I think I’m actually going to work backwards from the title, and start with the lab updates. Running participants has been going really well – I had 21 participants come into the lab last week, and I have a good bit more signed up for this week as well. It’s amazing to me how many people here seem willing to do experiments; I’ve had multiple participants tell me that my study is like the 4th or 5th study they’ve done all day! I think I’ll have to throw out two participants’ data from last week, since one ended up not being a native speaker of Dutch and E-Prime quit unexpectedly with another, but if this many people keep signing up I think I have a good chance of making it to the 96 participants that I need!
Next thing to note: I’m seriously becoming addicted to french fries with mayonnaise. I never would have thought to do this before coming here, and honestly probably would have been slightly grossed out by the thought. But, it is sooo good. It’s becoming a major part of what I look forward to about every meal that I eat outside of my apartment (besides the fact that food from restaurants is always better quality than what I make for myself). For example, when we were in The Hague on Sunday we stopped to eat at this seafood place on the shore, and it was unclear from the menu whether we would be getting fries with our meal. Which was fine; I was excited to eat either way. But when the waiter asked if we wanted mayo for our fries… honestly I just felt this rush of excitement, like “Yes! Of course! Finally, fries with mayo again!” Please, don’t judge me too harshly – it’s just too good not to praise.
Anyway, on Sunday Jaclyn and I went out to the Hague, where we spent the day mostly exploring the beach and walking around the Madurodam. We also rode the Ferris Wheel on the pier, despite the fact that it was too cloudy to see anything. The guys operating the Ferris Wheel definitely let us stay on for longer than usual to make up for it though. Madurodam, which is like a tiny representation of a bunch of places in the Netherlands, definitely makes you feel a bit like Alice in Wonderland; either you’re significantly larger than all the replicas of houses and people, or you’re incredibly small compared to the size of the tulips and clogs! It was a fun adventure, and a nifty little place with lots of informative stands about Dutch life and history.
