Portfolio File 1: I and the Netherlands in a Bird’s Eye View

1a. Personal description
-As a young child, I was passionate about school and about learning, as most children are. As I got older, I lost interest in school. Textbooks and lectures bored me. I needed a new method of instruction to keep me motivated and learning. In high school, I put my social life ahead of my school life and spent the majority of my time “exercising my social skills”–in reality, I was busy making unhealthy relationships that messed up my priorities big time. The only connection I really had with school was theater. I held on to that like it was gold. I never had a difficult time in school, so I was able to BS my way to graduation. I only managed to fail ONE class, and I took three Advanced Placement classes to keep my resume looking stylish for my college applications. My first year at Dordt college was mostly a year of transformation. I was trying to re-arrange my priorities, but that didn’t really work. My boyfriend was first, then my education. This past semester at Dordt College, I finally arranged my priorities in a semi-healthy way. My education was first, boyfriend second. I am proud to say that I’ve set my priorities straight. God is first, and that is all I can say, for after him everything else comes together fashionably.
-I chose to participate on N-SPICE to get away from Dordt, to get closer to my boyfriend, and to get closer to myself. I felt called to the Netherlands in a way. It just felt like the place for me to be, as an art history major and as a woman with determination.
-I expect to be modified. I expect to come closer to God. I expect to come closer to myself. I expect to discover new, healthier friendships. I expect to develop potential and worth. I expect a lot, and, expectations as a product of motivation, ensures me that I will achieve it.
-I hope to learn about God. I hope to learn about myself. I hope to learn about the Dutch youth. I hope to learn the Dutch image. I hope to learn the Dutch lifestyle. I hope to learn about Dutch convictions, values, and norms. I hope to learn the heart of the Dutch. I hope to learn the Dutch language.
-Communication. How I, as an American, communicate vs how Dutch people communicate is very different because of our cultural differences and our languages. Learning good communication is a process of a number of stepping stones. I see this as the most critical obstacle because it is the foundation of relationships and relationships/connections are everything.
-Others can expect me to be a risk taker. Trial and error is the most effective learning method for myself. I will try, most likely fail, but learn from my mistake and try to come out stronger on the other end. I’m a go-getter, a social-addict, and I am extremely independent.
-This program is successful when it allows me the freedom to take risks. This program is even more successful when it encourages me to take risks. Sometimes I need a little shove/nudge in the right direction.
-My family emigrated to Canada from Nijverdal. I still have cousins, aunts, and uncles surviving in the Netherlands. My dad is familiar with the Dutch language and has been here a number of times. This is the third time I have set foot in this country. The Netherlands is practically my second home. I love it here and I have family here. I am home.
-I know a lot about the Netherlands, but not nearly enough OF the Netherlands. I know the basics. The Netherlands and I have been intimate in the past, yet I know nothing of its soul. That is what I want to discover. I don’t have any expectations of the Netherlands. Why? Because I’ve learned from past experience not to expect anything. Assumptions (expectations) make an ass out of you and me. I suppose my only expectation of the Netherlands is that this country, this culture, will “learn me something good”, something useful. I expect to leave with a vision.
-I want to discover the heart of the Netherlands. I want to discover it’s soul. What makes the Netherlands tick? What sorts of bicycle wheels are these Dutch-folk peddling?–What is Dutch? What does it mean to be Dutch?

1b. Portfolio document
-I am very social. I like to take risks. I enjoy writing and making art. I am creative in various ways. I’m extremely independent and like to do things for myself. I like to move it, move it! When you get me going, there’s no telling when I will stop. I have a rare personality, bold and demanding! I am very stubborn and I hate admitting when I am wrong, but I enjoy the quarrel that it takes to get me to realize I’m being irrational. I’m more of a talker than a listener, but as an observer, I can tell you everything that I saw/noticed while in conversation.
-Values: freedom, education, experience, morality, relationships
-Norms: freedom of expression–individual, diverse, everyone is entitled to their own opinion
-Convictions: God’s will be done; He gives the best advise
-Strengths/qualities: organized, creative, expressive, determined, go-getter, observant
-Weaknesses: pessimist, inattentive, tentative–hesitant, contradictory, non-assertive
-My group role: The illustrator, Secretary–keep everything organized and orderly
-Support needed: interrogate, challenge abstract convictions, offer constructive criticism, offer alternative perspectives/ideas

1c. Description of the situation in and around the host family
--I do not have a host family, rather, a host-mate. Her name is Liesbeth Geuze. She is 26 years old and she works as a teacher in the nursing department of the GH. She is a lively woman with a wonderful spirit, ambitious and goal-oriented. She has a very strong faith in God and I admire her core qualities. She has a number of good friends and a Bible study group. Her friend, Lambya, often comes by to visit. Lambya is Arabic and a Muslim. I fancy her. We have a very difficult time conversing with each other because she speaks Dutch with a very Arabic-accent and her English is extremely limited. We mostly communicate with visuals, but it is nice to watch Liesbeth and her carry on a conversation.
--The house is an apartment, and it is being remodeled, so for the first week I was living in the woonkamer, which was not a very comfortable living arrangement. I now have my own room and it is nice to have a bit of privacy. The apartment is filled with photographs of friends and of strangers from various places of the world. Every night we light a couple of candles around the house. Het is gezellig, aside from all the boxes and stuff lying around.
--Liesbeth has been to Africa and America and has a number of Ethiopian friends. She is very enthusiastic about photography. At the moment she is working on her Masters Degree and spends a great deal of her time doing research for her study. She is very motivated and she looks to God for guidance, all the time.
--Liesbeth has a NEE/NEE sticker on her mailbox so we never receive a newspaper. She does, however, always try to catch the news at 20.00u. We try to watch it together, but that doesn’t always happen. Liesbeth voted CU.

2a. Reflection on your first week in the host family
Describe Liesbeth using one word. Ambitious. Selfless. Strong. Determined. Hospitable.If an article were to be written over Liesbeth, what would you expect to read? She credits everything to God. Liesbeth is a very motivated woman. She lives several lives, one here, one in Africa, one in America. She has been to many places and seen many things and God has touched her in many ways. She is deeply concerned about others.

2b. Determination of the lines of reflection for the personal plan of development
Dutch language – I want to learn to speak Dutch well enough to carry on a conversation pertaining to various situations. It is very important to me that I learn the Dutch language because, in my opinion, language is essential in connection to discovering the heart of a culture. Communication is one of the most critical aspects of community–of culture. For all people, it is easiest to communicate and express their true feelings in their own tongue.
Approach: study Dutch words, phrases, sentences, grammar, etc and put it to practice every opportunity I receive. Get involved, socialize with fellow GH students. Attempt to journal in Dutch.
God – I want to become closer to God. I want to know Him for who He is and to gain a more accurate understanding of His true nature. God created the world and as the creator, He is inevitably instilled/inscribed into the world. It is the work of His hands. I once learned, “A text without context is a pretext for trouble”. You must always look at the picture as a whole. Leaving one part out could distort the entire image–the very purpose of the masterpiece. Taking God out of His creation results in an inaccurate conviction of who God is. To experience God in context, in all creation, presents a more accurate image of God. No man will ever know God, but man is fully capable of experiencing God and becoming close to God. I want to study God from various angles, not just from America, but from His world.
Approach: Continue reading the Word of God and continue praying as I have in the past; furthermore, talk about God with believers from this country as well as from the N-SPICE program. Take note of how God “changes” from believer to believer. Take in the sites of God–the canals, the landscape, the city-scape. Reflect on God as a creator and as a friend.
Dutch relationships – I want to make friends with students from the GH and spend time with them outside of school, conversing and experiencing typical Dutch student life.
Approach: Put myself out there. If I can make friends in the States, I can make friends in Europe. Of course, I don’t plan on this being an easy task, but I am a risk taker and if I make a complete fool of myself, I can have a good laugh! I’m not too fond of the buddy-system; however, I might have to take advantage of it in order to get introduced to other Dutch students.
Dutch/American identity – I want to develop a more accurate definition of the American identity and by discovering the Dutch identity.
Approach: Make friends with the “buddies” from the GH. Spend as much time as possible with GH students as opposed to N-SPICE students. Ask questions, make observations, reflect on things that catch me off guard.
My identity – I want to obtain a more defined image of myself. I want to be able to identify myself when interrogated about my personal convictions. When asked, who am I? I want to be able to answer people with confidence. I want to develop my opinions and beliefs with reason. If I feel a certain way about something, I want to be able to give an apology, a defense, for my conviction. I want to have reason behind all of my convictions.
Approach: Write everything down. State my conviction and back it up. Test the strength of my conviction! Introduce my convictions to other people to gain outside perspectives that will help defend or amend my conviction, keeping in mind that I am entitled to my own convictions and no opposing perspective shall defeat what I feel most strongly about; however, those opposing convictions may be used to perfect my conviction.