Eindhoven 4de apnea open wedstrijd I

This sunday, I've joined one extraordinary event - Dutch nationals in freediving in Eindhoven. It was just fabulous, but as for me, not everything was (naturally) absolutely fine.

The first challenge of the day was to get somehow to Nieuwegein, Utrecht's suburb about 10 km from my place. In this god forsaken place lives a friend of mine who offered me a car pooling to the place of competition (Eindhoven is about 70km from Utrecht).
I decided to get there by tram, but as it was sunday morning, there were no such things as trams in the streets. I realized it too late - namely at the exact moment I got to the tram station and saw the tramlist. After a series of extremely nasty curses about the Dutch-sunday-phenomena and few quick (and very stressful) phonecalls I was back on my bike, rushing with two bags and monofin on my back in the direction of that bloody Nieuwegein. Surprisingly, it was not raining, but at least it was freezing cold. Somehow I managed not to loose my direction and arrived to the place just on time. Stressed, tired and frozen as an icicle I got into the car and we set off for the big thing. Great start of the day in which you should be calm and concentrated as never....

The pool complex in Eindhoven is just extreme - biggest in Europe. Huge as nothing I have seen so far. In one big hall, there's a 50m pool, 25m pool with the diving tower and another narrower 50 m pool aside of all that. Crazy...





And we had this pools just for ourselves...neat :) From the first sight of the athlete list, I knew this competition will be badass. The names were just speaking for themselves - Stig Aavall Severinsen (DK national champion, former WR holder), Guillame Nery (constant weight WR holder - 113m), or my trainng fellow Eric van Riet Paap (NL national champ, good guy :) and many more...



Guillame Nery in his official "Guillame Nery jersey" :)

Statics started quite early and one of the first athletes gave it a big shot and made 8 minutes dive. Holy s***!! :) As for me, firstly I was doing a buddy for a friend of mine, and I've realized that the water will almost surely kill me - it was so damn cold and my neoprene was just short sleeve... My concerns were fulfilled almost perfectly. During my heating up, I was rather heating down... my teeth started to chatter and I could not concentrate myself. Therefore I holded only for 5:30 and moreover, I made a mistake during the official protocol and the time was not counted into the results. Well, guess I will write to Sinterklaas (=Mikuláš/ježíšek) for an overal neoprene set...

The rest of the statics was quite interesting. There were many blackouts (about 5), but most of them relatively light and there were also quite serious achievements (bunch of nationals was broken, some 7 minute dives and that one 8 minute ridiculousity). But the real fun was just about to begin... dynamics in 50 m pool were promising quite a competition.

But about these I will write next time... I am a bit sleepy today ;-)

Albert Heijn

Ever wondered why in Czech supermarket Albert are the native-brand goods called "AH Quality" ? Well you don't need to anymore! The truth is, that AH states for Albert Heijn, which is the biggest market chain in Netherlands. It was founded in 1889 and it is the very root of the evil multinational, Ahold.

The reason why I am writing this is not only to make a lousy promo of Dutch grocery shopping - it has got deeper meaning as well (okay, at least different meaning). That is, the great video on youtube, which describes the Dutch special attitude to shopping and the proverbial scroogeness of locals (but I think it's really not so bad as the urban legends make it). So, have fun:



Well this guy has got there also another vid describing the Dutch feastdays, but it's not very apprehensible, if you don't know the background...nevertheless, feel free to try ;-)

Long time no see... ...some excerpts about the USE courses...

...yeah, I know, I am bad, lazy and selfish person, because my blog has been for a long time on a dead point...but hey, I have my reasons!

The biggest drawback for my creative writing is the school. Not in a way that it would restrict my imagination, but it imposes considerable restraints on my free time. Indeed, I value each and every free second of leisure as a golden nugget.

The school is... well I cannot say it is good or bad, but in general, I am not really satisfied. The courses (European Integration Econ., Welfare State Econ. and micro of financial markets) are quite shallow and lack mathematical backing. This would normally make the study easier, but the deeper comprehension is more than substituted by awful loads of obligatory reading. But let's focus on the courses more directly.

EIE is really strange course. It is held by 2 profs and I was really looking up to it. Nevertheless, my jolliness proved to be premature - the course is accompanied by a really good book by R.Baldwin. I like it, cause it clearly explains the basics of EU and its micro¯o worries, but on the other hand, I don't think it is a proper book for a 3rd year bachelors. Just as I stated, it is too shallow.
But that's not what makes the course so strange. The worst problem is, that the lectures are exact repetitions of chapters in the book (not joking). Prof shows the same graphs, repeats the same sentences and provides us with same trivia....it is really sad. So, is there some value added from attending the lectures? Well, good as a refresher, but nothing more.
The lectures are also accompanied by three official debates, where the student groups try to crush their opponents with persvasive arguments over EU topics. This is the brighter side of the course, as you must swiftly react to the discussants and come up with clarifications, likenings and counter-arguments, to defend your statement. This is the fun part of the course, but on the other hand it has revealed how bad is my real-time argumentation....long way to go, indeed :)

The Welfare State is a master course, so it is a bit different from EIE. It however does not mean that it would be more about modelling and maths. You just need to read twice as more materials and write about 15 pages long essay.
The reading comprises mainly of various essays about social policies and problems of recent welfare state in European background, and some of them are really interesting. However, many of these 40pg works could have been summed up in articles about 2 pages long without substantial loss of information.
Speaking about the lectures, they are better than EIE, as the profs have their own positions to the topics and give different (mostly Dutch-oriented) insights. Quite good. As a complement to the lectures, you must attend seminars. These are about presenting the weekly mandatory reading by group of students and subsequent discussion. These are also nice - especially the discussions provide a compact image of how the ultraliberal Dutch people are really thinking :)

The MFM is for me just a "bonus" - I am attending the lectures without subsciption to the course - the 2 course-restriction of Utrecht University is not a measure just for show...the workload of two courses is balancing quite close to the edge of student's endurance, one more would be clear madness.
But the MFM is quite nice and also to some extent mathematical course. Looking back, I regret that I have not subscribed to it instead of EIE...but on the other hand, Integration is compulsory for my home Uni, so whatever....


I should also mention the most enjoable lecture of mine, and that is the Dutch for intermediates. This course is following (succesfully) finished EILC and it is just great. I fell in love with this hidious language, because it is so funny and easy to use. The lectures are more a relaxation than a language drill, so that the atmosphere is really "gezellig". Thanks to the course, I am also able to meet with my old friends from august. The compulsory reading is in this course not so extensive and writing usually does not exceed some paragraphs....on the other hand I get loads of new information which go deep into the subject - Econ lectures have much to learn from this attitude :)


So, that was a brief summary of my little daily joys, which are slowly coming to their end - the exam period is starting in two weeks and then I'll be exposed to new courses, new challanges, new hopes and fears... Well, we shall see...

My marvelous birthday

There is one curious phenomenon that is accompanying me practically all my life - I call it chain-disaster (although in Czech it has much more vulgar denotation). Basically, the issue deals with the problems happening to me during my life and has got one simple rule:

"Each problem and bad luck of my life does not occur isolated, but these create a chain-like sequence of following disasters in a 12-hour(or less) time period."

Maybe you also know it quite well - bad things love to build themselves up in the same manner as a giant snowball running down from a mountain, and then, big enough, they just smash you down to your knees....
I have got pretty used to it, so when such thing happens, it does not surprise me anymore. I just wrinkle my forehead and wait until the sun begins to shine again. So, why am I telling this? Well, let’s say that my yesterday was full of surprises.



The 22nd August was a day of moving to my new apartment which is situated on the other side of Utrecht. I had prepared a fine scheme how will be the day like and in the morning I started to fulfill this plan… I packed more than a half of my stuff into a large suitcase and decided to transport the thing by bike (although the thing was weighting about 45kgs, it had got wheels, so why not!). I locked the apartment, attached the suitcase to the back of the bike holder and set off for the new destination.
I was actually bit worried about the handling with the suitcase-trailer, but despite of it the bike was quite responsive. Sure, it feels like your weight is somewhere near to 120 kgs, but still…it’s not so bad. When I was about 7 km from the city border, two things happened. Firstly, it started to rain and secondly, one of the suitcase’s wheels went loose. Not good. Not good at all… you see, the trailer turned immediately into the plow. But what could I do? I was too far from the city to leave the bike apart and transport the suitcase in hands; and also far enough from the apartment to not even think of returning back. So, I did not have other choice than continue cycling. The rest of the way to the city borders was like medieval torture – covered with sweat, I was travelling at blazing speed 8 kph, the broken suitcase was emitting strikingly loud grinding noise, and naturally, don’t forget about the rain. When I finally reached the city borders, I decided to commence alternate plan: Lock the bike on the first bus stop and then get to my target destination with the help of public transport. Needless to say, I was well prepared…in the morning I had looked up the bus lines on the web and found out that the bus No.10 is going through my place. I was waiting almost half an hour for the damned bus and when it finally arrived, I realized that I had forgotten my wallet in the apartment. Fortunately, in backpack I found two Euros (thank god for my negligence  ) which was just enough to pay for the bus….but hey, the chain rule did not let me down - really kind bus driver told me that the line is not passing through my destination anymore – thank you, Googlemaps! – but he said he can bring me quite close to the place. “Quite close” in more exact words means 2 km away from the target street. Not good. So, I got out of the bus and carried on in the seemingly neverending struggle with the road-grinding suitcase (I am really surprised that it survived the whole journey). And of course, don’t forget the rain.
When I finally reached my apartment, it was…kind of relieving, but I still had in mind, that I must return back through whole Utrecht to get my bike, cycle those 15 km to Zeist, clean and pack the rest of my room and finally return the keys from the apartment to the office at Uithof campus. I was already late with the keys, but honestly…. In that situation I was unwilling to give a damn about it.
The way back was lengthy, but on the other hand nothing bad had happened. So I arrived to Zeist, packed the remaining stuff and fairly cleaned the room. The final act of the moving-tragedy was about to begin. I was on my way biking to Uithof when suddenly a massive downpour rain started. As I was equipped with lots of bags, I was unable to ride with an umbrella…So, I had got “a bit” wet. When I finally arrived with keys at James Boswell Institute, the secretary who saw me coming just whispered “….Oh my god….”. Indeed, I must had been looking completely miserable. She was nice though, and did not mind my delay, so I gave her the keys and stayed at the JBI cafeteria for almost an hour to get something to eat and also to dry myself a little. And then, finally, I went to my new home.

At last, completely exhausted I lied on my bed and thought that there was no birthday like that in my whole life.

After an hour of regaining psychical and physical strengths, I had repaired the apartment’s modem to get an internet connection and also found out that various light bulbs in the apartment are broken, but I was just resistant to these trivia.

And, to end the day (and also this post) with something positive, I must admit that the birthday evening with my Summerschool friends was just wonderful and I want to thank all of them for brightening that, in other means dark and unpleasant, day.

Everything you wanted to know about dutch biking, but you were afraid to ask

Hello again, this time the story will be about the thing which amazes me in the Netherlands for the most. Yes, I am talking about dutch passion fot those two wheel, human powered vehicles.


---The Thing is in the front---

Netherlands is country custom-made for bikes...Indeed, the bikeroads are just everywhere, cyclists also have special driving lanes on almost every road (when there's no bikeroad), and what is more if you're not in the tourist part of the Utrecht, you can see on the street more bikers than walkers. Quite an unbelievable sight for a foreigner.
I have seen and tried out many extrordinary and many hardly believable things connected with cycling, including 1) small race with retired ladies on 1000€ road bikes and dressed in race jerseys 2) cycling in the fierce rain and counterwind with an umbrella in one hand and 40kgs bag on my back (real delight) 3) a bunch of bussinesmen in versace suits happily cycling to the offices on their old squeaky bikes and many more...

...It is really amazing. So, what do you need to widen the masses of dutch bikers? Two things: 1. You must get a bike, and 2. You must know the traffic rules.

1. There is no problem to get a bike in Nederlands...the bikeshops are jon every corner and due to the never ending re-selling and re-buying of used student bikes, the average price (in the shop) fluctuates around 80€. Naturally, such bikes are everything but not in a perfect condition, so that it's not so easy to pick up the right one unless you're an experienced biker. On the other hand, almost everything is repairable and handy student won't have a problem.
There are also another ways to get a bike: The best thing is to buy one from a friend, or a leaving student...it's because bikeshops are raising the Value-added of their services to enormous levels..They just buy the thing for about 30€, and after inflating tyres and tightening two screws they sell the bike for 80€ or 90€.... So why pay more...hm?

When we follow the preceding question to the extreme, there is also one really naughty possibility... You can buy the machine from "surely verified, but a little drug addicted, wholesaler"; shortly - a junkie. In such situation, you are not expected to ask questions about the former owners, and you'd bet it's not because they've desired to remain incognito. Such adventure is nevertheless quite risky, because it's possible that the original 5€ price occasionally includes a 200€ fine and a night spent in a hotel Police***, which is gratis and has got amazing view on the Domtoren....well, it's up to you.

2. In Nederlands, there is really complicated system of traffic rules for bikers. It is known as a biker's code and it is summed up in the sacred book "The Tome of Cycling"

Which was written by the inventors of the wheel themselves. When we add up all the extensions and exceptions, the code contains two rules:
Rule No.1, "When the green light flashes, go!"
Rule No.2, "When the red light flashes, go faster!"

These two axiomatic sentences are fully explaning the attitude of dutchmen to the traffic rules... and that's really bad, because in such way of thinking, I am a really open minded person and hence I am very easily becoming as ignorant biker as most of the dutchmen really are. At least I wear my helmet, a thing which is also very exotic in the neighborhood...

---These things are really more for show than for any effect---

Oh, and by the way...starting today, I have my own bike, an early trekking provided by my frienf from IES Jirka. I am really grateful for that offer, thanks a million, bud! .....I think I'll call her Bubulina. (The fotos are on the way, stay tuned! ;-)

Czechman in the city

Goedendag, Ik ben Jan, en ik ben erg heel uitstekend...!

Woohoo, the language barriers were (partially) broken! Today has ended the first week of my Dutch tuition on James Boswell Institute...needles to say, I am very excited about all the things going on around me. I am getting quite an orientation in the city, also enjoying all the wonderful architecture and exploring the international cuisine (Not a dutch one though, as these people deep fry everything they've got, perhaps excluding fruit and most beverages ;-).

And guess what - I have a bike!

Well, to be honest, I don't have my own one yet. Blessed neighbors from the apartment where I live said that there are a lot of bikes in the room's basement and if I'd dig out one from the back of the room, I could probably use it for a while...without making a loss to anyone. So I did and the Thing, as I merrily call it, works pretty well..! I should make a better picture of it, just to fortify your imagination :)

The lessons on the JBI are really fine. Our tutors are naturally dutchmen (allthough not flying) and they've got really good teaching attitude. Daily we are staying in the school for 7 hours, with coffee breaks counting altogether for more than an hour.

Uithof Campus ----->

As the lessons are passing, I am beggining to speak Dutch in the shops and on the streets - it's quite funny, because dutchmen speak very rapidly when they think that the other person is also dutch...so that I am losing the line after 3 or 4 words and generally I have to apologise and make up for the inconvenient situation in English...but at least I am trying!

My classmates are really "leuk", i.e. nice... Our group is of about 20 students and is quite nationally diversified. The only numerous group are the germans, quite surprise, huh? :) The incredible thing is, that on the JBI are four czechs! Me, Tomáš from MatFyz (on the pic), Petra from Palacký University and Ondra from IES...great guys. This fact was really surprising, and I can tell you, It is really comfortable to stop speaking english/dutch/spanish for a while and relax with nice, ordinary, Czech chatter... the only pity is, that Ondra is in another tuition group and hence he's a bit separated from our words and deeds. Just yesterday, we were "repairing" Petra's misbehaving notebook with a little (and later stronger) help of south-moravian homemade red - therefore today's lessons were not so passing through as they should...well, whatever ;)

Tomorrow we're going to Maastricht, our tutor told us that it is the least dutch "stad" in all Netherlands...which is good, as he claimed. It's situated in the south part of a country and is very close to the belgium borders. It will be surely gezellig (nice, cozy [chǝ'zǝlǝch]) , 'f course if it won't be raining all day...

Dag nau! (bye now) J<

Prologue...

At last, the lion is in the streets...

...ok, so here I am, sitting in my dormitory in Zeist, the suburb of Utrecht. I am completely exhausted - this day was more difficult than I expected, but it's only my fault :)

I've left my homeland on a saturday evening with a vision of next 15 hours spent happily in train or at some what-the-hell-its-name-is station in Germany. I was equiped with a heavily loaded suitcase (43kgs - not joking, the freediving weights are a bit inconvenient travel companion...), large bag and a backpack. The train was surprisingly delayed, but one gets used to it.




Thank god I had made it to Frankfurt overnight, and thank him twice, because despite of other and pretty long delay, I succesfully boarded the ICE. Damn fast train, I can tell you.




After the arrival to Utrecht I've noticed first useful Dutch tip - If it's not raining now, it will rain in the next five seconds. As I was standing in front of the zentraal station, I've also realized first thing that I've forget - an umbrella...what a surprise. Nevertheless I've picked up my dorm keys in the Universiteit Museum and received other bag full of pillows, blankets and so on. Also I've been told that my dormitory is situated in a 10km distant suburb. That's life... Therefore I, bedecked with a number of bags in a form of an outstanding christmas tree caught the bus and took of to Zeist. The dormitory is fine, although the first ascent to room in seventh floor with my full equipment was a fight almost to death.

After I've unpacked all my staff, made the bed with these stylish blankets ;) and realized that nobody's present in our room I've decided to visit a pool which was meant to be very close and additionally do some shopping. In this moment, I've discovered useful Dutch tip N°2 - Don't even think of going out without the map. As the countryside is nothing but flat and the suburban streets are all the same, one can get lost very easily - I have always had a right direction, but the distances were just too long to identify the unnamed streets properly, So that I've encountered the pool after approximately an hour.

On the other hand, the pool was very nice and I've enjoyed my time...but the worst was about yet to come. As I've finished my apnea training I've decided to find a market in the neighbourhood - this was really bad idea. Useful Dutch tip N°3 - Don't even think of opened shops or markets on Sunday. I've spent hours walking around Zeist, the highway near Zeist and Zeist-surrounding forests in desperate search for food, encountering nothing but closed malls. With stomach ready to to implode, I walked into the ready2go pizzeria and bought one pretty pricy, just for the redemption for the suffering :). When I've got home, I found out that my little trip lasted (without the pool visit) 5 hours. I've also found my doormates, Andrew and Benjamin, two guys form Curacao. Really easy-going fellows.

Tomorrow will be first lectures, I am really looking forward to it...

And that's it for now... captain's log end.