Yesterday I went out to eat with some friends to celebrate getting my NT2 programma II diploma. My taalcoach (language coach – from SamenSpraak) arrived with some gifts. There were three of them. One book about Dutch language (puzzles to help you learn the language), one 2015 daily calendar from Onze Taal (“Our Language”) and a third wrapped gift that was weirdly heavy.
Weird but cool! I got kinetic sand. Check out this YouTube video.
Looks like ordinary sand in the photo, no? Not quite. The sand particles only stick to themselves, which mans that it moves in clumps rather than separately. It looks really cool. Marco has already started playing with it a bit. Here was his first attempt:
And check out this picture to see how it moves together:
Note the pictures above show only half of the sand we were given; it was easier to keep the amount smaller to test what it looks like.
And finally, an image from the official website:
Life in the Hague 
Looks like fun.
hehe it is. It would have been perfect for the dad’s classes, I think. ;p
Wow, congrats on the diploma! Was it a tough exam? How long did it take you to reach that stage? It’s precisely what I’m aiming for, but I’ve got no idea how long it’ll take me… I know it’s different for everyone, but I’m still curious to hear about your experience! 🙂
Sorry – I only just realised precisely how much you’ve already written about your NT2 experience! Thanks for sharing so many details about the exam. Really helpful!
Not a problem! But here’s a rough timeline: I moved to the Netherlands just before Christmas 2012. I was able to skip A1 and move straight into A1-A2 classes in February 2013 (Volksuniversiteit in The Hague). That class was either 12 or 14 weeks long.
Then I switched to a different school (ROC Mondriaan) but those classes were 20 weeks in length. A2-B1 class began in September of last year, and I started B1-B2 in January of this year. I took the NT2 exam in mid July. So about a year and a half – but I devoted a lot of my time during the first year to studying Dutch and didn’t look for a job until this year.
I hope that helps! 🙂