialising with friends apps and programs for communicating have become a must. Decide for yourself but when you come to think about it it's nearly impossible nowadays to not use an app or program for communicating on one of your technological devices. Whether it's pictochat on your old NintendoDS, whatsapp, Facebook messenger, kik, ping, twitter, Skype or whatever other apps there are out there. You use at least one of them, don't deny it. Besides all these "new" apps for chatting, you can still use the "old school" call to communicate with others. This however gets done less and less at least that's how I experience it. 

For me personally the "old school" making a call has always been a great issue. As someone who isn't really good at communicating, has some troubles with understanding how people meant something they said and hates the unpredictability of the things the other person says during the phone call leaving me not knowing how to reply, making a phone call has always send my anxiety levels to the emergency setting. For me these chat apps have been great as they don't require verbal contact and you can take as long as you want come up with a decent reply or ask others for reply suggestions. 

The only thing that I don't like about these chat apps is the fact that when you have a lot to tell someone it can get pretty annoying to have to type something that looks like an essay and press send only to wait for half an hour for the other person to read it and write a decent reply. 
The reason above is basically the only reason I call people sometimes, like not too long ago my stress levels were reaching a new high and I just really needed to talk to someone so I rang a friend of mine. We ended up chatting on the phone for about an hour and it was one of the first phone calls that didn't give me anxiety just by thinking about ringing someone. It was great.

But Renée how does this relate to Skype. Well I must admit I got off topic really quickly and this entire post became one big mess but hey lets continue anyway. 

So as I mentioned before on Skype you can either just ring someone without the video thingy. Just talking to each other. As Skype does require an internet connection to make any calls I recommend you connect to a wifi network to use it btw. But once you use it whilst connected to wifi you will avoid that high phone bill you will get by simply ringing your friend the old fashioned way. So that is great. On another note Skype is pretty similar to the old MSN so it gives you a certain feeling of nostalgia when using it which I personally really like considering I still miss MSN a lot up to this day. *sniff sniff* 

So you can make a sort of old school call using Skype but you can also use it to simply chat by typing whatever you want and you can video chat one or multiple friends at a time. I love the video chatting function as some of my friends live further away and I can't meet them very easily so Skype is a great way to still see each other sort of irl. The video chatting function, for me, also takes away a lot of stress as you can now see the person who you're talking to which makes the interpreting of the things they say a lot easier. 

Yes, I really like Skype and I love using it to communicate with my friends to catch up or just share our latest adventures or dreams with one another. The only thing with Skype is that in my social network it is still really underrated. Some of my friends that live pretty close to me have Skype and use it sometimes but most of them either don't have Skype or don't use it which I find such a shame. Skype can get rid of so many misunderstandings coming from typed messages. Besides when using the video chat function you actually have an excuse for not leaving your room as you are still socialising with your friends and you don't even have to leave the house to do so! 

That's all I have for you this week. Sorry for my bad uploading schedule recently, the main reason is the start of my new internship and it's just been crazy busy with all the irregular shifts of a nurse life and stuff.

Anyways, thank you for spending some of your precious time to stop by and read my blog / rant about Skype. If you don't mind spending some more of your time please subscribe to my blog by putting your email address in the Follow by Email section on your left or share your opinion on Skype and other communicating apps in the comments!

Love you lots,
ThatDutchGirl96

Things that make me happy in December.

Hey there!

In life there are a lot of things that make me happy, some are pretty unique others are so ordinary you might not even notice them any more. Yet any of these things can make a smile appear on my face if I only pay enough attention to them. Let me share some of these things with you guys!

Renée from the past

 
   Blue skies, snow, thunderstorms, warm pyjamas, Christmas trees,        marshmallows, tea, snowmen, holidays, Christmas, food, fairy            lights, ice skating, books, sunshine, duvets, Harry Potter marathons,    Christmas movies, stockings, advent calendars, (Christmas) music        and New Years Eve.

   Those are just a few of the things I love about December. 
   There is more: stars, family, friends, sweaters, fuzzy socks, scented candles, lit fireplaces, romantic comedies, the end of another year, rain, snow angles, Doctor Who Christmas special, warm showers, hot chocolates, Christmas decoration, secret Santa, baubles, presents, fireworks, champagne, chocolate, wearing my onesie, tinsel, having days off, sledding, streets covered in Christmas lights, December / Christmas themed drinks, Christmas snacks.

As you have read by now there are many things that make me happy in December. Which makes a lot of sense as December is a month in which a lot happens and a lot happens around the things that happen.
Let me continue a bit more: Christmas smells, vlogmas, snowball fights, gloves and scarves, earmuffs, the world looking like a Christmas card, my sisters birthday, forgetting my diabetes (not so good for my health but sometimes you have to give in to all the sugary goods in your life), the beginning of a new year, looking back at an awesome year with a lot of amazing memories and the chance to start again or to continue where you left off.

2015 has been really really good to me, I absolutely loved this year with its downs and big amount of ups. 2016 has a lot to live up to but I'm sure it will live up to my expectations and turn out to be even better than 2015. How I'm going to do that, I'm not quite sure, all I know is that 2015 will end in a very special place and 2016 is going to start in the most magical place on earth. So yeah that's probably what I'm most excited for from all of December. (There will be a blog about that later though so get yourselves ready)

What things make you happy in December? Or maybe some really amazing things are happening this specific December that should be in your "things that make me happy in December" list. I want to know more about those things and I can't wait to hear about them!

Anyways, I wish you the best of luck this December and I hope you make it a remarkable one!
Lots of love,
ThatDutchGirl96

I went to Brighton!!!!!!! (final part)

Hey guys!

Get some tea, a few snacks, wrap a blanket around yourself and prepare for the last part of my Brighton adventure.

On the second day of our Brighton adventure I woke up early, not because I couldn't sleep but because a clan of pigeons was fighting a clan of seagulls right outside our window! So much for a good start of the day. Looking at the date however made me forget all about the bird war going on outside our window. Today was October 31st. Halloween but maybe even more important, the day we were going to see Dan and Phil on their amazing tour is not on fire!!!!

Ever since the day we ordered the tickets it felt kind of unreal. Like a deja vu of some sorts. Even on the day it was actually going to happen I still couldn't comprehend the fact that it was actually going to happen. AHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

After breakfast we went out for a walk on the beach, explored a bit more of Brighton and did our first proper bit of shopping before returning to the hotel again. Time was running out, TATINOF was coming closer and closer and for some reason I wasn't nervous at all. Neither was I realising that I was actually going to see them today but I already told you that. We queued up about an hour and a half before the doors would open. It wasn't busy yet which was kind of nice. As 18 and 19-year-olds we felt a bit out of place, I think approximately 80% of the people there were 16 and younger. NOT JUDGING THO, JUST AN OBSERVATION! A guy started walking past taking in the phan-art, reason why I was a weird kid stories, internet support group problems and 7 second challenges. Everyone in the queue was really enthusiastic and kind towards one another which was really great. As the only two Dutch people there we did feel a bit out of place though. Indoors we met a nice girl who joined us until we went into the actual theatre and took our seats. The pre-show music was the best ever and the entire theatre was singing along which made me so so happy. 

TATINOF itself was just amazing. It was completely and utterly amazing. The show was perfect, Shrek Dan and Thor Phil were just as I had imagined them to be and in the end I even cried a little. Seeing them live was one of the best moments of my entire life and up to today TATINOF crosses my mind every day. I won't put any spoilers in here but if you get the chance to go and see them on tour please do so! The same goes for when the DVD will be released (they are filming the tour) and you are able to buy it please please do! You will not regret it and might understand why I cried afterwards. 

After TATINOF we were still full of adrenaline and decided to go to the beach again to calm down a bit. We had bought a box of maltesers before the show which got eaten really quickly. The sun set and we still sat on the beach as the skies got darker and time kept ticking away. The Halloween vibes started filling the city and as two Dutch girls from a country where Halloween isn't much of a thing we were kind of excited about Halloween and also really curious to what would be going on tonight. The award for best Halloween costume that night definitely went to the girl that was dressed as trash! You looked awesome and it was like the best thing ever so yeah you go girl! Also the people spending their evening drawing hearts on the side walk you made our day even better and you made the city look super cute and lovely. Shout-out to whoever drew those hearts!

Eventually we missed out on most of the night as we were like super tired and unable to function properly due to all that happened that day. This day was one of the best of my entire life and ended way too quickly. 
And like that the last day of our Brighton adventure came lurking around the corner much too soon. 

So here we are, the last day of our Brighton adventure. The last day of the best time of my life. The last day in a beautiful city with so many things left unexplored. 
The day started with another pigeon vs. seagull war followed by the longest stroll on the beach ever. We decided to turn around once we had passed the colourful beach huts. Some more shopping was done and by 2 pm. it was time to head back to the train station and go back to Holland.  

Brighton you have been so good to us! You were and are absolutely lovely and I'm 100% sure you will see me again one day in the near future! Those three days were the best days of my life and I will never ever forget them. Everyday they cross my mind and every time they do they make me smile. So many memories were made so many pictures were taken and so many unforgettable moments were lived. 

Thank you Charlotte for being in my life and getting me into Youtube in the first place! We've known each other for almost four years now and in those years we have done some crazy things and many more crazy things are to come! Thank you for being my companion on this trip! It was the best thing ever and don't you dare to go back without me!

So yeah, that was it. That's the end of my Brighton adventure which took way too long to write and upload and I'm sorry for all the cheesy bits. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed reading these posts as much as I enjoyed writing them. I highly recommend you visit Brighton one day if you get the chance.

Lots of love,
ThatDutchGirl96

I went to Brighton!!!!!!! (part 2)

Hi there!


Get ready the second part of my Brighton adventure. Make yourself a cup of tea, wrap a blanket around you and continue reading.

We took a bus from the airport to London Victoria. Rain was falling down the sky but the grey clouds couldn't burst my personal bubble of happiness. I was going to Brighton and nothing was going to bring me down. At London Victoria we got on the train to Brighton. For a foreigner in an unknown area I felt weirdly at home. 

The closer the train got to Brighton the more clear the sky became. Before we knew it the grey clouds had gone away and been replaced by blue sky and sunshine. Was this real? Yes it was, the universe was copying our happiness and on the 30th of October two Dutch girls arrived in Brighton and the sun was shining. A bit lost we wandered around leaving the train station behind is in no time. We walked down the street not knowing where to turn to get to our hotel. Thanks to the directions we printed from Google maps we succeeded in finding our hotel rather quickly. The Grand Pier guest house would be our home for the next three days. Our room was lovely, not too big, not too small, it was exactly what we needed. 

First things first, the sea. How I love the sea. I've always had this thing with seas, hence why my room has a lot of sea themed decoration in it. For some reason the sea has always been my happy place so being on a beach again watching the waves crash on small rocks of which the beach exists. From the moment I set foot on the beach I knew we would be spending a lot of our time here and I turned out to be right.

The rest of our first day was spent exploring the Pier, more of the beach and visiting Sea Life. The pier is known as one of Brighton's most popular sights and it was pretty crowded that day as well. The arcades, the food-stands, the fair and of course the terrifying seagulls. There were so many of them that it felt like, and I quote my friend Charlotte here, "the seagull apocalypse" was about to happen. Those birds scared the crap out of me and were the least enjoyable bit of all Brighton. 
After walking up and down the Pier a couple of times, avoiding the seagulls the best we could, taking pictures like a couple of real tourists and just enjoying ourselves and the view we decided it was time to move on to something else on our 'to-do list': visit Sea Life. 

Sea Life was better than I hoped for. I had heard a lot of negative things about Sea Life so I had no idea what to expect but it was absolutely amazing. Charlotte and I were probably the only not family there at the time but who cares. We were both mesmerised by all the different kind of fish and the stingrays and the turtles and the jellyfish and the unicorn fish and just everything. It was Charlotte's first time walking through an ocean tunnel and her response was priceless. My response was quite like hers as it was utterly beatiful. All the different kind of fish, the sharks, the absolutely massive stingray and the ancient turtles. Sea Life was great and for young adults that are 18 and 19 years old we were way too enthusiastic. We stayed in the ocean tunnel for nearly half an hour before exploring the rest of Sea Life. Soon we had seen it all, except the Jurassic seas. As massive Jurassic Park fans this was something that excited us a lot. We made dinosaur noises, acted like compete idiots and got weird looks from several adults and kids. I don't know where all the negative comments on Sea Life come from, I had an amazing time and would definitely come back another time!

We had been in Sea Life so long we had missed the sunset so that would have to wait until the next day. However the sun had already set we decided to stay on the beach for a little while none the less. So far Brighton was absolutely perfect and we were enjoying it so much we almost forgot to have dinner. After dinner we went back to the sea before heading back to our hotel for the last time today. 

Sooooo..... This is where I leave you guys again. The last part of my Brighton adventure will be uploaded very very soon so keep an eye out for that! I hope you enjoy these kind of blogs and if you do or if you don't please share your opinion with me in the comments below!

Anyway, lots of love,
ThatDutchGirl96

I went to Brighton!!!!!!! (part 1)

Hey!!!

As the title already kind of gives away, I HAVE BEEN TO BRIGHTON!!!! Yes, the caps are necessary. Last week my friend Charlotte and I left Holland to explore Brighton for a weekend. A city the both of us had never been to before but always wanted to visit one day.

The idea of this trip was born a couple of years ago and the idea started coming to life in April this year. Hmmm Renée what a coincidence, your favourite youtubers announced their book and tour that month too. Yeah skip the coincidence part that announcement was totally how the coming to life part started. 
So in April this year our favourite youtubers (AmazingPhil and Danisnotonfire) announced they were going to publish a book AND go on tour this year. This news of course excited us enormously but there was just this tiny bit of a problem. The tour would be a UK tour and both Charlotte and I happen to live in Holland which is not in the UK at all (sad fact). WHAT SHOULD WE DO???????

After a lot of discussing, thinking and contemplating with each other and our inner fangirl we decided we were going to do it. We were going to buy tickets for the Amazing Tour Is Not On Fire and no not for the London performances no, the both of us had been to London multiple times already. We decided to combine the Amazing Tour Is Not On Fire with another dream of ours, visiting Brighton. With a lot of excitement the tickets were bought and us going to Brighton became a fact. WE WERE GOING TO BRIGHTON AND SEE OUR FAVE YOUTUBERS! It felt so unrealistic and I personally thought it was a dream for a long time. Well for a couple of months at least. 

Summer holiday came and ended, October started coming closer and I was still convinced I dreamt it all. Then the day finally arrived, not the day we were leaving for Brighton, no the day where all the adult, responsible and planning stuff would be done. Finding a hotel, booking our flight, deciding what more we would and could do in Brighton, printing all the routes from the airport to Brighton, from Brighton station to our hotel, from our hotel to the Pier, the Brighton Dome and all the other things we wanted to visits. It was an intense day on Google Maps. 
After the planning came the packing. We decided to make a list with all the things we would need which turned out to be pretty useful actually and since we are both 24/7 users of medicine these lists are a bit more complicated than your average 'to pack' lists. 

Then, after months of waiting, thinking it was a dreaming and slowly feeling my stress levels rise to a new limit, the time had come. The day we would wake up way too early to catch a flight to a hopefully unforgettable, absolutely amazing time in Brighton. Way too awake for this time of the day I got in the car trying my hardest not to burst from excitement. After we both got through border control nice and easy we headed to the gate, ready to board the plane. This nice and easy was kind of a new thing for me as either my insulin, insulin pump or blood sugar measuring device mostly catch the attention of border control and lead to me explaining I'm not trying to get drugs out of the country just a medicine that keeps me alive and I would die without. Oh the joys of being diabetic.

We were called to the gate and the boarding began. After the safety instructions were given it was time to take off. Charlotte started to become kind of nervous now as this was her first time flying. The view was incredible, the cities, villages, forests, endless fields of grass, rivers, North Sea, the clouds and the sun. All these things made the view from our flight amazing. Slowly but surely the plane started to prepare for landing and the city of London came closer and closer. The city that seemed to be made out of Lego from up high slowly got back to it's normal size as the plane came closer to the ground. Charlotte thought we had already landed and was kind of surprised you didn't feel the moment the wheels of the plane touch the ground but at that moment the wheels of the plane touched the ground. For me this was the most fun part because I knew this was coming and the look on her face was so funny I couldn't stop laughing for a long time. Besides this she handled her first time flying really well though. 


We had arrived, we were in the UK, in London. It was real and it was now. In a couple of hours we would be in Brighton, a city we had heard so much about and were so eager to discover ourselves. In just a day we would be seeing our favourite youtubers, two awkward young man who had played such a massive part in us becoming friends, live on their tour. The next three days were going to be amazing, full of feels and new things to see, do and enjoy. 

Lots of love,
ThatDutchGirl96

ps. The second and also last part of our Brighton adventure will go up on Thursday!

American beauty / American Psycho tour.

Hey there!

A little over a week ago, on October 20 2015, the time had finally come. After months of waiting it was time to catch the train to Amsterdam to see Fall Out Boy on their American Beauty American Psycho tour.

This was the second time I got to see them in concert and god it was incredible. Last year already blew my mind so the stakes were high. A couple of hours before the doors opened my friend Charlotte and I arrived at the venue. As we left the train we were observing the others that also got off the train. Who might be going too? Turned out quite a lot. As we got closer to the venue we noticed the queue was pretty freaking long already. We walked past one side of the queue and over to the other side of the queue which was a little shorter so we sat down on this end.(I know this sounds weird but for some reasons there are two sides to the FOB queue at the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam.) A little later one of our friends contacted us and we joined with her as she set closer to the entrance than we did. 


Then the venue doors opened and everyone started acting like primitive human beings to get inside the venue as fast as possible. This is possibly one of the most funny yet utterly terrifying parts of the entire concert because the chance you die due to falling down and being stepped on or choke to death are quite high.


Eventually Charlotte and I got inside, put/pushed all our stuff in one little locker and went inside the actual concert hall. Thankfully there were some nice peepz around us so that was cool. About half an hour later the time had finally almost come BUT FIRST it was time for the supporting act to give us their best. This year the support act was Charley Marley whom I had never heard of before so I was kind of curious. They did manage to get the crowd going, I must give them that although it wasn't really my style and I personally thought they weren't quite right as a Fall Out Boy supporting act. Which is just my personal opinion!









Then the time had finally really come!!!!!! I put my ear plugs back in (hearing safety everybody) had a small freak out session with Charlotte and was ready for the actual show to begin. The entire thing was just amazing! The lightning was perfect, the set list was great, the background effects were magnificent. The entire crowd was singing along and there was an amazing atmosphere going on. During one song they released a whole bunch of massive balloons from the ceiling which honestly scared me a lot, yes I am one of those people but with a valid reason (I think).

Before the little acoustic part started off Pete or should I say Pepe (thanks Charlotte) hit us with a classic dad joke which I won't repeat. The acoustic session was amazing, I nearly cried (again). 

The concert was over way to soon and still a bit mesmerised we headed back to the train station with nearly everybody that had also been at the concert. Fall Out Boy merch everywhere. Fall Out Boy you did it! Once again I went home with a feeling of wow with a bit of amazing and a slice of 'never going to forget this ever' which is personally my favourite after concert recipe. It had been a wonderful night and I am glad I decided to go again. See you next year?

Lots of love,
ThatDutchGirl96

ThatDutchGirl's survival guide: concerts.

Hey there!

Welcome to my personal survival guide. A guide in which I share my own tips and tricks to (hopefully) successfully survive a lot of different events in life. How I survived them or what I have learned from them anyway. This week I would like to share my most precious survival tips and tricks regarding 'Concerts'. Grab some tea, snacks, pen and paper and take notes. 

Warning: the content of this survival guide do not guarantee you to survive the different events in this survival guide successfully or at all. These are all personal experiences and life lessons so you might be helped more by a trying a different approach.

Concerts.
Concerts: a performance of music by one or more musicians or singers.

A little bit of personal history, the first concert I ever went to was a long time ago. I think I was around 8 or 9 years-old by the time and it was a concert of the band K-otic. At the time this was one of my favourite bands and my mum took me to one of their concerts by surprise which was absolutely amazing. After my first concert more followed all of which led to the following tips and tricks. 

Buying tickets.
Before you can attend a concert you will have to buy tickets. How difficult it is to get tickets to a certain concert depends on which musician/band/singer you want to go see and the venue it will take place. When the musician you want to go see isn't very well known chances on getting a ticket are much bigger than buying tickets for let's say One Direction. Besides who you want to go see in concert, it's also important to check on how many tickets will be sold / how big the venue they are going to play is. Some venues offer seats as well, sometimes these tickets are cheaper because they are further away from the stage but this variates per venue/concert hall. 
Then there is the 'buying tickets process'. Once you know who you want to see in concert and you looked up the venue the band is going to play you will find when and where the tickets will be sold. Sadly there are still people/websites that try to sell you tickets but are actually frauds. So when buying tickets watch out. The safest way to buy tickets is to call the phone number of the venue or the one that is one the venue's website or via the link one the venue's website. These are the safest ways and guarantee you of a valid ticket for a 'normal' price. 
More about the 'buying tickets process'. Now you know where to buy tickets but there's more to it then just that. Some concerts sell out real quick. For instance once again a One Direction concert. These are most likely to sell out under 10 to 15 minutes so if you want a ticket to one of these concerts make sure you know when and at what time they go for sale. Make sure you are on the website or phone on time, preferably 30 minutes to 1 hour before the actual sale starts. Keep refreshing the website and have everything you need to buy tickets ready. If you would like to visit the concert with a group of over 4 people make sure every person of that group is ready to buy a ticket or at least most of them as some venues or companies that sell concert tickets let you buy a maximum of four tickets per person. The more people you have that will try to get tickets with you the bigger your chances on actually getting a ticket are. THIS DOES NOT GUARANTEE A TICKET THOUGH.
So if you want to buy tickets to a concert, know what kind of ticket you want (VIP, standing, seated, etcetera), know when and where they go for sale and make sure you (and your friends/family) are ready on time.

Waiting in line.
Waiting in line for a concert is pretty much inevitable. If you get to the venue early there will be less of a line compared to when you arrive rather late. I personally prefer arriving at the venue two to three hours before the doors open. So far this has always led me to a decent spot in the audience. I am very lucky to say I have always had a great spot during concerts. Sometimes someone you know might already be in the queue (long) before you arrive. If so, contact this person and ask if you could join them. This way you will be closer to the front of the line and you get to catch up with that person again and maybe meet some of their friends. So it's a win win. 
Whilst waiting in line make sure you have something to eat, something to drink and something or someone to keep you warm. When you have to wait in line for a long time you can and probably will get cold so make sure you bring a coat, scarf, poncho or blanket. 
Then the moment arrives that the doors open and the line will start moving. ALWAYS, I repeat, ALWAYS stay together with the person you are there with. When lines start moving it's easy to lose one so don't. Also don't push, scream and try your hardest not to fall down or trip over something. Just be nice to your fellow fangirls/-boys. Everyone is trying to get inside the venue and everyone will so stay calm and join in with the flow of the line. 

Money.
When visiting a concert I would advise you to take some cash. If you want to buy some merchandise you check how much that piece of merchandise costs on their website (in most cases). But the cash is not only for merchandise, it can also be used to buy some drinks during or before the concert as it is incredibly important to stay hydrated and you can use your cash hire a locker or have your bag/coat stuffed away in a secured cloakroom. This way you are sure (99%) none of your possessions will get stolen.

Merchandise.
The merchandise stand is a very popular spot inside the venue. Before the concert starts it will be overflowed with people so if you don't mind small crowded places you are free to go before the concert. If you would like to buy your merchandise when it's more quiet I recommend you pay the merchandise stand a visit a little while after the concert has ended. At this time it will be the most quiet at the merchandise stand, it is possible however that at this time some of the merchandise items will be sold out but it's a risk worth taking in my opinion. 

Inside the venue/concert hall.
Once your inside the venue you will have to choose your priorities. Do they lie with buying merchandise first or would you like to stuff your bag and coat away first or maybe you really need to pee and want to pay the toilet a visit before you do anything else. As long as you keep the following in line: DO NOT lose the person you're there with and DO NOT scream, run or push or pull people aside. It will be like a chaotic beehive inside and people will be walking/ running everywhere and it is of high importance that you keep calm. Once you have done everything you needed to do you will enter the hall the concert will actually take place. Depending on when you get in there the room will be pretty full or still quite empty. Choose a place you want to stand, as long as nobody else is standing there yet and make yourself comfortable. Until the concert start you are free to sit down on the floor, get yourself a drink and enjoy the room filling up and the atmosphere that fills the room. Once the concert has started I recommend you stay where you are because sometimes you might run into a person that won't let you through again so you won't be able to go back to your friend(s). 
Now during concerts the volume might pass the safety line which means you risk hearing damage. I personally carry a pair of earplugs to every concert/music event I go to, just in case (which is basically every concert/ music event I've ever been to). 
Also beware of the rising temperature in the concert hall. Make sure you have enough space to breath and warn people around you as soon as you start feeling unwell. If you are feeling unwell never try to leave the concert hall alone! Make sure someone is with you at all times just in case you faint and lose consciousness. 

So these are some of my tips and tricks to successfully survive a concert with. They don't guarantee a great concert though that is still up to you and what you make of it. They might help you prepare a bit better or make you feel a bit more confident whilst at a concert. Maybe they aren't useful at all who knows?

If you have some concert survival tips of your own, feel free to leave them in the comments below and together we will create the ultimate concert survival guide!

Lots of love,
ThatDutchGirl96

It's October!

Hey guys!

It's freaking October!! This is crazy, it feels as if the year has only just started whilst it's actually coming to an end already. But the end can't come before we celebrated some of the most excited festivities of the year: Halloween and Christmas.

But it's October and not just any October it's the 2015th October! An October which is even more exciting as my youngest sister is now officially becoming a teen, I'm going on a trip to Brighton, a new internship will start, I'm going to see Fall Out Boy in concert, Halloween and I'm going go karting for the very first time! Yes a lot of awesome things are about to happen this month and I'm super excited already.

The start of October also means that it's officially autumn! Time to bring out all the sweaters, hot chocolates, teas, (mini) marshmallows, fairy lights and a decent pair shoes. A decent pair of shoes? Yes during autumn and winter too you will need some decent shoes to walk on or you (or your shoes) won't survive those beautiful autumnal walks through forests. (duhh) 

Lovers of nature, charge your phones and cameras, put on that cute outfit, don't forget your coats and leave the house. The leaves are changing colour and slowly letting go of that good old branch before hitting the ground. Fields of grass and grey asphalted roads turn in different colours as the fallen leaves form a new layer on top of the trusted green and grey. 

The days are getting shorter, the nights longer. Temperatures are slowly dropping and before we know it we have forgotten what sunshine looks like as grey clouds cover the once blue skies. 

Yes it is October, it will last for 31 days only so be quick and make the most of it. Before you know it the 2015th October has passed and we'll be stuck in November for 30 days. October is now and there is so much left to see and do so don't you dare stay inside all day. The sun is still out and the temperatures are still okay. Don't waist all the beautiful things October has to offer.

Lots of love,
ThatDutchGirl96

Blogpost 40, take 54.

Hey guys!

So there was no blog on Thursday.... I owe you an explanation for that and I promise I will give you one once I figure out how. The blog that was supposed to go up on last Thursday will come, I've been trying to write it for a couple of weeks now but something is keeping me from finishing it. As soon as I finish it I will post it so keep your eyes open for that one. For now you'll have to put up with my writers block and I.

Blogpost 40, take 54. Here we go again. Another attempt at writing a blogpost that is funny, holds a secret message or teaches you one of the important lessons of life. Another attempt that will probably fail and end in me holding the backspace button until every last letter is gone. A new chance, a new beginning, a new river of words waiting to flow out of my mind through my fingers onto paper. A river that keeps flowing, sometimes longer then others yet it always stops too soon. There's no way I seem to be able to finish a blog this week. It's like something is stopping me. My brain isn't working the way I want it to and it's utterly annoying. It drives me insane even though it shouldn't. Why isn't it working the way I want it to? Am I not the person in control of my life and therefore also in in control of my brain and the stream of thoughts moving through it.

No, no I'm not, my brain is an extraordinary thing. It does as it pleases, helps me escape from the dark and grey reality, lets me wander through the darkest forest accompanied by nothing but my biggest fears and worst enemies. The brain is an odd thing. A thing doctors and scientist have been trying to get a grip on for decades, they think they're getting closer yet some mysteries remain unsolved and I believe they'll stay that way forever. The brain is such a strange organ. The most interesting organ in our body, the one with the most unsolved mysteries left but also the most underrated organ we own. Underrated in a way that only a small percentages of the diseases that are brain related are being acknowledged. The rest is called imagination. As if they're not real, as if the you're making them up, your brain is making them up and having you believe in them.  One of the brain's finest works. Creating diseases in such a way other brain's don't believe in them. Someone please explain this to me.

And cut! What was I talking about again? Brain? No not specifically. Oh wait I remember (just kidding I scrolled back up) I was talking about how I kept failing to write a complete blogpost from start to finish because my brain(?) wouldn't let me. Well I believe I finally did it, sort of at least. I'll leave it at this anyway, now I'm still in control, now I'm still able to keep my finger of that backspace button and start deleting every single letter I have typed so far. And you know what? Maybe it's good, maybe it's just good that there are so many brain related mysteries that remain unsolved. Nowadays society is so focused on solving mysteries and getting control of everything whilst a bit of the unknown is all we need some times. A bit of the unknown, not knowing what will happen tomorrow is exactly what I need right now. 

For tomorrow, the biggest part is already known to me but who knows. Maybe life has a lovely surprise to me by tomorrow and there's only one way to find out. 
See you all next week.

Lots of love,
ThatDutchGirl96

Renée Reviews: Face.

Hey guys!

I have just finished a book. Yes, there's nothing special about finishing a book I know that although there's something about this book I would like to share with the world. The time has come, the time of my first ever book review here on this blog. First some basic info about it. The book is called 'Face' a debut novel from Benjamin Zephaniah and it first came out in 1999 so it's not a very recent book. When I was out to buy a book for passing my first year of university this one quickly caught my attention. Not because the cover was full of pictures or anything, no, it caught my attention due to its simplicity as shown in the picture below. Another intriguing part of the cover is the fact that there is no face where there should be one, all that is shown are the ears and a bit of the boy's hair.

Dedicated to Changing Faces.

So I bought the book and started reading it. The story is written from a perspective I'm not so much used to in books. Most books are written from one of the character's perspective however this one wasn't. The writer didn't write as if he WAS the main character yet he did a splendid job on expressing the thoughts and feelings of the main character and making me feel for the guy. A short summary. The story is about Martin, your mainstream popular high school kid. However he isn't so much of a douche bag you might have come to believe due to all the stereotypes going around about the popular guys. Martin is pretty much leading the perfect life until this one night that literally changes his life and himself.  His life gets turned upside down and the most challenging task he's facing is himself and the physical changes that he has to learn to live with.

I know it might sound as your stereotypical story and maybe it is but I don't care. This story spoke to me on a personal level. In the book you read about the struggles Martin faces (oh the irony) due to the way his physical appearance has changed after the accident (spoiler). Most of these struggles I recognised as I faced them as well a bit over four years ago. I got diagnosed with diabetes, which changed my life and my way of living forever. Most people call diabetes an illness however I like to disagree with that. Diabetes isn't so much an illness as it is something can't be cured. So it's a chronic illness?! Officially yes but not to me. I don't see it as an illness, I am not sick yet I'm not completely healthy either. Something is wrong with me, not normal. My pancreas doesn't work the way it has to do and yes it does influence my everyday life and yes it is visible on the outside as I have to check my blood sugars every so often and I wear an insulin pump on my body but I am not sick. 

Now you might think this book is about a boy trying to live life after a life changing accident, the main character becoming depressed and blah blah blah but this book is so much more. It's about something that is widely known yet very unknown at the same time. This book brings a great deal of positivity and shows that you need to learn to accept yourself and just be happy with who you are as a person. It shows that there is more to life then just looking good. It tells you that inner peace, knowing and accepting yourself and knowing what your strong points are can be the key to success. This story tells you that you can do whatever you want to do, be whoever you want to be. It holds such a positive message and raises awareness for such a great cause (which I won't name as it will spoil the entire plot).

So if you have some money to spare, if you want to buy yourself a new book or if you want to read a new book and use your library card some more then I highly recommend this book. A lot of people will recognize themselves in the main character and even when you don't you will learn a new lesson in body positivity which is always a good thing. Faces by Benjamin Zephaniah, go read it!

Well that's all I have to say about this book. First review, check! If you liked this review and maybe want me to write more reviews in the future then please let me know. Feedback of any kind is more than welcome.

Lots of love,

ThatDutchGirl96