Getting close to nature

Karpendonksche plas, originally uploaded by gniezen.

This morning it was raining, so I went to see the new Harry Potter movie at the cinema, as the movie prices are a bit more respectable during the morning (€5) as during the rest of the day (€9+). I booked the ticket online, and realised the Netherlands have a very cool paying system called iDEAL, where when you want to buy something online, you can click on the iDEAL logo and it will take you to the bank's website, where you can authorize the transaction using your bank's internet banking system. No credit card required, but it obviously only works with Dutch e-commerce websites.

When the rain finally cleared, I got on my bicycle and explored the area a bit more. There is a lake close to the university and my flat, with jogging routes, lots of trees and wide open grass fields (as you can see in the photo above).

Further to the south of Eindhoven is the city park, called Stadswandelpark Looiakkers, with about 30 statues and small ponds between the trees. Check out my Flickr set for more photos. I also tested out the GPS tracking facility on my phone, so you can view the route I've taken from the university to the city park on Nokia Sportstracker website.

Settling in...

My bike, originally uploaded by gniezen.

So I'm slowly but surely settling in in Eindhoven. I received my bank card from the post office today, so now I finally have access to money I transferred while still in SA! I also received my BSN (Burger Service Nummer) number, a type of Social Security number, which is required for everything from bank accounts to being able to receive a salary. Along with the BSN number came a "stadspas" (city pass) which may be used at the city library, city swimming pool as well as city ice skating rink. In total I already have about 6 access cards: one for my apartment, one for the university, one for the sports centre, one for the metro, one for opening the garbage disposal and the city pass. And at least 4 are RFID-enabled.

The bank card is quite interesting, as it also contains a smart card that is used as a so-called chipknip. Credit cards are used very rarely here, and some shops don't want to pay the debit card banking fees involved for very small transactions. You can load small amounts of money onto your chipknip and use it to pay for small transactions without having to enter a PIN. As the chipknip is a smart card, the amount is stored on the card itself and payments are deducted directly from the card, so a network connection to the bank is not required.

I got an bicycle as a present from my grandparents on Sunday - it's a little old and doesn't have any break or gear levers, but it's a bike none the less! Lots of people ride very similar bicycles here, as more expensive ones will just get stolen and they're more comfortable than mountain bikes (and more practical when it rains). And if you were wondering, braking is performed by back-pedalling ;)

My latest purchase is a Philips Senseo coffee machine. It really is the coolest coffee machine in the world! There is a similar one in South Africa called the Russell Hobbs Uno Uno, but the coffee doesn't taste as good as this.. You put a coffee pad in the top, press the button and a few seconds later you have creamy, foamy coffee :) See my Flickr set for a photo.

First Weekend in Eindhoven

Friday afternoon there was a farewell function at the campus restaurant for three people that are leaving the Department of Industrial Design at TU Eindhoven. We arrived at 16h00 and I enjoyed getting to know my project team mate, supervisor and head of the department a little bit better - the beers were for the department's account, so we stayed until 21h00 :P The evening I walked around Stratumseind a bit and discovered an alternative rock bar where there was a live band playing, awesome.

The next morning I went to the Woenselse Markt, a Saturday street market very close to where I'm staying. There they sell absolutely everything - from fresh fish to computer equipment, from fruit and veggies to underwear, from meat to bicycle parts. I bought a 15m network cable to connect my laptop to the unlimited access fibre Internet access point in my room, yay! :)

After the market I travelled by bus to IKEA - the house & home shopping wonderland. I was very impressed by the place - as you walk in you grab a measuring tape, notepad and pencil and walk through the showroom. In the showroom they have different designs available, with mock-up kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms and living areas. If you like something, you write down its name, number, color and ordering code. The floor below is a self-service warehouse, where you pick up what you have written down and then pay for it. Just before you get to the exit, there is a fast food kiosk selling hot dogs and cool drink for €1 (probably the cheapest in the Netherlands)! After you've ordered, you get a cup to take to the soda fountain where it's drink-as-much-as-you-want. They really thought of everything - there are rope dispensers to make it easier to bind down your boot if your stuff won't fit inside your car.

This morning I attended a church service at 09h30- the church is only about 1.6km away, so it's still within comfortable walking distance. My grandma and aunt & uncle came to visit me this afternoon and brought with a care package from my parents! :) TU Eindhoven covers a certain amount of moving expenses, which allowed me to send a 23kg package with DHL. Some of the contents of the package:
Milo, chutney, biltong, nuts, homemade rusks, Creme Soda (!!! :), clothes and new towels. I also bought a new fridge and microwave / convection oven combo, as my uncle's car made it a little bit easier to get the stuff from the shop to my flat.

My first day at work & moving into my new flat

Study & eating area, originally uploaded by gniezen.

I arrived in Eindhoven at 09h00 with a 23kg suitcase and a ruck-sack. After signing the rental contract, paying the deposit and first month's rent and collecting the keys (magnetic strip cards) I move into my new flat. The photo above is my new study & eating area, and you can see two more photo's in the Flickr set (links are on the right-hand side of the page).

I only arrived at the university at 11h00, and met the other PhD students that I'm sharing an office with for the first time - Sibrecht (Netherlands), Omar (Pakistan), Alex (El Salvador) and Bram (Netherlands). I think there might be one or two more, but they are on holiday. Unfortunately the person who organises access passes for new employees wasn't in today, so I had to get a visitor's pass. Hopefully I will be able to sort this out tomorrow, as I require an access pass (with employee number) for quite a number of things. They have however been able to provide me with a network account and university e-mail address, so I have access to the necessary systems to do my work.