Another American Expat

First post of 2011, better late than never

2011-08-07T21:45:00.000+02:00

I live on a busy, touristy street in the middle of the center of Amsterdam. It's hard to be more central, my place is literally 300 meters from Centraal station, a neighborhood I never envisioned myself living. I've lived in the south, the center/east (near Weesperplein), two places in the pijp, and a canal-side apartment off the Leidsekade. I was always careful to avoid even looking at places in the Jordaan (love the area, but I work there and need a bit of separation between work and home) or the red light district/historical center, because I couldn't imagine leaving my house and walking out into a crowd of tourists and pot smoke.

I do that every day now - in fact my current place is on the boarder of the Jordaan and the red light district, but not quite in either neighborhood. and it's perfect. It's big (90 sq meters, two floors!), I only share it with my boyfriend, and the absolute best most wonderful part about it is that I have zero issues with the neighbors. Whenever I walk down the street, I smile and wave at the men and women who work in the coffee shops, kebab stands, sex stores, and tourist-friendly restaurants. My neighbors across the street have at least two or three young kids who are always at the window looking down, waving, shouting, and playing. A few days ago there was a gigantic rain storm in the middle of the day, and my boyfriend and I ran to our front windows to watch the people on the street either try to hide or just take off their clothes and run around in delight. The kids across the street did the same thing, and we waved and yelled hello to each other.

I used to wave and yell hello to my neighbor across the street when I lived on the Saphartistraat as well, and one time we even ran into each other on the street and finally said hello in person. It's so easy to see into your neighbors homes here in Amsterdam - partly because it's a city and we all live so closely together, but also because Dutch people aren't in the habit of really closing themselves in. It's strange, one could say the dutch are a "closed" type of people, but at the same time they're perfectly find leaving their curtains and windows and doors wide open whenever possible. I like this, because I like sticking my nose in everyone's business. Most people pretend they don't look into other people's windows, but the kids across the street and my former non-dutch neighbor actually enjoy the fact that we can see and hear each other. It's part of why we live in a city and not the middle of nowhere.

It's a fantastic place where I live - the building is old, the house is leaning over, I live among a lot of very dutch people and a lot of very foreign people and while my street is busy with tourists and music all day long, cars are not allowed down my street. My boyfriend (who isn't Dutch) and I were welcomed the first day we moved in by people in the restaurant across the street, who told us that they only accepted cash (we didn't have any, only bank cards) but not to worry, we could come back some other time to pay them. This is my 6th apartment in three years of living in Amsterdam, and it's the place that feels the most like home. I didn't expect to like the neighborhood as much as I do, but I've never felt so at ease anywhere else in this city.

Keep this in mind

2010-02-21T19:07:00.004+01:00

#1. The Dutch are the tallest people in the world. If you ever had any doubts about this, if you go to a standing-room-only concert, it will clear those doubts away immediately. I had a really great time seeing Babylon Circus this past Friday night at the Melkweg, but I felt like a midget. I never thought of myself as short (I'm about 168cm, or 5'6), but here in Holland, I'm certainly below average. :)

#2. If you find yourself looking for an apartment, read this short article first. Here's a section:

"... Housing rental agencies love expats so much: they are ignorant to the local laws and some of them think that those laws only apply to locals or to apartments that belong to the city council.

As a tenant in the Netherlands, you are protected by the law in several ways. First of all, once you agree to rent an apartment (either verbally or through a written contract), this agreement can only be terminated by the tenant; not by the landlord, except in extreme circumstances (e.g. failure to pay the rent, in which case, the landlord must start a court case against the tenant). A contract that states ‘temporary’ or ‘one-year lease’ does not automatically end after the expiry date. A temporary contract is only allowed in very rare and specific situations. So if you think you have a temporary contract, you most likely don't!

The second protection a tenant has is that the landlord cannot simply charge what he likes for an apartment. Every apartment has a maximum rent, which is calculated using a points system. Every square metre and all the facilities in the apartment score points, and the total number of points equates to a certain maximum rent. Anyone can ask a Huurteam (via wswonon.nl) to visit their apartment and perform the calculation at no cost."

It's no secret that finding an affordable apartment is incredibly difficult here in Amsterdam, and for expats, even when we know the laws and the rules, we may just end up using housing agencies or paying too much because it seems like there are no other options. I may end up doing the same thing myself this time around. But it's really helpful to have all the knowledge you can ahead of time, and don't forget that we, as tenants, are the people that the law will ultimately protect more than the landlord.

You may even find (as I have), that private landlords will try to charge a month of commission for their apartments, even though there's no agency or broker involved. This is just simply against the law and entirely pointless, it's equivalent to paying someone a bribe to get into the apartment, which is a very New York thing to do. And yes, it's hard for those of us from places like NYC or Paris (expensive cities with insane housing prices) to care about the fact that we're paying someone a bribe, because we're kind of used to doing that type of thing back home. However, unlike NYC, this is something that you can fight even after you're inside the apartment. Landlords here will know perfectly well if they're doing something that goes against the law and they know the risks that come with it - and this is exactly why expats are targeted into taking these apartments, because Dutch people would never fall for this type of thing. This is why you'll see so many ads saying "expats only!" or "expat special!" Ugh.

Again, even though I know all this stuff already, I have no idea if I'll be able to avoid over-paying for an apartment - I probably won't, so I'm trying to at least find a nice place in a good location where I'll over-spend. However, I do know that there are resources available to me (in English, it's not necessary to speak Dutch to fight this type of thing) if I need them, and it helps me stay motivated to dismiss scams and just keep looking.

More than halfway there

2010-02-19T15:26:00.004+01:00

I'm trying to appreciate the fact that the other day I was standing outside around 6.30pm and looked up to see a still-blue sky. The days are getting longer, and that helps, especially when we're stuck in a winter that seems to be lasting forever. We get to change the clocks in six weeks on Sunday, 28 March.

But how to keep busy in the meantime? I had an American friend (S.) visiting me for a few days recently, and I couldn't bring myself to do the usual touristy stuff that I enjoy doing - it was just too cold to pretend that a ferry ride to the north would be fun. We were active, but more in a "this is what it's like to live here" sense versus being tourists. We had dinner at a fantastic Dutch restaurant in the Jordaan, and then wandered over to another friend's house for beer and dominoes. If you ask me what a typical Friday night is like in Amsterdam, this is it - hanging out with Mexicans and playing dominoes until late into the night with a group of people whose nationalities covered 6 or 7 different countries from 3 different continents.

Over the weekend, S. and I also stopped by the Brouwerij het Ij, which is a place that anyone visiting Amsterdam must go. Beers brewed on the premises, a dirty, loud, messy room, cheese cubes, and of course a beautiful location next to a canal. We also went to brunch at a little squat in the oud west, drank lots of coffee, did some shopping at the Albert Cuyp market, and ate apple pastries and stoopwafels. I was happy to show my friend real life in Amsterdam, which of course meant that I put this California girl on a real Dutch bike (pedal brakes and rust included) and had her ride all around the city with me in -2 weather (28F). It was a really great visit - it's been awhile since any of my American friends have made the trip over, and I have to say, it was nice to be able to make references to people and places and have someone know what I was talking about.

The cinemas are also a great place to hide inside during these winter days. A few nights ago I visited Delicatessen Zeeburg for the first time to watch Repo Man, which was great. I'm still hitting all my regular places whenever I can - the OT301, De Nieuwe Anita, the Filmhuis Cavia, and as usual, the biggest problem is that I don't have enough free time to do all the things I wish I could. This weekend is full of options - concerts, parties, movies - I wish I could do it all.

Part of my free time is being used up with hunting for a new place to live (again!), which is a drag. I can't bring myself to pay a housing agency, so I'm searching the same way I always have - emails to friends, apartment listings online, the usual. I would love to stay in my current neighborhood (de pijp), where I've been living for the past 7 months. I have my favorite bruine kroegen (Dopey's Elixar, Lutmastraat 49), my favorite cafes and restaurants... but affordable/legal apartments are hard to come by in this city, and I can't be too picky. If anyone reading has any inside information, by all means, please share your tips for finding a great apartment. Bonus points if you know of something in de pijp!

I think I'm going to be spending Queen's Day in Amsterdam this year, having missed it for the past two years. I'll use it as an excuse to say that the entire city is celebrating my 2-year anniversary of living in this city. :)

Addressing comments and questions

2010-02-06T12:14:00.004+01:00

I just found about 75 old comments to this blog that never got published, which is good since about 90% of them were spam. But to other people who commented, I'm sorry I never got back to you! There were some nice words or questions going back um, 6 months. Oops. Still, thanks for reading. To everyone who asked me a question I didn't answer, I apologize. When I moved to Amsterdam I wouldn't have gotten anywhere if it weren't for strangers offering me advice or sharing knowledge, both on the web and in person. I know I've been slacking in the department of Sharing Knowledge, and I feel pretty bad about that. There is some knowledge I'd like to share, but it's not about how to find an apartment or to explain how to open a bank account. This is about what most of you have been asking about one way or another - what it's like to simply be in Amsterdam during this particular period, and what you can expect if you want to make this your home. So this is from my personal experience.

A friend of mine from Italy moved to Amsterdam about 6 weeks ago, and like a ton of other people in this city, he's looking for a job in a very, very tight job market. He's discouraged and frustrated. What I've seen in the past year or year in a half is this: a huge, scary moment when the crisis really seemed to mean absolutely no jobs, salary freezes, etc. That began around this time last year, and lasted about 6-7 months. I think everyone was just very scared, including employers. I know of places that went out of business and I did have a couple of friends that lost jobs. It certainly didn't hit as hard in Amsterdam as it did in New York, but it did hit. The people that were the most affected were recent graduates. Around the late summer and early fall of 2009, things seemed to be better. I knew more and more people who had chosen to quit their jobs because they had found something better, or were choosing to go freelance (by the way, freelancing is a really great thing to do in the Netherlands - I should write a whole post on that sometime). That's a good sign, it meant that companies were starting to hire again, and work was still in demand. But at the same time, there's a much, much bigger pool of applicants for every job. Employers are putting people through an interview process the likes of which I've never seen before - it's not uncommon to hear of someone going for 4, 5, 6 interviews, involving extensive personality testing. It's not uncommon for employers to ask their interview candidates to put together presentations on the first interview, or write up a report, and that's only the beginning. A job interview, even for a pretty basic position, can take days and days to prepare for. I do see the economy improving here, but it's a very slow, slow process.

So this friend of mine is part of the pool of experienced and smart people who are having a hard time, and the look on his face when he talks about the search is a very familiar look, something I've seen before. It's a fact that this is a hard time to move to Amsterdam and find a good, steady job. One of the hardest parts is getting over that first hump, getting to learn the city and make connections. The next hardest thing might be learning to take yourself and your skills seriously, even though it seems impossible to find a job (which will of course deflate your ego and make you question everything, which I've done ten thousand times). There are still a lot of gaps in Amsterdam that need to be filled, there are getting to be more jobs out there that are waiting to be filled, and best of all, there are jobs out there waiting to be created. Setting up your own business really does work in this country. If you can find out what Amsterdam needs and fulfill it, you will be able to find work, and you don't need to speak a word of Dutch to get started. But this means you first need to live here and get to know this city, I mean, really get to know this city. Things that weren't possible in your former country are possible here (and vice versa of course), but you have to ask, and you have to stay confident.

Don't spend 10 hours a day studying Dutch, thinking that will be the ticket to your next job. If you don't speak Dutch, it's going to take a long time to learn. Maybe if you did it every day for 3 months, you would become pretty good, but you're still nowhere near fluent (unless you're coming from Germany, in which case you'll pick it up much more quickly). Of course, you should try to learn the language, especially if you have free time. But in the meantime, while you're searching for work, focus on English. If you're not a native English speaker, try to practice as much as possible and get used to the different types of accents. If you're more used to American accents but can't understand a word when a British person talks, try to find a British friend and adjust your ears to that accent, because you're going to hear it a lot. Make sure you have a native English speaker look over your CV. Dutch people in Amsterdam often won't judge you for not speaking Dutch (no one expects that you would have studied Dutch in school), but they will judge you if you can't speak good English. It's weird.

I wouldn't discourage someone from moving to Amsterdam during this period, but I would offer a lot of warnings. The crisis hasn't vanished. There's a lot of competition. But if you're in the job-searching position, especially if you're new to the city, keep in mind there are a lot more options than your basic 9-5, monday-friday job working for a big company with a proper job contract. The most important thing that you can do for yourself is take time and be patient (says me, one of the most impatient people on earth!), and keep an open mind.

I'll try to go more into freelancing and setting up your own business and the DAFT agreement in my next post. Since this is the topic I'm asked about most in comments and emails, I want to try and help - just remember, I'm certainly not an expert. I'm just someone who lives here, and everything I'm saying is only based on my experience. I'm 100% positive you could find another person who would disagree with everything I say, but that's okay. There are enough discouraging people out there and enough negativity in general. I have no reason to add to the discouragement because again, I am here. It's all worked out so far for me, and I'm no one special.

Usually the damp, foggy nights here in Amsterdam are nothing to get excited about. However, last night I was really struck by surprise. The city looked beautiful. Dark and foggy in a way I haven't seen in a long time, it made everything seem more mysterious. It was around 3.30am and absolutely silent on the tiny little street I was on (except for the noise still coming from the apartment where I had been). When there are moments like that, how could I discourage someone from moving here and giving it a shot?

When it does eventually work out, it's all worth it.

The less-glamorous (but necessary) side of expat life

2010-02-05T16:03:00.002+01:00

I've been trying to catch up on some administration in my daily life, and thought to myself about how these routines that now seem so normal were so incredibly foreign when I first got here.

Basic Amsterdam Administration

Submitting insurance receipts: Health insurance in this country is weird, and seems to be going more and more the way of the incredibly dysfunctional US system - which is to say the cost of health care is rising. When I went to the dentist last month, I had to pay for the appointment in person (100 Euros) and then submit the receipt to my insurance company to get reimbursed. A fairly simple process, though I can't do this online, so everything goes by mail. I'm notoriously bad with paying attention and opening my mail, so of course I only saw today that while my insurance company is happy to pay me back, for some reason they don't have my bank account information. (why? how?) so I have to write them a letter back with my bank account information and send it in the mail. And one day I'll get that 100 Euros back.

Collecting tax information: I'll have to do Dutch and US taxes again this year, so it's time to start gathering paperwork. That means finding the Jaaropgaaf, or yearly statement, in the pile of mail that that I never look at. I found it, but now I have to not lose it for a couple months (the real challenge). I got my W2 (for my US taxes) from my employer. The accountants that handled my Dutch tax returns last year did a really bad job, so this year I'm using a different guy - one of my Dutch friends who agreed to do my taxes in exchange for dinner and entertainment/conversation with his girlfriend (who is also a good friend). Not a bad deal!

Continuing to deal with letters/statements about all the new cards: This one takes a little explanation. I spent several weeks in Italy over the Christmas/New Years holiday, and had my wallet pick-pocketed in Naples. I know I'm probably the ten millionth person to tell such a story, and yes, I'm lucky that they didn't get my camera, phone, passport, or take my entire bag. Still, it was a hassle to cancel all my cards, talk to banks in two different countries, fill out fraud letters, try to arrange banking by phone (without my cards, I had no way of accessing my Dutch bank account information), and receive everything little by little by post and then having to always mail stuff back. My advice is this: buy travel insurance, and don't be cheap about it - that extra Euro I could have been paying every month would have allowed me to claim all the cash that had been in my wallet when it was stolen! That was a painful lesson to learn. Travel insurance is your friend.

Paying fines: Back in October, I got a ticket from a bike-light cop. This is a pretty normal sight in Amsterdam - a bunch of cops standing around in the dark, checking that all the cyclists are using a front and back bike light. I almost always use lights, but of course they get stolen and run out of batteries and things happen. Bike light cops in Amsterdam are not very sympathetic to the "things happen" excuse. I got a 30 Euro ticket, which went up to 50 Euros because I didn't pay it for such a long time.

Trying to do basic stuff without a wallet: It's hard. My dry cleaning receipt was in my wallet, and my dry-cleaner doesn't speak a word of English. He was also entirely uninterested in my sign language/hand movements/random dutch words attempt at trying to explain that I wanted my clothes but didn't have ticket. Fortunately my flatmate came to the rescue and helped explain my situation to the dry cleaning guy, and I got my clothes in the end, but that was stressful.

Picking up other peoples mail: If you live in Amsterdam, then you know someone who needs their mail picked up. It's a fact. Or maybe you need to go pick up your own mail at a place that isn't your apartment, because the spot where you are registered isn't really the spot you live. This is just a normal part of life, but I forgot that it didn't used to be that way.

Looking for an apartment: Always on-going, always a pain in the ass.

Shopping: Trying to get to the stores on a Thursday night, which is the only night during the week that stores stay open until 9.30pm, and shopping during the weekend is a pain. The plus side of this week's Thursday Night Shopping was the huge sales still going on everywhere.

Thinking about the future: Job contract up for renewal in June, where should I live, what should I do with my life, what do I want out of life, should I plan a big trip, should I take that class... you know, basic questions.

Missing my camera: It's been in the repair shop for almost two weeks, and I want it back!

Preparing for visitors: Making sure I have extra keys, writing out directions on how to find my office/home and how to navigate from the airport to the city.

All this stuff I mentioned is routine. The day-to-day stuff. I'm not always missing my camera, but there's always something like that going on. Getting used to the basic and un-interesting stuff in another country is also part of a normal expat's life. Getting used to reading mail in a language you don't speak or the policies that you've never heard of. Knowing how to scan a list of apartment and pick the scams out just from the titles. Understanding that it's no use to try and call your insurance company, they'll still want everything by mail. I can't just call them and tell them my bank account number - about 1.5 years ago, I might have tried. Now I just know that it's not possible.

It is all pretty boring, but in some ways, incredibly satisfying. When I first moved here, everything I mentioned above would have freaked me out in some way. If I had gotten a ticket for missing my bike lights the first month I arrived, I probably would have panicked. But now I get it. Arguing with any kind of Dutch Authority will never solve anything, and if you're polite and non-argumentitive, even the bike-light cops will smile and crack a joke with you.

New Years Resolution: start writing in this blog again!

2010-01-21T20:25:00.003+01:00

I did a lot of grumbling this month in Amsterdam about the weather. I didn't mind the snow at all, in fact I loved it! The day of the first real snowfall I ran out to build a snowman. I took tons of pictures of people riding their bikes around on snowy roads. The crazy thing was that the city of Amsterdam just really didn't clean up the snow at all. I had to learn how to ride my bike on ice, and I learned that I don't like riding my bike on ice. So that's when the complaining started ... but it abruptly ended when I witnessed something I had only read about: seeing someone ice skate on a city canal. It was beautiful. I have no idea if it was really safe, but I didn't hear of anyone falling through and dying, so that's good.

One blog entry a week... I can do that, right?

Yes.

Happy 2010!

The more I move, the more I learn

2009-08-03T15:36:00.004+02:00

I moved this past weekend, into my third apartment in Amsterdam in 15 months. In my last post I mentioned I was moving into a place in the Oud West, but that ended up not working out (long story) for me, though fortunately some friends of mine ended up taking the apartment. It was such a great place, I'm glad that I can visit!

My new home is in de Pijp, and after just 2 nights, I am so incredibly happy there. It's a ground floor apartment with a large backyard - one of those perfectly charming pijp homes with huge windows in the front and back and very high ceilings. Feeling like I'm living in the right neighborhood is everything to me, and after about 2 hours, I was absolutely sure I was living in the best spot in Amsterdam. It's the same feeling I had about living in Montmartre in Paris - there was no question in my mind that I could live anywhere else in that city. When the rest of Paris was annoying me (for instance, if I had to go shopping on a Saturday in the Marais, or go to work by the Eiffel Tower or in the horrible 16th district), I could always safely retreat back to my neighborhood and feel good and relaxed. The last three weeks that I lived in Paris, I was staying in the Marais, and I really didn't like it. For as much as I like being in that neighborhood (the history, the beauty, the fact that it was very central) and would often find myself there to hang out with friends, I didn't like actually living there.

Anyway, I'm getting the same feeling about different areas of Amsterdam. For instance, the Jordaan is a phenomenal neighborhood, and it's where I work. I recently spent about 10 days living in the Jordaan when I was dog-sitting for a colleague, and after the initial "it's great to be close enough to work to walk!" phase wore off, I was ready to leave. The problem is, anywhere in the Jordaan is going to be close to my office. If I lived in there permanently, I would constantly cycle past my office building, and my entire life would end up taking place in one small area of the city. Fortunately, it's a great area, which is why I love working there so much. It's also why I love that some of my friends live there, it's why I love going out for food or drinks or movies there. But I need some separation from my home life and my work life.

My main complaint about my now-former neighborhood (I lived at the Weesperplein from 1 July 2008 - two days ago) is that it just simply wasn't a neighborhood. It wasn't east enough to be east. It wasn't center enough to really be in the center. There weren't a lot of cool little bars, cafes, or shops within a 5-minute walk of my place (except for the Kriterion, which was great). I never got to know any of my neighbors. Now, before someone jumps in and says "oh it's impossible to get to know your neighbors in the Netherlands, everyone keeps to themselves and the Dutch don't let anyone it and everyone is so private," let me say - that's just simply not true. If that is something you're (you = the foreigner/expat) experiencing, than it's up to you to change something about the way you're approaching the situation. In my first neighborhood (the Oud Zuid, just south of Vondelpark), I lived there for 2 months. After a few weeks, I was regularly having friendly exchanges with all sorts of people in the neighborhood - Dutch and non-Dutch.

It's not to say that living among the Dutch doesn't take some getting used to. The idea that they want to live in apartment buildings that are very close together and that they'll keep their curtains open all the time, or even just leave their front doors wide open - it makes you think that they're happy to have neighbors and live communally. But should you dare make a noise after 11pm, or have friends over for dinner that starts at 10pm, you're breaking the rules and will receive complaints about the noise. Then you (you = the foreigner, or in this case, me) look around and point out that hey, we all live in apartments with giant windows that we want to keep open at night, of course, and these apartments aren't made to be soundproofed. But that's just part of city life, especially city life in an old European city, so ... get used to it, right? I mean, if you value peace and quiet so much, move to the country. Hearing my neighbors walk around has been part of every single apartment I ever lived in. Sometimes hearing parties, music, whatever. It just comes with the territory. The Dutch seem to think they can have it both ways. I disagree.

But this doesn't mean that the Dutch are unfriendly, and it doesn't mean that it's impossible to get to know your neighbors, and it doesn't mean that it's hard to find a place to fit in. I did have to change my lifestyle to suit my surroundings, but in a respectful way, I also required that my neighbors adjust to me. Eating dinner at 10pm with a group of friends who laugh and talk for hours isn't wrong, it's just not typically Dutch. We did eventually find a middle ground.

Getting back the the topic of neighborhoods: I just simply wasn't attached to the neighborhood around the Weesperplein whatsoever. It was an amazing apartment - spacious, a beautiful balcony, conveniently located next to 2 tram lines and the metro - but I grew tired of living in an area that just didn't suit my personality.

Now that I'm in de pijp, I feel 100% at home. Within the first few hours I had met several of the neighbors - some came over purposefully to introduce themselves. Strangers I never met before helped us out. I helped out a guy I had never met jump over the fence in my backyard because he locked himself out. There are tons of cafes, shops, bars, and restaurants all around me. On a Sunday evening I was able to buy fresh bread! (if you live in Amsterdam you understand how rare that is) There's tons of diversity, lots of different languages being spoken at all times. But most of all, there's the food.

If you ask just about any expat what their complaints are about the Netherlands, I'm willing to bet that most will say "the weather and the food." For me it's "the food." Period. The weather I can handle. However, I hate Albert Heijn. This is rough, because Albert Heijn - the big chain of supermarkets - is everywhere, and I really, really hate it. So I went out of my way to buy fruits and vegetables from the organic shops, I tried to make an effort to get to the markets on the weekend and to buy bread from the bakeries when they're are open during the day, etc. But now - now! I live just down the road from the giant Albert Cyup market, which is open 6 days a week. The wikipedia page says the market is the busiest in all of the Netherlands and according to rumour, it is the largest daytime market in Europe... the famous Dutch Stroopwafel can be found here, made fresh right before you. I live down the street from a little night shop that sells wonderful, fresh bread, 7 days a week, even late at night. Basically, I live in a neighborhood with a lot of foreign influence, a lot of Indian, Turkish, North African, and Surnamise people - and this has made the quality of the food improve about ten million percent. All of a sudden, everything is easier. I'm sure I'll go to the supermarket for the basic items, but now a majority of my grocery shopping can take place at the markets and at the small shops that sell their vegetables from bins on the sidewalk, and it's all right outside my door.

So if you're looking for a great neighborhood to reside in Amsterdam, I highly recommend de pijp. The only downside of my new place is that it's temporary - 3 or 4 months max (the owners will most likely sell it after that time). When I have to move out of this place, I'm going to try as hard as possible to not move out of the neighborhood. My new commute to work takes me through the museumplein, how could I give that up?

I plan to spend the next 2 weeks in a state of domestic bliss, and then head off on holiday (finally!). Holiday plans step one: 6-day sailing trip around the Croatian Islands to southern Italy. I can hardly wait... but in the meantime, I'll get to know my new neighborhood in Amsterdam. Oh, and as always, I moved with the help of friends and the White Van Man, who provided excellent service.

New apartment, new residence permit, same city

2009-07-08T14:18:00.002+02:00

Ah, July in Amsterdam. There was a beautiful period where I was wearing summer dresses, covering my tattoos in sunblock when I left the house, and even dared to complain once or twice about the heat. Now we're getting back to normal, with freak thunderstorms during the day which abruptly change to blue skies with sun and then back again, all in the same hour. It's my 2nd July in Amsterdam, and I am feeling the "must take a summer holiday NOW" feeling bigtime. The cinemas I go to on a regular basis are all getting ready to close for their summer breaks. My office is emptying out with everyone taking vacation. I am eagerly looking forward to the 19th of August, when I get on a plane bound for Dubrovnick, Croatia. I'm meeting a group of friends in the city and then spending the next 6 days sailing around (weather permitting) and eventually crossing the Adriatic sea and ending the trip in Bari, Italy. From there I'll go to New York City for a couple days to see some friends, and then to California for 4 days to attend my brother's wedding.

Since I last updated, I've been on the search for a new apartment. My current apartment is beautiful and in a great location, but I'm in need of a 2-bedroom place. The idea of moving into a one-bedroom apartment was to live on my own, but I've never actually done that - I always end up with long term guests or temporary flatmates. My current temporary flatmate and I decided to make our arrangement official and look for a 2-bedroom place to call home. This prompted the great apartment search. Neither of us were too picky about location so we could keep our options open - we didn't consider Amsterdam Nord or anything too far off, but we did search the whole city using every resource we could think of. Using a broker (makelaar) was not something we considered doing - while paying someone to help you find a place will most likely result in finding a place quickly, we couldn't afford it (they typically charge what you would pay in rent for one month). We told everyone we knew, we searched Woningnet in the Vrije Sector, Marktplaats, craigslist, and a bunch of other places. We sent a million emails, made a million phone calls, and saw some really shitty places and some really beautiful places. In the end, we found a great place on the south end of the Overtoom, in the oud west neighborhood - the location is amazing (right next to Vondelpark!), the landlord is great, and the apartment is in really nice condition. Because everyone wants to know, we're paying 1150 Euros for a 2-bedroom place, which is all-inclusive. There's plenty of storage space, a small balcony that overlooks a courtyard, a great kitchen with a dishwasher (!!!!), and it's right next to a tram stop. It's about 15 minutes by bike for me to get to work and there are tons of stores, bars, cafes, and restaurants nearby. I'll be closer to a lot of my friends and really close to a lot of the places I like to hang out.

There was no big secret I can share about finding the apartment - yes, it's a very hard city to find a place to live, but it's possible. It just takes luck and perseverance and the knowledge that it's not going to be easy or fun. Yes, landlords are willing to compromise on rental prices, and yes, there are still some good landlords out there.

My application for my residence permit renewal is still with the IND - I don't foresee any problems, since my work contract was renewed. It cost 188 Euros to apply for the renewal, but fortunately my company reimburses me for that. Bureaucracy can be expensive. And once I move into this new apartment, I'll have to de-register at my old apartment and re-register at the new place, which I'm hoping I can just do online. All of this stuff starts to become routine after awhile, but again, I wouldn't ever say it's enjoyable. It's just part of living abroad, and part of living in The Netherlands.

Right now I'm anxiously awaiting a giant tax refund from The Netherlands. in 2008, I worked in Amsterdam from June through December, but I was taxed as though I had worked a full 12 months. This amounted to a nice sum of money that my Dutch accountant told me would get refunded. I asked around to my friends and colleagues, and they told me that the refund typically comes in July, as long as the taxes were filed on time (which they were). So, hey, Dutch tax authorities! It's July, go ahead and feel free to put that money in my bank account any day now.

Coming up this month: a long weekend in Berlin, but mostly, packing up and moving out to apartment #3. I'm absolutely sure this will not be my last apartment in Amsterdam, so I won't make any claims that I'll never move again. I'll miss my current place - I'll miss riding over the Amstel every day and drinking beer at the Kriterion - but apartment #3 comes with a lot of promises for happy times ahead.

Another new beginning

2009-06-05T12:13:00.002+02:00

The past few weeks have been pretty amazing.

First, there was Ascension day, which I'm linking to because I had no idea what it was celebrating. Ok, ascending, so it must be when Jesus goes up to heaven, right? But doesn't that happen around Easter? So did he come back down and then go up again? Whatever it is (you can google it if you care), it means all businesses are closed in the Netherlands, so it quickly became one of my favorite holidays. It was a Thursday, and man, there is just nothing like having a random weekday off from work. During that day I saw a piece of impromptu theater in Vondelpark, had a 3-hour lunch with friends followed by an amazing dinner with different friends and a documentary screening at a former squat in the oud west. I felt like I was on vacation in my own city, except it was even better because I knew how to get everywhere.

The days are very long now. The sun doesn't set until about 10.30pm, and the sunsets are long and beautiful. On the flip side, I'm getting constant reminders about how late I tend to stay up, as the sun wakes me up every morning around 4.30am.

There was another public holiday just a few days ago, on 1 June - Whit Monday, which is celebrated "seven weeks after Easter Monday, marking the day the Holy Spirit entered the disciples left behind and the beginning of their ministry." Another holiday I never knew existed before, but granted me the day off from work. This time I celebrated by going on an overnight trip to Maastricht, the southern most city in the Netherlands (very close to Belgium). The weather was absolutely amazing, so I spent most of my time in that city just walking around outside, happy to be in the sun. It's a beautiful city and very different from Amsterdam, definitely a place I would recommend visiting.

I went to the huge Damoclash party at the ADM. It was a comeback party, described as "The comeback is as it should be: on a huge squatted terrain, away from the hectic city-life." The journey out there and back was almost as fun as the party - the bike ride took about an hour each way (from the center of Amsterdam to the party). Me and my party companions rode out there at sunset, passing by huge windmills the entire way there. We drank and sang songs and somehow didn't get lost. It took a lot of motivation to get on our bikes and go - none of us are used to having to cycle for more than 20 minutes to get anywhere, so the idea of cycling way out past the city limits of Amsterdam at first seemed daunting. But the fabulous weather and the promise of a fun party got us out, and it was worth it.

So, okay. I've been to some new places, I saw some new things, and I'm planning some great trips. But on a very selfish note, my favorite part of the past few weeks was last night, 4 June - my 30th birthday! I'm a big fan of birthdays in general, especially my own. On the night of 3 June, I stayed up late baking so I could have something to bring to work with me on the 4th. This is a Dutch tradition - the birthday person always brings in the treats on their own birthday. My colleagues happily ate up the chocolate-chip banana bread I made in the morning, and then we toasted in the late afternoon with a bottle of red wine. When I was done with work, I went home, put on a party dress, and sat down to dinner with 11 good friends in my apartment. It was absolutely perfect - my friends were all running around, cooking, blending, and stirring. I was totally overwhelmed by how loved I felt and how perfect the night was. I heard three different languages going on at the dinner table at any given moment and the last guest didn't leave until after 1am.

My favorite birthday greeting came from my friend Kate in New York City: You put the "daaaaamn" in Amsterdam.

Bring on thirty! I think I'm ready. The official birthday party is this Saturday night, and is actually more of a party for my friend Fabio, who was actually born on 6 June. I'm just tagging along because I like parties (and it's at my house). If you're reading and you're a friend of mine here, get in touch if you want to join!

Amsterdam, Year Two - officially begins now

2009-05-14T18:15:00.001+02:00

I think that for as long as I will live in the Netherlands, there will be one sight I'll never get used to. There's something that I just don't think will ever, ever look normal to me.

Wednesday afternoon: It's lunchtime, and I go to my favorite sandwich shop and wait my turn. There are 4 very well-dressed Dutch guys ahead of me, fancy haircuts and tailored suits and stylish shoes. Ages about late 20's to early 40's. They order their sandwiches and then place their choice of drink on the counter - all four men choose the same thing: milk. Milk! I know this whole drinking-milk-with-lunch thing (and even dinner) as an adult isn't limited to the Netherlands, but it's my first time seeing it on a regular basis. It doesn't matter what lunch is, it could be pizza, a roast beef sandwich, a salad with salmon - a Dutch person will accompany this meal with a 1/2 liter of milk.

I suppose it doesn't help that I've always disliked drinking milk, even as a little kid.

However much I never ever ever plan on joining the Dutch in this particular aspect of their lives, I am incredibly happy to know that I can continue to observe the adult-drinking-milk-with-lunch phenomenon for at least one more year. My work contract has been renewed! So I can breathe a sigh of relief for a million reasons, but here are the top three:

1. it's a horrible time to be out of work right now, which obviously isn't news to anyone (though this article mentions that there has been no rise in unemployment in the Netherlands - the overall unemployment level of 4.4% is the same this year as it was last year).
2. I really, really like my job. This is very special, and I know how lucky I am to be able to say that, I remember that every day.
3. I really, really love Amsterdam, and staying in this city (legally) is dependent on having a job sponsor me.

When I went climbing last night, everything seemed just a little bit better, a little bit happier, because of this renewed contract. My climbing partner is a very good friend, and last night as we sat outside watching the boats go by, I realized I had known him for an entire year. In the grand scheme of life, that isn't very long. But for my life here in Amsterdam, it's forever. When we left the gym shortly after 10pm, it was still a little light outside. A group of people sat in a grassy area on a canal around a large campfire. I'm sure that campfires aren't legal within the city of Amsterdam, but I see them all the time in parks and little grassy areas tucked away somewhere. it's such a strange thing, that this city can be so densely populated but it's still so easy to find quiet areas and out of the way spots. This particular fire went on for at least 2 hours, uninterrupted, with a gang of about 8 people hanging out, and it didn't seem to be in any danger of being stopped anytime soon. As my friend and I left the gym, we crossed the bridge that takes us back into the city, and he said "This is very special, this scene right here - it's so amazing, and so hard to put into words why it's amazing, and is so completely indescribable to anyone who hasn't lived here." He's also an expat, but has lived in the Netherlands for about five years.

So yes, big sighs of relief all around. I'm still happy here, and I have a good feeling about Year Two in Amsterdam. The next big thing on my horizon is looking for a new apartment! My sights are set at a 2-bedroom place (I have a great new flatmate), my ideal neighborhood would be de baarsjes. I have no complaints about my current apartment (which I have always called "the Castle"), it's in a great location and it's huge. But 2 bedrooms will make all the difference, and I'm excited for the change. Not so excited to actually look for and find a new place, but fortunately I still have time for that. My first 2 apartments just fell into my lap with no effort... maybe I can get lucky a third time.

From over the Atlantic

2009-05-04T18:37:00.001+02:00

It's somewhere between May 3rd and May 4th for me, and I'm on a plane - I'll post this once I'm on the ground somewhere. There's this lovely tradition I seem to have of not being able to leave a country without being either very, very tired and/or feeling a twinge of regret for how much I had to drink the night before. I can't just can't seem to travel after a good night of sleep, a clear head, and a full stomach.

So that's how I'm saying goodbye to the US. Tired, hungry, and still putting together all the pieces of the previous evening (which happened to be the wedding of one of my best friends!), which ended around 4.30am. I was in the US for about 17 days, and it felt like a very long time in a very good way. I stopped thinking about work after the first few days. I slept late, I had long lunches and dinners with friends, I had some nice weather, I saw the mountains, I played with dogs and babies. I got really used to being home (well, one of my homes) and hanging out with friends I've known for most of my life. As I ran around New York and Philadelphia I kept passing by places I used to live. How many places can feel so familiar, so that you don't have to look at maps, you know the postal code, you run into people you know without trying? They add up after a while. After I drove by Former Apartment Number 7, I almost felt exhausted.

Whenever I was asked the question "So, are you happy in Amsterdam, do you feel like you could stay?" My answer was always "Yes." And then, if the person was a pretty good friend, I would go on to explain myself by saying that, for the first time in my life, I'm not planning the Next Big Thing. I can't promise I'll stay in Amsterdam forever (I would never make such a claim), but there has never been a time in my life when I wasn't daydreaming about the next place I would live or the next big adventure in my life. Of course I still want to travel and make documentaries and hitchhike through Australia and walk around the Nepalese mountains. None of that has changed. But there's no big change actually being planned, there's nothing I'm saving up for, I'm just... happy and content. There's no better evidence of that then the fact that I do not have a new master plan. Anyone who is reasonably close to me would hear this explanation and then respond "Wow," because I've never said something like that before.

I had the "is the economic crisis hitting Amsterdam the way it's hitting here?" conversation constantly. TV ads, billboards, subway posters, magazine covers - everything there was about the economy (or swine flu). Sometimes the ads were funny, like the subway poster that was advertising a car service where you can use a car for a few hours at a time (like Greenwheels in Amsterdam). "Owning your own car is so pre-recession" was the tagline. But there were also way more serious things going on, the same horrible first-hand stories about not having access to health care or having to pay too much to see a doctor. It seemed like every other commercial I heard on the radio or TV was about the crisis in some way. It was intense. It was something everyone had an opinion about.

Of course I missed my bicycle a lot and I kept feeling slightly hindered by the fact that I didn't have a bike to use. I noticed huge improvements in the way New York City is promoting cycling. It's one of those things that, yeah, sure, there was always "share the road" signs (with a picture of a car and bicycle) hanging around the city, but this time there was an actual difference that I could see - more bike lanes. It's still not enough, it's still been a long time coming, but I was delighted to see the freshly painted bike lanes on the roads and way more street signs up specifically for cyclists. A friend of mine told me that the number of cyclists going over the Williamsburg bridge (which connects part of Brooklyn to Manhattan, and is the bridge I used to ride over) has increased by something like 200% in the past year!

Even though my vacation did feel long and allowed me some very leisurely days, I also ran around a lot. Lots of buses, trains, cars, and subways. I slept in a bunch of different places so I was usually lugging around a lot of stuff with me at all times. This is the nicest part about going home to Amsterdam... just being in my own apartment with access to a washing machine whenever I want one, being able to have coffee exactly the way I like it, sleeping in my own bed, and of course, watching the sun set from my balcony. I'm curious to see what the rest of the spring and summer brings. I have some interesting plans on the horizon, a few trips being planned, and some big changes ahead, but first things first: let's just get my job contract renewed. Once that's taken care of, or the paperwork is in place to start getting that taken care of (basically, once I'm assured that I will have a job after 9 June), I'll breath a sigh of relief and start thinking about everything else.

Another American Expat in America

2009-04-27T07:29:00.004+02:00

Finally! After a cold and rainy week, the weather in New York has gone from winter to summer overnight, and I spent the past couple days in shorts, dresses, and even bought a new pair of sunglasses - for $5 on Broadway in SoHo. Sunglasses should always cost $5, always be purchased on the street. That's just the way it is. I've probably bought 15 pairs of sunglasses from the same guy at this point.

This past saturday morning in Brooklyn I walked though my old neighborhood to meet a friend for breakfast (iced coffee and bagels!), and it seemed like every single person in the entire neighborhood was outside. There were the groups of big, fat, tough guys, drinking beer out of paper bags and listening to rap blasting out of their illegally parked car. One block away, there was a group of skinny teenage boys, yelling at each other as they listened to Spanish music blasting out of their illegally parked car. Old women sat on their front porches, bicycles of all shapes and sizes were zooming down the street, every single cafe had their doors and windows wide open and outside seating was full. Summer in Brooklyn had begun, which is an odd thing to say in late April.

When I was done with breakfast, I took the subway to Grand Central Station (I was headed to my hometown in upstate New York, about 2 hours from the city). When I transferred at Union Square to head uptown, I picked up my suitcase to carry it up the 3 flights of stairs. A guy walking behind me said "here, let me help you with that." My reaction as a New Yorker was to think immediately, "why is this stranger talking to me, what does he want, and no way am I letting him touch my bag which has my computer in it." My 2-second delayed reaction as a ... person who tries to trust that there is good in this world is what came out instead. "Thank you! That's so nice!" I said.

The guy didn't want anything. He was just being nice. Maybe he knew he could get up the stairs 3 seconds faster if he carried my suitcase, and that's why he offered. Either way, I said thank you again when we got to the top of the stairs. He said no problem. And I was on my way. When people in Europe ask me about New Yorkers and I talk about how nice they are, this is the kind of thing I'm talking about.

While I waited for the 4/5 express train, I stood next to a dad with his 7-year-old looking son. Me and the dad must have both spotted the rat (that's a big, gross, rat, not a cute little mouse) running around in the subway tracks at the same time. I looked at it with a bit of disgust, but the dad said to his son "hey, look!" The kid got really excited. "Oh cool! Look at the rat jump! Come on, rat, jump over that puddle. Dad, what if the rat can't make it over the puddle?" "Don't worry, that rat is having a great time, he's happy." "Look dad, there he goes! Cool!"

When the train came, I pushed my way on with hundreds of other people and went to the Grand Central. The ride upstate was lovely - there's really nothing better than staring out a train window and looking at a river with mountains in the background.

Since I've been away from the states for a year, it's hard to properly catch up with everyone. Sometimes it seems like this trip is flying by, other times the days feel long and slow. I don't really feel any significant culture shock, but there are little things here and there. 1 parking spot in NY could easily be 2 parking spots in Amsterdam - two parking spots with room for a scooter and 5 bikes, actually. I hate how everyone here gives me 10 napkins and a plastic bag if I order a sandwich. I've never had to ask someone in Amsterdam to please not give me a bag and insist that I can eat a sandwich without the help of 10 napkins.

I love that there are ATM machines everywhere (Amsterdam has an unbelievable shortages of those). I love disco fries, mexican food, the availability of perfect avocados, a never-ending supply of amazing pizza and I love seeing all the new bike lanes in the city. I even spotted 2 people on one bike - in lower Manhattan! It was definitely a mom and a child, the child sitting on the bar between the seat and the handlebars. I do keep thinking I'm accidentally walking in a bike lane when I'm on the sidewalk, and I haven't stopped looking both ways to cross the street, even though most of NYC has one-way streets.

Now while everyone else gets ready to go to work on Monday morning, I'm back to taking trains and subways and visiting family and friends. Not a bad way to start the week. Vacation, week two: begins now!

One year in Amsterdam

2009-04-24T07:37:00.002+02:00

It's April 23rd 2009 (or at least it is to me, as I type this), which marks exactly one year since I've been living in Amsterdam. I know, I know, I haven't updated this blog in a really long time. I meant to write about a million things - the opera, visiting a windmill in Haarlem, how it felt when the sun started to set at 9pm, the trip to Paris, the new/temporary Van Gogh exhibit, and so on.

But that's all in the past now, and while I do wish I wrote about it so I could look back and remember, I'll probably never really forget my first opera experience in Amsterdam anyway. So here I am, in New York City. In Brooklyn, to be precise, resting comfortably at the home of some friends in Williamsburg. Whenever I stand on the street here at night and admire the view of the bridge with the Chrysler building in the background, it only takes about 20 seconds before a taxi slows down and beeps at me. No, taxi guy, I don't want a ride. I'm actually just standing here admiring the view, and yes, I realize I'm not in a touristy neighborhood and most people here don't do this, but I'm actually quite content.

It's insane to think that it's been a year since I've been in New York. I'm just here to visit this time around, and when I stepped off the plane, it felt like I had been gone for about 5 minutes. This is an important fact because I had slept about 5 minutes in the entire week leading up to coming to New York, and being able to arrive here without thinking - with knowing exactly how to get to where I was going - it was wonderful.

So my 1-year anniversary of living in Amsterdam is being celebrated in New York City. But I thought about Amsterdam a lot today, about how much I still completely love that city. I love my apartment, my job, my bike, the lifestyle, the sunsets, everything. But the reason I feel that Amsterdam is my home is because of the people I've met. When I arrived in Amsterdam I was totally alone. I was hungover, actually, having just taken the train from Paris with 2 giant suitcases. In some ways, I think this was an advantage - I was too tired to fully understand that I just showed up in a new city where I didn't know anyone, where I didn't have a job, and I had no idea how to actually fill my days.

I got to know people. I looked for a job. I freaked out, many times... MANY times about my decision. The day before I accepted the job offer, I went over every mistake I had ever made in thinking that living in Amsterdam was a good idea. Every person who told me that it was a bad idea, or stupid, or impossible, or if they gave me that look of "oh, so you're another one of those non-EU people who think they can just up and move to Amsterdam, that's so... cute," these people all affected me.

But it turns out I was right the whole time, and I love being right. Amsterdam is the city for me. It's home. I love it there. So all those freakouts, all that stress, all that uncertainty, it was all worth it.

I'm home here in Brooklyn, but when I go back to Amsterdam, I'll also be going home. How lucky am I, that I get to have more than one home?

Amazing.

Happy one-year anniversary to me!

Springtime is coming soon, so why don't you come to stay

2009-03-19T18:30:00.000+01:00

I can feel it, see it, smell it... the arrival of Spring. The flowers are blooming all over the city, my laundry is hanging to dry on the balcony instead of inside the apartment, and best of all, I'm leaving work when it's still light out (I leave work around 7pm). A few nights ago I rode directly home when I left work (which doesn't happen very often) and kept my jacket on. I dashed through the apartment, grabbed a beer and Gian, and insisted that any plans for the evening had to wait until the sun had set. The very first sunset I've been able to watch from my balcony after work! It's going to get even better in a couple weeks, after Daylight Savings time takes effect... 8.30pm sunsets, starting on the 29th of March.

It's not overly warm (averaging about 10-11ºC/ 50ºF), but it has been quite sunny for the past few days. People are sitting outside at cafes, having picnics along the canals, and the tourists walk around delighted with everything. They (mostly) make me smile, because I was that tourist several times while visiting Amsterdam in the Spring. Ok, the almost-spring. I don't care, there's flowers blooming everywhere and sunshine has been pouring through the windows all day so, it's spring now!

In less than a month I'll be back in the US - my first trip back since I arrived last April. I'll see friends and family that I haven't seen in a year, which seems almost impossible. I hope it doesn't feel like I've been gone a long time. I hope when I see my friends again it will be like no time has passed at all - that's what I'm assuming is going to happen.

When I arrived in Amsterdam last year, it was just as Spring was beginning. Only a few days after I arrived, I wrote:

I just love it here so much that it scares me, because I just feel like maybe I really did find home. But there’s still a very, very, very good chance that I won’t just get to stay here indefinitely. If I can’t stay, I can’t stay. I’ll just have to accept it and make the most out of the time I do have here. But ... I really want to stay. It's just all too good.

And I still feel exactly the same way now, 11 months later. I'm watching someone go through a similar process that I was going through last year, the part where you're not sure if you can stay and you really want to but everything is so up in the air with jobs and money and apartments, and you can't make plans for the future because the future is so uncertain, and you just think "but if it all works out..."

When it all works out, it's so worth it in the end.

Reasons to feel at home

2009-03-03T15:06:00.005+01:00

My unintentional break from blogging is (hopefully) over! The worst flu on earth has passed (almost three weeks being sick really, really makes me appreciate the simple things - like breathing) and I've been back to work and regular routines for a little while now. There are certain things that really make me feel at home in Amsterdam that aren't all about pretty skies and bicycles....

1. Having a doctor to call my own (or at least, a medical practice)
2. Doing my Dutch tax returns
3. Buying a 6-month membership to the climbing gym (woah, commitment!)

Going to the doctor and doing taxes isn't the fun part of life here, but even through my pounding-head-flu-haze, I still really, really appreciated the fact that when I went to the doctor I didn't have to fill out any forms or pay any money. All the doctors and staff spoke English, offered my test results (which were getting mailed to me) in English, and that picking a doctor didn't mean having to stay in any kind of special network - I just picked a doctor, called to make an appointment, and that was that.

I have several guests staying with me at the moment, which always makes me happy (the photo included with today's post was taken by one of them during sunset a few days ago). Having someone new in town always inspires me to go out and do something interesting/new/cultural, so this past Saturday we visited the Jewish Historical Museum (after having a coffee at the Waterlooplein market) to see the Bert Nienhuis exhibit. The Museum cards that were given to me by another friend got us in for free, so it didn't feel like a waste to only spend one hour in the museum. Lunch that day was prepared with fish purchased at the Albert Cuyp market, and eaten at home with good friends. Then, even though the temptation to stay home and nap away the big lunch and red wine that we consumed, I suggested a trip to an Amsterdam Nord cafe. I absolutely love taking the NDSM ferry across the IJ, and since the weather was cooperating (ie: not raining or too cold), it was really nice to stand outside on the ferry as we sailed across the river. We sat in a cafe for a couple hours, drinking beer by a fireplace in big, comfortable chairs. After the sun had set, we took the ferry back to the center (enjoying the view of Amsterdam by night), got some pizza from Cinema Paradiso, and spent the night ... well, we spent the night playing Risk with another friend, but that's not the point.

The point is, that entire day was pretty well packed from beginning to end, and cost almost nothing. The photo exhibit was free. The lunch was made at home with fish purchased at one of the most affordable markets in the city. Taking the ferry - which again, I think of as such a treat - is free. Sitting in a beautiful cafe for several hours, right on the water, with a view of the entire city, cost the price of two beers (€4.40). The pizza was actually the most expensive part of the day, but it was entirely worth it. We got around everywhere by bike, without any need to take public transportation.

Plus, I won the Risk game.

All in all, a pretty spectacular day.

Returning to the real world

2009-02-04T15:26:00.002+01:00

I owe just about everyone I know an email or phone call, this blog has gone neglected, pictures haven't been uploaded, books haven't been read, DVDs haven't been watched. At least I have a good excuse for the past few days - I got hit with whatever sickness has seemed to infect all of Amsterdam. Honestly, everyone I know is either getting over being sick or sick right now. It's absolutely no fun to be stuck inside because you can't go out, and while the concept of missing work and staying on the couch all day seems nice in theory, I'm really busy at work right now. I know, taking care of myself and getting healthy is priority number one - I've never been the type of person to say "a job is the most important thing in life, health be dammed!" but really, if I had to choose between staying home and feeling like shit or going to work and doing my job, I would chose the latter. Especially because I'm in the fortunate position of actually enjoying my work.

So I'm alternating between sleeping and refreshing my email from either bed or the couch, or, if I'm having a particularly good moment, I move over to the dining room table. Fortunately, I have some really wonderful people around me, and I'm being very well taken care of - so don't worry, mom. :)

The other day I was talking to a friend just before 6pm, and noticed something amazing - it wasn't dark outside yet. What a great feeling! The days are getting longer and longer, and I'm really noticing a difference.

I'm hoping to be back in the the real world - or at least my version of the real world - sometime very soon. But even in my hibernation, I still manage to feel very lucky every day. There are people in my life here who I don't have to make an effort with, who will spend time with me even if I'm boring and coughing and cranky. I don't have to change out of my pajamas or try and stay up past 11 at night, and they'll still spend time with me and keep my spirits up. That's all part of feeling at home, and it's wonderful.

Playing a bit of catch up

2009-01-19T14:03:00.007+01:00

I'm really late with this - if you read any other blogs from anyone living in Holland, I'm sure they've already mentioned that for the first time in 12 years, the Netherland's canals froze this month. I didn't take any of my own pictures, if you follow that link you'll see a great photo on the International Herald Tribune.

There were a lot of reasons to be excited about the frozen canals, but one of the highlights for me was the fact that no one complained about the weather. Seriously. Every single person I know and work with, Dutch and foreign, from warm climates to cold climates, was completely charmed by what was happening outside. It was the most proper winter weather imaginable - bright, sunny, blue skies, cold and clear, the only thing we were missing was snow. And with all the ice and excitement about skating on the ponds and canals, no one minded the lack of snow.

I didn't manage to get out and skate myself (I'm crossing my fingers that I get another opportunity this winter), unfortunately. For the few weeks that the cold snap stuck around, I was mostly in the city center - which was still a beautiful sight. As I rode along the Prinsengracht one morning on trash day, I saw the coolest thing - Christmas trees that people had place out on the curb had blown into the canals overnight and froze! I cursed myself for not getting any pictures, but my friend Zoe came to the rescue with some great shots.

Just a few random things and links - during the road trip from Amsterdam to Italy, one of my travel companions (and friends) filmed the experience and cut together a little video. Watch it on youtube!

The International Rotterdam Film Festival begins on the 21st of January. Here's a tip if you're trying to buy tickets online but you're using the English version of the site - click on the Nederlands version, and the first change that you'll see from the English version are the words "Tickets Kopen." Click there, which will take you to the ticket sales page, and then you can switch to English (by clicking on the British flag). One more tip - most of the foreign films are shown with English subtitles, but there's about 20-25 films that are only shown with Dutch subtitles - the list is here. Tickets are selling out quickly!

And one final link - if you're looking for someplace to watch the Obama Inauguration tomorrow (and let's say you live in Europe and don't have a TV, like me), it's showing live on Joost at 17.00 CET (Central European Time, or GMT+1).

The highlight was, of course, the people

2009-01-07T13:45:00.003+01:00

The biggest highlight of the Italy trip was the people and friends I met along the way, both old and new. I spent Christmas with very good friends in Rome, enjoying a gigantic and wonderfully traditional Christmas Eve dinner. Through the magic of facebook, I re-connected with an old friend from New Paltz - someone I haven't seen in at least 9 years, maybe longer, and we spent a great night and day together, wandering around Rome and taking trains all over Italy (that part was actually a mistake, but a funny mistake that allowed me to see Fabriano and meet some interesting characters along the way). I shared some meals and drinks with a lovely couple that I met for the first time on Christmas Eve, I caught up with another friend from Amsterdam who bought me to a bar where they allowed us to stay past closing time and drink grappa - and that was only the beginning of the trip.

In Naples, I met up with Italian friends I know from Holland - two girls that I had only met once or twice previously in Amsterdam - and they offered to show me around their home city. Of course, you can't see all of Naples in one or two days, but man, I sure did give it a shot. They walked me all over the place, took me directly to their favorite pizza place and restaurants, told me stories about where they used to hang out when they were kids, and I was even introduced to one of their families. The same thing happened in Sorrento - without making any effort to make a lot of plans, I stayed at the home of a good friend and enjoyed a big dinner with his parents before wandering around the town with two wonderful people at night.

I could go on and on like this - every place I went has a great story, all made possible only because of the people that were there. What was truly one of the most special nights was New Years Eve. I went along with some friends to a party in Taranto at a beautiful house where I was the only non-Italian guest. Almost no one there knew me, I certainly had no frame of reference for where I was or what was going on - and I had a spectacular time. As everyone shouted Italian around me all night, I felt more and more at home. Anyone who did speak English sought me out at some point during the evening to introduce themselves and talk to me, and I kept convincing myself more and more that I could understand this beautiful language that had been filling my ears for the past week. Many of the people at the party had known each other for a long time and were clearly so happy to be together, and it was just simply the best atmosphere to be around. There has really never been a time in my life when language was so entirely unimportant for having a really good time. When the countdown to 2009 took place, I was hugging and kissing old friends, new friends, and strangers - the same way I would have done if I had been in Amsterdam or New York or anywhere in the world.

Up in Conegliano, I stayed with some new friends and their family for a couple days, again, welcomed with unbelievably warm hospitality, and again, unable to even approach the point where I might get hungry (the food... the food!). I loved exploring the town that these new friends grew up in, going to their neighborhood bars, admiring the view from the top of the castle, and just listening to the stories that came up. I managed to spend almost no time by myself until I got to Siena (on the evening of the 4th). And even in Siena, there was always someone to talk to at a cafe or shop. In Pisa, I had a lovely conversation entirely in Italian with the nice guy who owned the sandwich shop across from the place I was staying. I'd like to reiterate, I don't really speak or understand Italian, but after a couple weeks I had enough of a collection of badly pronounced words to have entire conversations that somehow happened with no problem.

Italy works in a way that is the total opposite of Holland. You must talk to people, there's no other way of figuring out what's going on. Trains and buses are always late, track assignments get changed, the signs aren't correct, the clocks all say something different, it can be hard to find street signs, the menu will be totally wrong, the buses don't indicate what stop is coming up or have a route posted inside, there's often no train conductor that comes around to take tickets, etc. I got on a train going the wrong direction at least twice, and both times there was a team of people who wanted to help me out when I asked for assistance. I never, ever had to worry that I wouldn't eventually get where I wanted to go. During my ride from Conegliano to Siena, my train compartment filled up with 6 people and 2 dogs. Within minutes everyone was sharing food, I had pizza and coffee more or less forced upon me, and everyone knew my destination - so when we approached and I wasn't paying attention, my seatmates grabbed my bags and said "this is your stop!" (I'm assuming they said something along those lines, it was all Italian) and shouted directions at me about where to transfer and to have a good trip and everyone shouted ciao! ciao! as I squeezed my way off the train. No one ever checked my ticket, some of us had seat reservations, others didn't - it didn't matter. Whenever I was with my Italian friends at a bar or restaurant and we were speaking English, the server or bartender would ask "where is your friend from?" and then often continue with "are you having a good time? Where have you been?" in a way that felt really genuine.

I guess that's what I'm trying to convey by going on and on with this sentiment - I felt genuinely welcome everywhere I went. I never just crashed at someone's house, I always shared food and wine and coffee with them. I wasn't just shown around to all the major touristy parts of various cities, I was given stories and saw the back streets and the views from the top. I didn't plan things out in advance, I was generally always late for whatever I wanted to do, and I feel like I found a country where that attitude works just fine.

La Fiaba

2009-01-05T17:54:00.008+01:00

Let's say you've been on holiday for a few weeks, and it's gone a million times better than you ever expected, and the whole thing has you so happy and optimistic about what comes next that you don't quite know what to do with yourself. If you should happen to find yourself in that position, then please, get yourself to Siena, Italy.

When I arrived in Siena last night, it was dark and cold and I didn't really do much exploring. Waking up today to bright blue skies and blinding sunlight was perfect, and I went about a morning routine that I've become quite used to. First, open up the blinds that keep the rooms in Italy pitch black at all hours of the day if they're closed. Then, go for a coffee at whatever bar happens to be closest. Today I started with a macchiato, which I already knew would cost 90 cents. They're all 90 cents, seriously, every place I've been. I stood at the bar, drank quickly, and headed out.

My first stop when I got into the center of the city was at a supermarket for some practical supplies and food. I stood in line at the meat/bread counter waiting for my number to be called. DIECI! the woman yelled a few minutes later, standing about 5 meters away with a million people between us. DIECI! I yelled back, and she ran over. I asked for a small donut, which I ate for breakfast outside.

I don't usually like sweet stuff for breakfast. I've always preferred plain, simple foods like breads or cereal, yogurt, fruit, etc. After a a couple weeks in Italy, I'm now reaching for cookies, croissants, donuts, anything that has sugar in it. If I manage to sleep past an acceptable breakfast time, my first meal of the day becomes lunch, and my first beverage of the day is wine.

Anyway, this town - Siena - is the most perfect backdrop to go along with my mood today. Completely different than anywhere I've ever been. Absolutely beautiful. Peaceful, when I walked down the side streets where there were no shops. I bought a map but never bothered to look at it. When I got tired of walking, I would sit down on church steps or benches or on the ground in a pretty spot in the middle of a city square. Sometimes I would snap out of my daze and try to have a short conversation in Italian with someone at a cafe about travel or coffee or food. My very, very limited vocabulary has not yet stopped anyone from making small talk with me.

So a trip that has felt like a fairy tale the entire time ends appropriately. Tomorrow I'll go to Pisa in the afternoon so I can catch my flight early Wednesday morning to Amsterdam. I'm hoping to go back and fill in this blog with bits and pieces of this trip in the next few days - I think it will take a few days to get back into the swing of Amsterdam anyway. But on that note, I saw a Dutch bicycle in Treviso, and I excitedly took a picture of it, even though I'm about to go back to a city full of identical looking bicycles. I'm looking forward to seeing my friends, even feeling good about returning to work, it's just always hard to end a vacation.

Happy New Year from Italy

2009-01-03T14:49:00.004+01:00

Since I've been traveling I haven't had much time with my computer, which isn't a bad thing at all. I've managed to explore Rome, Fabriano, Naples, Sorento, Bari, Talsano (well, at least the inside of a house in Talsano), Venice, and Conegliano. I've traveled by train, car, bus, and ferry. The best thing about this trip is that I very easily stuck to the only rule I made for myself: no planning more than a day or two in advance.

I'm updating from lovely Conegliano, a town about 45 minutes from Venice. A town I had no idea that I would visit - when other people asked me if I would go to Venice or Milan, I actually said no, I'm not really planning on going north at all. Yet here I am, having just had a big lunch with a very friendly Italian family, feeling incredibly at home in this house with people I've only just met. During this entire trip, in fact, I've always felt welcome and relaxed anywhere I've been, despite language barriers or anything like that.

The plan is to end the trip in Sienna and fly back to Amsterdam from Pisa on the 7th (of course, if you asked me yesterday, I would have told you that I was going to be in Sienna already this afternoon, and I'm 6 hours away). It's always nice to return to Amsterdam, to my apartment and my bike, but I just wish I could take all to the people (and food) I know here in Italy and bring them with me.

Road trip, European style!

2008-12-25T02:57:00.003+01:00

The days that lead up to my road trip from Amsterdam to Aprilia, Italy were hectic and incredibly fun. I was very proud of myself for remembering to make a second set of bike keys before I left and get myself some insurance. Insurance in the Netherlands is easy and cheap, if you do it through your bank - or at least it was for me, I never know if these things are generally easy or if I just keep getting lucky. I ran into ABN AMRO on Friday afternoon at 4.30pm, and I left at 5pm with liability, travel, and apartment (renters) insurance. Basically, my apartment can burn down or get robbed, I can run over someone on my bike and injure them drastically, and I can lose my laptop and camera and all my clothes while I'm traveling and I'll be totally covered, all for about 10 Euros a month. Amazing! All that combined with the fact that I have health insurance makes me feel like the safest person in the world.

Anyway, I had fun saying goodbye to Amsterdam. Even though I've been thinking for a while now that I really wanted to get out of the city (just because it had been a while since my last trip), the fact is, I always have such a good time being in Amsterdam that forcing myself away from the city doesn't seem that urgent. However, after a few hours of sleep, I woke up on the 21st of December (a Sunday) to leave for a fabulous road trip to Italy. Joining me were three other great people I met through Couch Surfing, all of us on a mission to take V's car back to its home in Aprilia (about 50 km south of Rome). So what's one of the least fun ways to start a sunday morning road trip? Finding out the car you're planning to take has been broken into! As far as breakins go, this was a "lucky" one. Someone had smashed the drivers side window and messed with the lock, but they didn't actually take anything or mess with the car beyond that - and for once it didn't rain, so the car was dry on the inside.

But obviously, it's hard to feel lucky when you're looking at a car that has a 1500 km trip ahead, in December, through Germany and Switzerland, and there's no window.

That's where our good friend plastic came in. We were all determined to go, window or no window, so we taped up some plastic to where the window had once been, the glass was cleaned up, and off we went. We all knew that the fact that it was Sunday was going to make getting the window fixed more difficult, and the fact that the car was insured in Italy and not the Netherlands made things even more complected, and of course the owner of the car didn't have time to make a police report. After I finally managed to get a cup of coffee (the fact that I even left the house that morning without coffee was a very rare thing for me to do) and could start thinking clearly, I made a few calls and we all started to work together to call service agencies and emergency roadside repair places. I know a lot more about how to fix a car in the Netherlands on a Sunday now than I ever knew I would, so let me share a piece of information: it's really expensive if you're not insured in the Netherlands. If you are insured here, then you're in good shape, because someone will come out and fix your car without a problem and it won't cost you anything (I'm taking about a broken window of course, that's where my experience begins and ends). But if you don't have Dutch insurance, a temporary window - really just some hard plastic - will cost you €185 if it's a Sunday. That's a lot of money.

To make a long story short, we drove all the way to Freiburg, Germany with plastic on the window. And honestly, it wasn't really that bad. We weren't cold, it didn't rain, and the only annoying thing was the noise. But no one pulled us over and the plastic held strong the entire way. The four of us switched around a lot in the car, except for me - since I don't have an EU driver license, I was really only a "last resort" driver. I had a good time the entire way, but of course we were all happy to arrive at our destination for the night and meet up with our CS hosts. A dinner party was thrown together, wine was opened, and within 5 minutes we were all laughing and joking around and having a good time. I went to sleep that night in a comfortable bed and felt amazingly lucky and content.

After sharing a really nice breakfast with our hosts the next morning (Monday, the 22nd), the 4 of us gathered together again to head out for the day with a little bit of a delay. See, we had all assumed that Germany would be the answer to our car problems. I mean, it's Germany! Germans love cars, they're efficient, and they know how to fix things. But the first 3 places my friends tried didn't work and they all sent us in the direction of a repair place a bit outside the city. The good news, when we got to that place, was that they could fix it, and fix it properly and perfectly. The bad news was that it would take a few hours - but all things considered, that wasn't so bad. The owner of the car was happy that her window would get fixed the right way, not just with a temporary solution. We had food, we all had books and computers, and there was a really comfortable waiting area. When we were asked if we wanted coffee, we all enthusiastically said yes - and about 10 minutes later, a wonderful angel from German Car Repair Heaven bought out 4 real cups of coffee (I was expecting something instant) with real milk and sugar and cookies and cakes. I have to say, that small gesture completely made our morning. Everything was fixed and ready to go by about 3pm, and we were back on the road. Fortunately, we had just enough daylight left to see some beautiful parts of Switzerland. The sunset was beautiful, the Alps are spectacular, and seeing a landscape that is the total opposite of Holland felt really special.

We had to drop one of our travelers off near Milan, and I was sad to see him go. When you spend 2 days in a car with someone, you do get this bond to them - I felt like we had all become a little international family (we came from the US, Brazil, the UK, and Italy). He headed off to Genoa and me and my two friends drove the rest of the night to our destination, arriving around 3.30am. I slept like a rock until 12.30pm the next day, and woke up to a beautiful lunch being served by my host. I was drinking wine before I even had a sip of coffee and I saw palm trees and sunshine when I started my day. I mean, if those two things aren't the sign of a good holiday, I don't know what is.

There where three specific things I wanted to note down that happened as soon as we arrived in Italy: everyone started to drive like a lunatic, a very thick fog surrounded us for hours and hours, and the food instantly became incredible. Honestly, a highway rest stop in Italy could be a fancy restaurant in a different country. We stopped a few times for coffee along the way and I give a lot of credit to the drivers of the car, because the fog was really, really intense for a really long time.

It's Christmas Eve now (actually, Christmas day), and I feel completely at home in my friends apartment in Rome. I'm hoping to keep this blog pretty well updated during my trip, so I'll leave this post off here for now. Happy holidays!

The song "Hazy Shade of Winter" was written about days like this one

2008-12-16T12:21:00.004+01:00

I love fog. It makes everything seem mysterious and spooky, or at least I make up a story in my mind that turns Amsterdam at 10am into a spooky, secretive type of world. Hey, when it's -1°C (30°F) and I'm trying to psych myself into leaving my house and getting on my bike, the one thing that works for me is making up stories.

This previous weekend was a really nice combination of running around and having fun but having enough time to relax with friends. On Saturday I went to my final Italian lesson in the early afternoon, met up with a fellow expat blogger around mid-day, and went out dancing at Occii at night. I must sound like a broken record here, but a Saturday night at Occii is another example of why I love Amsterdam so much. As soon as the music started playing, people started dancing - no one stood around being too cool or too disinterested (ahem, New Yorkers, I'm looking at you). It was really cold that night as well, but by the time I left I barely noticed the temperature and enthusiastically rode my bike through the park without holding on to the handlebars. All the other people that were out were in a similar state as me (as in, we had all probably had more than a couple drinks), and it seemed like none of us could feel the cold. Even the group of French tourists that had managed to fall all over each other and their bikes in the cycle lane on Sarphatistraat were having a good time, and didn't mind that I laughed at them as I tried to make my way through.

On Sunday night I said goodbye to a good friend - one of the first girls I met when I moved to Amsterdam, someone that I definitely got used to having around. I try not to be too sad about friends leaving (especially since I've been the friend that leaves so many times), but when they leave to go to Australia, it's always a bit harder. I mean, Australia isn't a place I can just hop over to for the weekend. Still, if there's one thing I've learned from moving around from place to place, it's that the goodbyes are never final.

There's only five days now before my trip, but in my mind, I'm already pretty much on holiday now. I got together with my travel companions (the people who I'll be driving with) recently so that we could all get to know each other a little better (a good idea, considering we committed to spending 2 days in a car together!). Not only do we get along, I already feel like the three of them are old friends. We're leaving at noon on Sunday, and I can't wait.

It's about 12.30 on Tuesday afternoon, and from my office windows Amsterdam looks like a scene from a fairy tale. The old houses with their triangle roofs, the naked tree branches, the absolute white sky, and the thick fog that is still hanging in the air. Absolutely beautiful. I just wish the canals would freeze...

Countdown to vacation

2008-12-10T11:21:00.004+01:00

Can anyone else believe there's only [fill in your amount of days here] until [the deadline for whatever you have coming up]? I have 10 days before I leave for Italy!

I saw the last movie of 2008 at the OT 301 last night - and what a way to end the year - Guy Maddin double feature! When I first walked in to the OT301, I was in a half-annoyed mood. Annoyed really isn't the right word, but I felt a rant coming on... how is it that I can walk around in a major European city on a Tuesday night at 9.30pm and still not find anything to eat? I literally walked in and out of 2 different supermarkets, 2 different night shops, a few other quick-food type of restaurants, before settling on take out indonesian. Rice, tofu, egg, tempeh - it's not terrible, it was fairly cheap, but still. Why, why can't there just be some fresh bread at the supermarket? Why is 9.30pm such a late time to get a decent dinner?

Anyway, when I entered the OT301, I bought my ticket (4 Euros) to see an amazing movie I've never seen before. I ordered a beer in English (I actually try to do that in Dutch most times, but at this place a lot of people that volunteer don't speak Dutch). The two folks behind the counter started speaking French to each other. French music played in the background. Another group of people came up and started speaking in Spanish. And by the time I had started to eat my food, I was eavesdropping on another conversation going on in Italian. Dutch was being spoken somewhere in the background. Ok, so I have to accept that this is not the city of my dreams in terms of food. But it is a city where I can bring my crappy Indonesian takeout into a legal squat-turned-movie-theater on Tuesday nights, eat it while I drink a 2 euro beer, enjoy the free wireless and sounds of five different languages swirling around me while I waited for my friends.

The wintertime in Amsterdam hasn't really been so bad yet - there's actually some great things you can do during the winter that aren't quite the same during the summer. Like finding an almost empty bruin café in the Jordaan, the type of place that is the very definition of gezellig. It was a small, modest little bar with a beautiful view, and had the perfect atmosphere for a cold winter night. A friend and I each had one drink, sat for about 2 1/2 hours, and were happily left alone to just enjoy our conversation. And even though it seems kind of daunting to ride home at 2am when it's zero degrees (32 fahrenheit), after a couple minutes I had warmed up from cycling as quickly as I could down the Marnixstraat. Only what... four more months to go, before it might start getting warmer again? I think I can handle it. Every so often there's a morning like today, where it's bright and sunny and not that cold, I hear the folks opening their shops call out "good morning" to each other, the tourists walking around seem delighted with all the boats, and things are good. I know I'm lucky that I don't have to wake up and go to work in the darkness, by the time I get out of bed in the morning, the sun is up.

Last night the sky was clear, and on my way home I decided to ride down the Stadhouderskade for fun. That's the road that's under serious construction and while there is a path carved out for bikes, a huge part of that is those big metal-type plates laying on top of sand (the sand that is underneath the street they're ripping up). Seeing stuff like that really blows my mind, I mean, sand! I grew up in the mountains. If you dug a whole in the street of New Paltz, you would not find sand, you would find dirt. Anyway, riding over those boards, on top of sand, in the middle of Amsterdam - that's really surreal. Like being on the beach, except - ok, the sand reminds me of being at the beach, that's really it. I could just as easily avoid the construction and take a different road home, but I like the oddness of that chunk of road, and I love crossing the Amstel over the Mauritskade bridge.

Things are really, really, really busy right now - but with every passing minute I'm more and more in holiday mode. I know these next ten days will fly by, hopefully with lots of fun along the way.

Check your lights

2008-12-04T19:26:00.004+01:00

There's a law in the Netherlands that says cyclists must use lights when they ride at night. White in the front, red in the back. A lot of people have lights on their bike, but those get stolen frequently - my solution is to keep little lights pinned to the bag I always carry. As long as I go out with the same bag every time (which I do about 90% of the time), I always remember my lights.

The other day I actually got stopped on the way home for a bike-light check! Ok, my lights are pretty small, but they follow the rules, so I was good to go. A few other people weren't so lucky and the police were writing tickets.

It reminded me of one of my favorite Dutch TV commercials - a public service announcement that I first saw on Amsterdamize.com:

I just realized the leaves have mostly fallen off the trees...

2008-12-02T14:10:00.003+01:00

I keep looking at the calender in amazement. December? how on earth did it get to be December? A lot has been going on the past couple weeks, and I have a feeling that the next several weeks are going to be just as busy - I just keep reminding myself of all the time off I'll have between 18 Dec - 7 Jan. I put in as much time as I could at the Documentary Film Festival, I've made all my Dutch and Italian lessons, and I managed to pull off a very successful Thanksgiving party. It meant a lot to me to see my home full of people, eating matzo ball soup and exclaiming over the size of the turkey when we took it out of the oven.

But let's get back to that vacation time I was talking about. My last day of work is 19 December, and I leave for Rome on the 21st of December - traveling by car! I can't believe my luck. Me and three other people are taking two days to drive from Amsterdam, stopping in Switzerland along the way. A real European road trip is something I've always wanted to do, and I can't imagine better timing. When I started looking at dates and prices to come back to Amsterdam, I just selected the cheapest price and ended up with a 30 Euro one-way ticket from Pisa back to Amsterdam. I don't intend to plan much in advance for this trip, other than to learn as much of the language as I can and probably buy a guide book. So much of my life has to be planned in advanced, organized, made into time tables. At work I handle other people's schedules. I really don't mind that kind of thing, but I'm very much looking forward to just letting all that go for a few weeks. Insanely, an old friend from New Paltz (the town where I grew up) is living in Naples and plans to be in Rome for Christmas, so hopefully we'll try to get together.

A short post, just limited by the fact that I have no free time. But it's not a bad thing - work is great, and my free time has simply been filled up by fun, friends, and food. Usually all at the same time, which is exactly the way I like it.

Quick update from the Kriterion

2008-11-28T13:11:00.003+01:00

Updating this blog was on a bit of a hiatus due to lack of internet at home (which I think is finally getting fixed, once and for all, this weekend). In the meantime, I've been keeping unbelievably busy with work, the IDFA, Dutch classes, Italian lessons, climbing, parties, planning trips, and so on.

I had a lovely day off from work on Thursday and spent a lot of time preparing for the Thanksgiving dinner I'm hosting tonight. I went over to a butcher at the Albert Cyup market who gave me my lovely 10-kilo turkey, a chicken, and 3 kilos of chicken livers. My goals for tonight's dinner, besides the turkey, are matzo ball soup and chopped liver (liver pâté). I have never made any of those things, but after spending most of my life watching my grandmother make the exact same foods every thanksgiving of my life, I figured that somewhere inside me this knowledge has become ingrained. So I strapped the turkey to the back of my bike, put the chicken and bag of livers in my backpack, and pedaled home.

I couldn't believe it when, last night around midnight, I tasted the chopped liver... and it was exactly the way it was supposed to be. Success! So when my roommate got home and asked me how my day was, I stood in the middle of my incredibly messy kitchen - borrowed appliances all around me - and all I could say was "it was really fun!" All I really want this Thanksgiving to be is a long, lingering night over tons of food that creates a huge mess. It should be too loud, very confusing, and everything should start late. That is all I need to remind me of the Thanksgivings I grew up with.

Ok, I'm giving myself about 30 minutes to learn everything I can online about how to cook a turkey and download all the podcasts I've been missing out on. Ready... go!

And on the 20th/21st of November, it snowed in Amsterdam

2008-11-21T23:55:00.007+01:00

Actually, I can't really say for sure if it's snow. Hail, absolutely, yes, that's there. But what's happening outside right now is more than just freezing rain and it's not only hail... the tops of cars and metro stations and trams are now covered in a thin white layer of something very snow-like. Yes, that's snow coming down. I'm sure it won't stick, but at least for a moment, it's there.

And what a day for it! I heard about the snow in New York City and Philadelphia all day, and even got a message from a friend in Germany telling me about snow there. It was weird, actually, to all of a sudden hear from a bunch of different people in different places "hey, it's snowing!" When I got on my bike this morning, the sky was clear and blue and it was insanely sunny, so much that I wished for sunglasses. By the time I arrived at my office - 15 minutes later - the sky had turned dark and cloudy, the wind picked up, and it had begun to hail. 30 minutes later, I was standing near the windows admiring the clear blue sky. So strange.

And what is happening tonight is just beautiful. I am very, very happily spending the evening in my apartment after a few hours at the climbing gym. I was in the middle of catching up on a weeks worth of personal emails when I was distracted by the sudden hail/snowstorm going out outside my living room windows. All the cyclists were hunched over their handlebars, and the passengers sitting on the backs of the bikes were trying to use their "driver" as some kind of shield from the elements.

From my living room window, I can see one of the Weesperplein metro exits. A group of 20-something tourists came above ground, and started to freak out about the weather (as I'm sure when they got on the metro, it had probably been totally dry). One of the guys ran away from his friends to embrace the storm, then he made his friends go out from under the roof so he could take their picture. Everyone that I could see from my window was having fun with the weather, and I really enjoyed watching them. After about 10 minutes it calmed down, and the tourists put away their camera and went running to wherever they had planned. And of course, through the wind and snow and hail and rain, there were always people on bikes going back and forth along the wide bike lanes on my street.

I don't pretend to be a huge fan of cold, rainy, windy days. But there's something really nice about catching the first snow of the season, however brief it might be, and know that friends in different countries and different states in the US were all experiencing the same thing.

Something just seems different

2008-11-20T17:05:00.002+01:00

The International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam begins today (20 Nov)! I have been swamped at work lately, which means I haven't found the time to sit with the program and read about every single film, circling which one I want to see, and order tickets in advance. Note to self: next year, take this time off from work.

I'm in the midst of one of the busiest periods I've had in a really long time. Other than pulling a lot of really long days and nights at work, I just started a new round of Dutch classes (every Wednesday night) and signed up for private Italian classes twice a week. I'm starting to miss my apartment... the idea of spending time at home with a DVD or book on a Friday night is sounding better and better (though let's be honest, it probably won't happen).

I've mentioned this before, but it's something that has struck me every night this week as I'm rushing to class or work or pedaling home at midnight - as soon as I get outside, into my city, I'm feel relaxed. At the end of a busy day, I have that time on my bike to cycle though Amsterdam. My ride home is always peaceful and quiet. I sing along to my favorite songs or listen to podcasts and often take a detour through the museumplein. The bridges that run over the canals are lit up all year round, and when I get to the Amstel I always have to slow down - or stop entirely - to admire the view. That ride home always, always makes the day worth it.

Back in NYC, I used to have to go back and forth all the time from my office to our edit house (for work reasons) on the subway. I took that F/V train from Broadway/Lafayette to 23rd street at least a zillion times, cramming myself on to packed subway cars, dealing with delays, construction, the after-school crowd, crazy people, skipping stops and ending up in Brooklyn, or whatever else the MTA (that's the name of the metro system in NYC) wanted to throw at me. Here in Amsterdam, when I run back and forth between an edit house and my office, it's a 5-minute bike ride.

That right there makes all the difference. I'm still busy, I don't get to see my friends as much as I would like, I don't travel as much as I want, I have to cancel plans at the last minute, I'm always wishing for more sleep - but busy here is still drastically different than busy in New York City. I prefer it here.

This is a post about bloggers, driving, whisky, and travel

2008-11-13T13:06:00.003+01:00

Things have been busier than usual lately with the usual life/work/friends kind of things, but there's a few random things I wanted to share with the internet.

Meeting real-life bloggers:

This past Sunday I was standing on line at Batavia with a bunch of other foreigners who had all signed up for Dutch classes being administered by the lovely folks at Couch Surfing. We were all introducing ourselves and starting the usual get-to-know-each-other conversations. When I introduced myself to one of the two non-Italian people standing around me, his response was "Tamara? Do you... have a blog?"

Turns out that Mr Glen and I were signing up for the same Dutch classes! He's another new-to-Amsterdam blogger and all around nice guy. It took me a few minutes to get over the small-worldness of the situation, but what a cool way to meet someone. I mean, "cool" if you um, think bloggers are cool. Anyway, I really like the way Glen writes about Amsterdam, so check out his blog and then maybe one day you'll meet both of us at some random cafe.

Getting a drivers license in Holland:

I know how to drive (and yes, I can drive a stick shift) and have a valid US drivers license, but I haven't needed to drive since arriving in Europe. A few days ago, I got a really cool offer to do a ride share to Italy in December, which I thought sounded way more fun than flying. Only deal is, I would have to share some of the driving responsibilities, which makes sense. Turns out there's this law that says Americans who move to Holland can obtain a Dutch drivers license without having to take any lessons, if they do it within the first 6 months of their arrival IF and only if they're employed and subject to the 30% ruling. So while I am employed and have a contract and a legal residence and all that, I am not eligible for the 30% ruling, and for some reason THAT is the reason I can't get the Dutch license the easy way. As the nice woman who works in the HR department put it "so basically you're screwed." Well, it's not really that big of a deal. If I desperately need to get a license here one day, I'll take the classes and do it the "hard" way. But for now, it doesn't really matter all that much, it just means I can't (legally) help drive a car to Italy.

Whisky:

Yes, a topic that deserves its own paragraph. Tomorrow night I'm going to Leiden for the International Whisky Festival and I am psyched. The admission fee of €40 includes unlimited tastings from 19.00 - 23.00, during which I plan to taste everything I can while still being able to stand upright. There's two major reasons I'm exited about this - #1, I'm going with someone who really, really enjoys whisky, possibly even more than I do, and who knows way more about it than me - so I'll get to learn a lot. #2, an event like this would cost ten zillion dollars if it was in New York City. Or at least $150. Or $500. I don't know, really, but there's no way on earth I could do something like this in New York for 40 bucks, so that's all the more reason to take advantage (and visit Leiden for the first time).

Travel:

For as much as I love Amsterdam, I have been feeling a little claustrophobic lately and anxious to get out and be somewhere different. I'm going to do my best to visit Antwerp next weekend and Paris sometime in early December if I can find a rideshare or an amazing deal on tickets, but I also keep reminding myself that I'm very close to having all my debts paid off (lingering moving costs) and that having a zero balance on my credit card - especially these days, as the interest rate is skyrocketing - is worth postponing a trip to Paris. I also have to remind myself that I have a 16 days off in late Dec/early Jan, and I'll be spending the entire time traveling around Italy, hopefully entirely debt-free. I've started looking for Italian lessons in Amsterdam to add to the list of things I do besides go to work - climbing, Dutch classes, movies once or twice a week, and just the basic fun stuff with friends and hosting guests.

Anyway, since I've decided to stay in Amsterdam this weekend, I'm going to try and take care of the most important ingredient needed for the next big event: ordering a turkey for Thanksgiving.

...The train off in the distance, bicycle chained to the stairs - everything, it must belong somewhere. I know that now, that's why I'm staying here.

2008-11-07T13:05:00.002+01:00

Thursday night is one of my favorite nights of the week - it's the only night that I don't have reoccurring plans, and it's the night all the stores are open late. This is important to know, if you're visiting for relocating to Amsterdam - things close early in this city. Very early. Shops and department stores shut their doors between 17-19hr (19 if you're lucky). On the plus side, there's way more open on Sunday in Amsterdam than there is in a lot of other European cities - and we have one one night of the week where all the stores stay open late, and that night is Thursday. Getting used to that has made my life much easier.

What doesn't stay open late is restaurants or supermarkets, which always causes me a bit pain when I think about the 24-hour organic supermarkets that existed all over my former Brooklyn neighborhood. Going out to dinner even at 22hr is taking a risk, and if it's getting toward 22.30, you're basically out of luck. Hours do run later on weekends, and there are a few gems out there that serve late, but in general you're completely out of luck if you want anything that resembles decent food after 22.30. On the plus side, even if you get stuck eating street food, you're doing it in an absolutely beautiful city. I sat with a friend last night as he ate something unidentifiable at about 23hr, and after making jokes about the food and holding myself back from going on a long rant about how not getting decent food at 22.30 was taking away a basic human right, I looked around and noticed where we were. We had walked down quiet, mostly empty streets, in a beautiful neighborhood. We laughed at two adorable dogs (of course not on a leash), playing with their owner. As we wandered, we tended to walk right down the middle of the street, only getting out of the way for a passing bike or two - I didn't see a car drive by all night. And when we sat down to eat, we chose a bench on a beautiful canal in the Jordaan neighborhood. Streetlights were reflected in the water, all different types of boats were parked along the sides of the canal, and then a family of ducks swam by. I mean, really. The crappy food seemed very unimportant.

There are two other only-in-Amsterdam moments I've been meaning to write about. Earlier this week I was riding home along the Stadhouderskade around midnight, which is a pretty major road for traffic, buses, and bikes. They had shut down a very long piece of the road for construction and put up metal gates and signs to keep the cars away and the bikes from using the bike lane. But as a cyclist, I had nothing to worry about - the bike detour signs were also up and pointed me toward the middle of the road, where a temporary bike lane had been constructed. Even in the most bike-friendly areas of the US or Paris that I've ridden in, this just simply wouldn't happen.

Another thing that you might notice if you're out late is that all the traffic lights are out. This isn't cause for alarm, this is normal. I don't know what time they get turned off, but after a certain hour there just seems to be no need for traffic lights, and everyone is just expected to use good judgment and watch out for each other. Honestly, it completely works. Cars slow down at intersections and look both ways before going through, always, of course, yielding to cyclists.

It's been a really beautiful week here. As I rode into work this morning, the sun was shining, the yellow and orange leaves were falling lightly off the trees, and I was singing along without shame to Simon and Garfunkel playing on my ipod. No one looked at me strangely or gave me a hard time for A) riding a bike B) assuming I had the right of way in every situation where there was an automobile or C) singing out loud. These are the little things that I never want to take for granted, yet now it all feels so entirely normal.

The 6AM victory - watching Obama win the election from Amsterdam

2008-11-05T16:49:00.002+01:00

There will be approximately one zillion blog posts about the US elections, but what the hell, I'll add mine to the mix.

For a few days I just want to be happy about this. I know, Obama is just a politician. I know that there's no way he's going to come through on all the promises he made, I know that just because he won it doesn't mean that the world is saved and everything is sunshine and roses from here on in. I know all that. However, I am completely caught up in the moment and only have the energy to think of the positives right now.

I met up with a bunch of people last night and watched the election results until about 6am this morning. I was the only American in a room of Dutch, Austrian, and Germans, and we sat in my friend Laura's apartment in the Zeeburg watching CNN & BBC over a couple bottles of wine and beer. Throughout the night I ran between the television and Laura's computer to double-check everything CNN was reporting on various different blogs. When Obama was declared the winner, it was about 5am, and four of us were still awake - me, two Germans, and a Dutch guy.

It was a different type of energy, obviously, than being in a huge crowd of people in New York City. But I have to say, standing in that apartment last night with three Europeans, all of us watching history unfold - that was amazing in its own way. No one would believe Obama had really won until McCain started to give his concession speach. Again, it was very late, we were all feeling slightly loopy from lack of sleep and wine, but we waited anxiously to see the acceptance speech. We killed time by making fun of CNN's holograms and the dry tone of the reporters on the BBC.

However, when Obama started speaking, we all fell silent. During McCain's speech, it was easy to talk back at the television and make comments as he spoke. But while Obama was talking, none of us said a word. It was six in the morning, and I could see lights turning on in other people's apartments as they got up to start their day. Obama's speech was beautiful, and when he was done, the four of us all just kind of looked at each other. One of the Germans started to clap. Then we all started clapping, high-fives were exchanged all around, more wine was opened, more SMS messages were exchanged with our friends in the US.

I replayed the speech this afternoon and felt chills go down my spine when I heard my favorite part again:

Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.

For that is the true genius of America - that America can change.

Today I am exhausted but elated. My friends in New York told me stories of hugging strangers on the street, fireworks, celebrations. My Dutch friends started sending me messages of congratulations early this morning and parties have been going on all night and all morning here in Amsterdam. Obama didn't just win, he won early and by a landslide. I honestly can't remember the last time the entire world was this happy because of something the United States did right.

To all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world - our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.

It is a really, really good day.

A bit of the American-abroad experiance leading up to the US election

2008-11-03T13:51:00.003+01:00

My first Halloween in Amsterdam was a complete success. I made it to two different parties and was invited to a third around 4.30am, but I had to give up around that time to head home. The most important part of my first Amsterdam Halloween - well, besides riding around like a lunatic with two people on a bike dressed as monsters - was the fact that clearly, there is an all-night party scene for this holiday, which means I can live here for the rest of my life quite happily.

So with Halloween behind me, the only thing left to do is stress about the US elections. I've been asked countless times what I'm going to do on Election night, and the answer remains the same: I have no idea. I do know I'll go to work during the day and I'll go climbing in the evening, and when I get done with that it will still be prime voting time in the US and I will be cursing the time difference. If you listen to BBC or Radio Netherlands podcasts, you hear all kinds of positive things about how Obama is ahead in polls and it's impossible for McCain to win, but I just can't buy it. I have been living in a wonderful bubble for most of my life, surrounded by educated, liberal, like-minded people. I like my bubble, it's a happy place. But because of that bubble, I had no idea what the rest of the United States was really up to back in 2004 when Americans elected Bush again. That was a very, very depressing day.

A recent Deutsche Well podcast featured interviews with people in Africa and Europe talking about how they're volunteering for the Obama campaign. These volunteers are not American, have never lived in the US, have no plans to live in the US, and obviously can't vote for the US president. Yet they're taking part by encouraging their American-abroad friends or American tourists to register and vote for Obama with absentee ballots. Here in Amsterdam there are countless different events and parties going on. Things like this make me feel an intense pressure to have my country deliver the candidate that the rest of the world wants so badly, but I just have no idea if the same country that voted for Bush twice can turn around and vote Obama. I also have no faith in voting machines and I worry about an electoral college tie and find myself saying and thinking things I'd never thought I'd say. Like - good, I'm glad Obama is spending a zillion dollars to saturate the market with advertisements - you know, zillions of dollars that could be feeding starving people all over the world. In fact, let him raise even more, whatever it takes, hopefully the American economy will get even worse because that seems to help him out in the polls. I mean, honestly, I've said that stuff out loud! I can't wait for this to all be over so I can start thinking rationally again.

I also tell myself this: if McCain wins, my day-to-day life - and the lives of most of my friends - will not really change for the worse. It can not possibly get worse than Bush - that's the good thing about hitting rock-bottom with your elected officials, there's really no lower you can go.

So what's it like being an American abroad during this election? Well, while I don't get hit with radio and TV ads every other minute, the news about the US election is in every paper I read, in every (European) podcast I listen to, and is talked about extensively on the Dutch radio station I listen to every morning and night. I do get asked by strangers if I've voted and who I voted for once they find out I'm American. I get asked what I think is going to happen, and what it's like in the US right now - which I can't really answer since I'm not there. I can only tell my friends (and random strangers) here that everyone I know in the US is voting, and they're voting for Obama. There are already stories of people waiting for 6 hours on line to cast their ballots (early voting... though those votes won't start to get counted until the 4th of November). The Americans I know won't let anything get in their way of voting, even if they're overseas - from Columbia to Korea, they're all voting.

But that's just the Americans I know. I can't speak for the rest of the country. I just hope that we - the global community - get the result that will be best for the world. For now, we wait and keep our fingers crossed.

Happy Halloween from Amsterdam!

2008-10-31T11:05:00.002+01:00

It's pretty safe to say my melancholy mood has lifted over the past few days. A few days without any rain, some quality time with good friends, and my daily bicycle-riding fix was pretty much all I needed to start feeling like all was right in the world. Since daylight savings time hit and it's now always dark when I leave work, my bike ride home or to the climbing gym looks completely different, but one thing remains the same - Amsterdam is a beautiful city, night or day. I love this place.

It's also safe to say that I am 100% in the Halloween spirit. My company is hosting a big pumpkin-carving party today (the 31st), which really makes me appreciate my job - walking in and seeing pumpkins and Halloween decorations was the best way to start this day! Since I waited until the last minute, I figured I would throw together a costume that didn't take too much effort, and just assumed I wouldn't have that many options about what to buy. Turns out I was completely wrong, and the costume store on the Raadhuisstraat is stocked with anything you could want for Halloween. Everything is significantly more expensive than what I'm used to paying, but they have all the right stuff. As I walked around in a happy little Halloween daze, I listened to the people talk around me in Dutch, Australian-accented English, Italian, French, and Spanish. All there to shop for Halloween. It was quite a world-coming-together moment for me.

Today my plans include pumpkin carving and party hopping (and rock climbing - which isn't particularly Halloween-themed but luckily my climbing partner is very patient with my enthusiasm for this holiday). I'm going to start at Batavia, a bar close to Centraal Station that is hosting a free-to-get-in, costume-mandatory party. The backup plan to that is Getto, a bar on the Warmoestraat. I also really like the sound of the event taking place at de Nieuwe Anita - a Texas Chainsaw Massacre "Scream a Long" screening and after party. I love having options!

Other than getting ready for Halloween, there's other things I'm ticking off my list. I finally bought myself a pair of water-resistant rain pants, which means my day-to-day life has just gotten one thousand times more comfortable. I'm also working on getting my roommate officially registered at my apartment. My landlord agreed to write a letter stating that he could stay in the apartment as my guest - according to the guy I talked to at the DPG, this would be sufficient enough to get my roommate in the system (of course, he'll also need all his paperwork and a copy of my housing contract). Once he's registered he can apply for his BSN/SOFI number, and once he has that he's able to get a bank account. I'll update more about that next week once everything is done, because it might be helpful information for someone looking to do the same type of thing.

And now, back to work/obsessing about Halloween. Thanks to everyone who has commented and emailed lately - it always makes my day to hear from a random stranger who found something I said helpful, or to just know that my friends are reading. One of these days I'm going to move this blog over to wordpress and update the design a bit. I never meant to leave this blog looking so generic - anyway, that's another thing on my list of things to do.

How many places can be considered home?

2008-10-29T01:20:00.010+01:00

I'm sure everyone can relate to the feeling of missing someone or someplace - even people that have lived in the same town their entire lives have probably seen their friends pick up and move away, or have seen their town drastically change before their eyes to the point where it's not the same place anymore. But for those of us who have chosen to leave our home countries, I think there's a different kind of missing friends or places. Sometimes it's like this yearning, where I feel a certain something - a bad mood, a good mood, whatever - but I know exactly what would be perfect. And that exact thing is say, my favorite bar in Brooklyn with a good friend who speaks exactly the same way I speak, who will never say "what?" if I say something kind of slang-ish. Or if it's my favorite bar in Philadelphia, it's ordering a lager and not having the bartender say "what kind?" because in Philadelphia there is only one beer you get when you order a lager. My old bike is still in Philadelphia, being watched over by the same friend that was there to say goodbye to me just a few hours before I left to move to Europe this past April.

A good friend of mine from Brooklyn got in touch with me the other day to excitedly talk about holiday plans, and I had to say "oh, I'm sorry, I haven't told you yet - I'm not going home for the holidays, I'm staying in Europe." Instead of feeling excited about the fact that I'm saving myself a ton of money and stress and making really fun travel plans to explore new places I've never seen before ... I felt kind of sad.

This past Sunday night, I had about 11 people over for dinner. Seeing my home filled with friends eating and drinking is my favorite thing in the world, and I am incredibly lucky to have made such good friends in such a short time. I am so appreciative that my phone rings and a friend on the other end is telling me about three different Halloween parties going on this Friday. Everything about my life right now is the best good luck story ever - I landed a great job that sponsors me to live exactly where I want to be, I ride my bike every single day, I have a fantastic apartment, amazing friends, etc. But I admit, I was in a bit of a funk for the past couple days. I started thinking, wait... now I have to get a haircut in Amsterdam? I always planned to get a haircut in New York. And what about a winter coat? The plan was to go to Beacon's Closet in Williamsburg for a winter coat! I've been dying for a new pair of 8 gauge earrings, and I've been buying my jewelry in the same place for past ten years - Infinite Body Jewelry on 3rd and South in Philadelphia. Obviously, there are winter coats and hair salons and earrings in Amsterdam. But - that's not the point! In my mind, a new winter coat, a haircut, and a million other things (like a real onion bagel) were waiting until I was back in New York.

Now is missing out on any of that really so bad? Of course not. My life is comfortable and happy, I'm going to get some much-needed travel time over the holidays, and I'm absolutely sure this funk will pass. But I wanted to write about it anyway, because it's all part of keeping this blog and talking about my life in Amsterdam. I don't forget how fortunate I am every day for everything that has gone right in the past six months - but that doesn't mean that I'm immune to some elements of homesickness. I feel so wonderfully at home in Amsterdam that I don't even want to think of leaving... funny how that's possible. To love where you are, but be wishing to be somewhere else at the same time.

October in Amsterdam - Halloween, museum night, zombie movies, and new discoveries

2008-10-23T20:21:00.006+02:00

The next few weeks seem to come with that pesky (read: lovely) problem of having too much fun stuff going on. In addition to the huge Amsterdam Dance Event Festival & Conference, it seems like everyone I know is having a party, or inviting me to a party of someone they know.

For me, this time of year has always been anxious preparation for Halloween - excluding the years I spent living in Europe. However, unlike the year I spent sick with food poisoning in Budapest, this year in Amsterdam I am determined to celebrate! The program at the Filmhuis Cavia is showing some scary movies, along with the OT 301 and the Nieuwe Anita and probably a few other places I'm forgetting. Halloween is a very American holiday that is creeping into Europe slowly, but in my opinion, it's happening in a very lame way. There might be a few bars or clubs that do Halloween parties, but unless you grew up trick-or-treating and having a whole Halloween month, it's hard to understand. Halloween isn't just dressing up in a scary costume (costumes don't have to be scary!), it's about carving pumpkins, hayrides, haunted houses, trick-or-treating (or if you're too old, handing out candy to trick or treaters), attending or participating in a parade, scary movies, decorating your house or apartment - the whole deal. In the states, it's not just a one-night celebration, it's the entire month. It's not just for children, it's for everyone.

So I have to say, the fact that there are a few extra zombie movies in Amsterdam during the next few weeks is pretty nice bonus. There are at least two costume-mandatory parties that I know of, and I have a bunch of friends here that are pretty excited. Ok, by "pretty excited" I mean they know when Halloween is (31 October) and understand it means dressing up in a costume. For Europeans, that's pretty good. :) And in addition to Halloween, next weekend is also Museumnacht. On Saturday, 1 November, tons of museums and other venues will stay open until 2am, transportation will be free, and there will be tons of other events and parties going on. The website recommends to get your tickets in advance and warns that it was sold out last year.

Also important to remember to set back your clocks this Sunday if you live in Amsterdam, which is always fun. An extra hour of sleep, and if you happen to be out at 2 or 3 in the morning, that extra hour is cause for celebration. "Sure I can stay out longer, it's not 3am after all, it's only 2! Let's get another drink!" So let's not focus on the fact that daylight savings time also means more darkness and the inevitable arrival of winter... I would rather just look forward to an extra hour of partying.

Last night I discovered another wonderful new gem in Amsterdam - the Moskito Film Lounge. I'm not even sure if that's the right way of saying it (I'm adding the word "Lounge" myself), but I went to see a short film that some of my friends were involved in making at a venue that felt like someone's living room. It bought me to a neighborhood that oddly, I've never been to before. I say "oddly" because the first six weeks that I spent in Amsterdam, I went everywhere. I was lost all of the time on a variety of different borrowed bikes, and I used to ride for eight or ten hours a day. I still find myself saying upon arriving in a new neighborhood "oh I know this place, I was lost here once!" But the area above the Westerpark (I was on the Zoutkeetsgracht) was totally new to me. It was very Amsterdam - boats, canals, small bridge - but there seemed to be something particularly charming about it, and I rode around for a while exploring when I headed out. Before leaving, I talked to a a friend about doing a short film project together. When I left, I felt inspired, and very lucky to be exactly where I am.

Good thing I had already wanted to change my plans

2008-10-21T10:07:00.004+02:00

Ever since early 2005, I've been flying on Air India to get from Newark Airport (one of the 3 NYC area airports) to Charles de Gaulle, in Paris. The flight has never changed - it leaves from either 9pm or 10pm from Newark every day, and at 2.30pm every day from Paris. So when I moved to Europe this past April, I bought roundtrip tickets. I left from Newark Airport on 20 April, and my return ticket was for 22 December.

Over the past several days I had been thinking a lot about travel, money, holidays, etc., and decided that rather than go home for Hanukkah/Christmas/New Years, I would stay here in Europe. A huge part of that decision is due to financial reasons - even though I have (well, had) a ticket to the US, I would still have to purchase one back to Europe and fly at a very expensive time. Being in the states over the holidays would mean running all over the place on trains or buses or renting a car - also expensive. Then the major deciding factor came - there were some schedule changes in weddings and events that I'm planning to attend in the spring/summer of 2009, and basically I know that I'll be taking a trip to the states in both May and August. It started to not make any sense to have 3 trips to the states planned for an 8-month period, all at peak travel times. If I have to let one of those trips go, the winter trip makes the most sense. I would rather be in the states when the weather is nice, when I have more money saved up, when the rest of the world isn't all trying to travel at the same time, and so on. So having made that decision, I called the Air India office in Amsterdam to find out the best way of changing my e-ticket. I have done this with Air India in the past and it wasn't complicated.

Well, it wasn't very complicated when Air India was still flying from Paris to New York. Turns out that daily flight has gotten the ax as of this month! Wow, good thing I wasn't planning to use my ticket home, huh? I wondered if they would have bothered to tell me anything if I hadn't checked. I talked to a few different people yesterday, none of which could really help me, except to say that there were no other flights available for the 22nd of December. I was advised to send an email, since I purchased the ticket online - anyway, to make a long, confusing story much shorter, I was pleasantly surprised to actually receive an email back from the airline about 12 hours later. They told me I could change the ticket to fly in late April 2009, re-booked on continental airlines, for a $75 USD charge. That's exactly what I was hoping for, and that $75 USD charge is the same price I paid about three years ago to change a ticket. I mean, I still wish the airline had contacted me to let me know about this pretty major detail, but in the end it all seems to be working out (assuming Continental doesn't go out of business before April 2009).

And now I'm left to my own devices for a winter holiday in Europe! I have a lot of time off work between Christmas and New Years, and I'm pretty excited about making some travel plans. I've been feeling pretty anxious to travel somewhere new lately, but between financial reasons and having so many visitors in Amsterdam, it seemed like I wouldn't get more than a weekend away. Now I have sixteen days to work with, and since I have plenty of time to plan and I'm just sticking to Europe, I can keep it all very affordable. Right now I'm thinking of taking that time to travel slowly from southwest Austria (starting in Innsbruck) to southern Italy (maybe going all the way to Sicily). If I think about all the things I'm likely to be missing by the time December rolls around, it's snow, mountains, and sun (well, I already miss the mountains). With 16 days in that area of Europe, I could get all of that! I'll have to do a little more research into it, but I remember that train travel in Italy isn't very expensive. I'm looking at flights right now that are priced between €7 to €55 - a whole lot cheaper than flying to or from New York City! I might stick to Amsterdam through Christmas and then travel from the 26th of December through the 6th or 7th of January, which would make things even more affordable ... can you tell that as I write, I have five different airline and train websites in the background? I love this part of the planning process, when everything seems like a good idea. The only place in Austria I ever spent time in is Vienna, and in Italy I've just been to Rome (twice) and spent many hours sitting in a park in Bari, so this would all be fairly new for me.

So, if anyone reading has advice/tips/recommendations for what to do with two weeks in Austria and Italy in late December and early January, I'm all ears. I wouldn't even normally plan this much in advance, but traveling around the holidays - even at "off" times or days - well, things do get booked. If anyone else is in the same position as me, let me advise you to check in with your airlines and confirm your plans now! Hopefully the next time I use Air India, it will be to actually go to India. Too bad, I'll miss having some decent food on my cross-Atlantic flights.

2008-10-16T13:18:00.003+02:00

As I write this blog post, I have the latest US presidential debate in the background. I still haven't figured out what I want to do on election day. Do I stay up all night watching the results? Do I go to Presidents Night at the Melkweg? It's basically an election night type of party - well, i guess the atmosphere of the "party" will depend on how the results turn out. Do I just go to sleep at a normal time, wake up in the morning, and find out what happened? The Netherlands is 6 hours ahead of the east coast, 9 hours ahead of the west coast. Voting booths close around 8pm around the country (maybe later), so that will be 2am here.

I'm registered in California, which will vote democratic. I have many, many doubts about my absentee ballot being used for anything other than recycling container filling, but I'm sending it in - if for no other reason than to take part in what will (hopefully) be the biggest overseas vote in history. When some reporter says "record amounts of Americans living abroad sent in absentee ballots this year," I want to be part of that record-breaking number. It's all I can really do - well that, and donate money to Obama's campaign on behalf of some of my European friends (I've been asked a few times!).

Anyway, three weeks from now we'll have the answer. Until then, I am grateful that the Daily Show streams episodes from the website, because it's a wonderful relief.

Focusing on day-to-day life in Amsterdam, I'm wondering what happened to my bike overnight to make my front wheel squeak and made me work twice as hard to pedal to work this morning. I'm still having a really great time climbing, taking Dutch classes once a week, going to the movies one or two nights a week, trying to find time to sleep. But there's a few important things I really need to take care of that I've been putting on the backburner.

1. Find a doctor, dentist, and optometrist. I've got this great health care that I'm not putting to use!

2. Get my roommate registered at my apartment, which means hoping that my landlord agrees to write a letter saying that he can stay. My (Australian) roommate has to go through the same process as I did in order to get his address registered, apply for a SOFI/BSN number, and then a bank account.

3. Order some curtains that actually fit my bedroom window and get a real internet connection set up at home, rather than just cross my fingers that the open network I use remains open.

4. Buy a ticket to Paris. I really miss my friends there, and I've been anxious for a weekend trip out of town. There's a million places I haven't been that I would love visit, but I think a weekend with good friends in a city that will always feel like home sounds like a good November trip.

5. Figure out what to be for Halloween! Yes, even here in Holland, I found out about a huge Halloween party planned for the 31st. I'll go ahead and add "Halloween costume" to my top priorities- after all, what's more fun - making a costume or going to the dentist?

Ten days in Amsterdam

2008-10-13T18:50:00.002+02:00

I had a good friend in town for the past ten days, so I took a bit of a break from blogging (and everything else) to enjoy my time with her. It was her first time in Amsterdam, third or fourth time in Europe, and I was (obviously) hoping to show her a good time. When I said goodbye to her this morning, she said everything had been perfect, so mission accomplished! She was originally planning to do some day trips to other nearby cities, but ended having such a good time just hanging around Amsterdam - and we still didn't do tons of things that we talked about. Here's a brief-as-possible rundown of her trip, in case you're wondering what someone does with ten days in this city.

Day One, Saturday: picked her up at the airport and encouraged her to nap (the time difference from NY to Amsterdam is rough!) while I ran some errands during the day - she didn't protest. When she woke up we took a walk around my neighborhood, I showed her where the bio supermarket is, and we started catching up on the past five months of our lives. Once it got dark, I put her on the back of my bike at night and cycled us over to Cinema Paradiso for a lovely Italian meal - we spent at least 3 or 4 hours in the restaurant and had ample time to catch up, one on one. Went out for drinks with some friends at a bar on the same street, then rode back to my house around 1am and stayed up late with whiskey and good conversation.

Day Two, Sunday: dinner party at home! What better way to introduce her to what my life is like in Amsterdam? I put out the word and got about 12 people in my apartment for a really nice little party. The day was spent food shopping (me) and jogging (her).

Day Three-Six, Monday-Thursday: I had to work these days, so she was on her own to explore. She took a yoga class, went to the Van Gogh museum, read a book in Vondelpark, ate lots of appelflaps and stoopwafels, and rode around the city on her rental bike. We went to the movies at De Niewe Anita (Monday), and enjoyed a long dinner at my place with some friends on Wednesday. On Thursday night, we stopped in a coffeeshop where a friend works, dropped by Da Portare Via (Leliegracht 34) for a pizza, and ended the night with big glasses of German beer at the Soundgarden.

Day Seven, Friday: I took the day off from work and we took the ferry over to Amsterdam Nord with our bikes. We spent several hours riding around, and I did my best to recall the bike ride I went on back in early June, when my old roommate took me to a really great cafe with tables on the water. I couldn't believe it, but I found the cafe, it was a beautiful day, and Ayelet got the full Amsterdam Nord experience - farms, windmills, water, big open spaces. When we got back to the city, we went to the Ij Brewery (aka: "the windmill bar") and had a glass of beer on the patio. We intended to go out that night but found ourselves quite content with wine, food, and good conversation.

Day Eight, Saturday: started the day by wandering around the Jordaan market, where I convinced myself I needed just about everything that was being sold but only walked away with a bag of lentils, a big hunk of feta cheese, and some olives. I wanted her to experience a piece of apple pie at de Winkel (on the corner of the Westerstraat), but so did everyone else in Amsterdam - the line was insane! So we stopped in a nearby bakery, got some pastries, and took everything over to Vondelpark. After a breakfast of ... well, basically sugar, we stopped at a really amazing chocolate shop for dessert. We bought our chocolates over to the museumplein, sat on the grass, and people-watched before going out for an early evening drink at a pretty basic Dutch "brown bar." Basically the entire day was spent riding around the city, eating, and drinking. On Saturday night we went to a screening at the Kriterion for the Balkan Film Festival and then out to a few clubs and bars that night.

Day Nine, Sunday: We split up for most of the day - she went to return her rental bike, visit one of the English-language bookshops, and do some souvenir shopping while I went rock climbing. When we caught up later that evening, she wanted to go out to dinner, someplace that was open late, nothing fancy, preferably with good meat or fish. I asked some friends for advice and ended up at Cafe De Ponteneur - open until 1am Sunday-Thursday, and until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. The food and atmosphere were great, and it is one of the only places in Amsterdam I've been without an English menu! I liked that - I used my limited Dutch vocabulary to get through the list of food (and asked the waitress for a few translations).

And day ten, Monday... she left! It seemed so quick - we never made it to Nemo, the Rijksmuseum, and I never gave her a proper tour of the red light district. The weather was too beautiful to be inside museums, and since both of us love food and movies - it makes perfect sense that her trip to Amsterdam was built mainly around food, cinema, and of course cycling. For someone who had not been on a bicycle in a really long time, she took to riding around on the back of mine like a pro, and instantly took to the whole cycling culture in Amsterdam. I can't emphasize this enough: she is not a bike person. I've known her almost my entire life, and she's never been interested in cycling, either as exercise or just as a form of transportation. But by the time she was leaving Amsterdam she said that returning her rental bike felt like "losing a limb" and she was already realizing how much easier life could be in Brooklyn if she had her own bicycle.

My friend said her favorite part of the trip was the bike ride around Amsterdam Nord. My favorite part of the trip was just simply having her around. I mentioned this to someone this morning, but I felt like most of her trip was just doing all the normal stuff (eating, drinking, hanging out with friends) - it's just that all the normal stuff was a million times better because she was around.

Looking forward to the airport hug

2008-10-03T18:01:00.003+02:00

Is there anything better than the airport/train station greeting? Hellos are the best, especially when you're saying hello to a dear friend that you haven't seen in five months. Especially when that friend shows up at the airport in Amsterdam! A very close friend of mine from New York - someone I've known since childhood - will be visiting for the next 10 days. We have great experiences traveling and living together (we shared an apartment in Brooklyn for almost a year), and I can't wait to have her here. One of the things we have most in common is food.

I love food. A lot. I love eating, cooking, preparing, prepping, thinking about cooking, shopping for ingredients, everything. When Ayelet asks what I've done over the weekend, I always include what I ate and drank and how it played into whatever activity I was doing. When she tells me that she went out to dinner with some mutual friends in NYC, my first question is not "so how is everyone doing?" it's "so what did you order?" And while Holland isn't particularly known for its cuisine, there are still some gems here in Amsterdam and I intend to keep discovering more. One thing I've noticed is that the winter vegetables like pumpkin and squash are really tasty right now and suddenly I want butternut squash to be in everything I eat.

Since I have a friend visiting I'm going to use that as motivation to get my off-peak train travel card and a museum card, which will allow me access to 29 different museums in Amsterdam for about €40. The card is good for one year, and if you live in Amsterdam you can simply order one online. I'll probably just pick mine up at Uitburo (AUB), Leidseplein 26. And next weekend I'm very much looking forward to catching a few movies during the Balkan Film Festival, 9-11 October, at the Kriterion and Studio K. Speaking of film, I went to The Movies a few days ago - The Movies is actually the name of a beautiful old cinema on the Haarlemmerdijk, and it was a lovely venue. Nice, big chairs, a beautiful lobby, and a nice looking bar.

I'm really looking forward to re-discovering Amsterdam a bit this week, but mostly, I just can't wait to eat and drink with one of my best friends... and see if I can get her on a bicycle a few times.

Dealing with reality is so... hard...

2008-09-30T20:22:00.008+02:00

Around 8.40am this morning, I stood in front of my living room window with a cup of coffee in my hand, willing it to stop raining. I wouldn't normally be up and about that early, but I have Dutch classes on Tuesday mornings at 9am. At 8.45am, I was thinking "ok, really, I should be walking out the door now if I want to make it on time." The rain came down harder. I felt very, very appreciative that my mother had sent my rain boots to me in the mail a few weeks ago. 8.50am, and I was trying to convince myself that it had really lightened up and I didn't need to bring an extra pair of pants.

Around 8.55am I was really wishing I had bought an extra pair of pants, because my legs were soaked (my jacket and boots kept the rest of me dry). I still gave myself a pat on the back for making it to my Dutch class, especially since only 3 other students braved the elements to make it. With such a small class, we got more speaking time and much more practice. But I did kick myself for not buying the rain pants I checked out over the weekend (it was so bright and sunny this weekend that I couldn't picture a day when I would want rain gear, obviously choosing to live very much in the present with that mindset).

So instead of dwell on the rainy week ahead and the current state of the US and European economy, why not just relive a few beautiful autumn days instead? (click on any of the pictures to see their full size!)

The halfpipe located in the Museum quarter. I stopped to watch the skaters (and rollerbladers and fixed gear cyclists) for a while, trying to think if I had ever seen a skating ramp built right next to some of the most famous art museums in any other city before.

I'm sure there are approximately eight zillion pictures that look exactly like this one, which I took just outside my friends house in the Jordaan. Bicycles, canals, and boats. I will never get tired of this scenery.

The sun started to set and I found myself back in the museumsplein. This is looking away from the museums, sort of toward the Concertgebouw (it's way back there on the left).

Leaving the park area behind and approaching the city streets again, trying to soak up every minute of the long sunset as I could.

So this week might not be ideal for sitting outside at cafes, but at least I'm finally getting the time to read, study Dutch, and maybe even stay home with a movie some night this week. That doesn't actually sound so bad, does it?

Five month review: Pros and Cons of expat life in Amsterdam (it's mostly pros)

2008-09-26T13:20:00.006+02:00

Before I start, let me acknowledge - five months isn't a very long time to live somewhere!

What makes expat life so easy in Amsterdam?

Last night, my friend Brooke and I walked from my place to the Roti Room (Eerste Oosterparkstraat) for dinner. It was perfect - warm, spicy Indian food served by a really friendly staff who insisted we not rush, that we should ask for more if we were hungry, and instructed us about which sauces to use for which dishes. Another friend happened to be in the neighborhood and stopped by to join us while we finished up the meal. Amsterdam is like this for me - people call me when they're around. I pull out my phone when I'm riding past someone's house that I know, or if I'm in a friend's neighborhood. I like that so much, and that kind of simple stopping-by-to-say-hi thing almost never happened in New York or Philadelphia.

When Brooke and I got back to my place, I had a skype video call with Kevin, a very good friend who lives in Tennessee. Skype is an expat's best friend. Not only can I talk to people without spending any money, but we can see each other, and it makes the distance seem not so great. I carried my computer around my apartment and showed Kevin where I live - he could even watch me make a cup of tea while we chatted. Later on, I caught up with my friend/former roommate who has returned to Italy, also over skype. Sometimes I really miss not having her around so that we can share every single detail of our lives with each other (we're girls, it's what we do), but as I put away my laundry last night I got to hear her explaining what she ate for dinner in Rome and what her new bike looks like, and it was almost like having here there with me. Having good friends all over the world doesn't seem that scary anymore - though of course it's always better when they're actually there, in person.

And of course, there's just my daily routine. Standing out on my balcony this morning, drinking coffee, watching the cyclists and trams go by as I listened to a Guardian podcast. I left my house after 10am and started my picture-perfect commute to work, at times noticing that I had the entire street to myself - no cars, no other cyclists. A commute with no traffic, no stress, no running to catch the train - I can't emphasize enough how much I love that. My headphones were on, the sky was blue, the sun was shining, and there's that wonderful distinct feeling of crisp autumn air. The leaves are starting to change colors, and the temperature is just cool enough for a jacket and scarf, but I haven't had to put on gloves yet (I'm sure that's coming soon).

Even though hearing Kevin talk about going climbing on real mountains made me want to be in the US, and picturing Christine eating that amazing ice cream from San Crispino made me want to be in Italy, every day that I wake up in Amsterdam I am reminded that the very simple, natural, obvious things here make the lack of mountains and good ice cream seem like a small price to pay. The one thing I'm trying to convey, and I hope it's working and I'm not being too dramatic, is that there's nothing super-amazing-unbelievable-oh-my-god-perfect about Amsterdam. It's just consistently good. Hanging out with friends, finding affordable Indian food, cycling, staying in touch with friends from home, and not feeling oppressed or stressed out from the people, atmosphere, traffic, or surroundings - this is what I like about my life here, this is why it's easy.

What are the difficulties of being an expat?

I have to attend the wedding of one of my best friends on 2 May in Philadelphia, and three weeks later my brother is getting married on the 23rd of May in California. I can't miss either of these weddings, but how on earth am I going to come up with the money for two trips to the US in May? The Philadelphia wedding was already going to be a bit of a financial squeeze, but flying to California from Amsterdam in late May? That's just going to be insane. I still have to pay off my US student loan and credit card, but all my money is in Euros now (ok, that part is great) which means monthly bank transfers, which means extra charges (only €10, but still). I still haven't quite gotten used to the European standard of getting paid once a month (in the US, every two weeks is normal), so I find that the last 4-5 days of each pay cycle I'm practically wiped out. And of course even though I live in the Netherlands and would quite happily stay indefinitely, I can't vote here, so I still feel more invested in US politics than Dutch politics. I don't like that. On one hand, what happens in the US (politically) does affect the entire world and I think it's important for everyone to pay attention, the same way we should also pay attention to what happens in Russia, Europe, Africa, etc. But my life is here now, and if Dutch laws and policies change, my daily life could be more directly affected than if the US passes a new law. It is unnerving that I have no say in the country where I live. Let's face it, I will always have to keep part of my life in the US (ie: an address, bank account, voter registration, etc) and part of my life here. For the most part that's ok, but it can become annoying at times.

Anyway, the pro/con list is done for now. Another really beautiful weekend has arrived, and I can't wait for it to get started. The first US presidential debate is on tonight, but it will be shown at 2am here, so I'll most likely catch it over the weekend. My plans consist of climbing, helping friends move, doing a bit of shopping, a party on Saturday night, and a dinner on Sunday night. I'm also going to try to get to the beach to watch the sun set on Saturday evening before the party. These sunsets are just incredible, and it's a short train ride to the sea, and come December I'll be wishing I took advantage of the long days while they were still here.

A weekend in September

2008-09-22T11:26:00.003+02:00

I just came off one of those weekends that seemed like it lasted for a week (aka: the best kind of weekend). My new roommate and I threw a successful housewarming party on Friday, and it delighted me to see my apartment full of people from all over the world (well, mostly Europe, but we had a chunk of folks from the rest of the globe as well) dancing and drinking and having fun. I ended up closing my eyes around 5.30am on Friday night which meant I had stayed up for about 21 hours or so. Saturday was easy-going and I spent most of my time hanging out with a good friend, enjoying the sun and some quality girl-talk.

On Sunday afternoon I set off on my bike just to ride around and enjoy the city by myself, which I feel like I'll never get tired of doing. I wanted to see if I could feel a difference in car-free Sunday compared to other normal days, and I have to say - it was great, but it wasn't unbelievably different. The concerts and street fairs set up all over the place were different, of course. I encountered my first event as I rode over the Amstel and saw a dance party going on under the bridge. I made it a point to ride along the canals and all through the Jordaan, figuring that's where I would really feel the car-free difference.

The Westerstraat was nice - definitely quieter than usual. But once I got to the Lindengracht, Lindenstraat, and all the little streets around that area, I really saw a difference. The thing is, when you're cycling around on a normal day - even on the streets without a dedicated bike lane - cyclists have the right of way. If a car doesn't have enough room to pass a cyclist, they just slow down and drive behind the bike. It's completely bizarre at first, but it didn't take me that long to get used to it - it just meant that the lack of cars on the street didn't really give me, as a cyclist, any more freedom than usual. What I did love seeing were the little kids playing in the street and pedestrians wandering around wherever they pleased without having to dodge traffic, and everything did seem much more peaceful. I also made it a point to ride around the center of the city in the busiest areas. I felt a difference just about everywhere other than Dam Square. I hate Dam Square, with or without traffic. For more details about car-free sunday, check out Amsterdamize, or go to this flickr page for lots of photographic evidence.

I rode around for about 3 hours on Sunday before heading to the climbing gym, where I successfully made it up some new routes and turned both of my knees totally black and blue in the process. When me and my climbing buddies left around 7.30pm, I was treated to another long, beautiful sunset as I painfully rode home. The sunsets are absolutely one of my favorite things about Amsterdam - I'm sure I've mentioned that before. I think this weekend I'm going to try and make it a point to get to the sea and watch the sun set over the Atlantic Ocean. I forget sometimes that I can do that - coming from the east coast of the USA, I'm accustomed to seeing the sun rise over the water, but not set.

And finally, after being in the Netherlands for 4 1/2 months, I'm starting Dutch lessons tomorrow! I figure I'll take advantage of the free classes offered by my company for a few months, and then start a more intense class once I've made some progress. Let's just hope it's never pouring rain on a Tuesday morning, so I can make it to every class on time without an excuse.

Update on car-free sunday in Amsterdam

2008-09-19T10:42:00.003+02:00

Thanks to the comments in my previous entry, I found out a little more information about car-free Sunday! Figured it was worth another post to help spread the word.

From the IAmsterdam website:

The car-free zones extend over the entire area within the A10, with the exception of Zeeburg. Between 10:00 and 17:00 traffic is not allowed into the city, but is allowed to leave. The city is free for residents to organise various events and activities.

Major routes are kept open for emergency services. Public transport and taxi service remain in operation. You can park your car for free on the designated Park and Rail (P+R) parkingareas. You will receive free public transport tickets to reach the city centre.

So taxi service will be around after all! It seems as though a lot of planning went into making this day work, and again - as someone who plans to remain car-free forever - I know I'm going to enjoy it.

The weather forecast is for a beautiful, sunny weekend. The Jordaan festival starts up today (Friday, the 19th) and runs all weekend. There will be events all over the city on Sunday as people take advantage of traffic-free streets. Anyone that lives in Amsterdam or is visiting this weekend shouldn't have to make too much effort to enjoy themselves.

Amsterdam is car-free this Sunday

2008-09-18T11:48:00.001+02:00

This Sunday, the 21st of September, is car-free Sunday in Amsterdam. According to the HR department at my company, this means it will not be possible to enter the city by car from 10.00 am until 17.00, but it is possible to exit Amsterdam (you just can't come back in until after 17). Public transportation (buses, trams, metro) will be running, but there will be no taxis available.

I'm conflicted about this.

On one hand, I love the idea of pedestrians and cyclists taking over Amsterdam even more than they already do. It sounds amazing, and I completely intend to take advantage of it and ride in the middle of the streets and envision a world where cars don't exist.

On the other hand, Amsterdam makes it easier than anywhere else I've ever been to avoid being in a car. The public transportation system is easy and affordable, bikes have their own lanes, the entire city is very walkable, and I think I know about two people that own a car. This blogger makes a lot of really good points as to why something like car-free day doesn't really have any advantages in Amsterdam. After reading that, I thought about the day I arrived in Amsterdam this past April - I showed up with a big, heavy suitcase and a big, heavy backpack. It just made sense that I took a taxi from Central Station to the apartment where I was staying. I could barley lift my bags onto the curb, nevermind trying to lift them into a tram. And I would have really inconvenienced everyone around me had I been on a tram (by taking up too much room). So what if I was moving into Amsterdam in the same kind of way this Sunday afternoon, and I was told "too bad, we're doing something good here by not allowing cars around the city today." I could have made it work, but man, it would have sucked.

So while everyone who is leaving the city (ie: headed to the airport or wherever) can still load up their cars or taxis with luggage, anyone arriving this Sunday, between 10-17 is out of luck.

If I had my way, no one would own cars, but I've got to say, I wouldn't get rid of taxis. While car-free day sounds like great fun to me, as a car-free person, it doesn't change my life whatsoever.

Thoughts? Has anyone ever experienced a car-free day in Amsterdam (or your own city) before?

More successful bike moving

2008-09-16T12:58:00.003+02:00

I have furnished my apartment exclusively from other people giving me their stuff or selling it to me. No trips to Ikea! That's something I'm strangely proud of, and it's also the reason why the curtains in my bedroom don't really fit the window. An amazing resource for picking up free stuff is Amsterdam Freecycle.

Last night I went to pick up 2 nice black chairs from someone in de pijp who was giving them away. When I left work, I first stopped at the market to pick up some food, and filled up my bike-messenger-type bag with cans of beans, vegetables, pasta, and bread. When I got to the apartment where I was picking up the chairs, the (Dutch) guy who was giving them away said "How are you getting these to your place?"

The same way I've gotten pretty much everything to my place (including the large, heavy set of bookshelves that now sits in the living room) - my bike. So in another bike-moving victory moment, I managed to put 2 chairs (upside down) on my luggage rack and sort of just hold them in place with my left hand as I rode to my apartment while carrying a bag full of groceries on my back. The fact that a Dutch person thought I was kind of insane for tying to do all that at once made me feel a huge sense of accomplishment.

I think I'll feel even more accomplished when I finally get some proper bedroom curtains, hang some pictures on the walls, and paint some of my stark-white furniture to be any color other than white.

A bit of reminiscing

2008-09-15T15:57:00.005+02:00

This time last year, I had recently moved into a tiny little room in another shared apartment in Brooklyn. I told my roommate upon moving in that I could only guarantee I would be there for 6 months (in the end, I was actually only there for five months), because I fully intended to move back to Europe. I hadn't really thought about the details, but I was already planning for it as though was absolutely happening. I remember eating dinner with my new roommate and my new neighbors back in mid-September 2007, telling them I had planned a one-week trip to Paris and Amsterdam, and that I had always loved Amsterdam, that I had always been so happy to visit Amsterdam when I lived in Paris.

"So why don't you just move there?" my neighbor asked. She had just returned to New York after a couple years in Thailand.

"Well, maybe I will," I said.

Back in February, I wrote in this blog:

I know I love Amsterdam and I can't wait to try and make my life there. And yes, I am very, very, very nervous and anxious about doing all of this on my own. I think I get a lot of undeserved credit for deciding to make this move, but the thing that just outright confuses me is when people say "you're so lucky!" I don't get that. Anyone - certainly any American - could do exactly what I'm doing. It's easier because I don't have kids, a house, or a family to support. But otherwise... luck? I decided to quit a really great job in New York City and leave most of my friends and family to move to a country that is already too crowded, where I hardly know anyone, I don't know the language, and the weather sucks. If I succeed in making Amsterdam my home, then maybe one can say I'm lucky ... but if I do succeed it will be because I worked my ass off on making it happen.

You know what? I am extraordinarily lucky that everything kind of happened in the best possible way - I couldn't have possibly predicted that things would work out so easily. But I want to remind readers, and friends of mine that I've met since moving here - that it did take a lot of work. It took a lot of research, a lot of planning for things that never happened, dealing with a lot of criticism, second-guessing everything, and worst of all, it was a lot - a LOT of waiting.

But it was absolutely the right thing to do. I was just talking about this last night with my new roommate. He left a job and friends he adored in Berlin to move to Amsterdam, where he only knows a couple people, to start a new job and be closer to his girlfriend (who lives in Rotterdam). And I could see some hesitation in him, probably asking himself why leave somewhere when there aren't any problems? Where everything is going just fine, where you have friends and you like the city and you love your apartment?

I can't quite explain it, but for some reason, I knew I had to leave New York. Despite the fact that I had a great job I loved. Despite the fact that I had a full social life, an amazing set of friends, family, routines, etc. I mean, really, there was no reason for me to leave. Things were completely fine just the way they were. I was doing well in pretty much every aspect of my life. On my last day in NYC I was standing around with one of my best friends in the world, looking nervously at my backpack full of everything I would be taking with me to Europe, wondering why on earth I was doing this to myself again. "what if it doesn't work? what if I don't make any friends? what if this is all a huge mistake? why the hell am I doing this?" And he just listened to me ramble on and on, then became exasperated with me and told me to just shut up and leave already (in so many words).

Last week I was on my way to the movies here in Amsterdam. The screening was due to start at 8.30pm, but I had wanted to get there early to get a good seat, and I was running late. While I was cycling, I pulled out my phone to call my friend. "hey, I'm on my way, but I probably won't be there for another 20 minutes... would you mind..." and before I could finish my sentence he said "yes, Tami, I'll save you a seat," with a slight tone of exasperation (because I kinda always ask him to do that). When I arrived, the screening was sold out, but he had gotten me a ticket and greeted me with a hug. Then we went into the theater to watch Russian sci-fi from the 1960's with English subtitles.

My point is, you know who your friends are when you don't have to worry about exasperating them. I have tons of friends in the US that I can safely exasperate and annoy, and now after 4 months in Holland, I'm annoying and exasperating a whole new set of people.

Leaving NYC to give Europe another shot was one of the best decisions I ever made, and it was worth it. All the waiting, the research, the planning, etc. It was totally worth it.

Letters Against the War, and where to read it in English

2008-09-11T20:17:00.003+02:00

One of the best books I ever read is "A Fortune Teller Told Me" by Tiziano Terzani. It was given to me as a present several years ago, and it was the type of book that I couldn't put down. The kind of book that when you're reading it, makes you reluctant to go to the dinner party or movie that you made plans for, because you'd rather be reading your book. Naturally, when I was finished, I looked around for other books by the same author and found several that have all been translated into English (from Italian).

Terzani published a book titled Lettere contro la guerra, or "Letters Against the War," in 2002, and I assumed I would be able to find an English translation in bookstores eventually. I mean, Terzani is a pretty well-known author and journalist. A good friend of mine who is fluent in Italian kept recommending this book to me and I kept wondering, why on earth can't I find this in English? Why can't I just go to Amazon and order it?

Here's the answer from Terzani himself, which I copied directly.

Florence (Italy) early December 2002

Dear Friends,

The year that is about to end has been dramatic for all of us. Never before has each one of us been so unequivocally confronted with the question of war and peace. Back from a long trip into Pakistan and Afghanistan, I started the year publishing, first in Italian and then in various other European languages, a booklet dedicated to my 3-year old American grandson, Novalis. The book "Letters Against the War" was meant to raise questions about the way to face the situation created by the events of September 11th and to suggest that violence might no longer be the best solution for this and future conflicts of mankind.

The book was an immediate success in Italy (for 18 weeks it was among the top 10 best sellers). It was well received, reviewed, and sold in France, Germany, and Spain. Somehow, continental Europe with her, by now almost genetic, memory of war and destruction, seemed extremely responsive to the neo-pacifist appeal of the "Letters." Wherever I went to talk about my experiences as an old war correspondent, big crowds gathered to listen and to discuss.

Unfortunately this was not at all the reaction of the Anglo-Saxon world, particularly of the UK and the USA, whose governments and press have taken a very bellicose, pro-war stand. All attempts to have the "Letters" published in English failed. All the English and American publishers who has printed my previous books responded with a "No, thank you" note. I did not give up. I had the book translated myself and offered it again to all kinds of publishers in London and New York.

To no avail. Even my offer to give the book for free failed.

Finally, a publisher in New Delhi (India Research Press) dared to take up the offer and his Indian edition remains the ONLY English version of the "Letters Against the War" now available in print. Now to allow as many people as possible to have access to the book, I decided, together with Massimo De Martino who in his spare time, generously run the T.T. fan Club founded three years ago, to post the whole book on the internet. You can download it for free and I would be most grateful if you circulate text among you friends and "adversaries."

It is time to think, to discuss, to argue and finally to raise our consciousness and to save ourselves. Nobody else can do it for us.

Thank you very much,

Tiziano Terzani
-------------------------------------------

You can download the entire book for free here. If for any reason that link gives you difficulty, just let me know and I can email it to you.

When I think about how many lives were lost on September 11th, I don't just count the people that died that day. I'm counting the thousands of people all over the world who have died as the result of the US waging a war that still continues to this day. Unbelievable to think that seven years later, Iraqi and American and other foreign troops are still dying, and you'll still hear September 11th used as an excuse to justify it all.

The only way to make it work is to ask for help

2008-09-11T13:59:00.004+02:00

Last weekend I helped some friends move in true Amsterdam style - from a houseboat to a 3-story apartment in the Jordaan, complete with a long, narrow, spiral staircase (and earlier last week, I moved a heavy bookshelf into my place with the help of a friend and two bikes!). Only one way to get something like 30 boxes of books (in addition to furniture and everything else) into an apartment like that - through the windows! My friends used the same mover I used a couple times - the White Van Man (highly, highly recommend giving him a call if you need anything moved).

Since they were moving a significant amount of things, they paid for a permit that allowed the van to block the street for a few hours. Parking in Amsterdam is a real issue - the streets are so incredibly narrow and there are thick, metal poles that line many of the (narrow) pedestrian sidewalks so vehicles can't pull over on the canal rings. The only way for delivery vans to unload in many places is to simply stop in the middle of the street and block traffic until they're done, which everyone is used to. Today as I cycled to work I weaved around at least 12 cars waiting for a delivery van to finishing unloading along the Keizersgracht - I can't imagine how annoying it would be to own a car in this city (and I never plan to find out).

Anyway, my friends are smart and responsible people, so they made sure to cover themselves by getting permission to block the street (I think that costs around €45). There was a human chain of people on the narrow staircase, passing up light items from the moving van to the 2nd floor (which is the 3rd floor if you're American). The movers hooked up the ropes and pulleys to the hook that hangs from the top of the building (those hooks are on just about every house in Amsterdam) and started hoisting up everything from tables to furniture, which went through the windows. I stood guard outside to make sure nothing went crashing through the glass storefront on the ground floor (nothing did). We drew quite a crowd as the move carried on - groups of tourists would stop to take pictures, neighbors welcomed my friends to the neighborhood, cyclists would pull over to smile or laugh at the scene. When all the hard stuff was over, we gathered on the roof terrace and celebrated with pizza and beer.

When I think about how much help I had when I first arrived in Amsterdam in terms of moving, apartment hunting, etc., it makes me feel like I owe the world a huge debt of gratitude. Everything I have here - a job, a great place to live, my bike, etc., is because I've had help along the way. A huge chunk of that help came from people I had only just met but were perfectly willing to carry my furniture, loan me bikes, give me a place to stay, or most importantly, introduce me to their friends. There's no real way to repay the amount of kindness that I've been shown, but I 100% guarantee that even if I barely know you, I will help you move. I still need to ask my friends for help all the time - for directions, advice, translations, tips, etc.

I usually get a few emails every week from people who find this blog and want advice, and I'm always happy to try and help. You can contact me at tami.mahoney@gmail.com, or just leave a comment here.

It's offically autumn in Amsterdam

2008-09-03T18:39:00.004+02:00

Last night's Cinemanita screening at the OT301 was fantastic. The documentary was Lets Get Lost by Bruce Webber, and told the story of Chet Baker, the infamous jazz musician who ended up dying in Amsterdam after falling out of a hotel window. I don't think there's a website for the Cinemanita screenings, but you can email cinemanita@gmail.com and get yourself on the mailing list. I'm really looking forward to seeing Amphibian Man (1962, Russian with English subtitles) this Monday night at the Niewe Anita. I know part of what I love about Cinemanita is that it reminds me so much of my old job in Philadelphia. Part of what I did when I worked for a non-profit cinema was introduce obscure films to small audiences of dedicated film geeks, and re-discovering that part of my life here in Amsterdam has been such a treat. And I have to emphasize that what really makes me adore Amsterdam is that everything is so affordable. The screening this Monday night is €2.50 Beers are €2. I know from experience that as a tourist or visitor, Amsterdam can be really expensive (in terms of hotel costs, restaurants, etc). But to live here and have a good time - you don't have to be rich to enjoy thing.

Another Amsterdam event I'm looking forward to is the Jordaan festival, 19-21 of September. That website is only in Dutch, but there's a short description here of the festival. It basically just sounds like a 3-day party in one of my favorite neighborhoods, and it's going on during the same weekend as my first official housewarming party! I have hosted some gatherings at my new place a few times, but it's been such a process to get furniture and kitchen supplies and put some pictures up on the walls (ok, I still haven't gotten around to that), that I set a housewarming date to force myself to make my apartment come together. I'm also welcoming a new roommate on 12 September, who will be living with me for the next 4 months - so the party is also to welcome him to Amsterdam (from Berlin).

This month's goal is to start a real climbing habit. I'm going to de klim muur tonight to see if I can remember my way around a climbing gym. There's obviously no mountains in the Netherlands, so this is sort of the next best thing! I'm going to have to plan some kind of hiking trip soon - I can't let the entire summer and fall pass me by without hiking up some mountain somewhere. Anyone have any tips as to where to go (bonus if it can be a day trip)? I'm willing to get up early in the morning on a weekend if it means good hiking.

Amsterdam events, American politics, and so on

2008-08-31T23:10:00.005+02:00

The best way to do this post is a two-parter.

Part One: A proper summer weekend

This weekend was insanely beautiful in Amsterdam, and everyone rushed out to enjoy. It feels like the city has come back to life, and all the students have returned (which explains why it's now almost impossible to find a good bike parking spot near my apartment, since I live right next to the University of Amsterdam). The Uitmarkt festival, which ran this past weekend, opened up the start of the Dutch cultural season. Cinemanita starts again this Monday at De Nieuwe Anita with a screening of Faust (!! Jan Svankmajer). After a quiet August, I'm really excited to have too much to do again, too many things to choose from, and acknowledge that my biggest problem is figuring out how I can fit all this fun stuff in my schedule.

In my case, the best part of Amsterdam this weekend was hanging out with my good friend C. I fully intended to give her my guest bike while she's in town, but unfortunately, the back tire needs to be completely replaced and the bike is parked somewhere completely far from where I live or work. Luckily, our friend Mark was quick to offer his guest bike, and said it would be fine for C. to go pick it up around midnight on Friday. "I'll give you a ride!" I offered, and as we were getting ready to go I felt obliged to admit to her that I had never actually rode anyone on the back of my bike before. I have been a passenger many times, but never a driver, so to speak. C. allowed me to use her as my guinea pig, and I happily rode her from my place (which is in the Center-East of Amsterdam) to Mark's house in the Oud Zuid - a fairly significant ride! The first few minutes were a little wobbly, but we made it through crowded intersections at Leidseplein and Vondelpark without incident and both of us arrived at Mark's house safe and sound.

It was a good thing we picked up the bike on Friday night, because on Saturday the two of us spent a huge chunk of the day cycling. We used C's very helpful Voordeelurenabonnement to purchase train tickets to Santpoort Zuid at a 40% discount (tip: you can always take your bike on a train in the Netherlands, but you have to pay for a bike ticket at well). From there, we rode a few kilometers to Brederode Castle -originally built in 1282 - and admired the ruins. After a drink in the lovely little terrace, we rode through the woods for a while, going up and down what I would be tempted to call actual hills. Okay, for the Netherlands, they WERE hills. In a flat country, you take what you can get. We ended up at a lovely beach, spread out our towels, and enjoyed the sun. There were tons of dogs running around chasing balls, topless women, little naked kids building sand castles, plenty of folks enjoying a beer or sharing a bottle of wine - and I thought to myself that all these little things belong at a beach. But the beaches that I've been to in Long Island, Los Angeles, or New Jersey don't allow dogs, would charge you to just walk on the sand, many discourage alcohol, forbid dogs, and certainly don't allow topless sunbathing.

I love living in Europe.

Part Two: American issues

I'm mailing out my absentee voter registration tomorrow. It's crazy to think that in 65 days, the US will have a new President, and I have no idea what's going to happen. Everything about American politics is a mystery to me - McCain picking Sarah Palin as his running mate? Where on earth did that come from? I'm trying not to get my hopes up on two fronts. #1, I don't want to assume Obama can win. I mean, we're talking about a country full of people who elected Bush into office in 2004 (the popular vote did NOT give Bush the presidency in 2000, so I try avoid saying that the actual American people voted him into office twice). I also don't want to assume that if Obama wins, everything will magically get better and Americans will suddenly be able to have access to education and health care. So I remind myself of these two things often.

But you know what? When I voted for Kerry in 2004, I was doing it because he wasn't Bush. That was it. When I vote for Obama this November, it's because I actually think there is a possibility he could do a really good job as president. For any Americans living abroad that need to get their absentee ballots, you can go to fvap.gov to figure out what you need to do. Some states let you do everything through email, but annoyingly, California is not one of those states (and even more annoyingly, even though I spent most of my US life in New York and only 10 weeks living in Los Angeles, I'm registered to vote in California).

However, the much more pressing issue right now in the US is Hurricane Gustav. People have already died in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Jamaica from this hurricane. The devastation in Cuba has been terrible. Gustav is due to hit New Orleans tomorrow (Monday) morning, and as I watched a clip of Nagin's (Mayor of New Orleans) press conference, all I could think is "this can't possibly happen again." But it can happen again, can't it? The thought is petrifying. I'm following the Gustav Reporter twitter page this evening, and as I combed through different reports in the media, I found an article titled "In New Orleans, Blogs become crucial decision-making tool" from the Chicago Tribune. I trust blogs and twitter feeds for a more real-life account of what is happening right this minute, and it helps me feel more connected to what's going on at home.

Technology has changed the expat experience. Perhaps a topic worth going into more, but this post has gone on long enough as it is. I'm going to try to post a little more frequently this month, maybe three times a week, so I don't have to just unload everything all at once.

Beautiful chaos

2008-08-27T11:42:00.009+02:00

I am back in Amsterdam after an incredible long weekend in Rome. I left on the 21st of August and returned late on Monday (the 25th). I traveled on KLM - no complaints there, everything worked as it should, and it was easy to tell that I had landed in Italy by the clapping and cheering of all the passengers once we hit the ground. From the minute I got off the plane, everything was chaotic, noisy, and off schedule - and I loved every minute of it. I've been to Rome before, in the early summer of 2005. This time around, I was staying at the home of C. and A. and getting much better insight into "real" Rome. A. is from Sardinia but has been in Rome for over fifteen years, and is part owner of the bar/restaurant Ombre Rosse (in the Trastevere district) - and that is where I went directly from the airport.

The highlight of the trip was definitely the food, which is no surprise. I could probably write ten pages detailing everything I ate over the course of four days, but I can also just sum it up by saying that everything I ate was flawless and perfect. I followed the Italian rules and never drank a cappuccino after breakfast. I ate big lunches and drank wine only an hour or two after waking up, I ate dinner late and ice cream was a perfect mid-afternoon snack. Instead of filling up my suitcase with clothes or souvenirs, I came back to Amsterdam with 3 different kinds of cheese, balsamic vinegar, and other assorted food items that I wouldn't be able to find at the local Albert Hein.

As far as sight-seeing, I feel like I would need ... a year, at least, to really feel like I've "seen" Rome. Whenever I go to museums or galleries anywhere, I don't really like taking maps or guides or planning out my route - I would rather just wander around and figure out what I like, what I don't, and not be bothered by trying to find my way to the stuff I know I will want to see. Being in Rome is like being in the biggest museum on earth, and since I was only there for 4 days I knew I couldn't even scratch the surface. The one thing I really wanted to see was the Vatican. Despite the absurdly high entrance fee and the massive crowds of people, I really, really wanted to see the Cappella Sistina, the famous tapestries (I love tapestries), and absorb all the history. The trip to the Vatican didn't disappoint and when I left after three hours, my brain felt like mush. To see all that famous art in person, rather than in a textbook or a replica - there are just really no words to describe what that feels like.

The Vatican was the only thing I really made a point of visiting and paying to get into during the day. I did most of my sight-seeing at night while walking around with friends, wandering from place to place. I lost track of how many monuments, fountains, churches, and beautiful old squares I wandered through. I was also fortunate enough to get out of the city for an entire day and drive off to lago di martignano (Martignano lake) with my friends, about 45 minutes north of Rome. We spent the afternoon and evening sunbathing and swimming in the perfectly clean water. I haven't gone swimming since last summer, which was a sad realization. I adore the water, and I especially adore swimming in clean lakes and rivers (rather than the sea or in pools). I felt really lucky to be at such a relaxed place, with little kids running around naked and dogs jumping in the water after frisbees.

Cycling as a mode of transportation does not seem to be at all popular in Rome, which is a real shame, considering that it's a huge city with a pretty lousy public transportation system. My only real complaint about Rome is that it seems like such a car culture - granted, the cars are small and fuel-efficient, but still, the most popular form of transportation for Romans is the automobile (or motorcycle/moped). While waiting for a tram one night, I saw a bigger car crash into a smart car and drive off without stopping (it didn't appear that anyone was injured). I can't emphasize enough how much I truly hate having to rely on a car while in a city - I firmly believe that cars should only be necessary if you live in a small town somewhere. Obviously, most cities are not going to be as bike-friendly as Amsterdam, which is fine - I'm usually pretty good an figuring out local public transportation. But I've honestly seen better public transportation systems in just about every other major European or American city I've ever visited, compared to Rome.

Anyway, enough of that. Though I was often in my friend's car going from place to place, I also spent a lot of time getting around by bicycle (C. had one to lend me, which was great). Rome is hilly, with cobblestone streets, uneven pavements, cracked sidewalks - so it makes perfect sense that those who do choose to ride on two wheels choose mountain bikes! It was actually quite a bit of fun to shift gears and bend over the handlebars. C. and I rode from her place to the Vatican in about 40 minutes, and when we went out for ice cream later in the day we just happened to ride around the Pantheon. The moment I realized I was riding my bike past the pantheon on the way to eat the best ice cream in the world (San Crispino) was just as overwhelming as walking into the Sistine Chapel for the first time.

Taking weekend trips to different countries is one of my favorite things about living in Europe, and I am fortunate to have friends (or friends of friends) spread out all over this continent, ready to offer hospitality and accommodation. My next big-ish trip will be to Poland, hopefully in late September or early October. Before then I'm also going to try and get to Antwerp (at least for a day) and maybe a few other places in the Netherlands. Even though I was sad to leave Rome, with all the sunshine and beauty and amazing food, I have to admit that being back in Amsterdam (and back on my own bicycle) feels great. The end of the summer is always a little depressing, but when September arrives it means more visitors, a new roommate, the return of Tuesday night movies at the OT301, and friends coming back into town from their holidays. Even saying goodbye to C. wasn't too hard, because she's returning to Amsterdam for a few weeks and staying with me - so I'll have my Amsterdam roommate back! At this time three months ago, she was hosting me at her apartment in Amsterdam (in the Oud Zuid neighborhood), and I had no idea if I would be sticking around. I was still pretty much living out of suitcases and borrowing everything I needed. It is a really fantastic feeling to now be the one that gets to host her in my own apartment and lend her my guest bike. I've been in Amsterdam just a little over four months, and it really, really feels like home.

On Holiday

2008-08-20T22:42:00.004+02:00

I left work sometime around 8.30pm tonight - right around the time when it was still bright and sunny, but you could tell that the sun would start to set soon. I walked out of my office carrying a glass of wine and finished writing some texts and emails while sitting on the Herengracht, watching the boats go by. Not a bad way to end the work day.

There's a pattern with the weather in Amsterdam. The days might be totally unpredictable - sunny, rain, warm, cold, windy, beautiful (all within the same hour!) - but it seems like once it hits about 7pm, it calms down and clears up and gives all of us who live here a beautiful sunset. The sunsets here are insane! I don't know if it's the flatness of the land or what, but the sky just seems bigger here. There are more puffy clouds, more stunning views over the canals, and the sunset just seems to last longer than I'm used to. When I rode home tonight, I thought again about how lucky I was to have my "commute" home be a fifteen minute bike ride. During my entire ride home, I think maybe one or two cars rode past me. I felt totally comfortable riding around slowly, taking turns here and there down tiny little streets, answering my phone, or turning around to get a better view of the sky. In Amsterdam, I commute home at my own speed, at my own pace.

I spent the past week hosting a couple guests, including fellow blogger Nomadic Matt and a friend of a friend from Brooklyn. When I wasn't hanging out with my guests, I was dancing at the Nieuwe Anita, drinking Russian vodka with friends in front of their houseboat, and checking out the Open Air Film Festival. Only in Amsterdam could they build up an entire outdoor film venue for 500+ people that includes a bike parking area (for 500+ bikes), a few bars, places to buy food, a beautiful view of the Ij (the huge body of water that divides north and central Amsterdam), and make the entire thing totally free.

And now, following in the lead of almost everyone else I know in Europe, it's time for a holiday. I'm heading off to Rome for five days to visit my good friend C., my former roommate in Amsterdam. I've been studying Italian and daydreaming about the food, wine, and sun for the past few days. The last time I was in Rome was 2005, and I saw a lot of the sights then, so this trip can be mainly focused on challenging myself on how much pizza and gelato I can possibly consume in one day. Luckily, C. lived in Amsterdam for over eight years and therefore depends on a bicycle to get around everywhere, so she promised me lots of late-night bike rides through Rome. Wow, this reminds me, I should start packing!

There is a big world out there

2008-08-13T22:37:00.006+02:00

I started and stopped writing blog entries all day. I can't figure out which direction to go - do I talk about my day trip to Rotterdam and all the wild architecture in that city, how it reminds me of being in a US city because it's so shiny and new?

Or maybe I should recommend another great cinema/performing arts space/bar/arts venue - the Illuseum, where I saw an interesting movie this past Saturday night that was filmed entirely with mobile phone cameras. It's a small space, very intimate, and there was a feeling that everyone there really cared about the space and wanted to be there. I can't say I loved the movie, but I'm really happy I went.

And I could go on and on about the amazing motorcycle ride I went on with two friends last night. We were outside of the city and zooming around in the middle of nowhere (well, Amsterdam Nord, which feels like the middle of nowhere) at 100kph (62mph), and it was the most fun I've had in ages. Being able to get out of the city so quickly and see farms, cows, sheep, and old windmills - this is what I love about living in Amsterdam.

So I could elaborate on any of those topics, but tonight I really just want to encourage anyone who might be reading to please pay attention to what is going on in the world outside of your home city/town/village. There's a war going on in Georgia that shares its headlines in newspapers with the Olympics - the Olympics which are being held in a country that has so many human rights violations I wouldn't even know where to begin, and you know what really bothers me about that? For months and months, protests against the Olympics were making news and headlines and all my friends were talking about it. People were paying attention to Tibet again, people were talking about China, and it seemed like a good thing - I firmly believe that just simply paying attention is one of the most important things we can do, if we can't be out there actually trying to save the world.

But now the Olympics have started, and everyone just wants to talk about who is winning what. I'm not saying don't watch the Olympics or enjoy the games, but come on! Let's not forget all those months of protests that happened all over the world. Let's not bury the stories of protesters in China somewhere at the bottom of the page, let's keep talking about it.

And let's not let the twenty-four hour Olympic coverage distract us from the fact that Russian tanks are rolling down the streets of Georgia again. The United States was always such a big Georgia supporter, but hey Georgia, thanks for sending your troops to Iraq to fight in a bullshit war and being so pro-USA all the time, but as it turns out when you guys are getting attacked by a country ten zillion times the size as you, we're just going to sit waaaaay over here in the West and say "we think war is bad, it sure would be nice if Russia could stop invading you guys, huh? Oh, did you maybe want our support? Sorry, we're a little busy killing Iraqis over in the middle east, maybe next time."

I know that most people who read this blog don't come here for political commentary, so I'll keep it brief. I do have a list of links on the right-hand side of this blog under the "News, Education, and Politics" heading, and for what my recommendation is worth, I think sources like Al Jazeera English, the daily podcast from The Guardian, and of course Democracy Now are all good places for information. Another habit I'm glad to have picked up again is actually reading the newspaper every day (thanks to my job, we get at about 10 different newspapers every day in Dutch and English).

As always, I really do appreciate everyone who reads and comments. I'll try to be a little more uplifting in my next post.

Amsterdam in August

2008-08-08T13:30:00.001+02:00

Okay, I admit I'm a little jealous of all my friends that are off traveling the world or relaxing on a beach on a Greek Island during August. Like many other European countries, the Netherlands is only half-operational in August and many people choose to take their vacations now. However, there is good news for those of us who can't afford the time to travel - a ton of great stuff is happening in Amsterdam during the next few weeks. I'm most excited for the Open Air Film Festival, which started last night (7 August) and runs through the 23rd of August. The screenings start once it gets dark (9:30-10pm), there's 500 free beach chairs for anyone to claim, all the films are in English or English subtitled, and it's entirely free. And of course, there's a bar, places to buy food, and the location sounds perfectly ideal (on the Westerdoksdijk, right on the IJ!).

Another really great festival is one of Classical music - the Grachten Festival, running 16-24 of August. The highlight (for me, anyway) sounds like the Prinsengracht concert, which is completely free and takes place literally in the Prinsengracht canal - people listen to the concert from the quays or from the water (in their own boats).

There's also something nice, I have to say, about not making any elaborate travel plans for the summer. Last night I rode from my place to Bos en Lommer, a neighborhood on the other side of the city. It had rained really hard all day long (with thunder and lightening!), but cleared up to be a beautiful evening just when I was getting ready to leave work (good timing). The city had completely come alive, and as I rode southwest through Amsterdam I enjoyed an absolutely beautiful sunset. My route took me over the Amstel, through the Museumplein, around all the tiny streets in the Oud West, and along the Baarsjesweg. By the time I was ready to go home it had gotten dark, and as I rode through Vondelpark while listening to music on my ipod, I remembered the exact moment when I thought to myself "this is where I belong." It was in October 2007, when I was visiting Europe (just Paris and Amsterdam) from Brooklyn, trying to figure out if moving back to Europe was really what I wanted to do. One bike ride through Vondelpark at 2am was enough to convince me that yes, Amsterdam is where I belong. I am still so unbelievably in love with this city. I remember in early June, I rode a (borrowed) bike around 4.30am, right as the sun was starting to come up (and the city was just starting to close down for the night). I thought, wow, this is the best time of day to see the city, it's just perfect. But then last night, during sunset - on a warm summer night after it had rained all day - I thought, no wait, this is the best time to be out. But what about all the middle-of-the-night bike rides I did when I first got here? That was pretty great too.

The minor inconveniences of not getting internet service as fast as I want it, the abundance of mosquitoes (it is a humid city that is at or below sea level), the fact that all the stores close so damn early - none of that stuff has taken me out of my Honeymoon phase, which is now approaching the 4th month. There's still nowhere else I would rather live than right here.

Case closed, start again

2008-08-04T23:04:00.006+02:00

Every day, I try to take care of at least one unpleasant or annoying new-to-Amsterdam task. Today that task was call Telfort and figure out exactly why they can't hook up my internet service at home. The reason is ridiculous.

All around me this afternoon, my (foreign) colleagues were on the phone with their internet providers and their doctors and insurance companies, arguing charges or waiting on hold or trying to get answers to questions without success. I decided to join the club and put in a call to Telfort.

The back story is: over a month ago (I'm guessing the 25th of June, or around there), a friend of mine helped me set up my internet service online - I needed the help because the website is all in Dutch. Once everything was translated and explained, the process seemed very easy and logical, and all I had to do was wait... up to eight weeks... for my home internet service. The eight-week wait is common and I knew to expect it. Luckily I found an open wireless network somewhere in my apartment building that is almost always on, so I didn't mind the wait so much.

Sometime in mid-July I received a letter from Telfort, obviously in Dutch, and from what little Dutch I understand I could gather that they weren't going to hook up the service. It was a really vague letter (I had a colleague translate) that basically said "we can't set up your service, and it could be for any one of the reasons listed below, sorry." The only way to get a real answer was to call, so I did that today (putting it off because it just seemed like such a pain in the ass). Navigated my way through several Dutch-language menus (mostly just taking educated guesses), waited on hold for about 15 minutes (and by the way, that phone call cost something like 30 cents a minute, but luckily I called from work), and finally talked to a friendly enough guy who explained that yes, my order had been canceled.

Why?

Because I told Telfort (at the time of signing up) that I live in apartment 77-B. This is the address on my rental contract, this is the address where I'm registered with the city of Amsterdam, this is the address on my paystub, my mail, etc.

Yet according to Telfort, there is no 77B on my street. There's 77-1 and 77-2. "You must be in 77-2," the man says to me.

"Yes, I suppose that's the case."

"Anything else?"

"I'm guessing this means I have to start all over again, and wait another 4-8 weeks?"

"That's correct."

Sigh.

There's no point in arguing with them, really. The order I placed (over a month ago!) was canceled, done, finito. All I can really do at this point is double-check with my bank that Telfort hasn't taken any money out of my account yet and start over. The most important lesson I learned, should this happen again, is to call right away.

The sidewalks of Amsterdam will provide!

2008-08-01T19:51:00.004+02:00

Luck continues to work in my favor in terms of apartment-related stuff. I went into work a little late today, feeling very tired and hungover from the previous day-long party my company threw on Thursday. I rode up Utrechtsestraat, and right after I passed the Keizersgracht I saw what looked to be a huge pile of junk on the sidewalk. But as I got closer, I realized it wasn't junk at all - it was someone completely emptying out their apartment (or store) and giving everything away! Even though I was already late to work, I had to pull over when I saw a big pile of really nice picture frames and claim them for myself.

Everything was up for grabs - a washer/dryer, a desk, lamps, kitchen stuff, tons of clothes, etc - and it was all nice stuff. I grabbed everything I thought I could reasonably transport on my bike, including:

- 5 large-ish silver picture frames
- 1 basket
- 1 small frying pan
- Curtains
- Plates, glasses, bowls
- 1 vase
- 1 carry-on size suitcase

Lots of people gravitated toward the pile on the sidewalk, the folks giving the stuff away were having a good time, and the atmosphere felt like a neighborhood block party. What a great day to be late to work! My apartment is really starting to feel like home, especially now that I have a proper couch (which I also scored for free). I'm more determined than ever to continue not spending money on apartment furnishings and just wait for really good deals to present themselves to me, because so far, so good.

This weekend is Gay Pride, with huge parties and events happening all weekend, of course including the parade. I've been to Gay Pride parades in a few different cities, but I'm especially excited to see Amsterdam's version - which takes place on boats in the canals, so it's effectively a floating parade. Everyone I've talked to - gay, straight, or somewhere in between - is excited for the festivities this weekend. I'll be out all day and night on Saturday, so I'm taking tonight off to recover. So hard to believe that it's already August...

A lot of luck

2008-07-28T15:21:00.004+02:00

A few things were ticked off my list - my address has been changed with all the places it needs to be changed, I've come to terms with the fact that Dutch classes will have to wait until September, I got a new phone, and I bought my tickets to Rome for late August. All that stuff is great, but I've got to say, the best feeling of accomplishment in the past few days was getting some furniture for my apartment. The couch was free (thanks, freecycle!) and the other items were incredibly inexpensive.

I know it doesn't seem that interesting, the story of this furniture, but bear with me. I found an ad on Expatica - a guy was trying to get rid of all his furniture, which was great timing for me. We talked on Thursday afternoon, and after I excitedly selected what I wanted, I realized he didn't live in Amsterdam - he lives in a town about 40 minutes away. I said, you know, forget it. I am already totally over coordinating moves and furniture going up and down narrow staircases and through windows and scheduling time with movers and friends to help out, and the idea of going outside the city limits of Amsterdam made everything seem more complicated. The prices for the furniture I wanted (a big wardrobe and wine rack) were great, but I just figured I would keep looking elsewhere.

But this guy, this really nice American guy (who was raised in upstate New York and is returning to the Philadelphia area!), says "no problem, I have a car, I'll bring the stuff to you." He showed up on Sunday afternoon, carried everything up my stairs (the wardrobe is from Ikea and he had taken it apart to get it down his stairs), put it all together with the tools he bought, wouldn't accept any extra money for gas or time or help, and just insisted that I return the favor to someone, someday. It was such a great feeling to finally hang up my clothes (I also got a free bag of coat hangers courtesy of freecycle!) and get my suitcase off the floor - that guy totally made my entire weekend.

Other highlights of the weekend included a midnight showing of Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the Kriterion, dinner at Bolhoed (an organic vegetarian restaurant in the Jordaan), riding my bike through the city during a thunderstorm, hanging out on the terrace of the Soundgarden, and a big picnic on Sunday night in Vondelpark. A proper summer weekend, definitely.

Address change, and all the fun that goes with it

2008-07-23T17:26:00.004+02:00

Since all the "big" administrative type of paperwork is taken care of in terms of me living in Amsterdam, I thought it was time to tackle all that little stuff - for example, officially changing my address from my friend's apartment to my new place. Everyone said "it's so easy, you can fill out the form online!"

So I did a google search and I find this page which points me in the direction of this form, which is only in Dutch. Not wanting to lose my momentum for Getting Shit Done, I ran down to my company's HR office and asked them for help with the translation.

Over an hour later, I was finally done. It was just stupid stuff that held up the process - I needed the full names of the residents of my old place (think about it, can you really say you know the last name of all your friends, and if so, can you really spell those names correctly?), a scan of my passport (but they wouldn't accept PDFs), my phone number... except wait, I just lost my phone... that added a few extra steps. But in the end it was all done, and if you have all your shit together, it really shouldn't take that long. My (Dutch) colleague told me she didn't have to take as many steps as I was taking to change her address, so I'm guessing this is a different process for foreigners. Either that, or because I didn't have my phone on me (so they can verify things via SMS), it just meant I had to provide more information.

Once this was all done I started trying to find Dutch classes to sign up for in August, but I haven't gotten terribly far with that. The University of Amsterdam classes are expensive, and the Volksuniversiteit doesn't offer anything until September (though they are a lot more affordable than UvA). I think I might start looking for private lessons. If anyone reading has a recommendation, I'm all ears.

Next up: replace my mobile phone, figure out why Telfort can't hook up my internet service at home, change my address with my bank, properly furnish my apartment, and buy tickets to Rome for late August (to visit my old roommate). Speaking of apartment furnishings, I've actually had some pretty good luck with Amsterdam's Craigslist and Freecycle. These sites don't seem to get very heavy traffic (especially compared to the New York City version), but within a few minutes of posting an ad on freecycle and responding to an ad on craigslist, I scored a free DVD player and have a few promising leads on couches and shelves. I'm also keeping my eyes peeled on the sidewalks, which is where I got two of my dining room chairs. There's also Marktplaats, which is mostly in Dutch (Freecycle is entirely in English, and craigslist is mostly in English). I wish I could just snap my fingers and have all this stuff magically take care of itself - but I just keep reminding myself: all the hard stuff is done.

Residence permit - done! Next up: rain pants.... almost as important.

2008-07-21T17:29:00.006+02:00

I received a letter from the IND Front Office last week, conveniently on a night when I had a few Dutch friends over for dinner. I turned to Micha and asked "hey, would you mind translating this for me... Oh wait, nevermind, they also sent the same letter in English" (can this get any easier?). It had these beautiful words:

Hierbij berichten wij u dat uw verblijfsdocument is binnengekomen.
Your residence permit is ready. We would like you to collect the permit.

I had to pick up my permit in person, so I went to the office today (at Orlyplein 141-147) with my letter and passport. About 90 seconds after I walked in the building, I walked out with my residence card, valid until the 9th of June 2009 (it matches my work contract dates). It's so official! The card is the same size as a US Drivers License and is pretty much the last step I need to take in making my life here "real." Now all I have to do is change my address to my new apartment so my mail will go to the right place. The one other administrative step I might take is obtaining a Dutch drivers license. I would honestly be perfectly happy to never drive a car again, and I have zero plans to ever own a car as long as I'm in Amsterdam. But some American friends told me that if I go within the first 6 months of my residency here, I can simply trade my US license for a Dutch license, without having to take any tests. I suppose it couldn't hurt – if I ever wanted to rent a vehicle for some reason, it would be nice to have that convenience.

Today was incredibly rainy and pretty chilly in Amsterdam, but I've mastered a system for making it through my commute to work. I bring an extra pair of jeans with to work in my (water-resistant messenger style) bag, and I keep an extra pair of shoes at my office. Hair goes back in a ponytail, and my bangs get pinned back. Headphones go on (I wear over-the-head headphones to listen to my ipod in the morning, as earbuds don't really work for me), which also helps hold my bangs back, and the headphones somehow help keep my hood firmly in place. After five minutes of entering my office, I had changed into dry pants and shoes, my hair was brushed and in place, and since my (waterproof) jacket kept the top half of me dry, no one could have guessed that I rode through the pouring rain this morning. I have to admit though, this 2-pairs-of-pants thing is a little annoying, so on my list of things to do is acquire a pair of rain pants.

While I'm on the topic of cycling, let me take the opportunity to recommend a fantastic blog: Amsterdamize, which I believe was inspired by Copenhagenize. If you're a bit obsessed with bicycle culture or have a thing for pictures of bikes, it's quite possible you could spend an entire day (or more) going through those two blogs and following the links to other blogs and watching the videos and so on. I love Amsterdamize because it's published by a native Amsterdammer, and he writes about bike culture here with just as much love as I have for it - but provides the type of insight and background that I wouldn't be able to do (well, not yet, but give me ten years).

I missed my bike while I was visiting friends in Berlin this past weekend. Berlin is really bike-friendly and I would have loved to explore the city on 2 wheels, especially since I was hanging out with a good friend from Amsterdam while I was there. Having 3 people and two bikes never would have stopped us from taking bikes anywhere in Amsterdam (she's ridden me on the back of her bike before a few times), but the Berlin bikes aren't really built to carry extra people. We attempted to ride together anyway, with me on the seat and her standing up on the pedals - it worked for a little while but eventually we gave up. Anyway, despite not having a bike, I had a fantastic time in Berlin. It was my second visit there, so I mostly just hung out with friends and stuck to their neighborhoods. The most notable thing that happened was running into a guy from New Paltz at a friend's house party on Friday night. I grew up in New Paltz, New York, and it is not a big town. And even stranger than running into him at a party (which was being hosted by someone I've known for about a month), I ran into him again (!) the next day at the Berlin wall. Nice guy, and hey - if he happens to read this - sorry I didn't call on Saturday night, my phone ran out of credit.

Which reminds me, on my list of things to do: get a real phone contract.

Close to home

2008-07-15T12:30:00.010+02:00

Yesterday was a long day at work, and during one of the many moments in the day where I was waiting for something to happen, I got into a conversation with a colleague about Milan, Italy, and how different it is to live and work there than it is to live and work in Amsterdam. I asked him to explain what it was about Milan that is so incredibly different, and as he talked it sounded like he was describing New York City. It's one thing to spend a day at work being crazy and busy and dramatic and high-strung, but it can be horrible to leave the office and be greeted with crazy, busy, dramatic, high-strung people all around you. "It was just too much," he said, "Too expensive, too crowded, just every aspect of life was totally rushed and stressful, never relaxed, ever." I remember that feeling, of leaving work at the end of really busy day - say at 9 or 10 at night, and still having to deal with crowds of people pushing me through the subway, the sounds of car alarms and horns honking and smells and sirens. Sometimes that atmosphere can be fun, intoxicating, the kind of thing that made me feel alive every minute of the day.

But sometimes it was just too much. And I think one thing that everyone who lives in Amsterdam can agree on is that this city - as far as cities go - is the opposite of high-stress and dramatic. I love that. It's totally different than where I came from, and that's what appeals to me.

However, I also love the fact that I stopped for a sesame bagel with chive cream cheese on my way to work. Sometimes a little taste of home is nice.

So I ended up missing the film I wanted to see last night, but I still went to De Nieuwe Anita to meet up with my friends for a few beers. It was a nice evening, made even nicer by the fact that the smoking ban is in full affect and I went home without my clothes and hair smelling like smoke! The Dutch establishments I've been to since the first of July seem ready for the ban (they did have 2 years warning, after all). Smokers are being told that even when they're outside, they can't just drop their cigarettes on the ground, they have to use ashtrays. Coffeeshops have their own bizarre set of rules where it's still legal to smoke pure marijuana, but if you mix it with tobacco, that's not allowed, unless there's a special smoking room. If there IS one of these special smoking rooms, the employees aren't allowed to go in and clean up after people (because the ban exists to protect the workers from second hand smoke). Again, it's weird, but people will get used to it. I'm just trying to piece information together based on what I've read and heard - but overall, the folks who live here seem pretty okay with the ban. It certainly has made my life easier.

I'll be back in the summertime, with a handful of flowers and a bottle of cheap wine...

2008-07-14T12:55:00.005+02:00

I've been happily settling into my new apartment for the past few weeks - "nesting" as one of my friends calls it. It's far and away the nicest place I've ever lived on my own, and big enough to host dinner parties, lunches, and late-night post-bar gatherings. Looking around my living room and seeing a group of friends eating and drinking is one of the best feelings in the world - even if we all still have to sit on the floor because I only have 4 chairs. The weekend that just passed felt like it lasted forever, which is the best thing a weekend can do. I was at the Soundgarden on Friday night, ate some of the most delicious pannekoeken on Saturday, drank a few beers at the Kriterion, took a long bike ride with a good friend, and generally didn't do anything hard or stressful or complicated.

Of course, all that being said, it's not like I was really excited for Monday morning to arrive, especially because Monday morning arrived for me around 7am (about 1.5 hours before I normally wake up) due to some construction project going on pretty damn close to my bedroom window. Why anyone feels the need to do the loudest part of the construction job at 7am is beyond me, and since I'm not much of a morning person, losing out on over an hour of sleep did not feel like the best way to start my day. When I finally dragged myself out of bed and went about getting ready for work, I was feeling pretty out of it - but my mood started to lift when I looked out the front windows on my apartment and saw the sun streaming inside and bright blue skies. After a cup of coffee and strawberries on the balcony, I put on my headphones and headed out the door. Riding to work while listening to music on my ipod is just simply the most ideal way to start my day and always puts me in a good mood. It also helps that I love my job. By the time I got to the office today I felt (relatively) awake and happy.

You know the metro newspaper, the same one that exists in a million different cities around the world? You usually find them in metro or bus stations in the morning. Here in Amsterdam, there's a woman that stands near the bike lane, handing them out to passing cyclists. I love that.

I'm headed over to De Nieuwe Anita tonight for a screening of Wrong Eyed Jesus (Andrew Douglas, 82 minutes, shown in English). Every monday is Cinemanita - for just €2,50 it's a great place to catch a film on Monday (though this will be the last Monday screening of the summer). I've got some good friends from Paris coming to visit this week, and then I'm headed to Berlin on Friday - I can't wait. It will be my second visit to Berlin and another opportunity to use my extensive German vocabulary (ein bier, bitte!) and hang out with a bunch of people I haven't seen in a long time. I never want this summer to end.

A weekend in Heidelberg, Germany

2008-07-07T11:24:00.005+02:00

I spent the weekend in Heidelberg, a town in southern Germany about 45 minutes from Frankfurt by train. This town wasn't destroyed during World War 2, so it has all that charm of an old European city and was full of beautiful old buildings, statues, churches, etc. I spent the weekend catching up with my friend Annette, a German girl I met about 3 years ago in Paris through Hospitality Club. Me visiting her in Germany is something we've been talking about ever since we met, but in between her moving to Japan and me moving to New York City, it was a hard thing to schedule - until now! It is always such a treat to explore a new place with someone who lives there. On Saturday morning, Annette greeted me with fresh croissants and pain au chocolate from the french bakery. During the afternoon, we stumbled upon an African market, so I enjoyed Ethiopian coffee and food for lunch. Feeling like I might want to actually get into the German spirit, I made it a point to order a locally brewed beer after dinner, which of course came in a nice, big, mug. The beer served in Amsterdam is always in tiny little glasses, so being able to sit and enjoy my beer for more than 5 minutes felt like a treat.

I was delighted that it was very warm, bright, and sunny for the entire weekend. After spending the day walking around and exploring, I took a very unplanned nap while laying on the grass, next to the river. That felt incredible. To feel the sun on my skin, to know that I didn't have anywhere to be or anything to do - it was just total relaxation. And after the past week or so of moving and busy days at work and not much sleep, falling asleep in the sun was just about the best thing I could have asked for. Later on Saturday night, sometime around midnight, Annette and I walked all the way up to the top of the castle ruins and had the most breathtaking views of the city. It was totally ideal.

German and Dutch are pretty similar languages, and while I can't speak Dutch (yet), I have gotten used to hearing it, trying to read it, and being around it, so this motivated me to try my best to use German whenever I could (I have zero background in German, other than learning how to sing "Ach du lieber Augustine" when I was in 8th grade). This was mostly limited to "ein espresso macchiato, bitte, danke," and trying to read signs and street names as I walked around with Annette. I asked her to correct my pronunciation and translate things for me all weekend, and she never seemed to tire of doing that, which was great. On the train ride from Heidelberg to Amsterdam, I pulled out my "Dutch for Beginners" book and actually read it, instead of just skim through it. Here in Amsterdam, I should at (the very least) try and get started by ordering in Dutch when I'm at cafes and bars, even if people will most likely respond in English. I started this morning at the cafe near my office, and the woman (who sees me all the time and always speaks English to me) happily responded in Dutch. I can't wait for Dutch classes to get started in September.

Taking weekend trips to another country is one of my favorite things about living in Europe. When I booked this trip, I unfortunately had to do it by plane (due to time constraints of getting out of Amsterdam on Friday evening), even though I much prefer trains for a number of reasons. However, when I was at the Frankfurt airport on Sunday night, trying to find where I should check in for my return flight, an Air France woman told me it had been canceled. I either shocked or offended or insulted her (or all three) by saying "oh fuck" in response, as the expression on her face was nothing short of disgust. I was more just saying it to myself, because obviously no one ever wants to hear their flight is canceled, especially on a Sunday evening when I had already made plans in Amsterdam. I nervously waited in line at the KLM counter, and was offered the following solutions - a later flight with a different airline, or a direct train to Amsterdam that would get me home by 9.30pm. Obviously, I jumped at the chance to take the train, and made it back to Amsterdam with plenty of daylight still left. My bike was fortunately right where I had left it (just down the street from Centraal Station, near a church), and a friend was waiting to greet me with home cooked dinner.

Next trip: Berlin, in two weeks. It will be my second visit to that city, this time to stay with friends, and I can't wait. This summer is shaping up to be one of the best of my life.

Amsterdam style moving

2008-07-02T23:26:00.009+02:00

I'm just coming off what felt like the busiest week of my life. Besides work and the fact that I have zero willpower in turning down invitations to do fun things (when I should really be say, sleeping) I moved! This is my second night in my beautiful new apartment, and I love it. I've moved about one zillion times (give or take), from different countries to different cities to different everything, in every possible type of weather and environment, using planes, cars, bicycles, taxis, metros, etc. So even though the weather was great during my moving process and I mostly kept a positive attitude, moving is just never really that fun... especially early on a Sunday morning.

In theory, I could have rented some sort of vehicle and driven it myself and tried to round up some friends, but the idea of driving a vehicle through Amsterdam - not just any vehicle, but some sort of large van - sounds like the worst idea on earth. So I hired movers, which is the type of thing that always seemed like such a luxury, but was actually the best decision I ever made. Lee, the White Van Man (+31 20 4122312), was amazing. We started at my former apartment and stopped at 3 other places throughout the city (I was picking up furniture from a bunch of different people who offered it to me) before heading to my new place. Our first stop was to pick up a bed, shelves, and nightstands from a nice couple with a large apartment. Now. I can not emphasize enough that staircases in Amsterdam are narrow. I mean, narrow doesn't even begin to describe it. They're narrow and steep. I have literally, and I'm not kidding, used my hands to help me when walking up stairs here in Amsterdam. So how on earth do people move furniture? Through windows.

Again, I've moved a lot. And there has come a point in my moves when I've said "ok, this is just simply not going to fit up the stairs/through the door/etc so it goes on the sidewalk." That attitude doesn't fly here; instead it's "ok, it won't go down the stairs, so go grab the rope and put it through the window." And of course this is all being done on a Sunday morning, when everyone who helping was terribly hung over. The bed was the hardest part of the move - everything else went rather quickly, and I'm really lucky to have moved into a place on the 1st floor with wide staircases (in the US, that would be considered the 2nd floor with normal-size staircases). The entire process took about 2 1/2 hours, and I felt incredibly lucky to have amazing friends and random strangers help me out throughout the day. The movers charged me about 160 Euros (including tax), which seemed like a really good price compared to what people pay in New York City. After I was finished, a friend of mine (who had just carried most of my furniture up and down the stairs) offered me a ride, and I happily jumped on the back of his bike and got dropped off in the center. I spent the rest of the day trying to visualize how to set up the furniture and daydreaming about all the dinner parties I want to host.

So how did I get this place? The same way anyone gets any apartment in a city where everyone tells you it's impossible - through contacts. That simple. A friend of mine knew someone who was renting a place, sent me the details, I got in touch with them, and that's that. I knew that I couldn't pass up the deal, because this is a legit apartment where I can register and have a legal contract and pay a fair price, so I took it. I didn't shop around at all, but I've become familiar enough with the Amsterdam rental housing market to know that I would be insane to pass this up. So there you go - the magic solution is that there is no magic solution. It works the same way here as it does everywhere else - get to know people, make contacts, put the word out, and hope you get lucky.

I've been in Amsterdam just over 2 months now, and I love this city more and more every day. I keep thinking, okay, eventually it won't seem that great. But then I'll ride my bike home from my friends houseboat at 11pm, while it's still pretty light outside... and I still marvel at the fact that everyone (pretty much) yields to me, the cyclist. The parks don't close their gates, the dogs run next to the bikes, the buildings lean drastically to one side - and I love all of this. A really good friend from New York is now staying with me for the entire month of July, and I can't wait to show the city off to her, and hope she loves it as much as I do.

The biggest difference

2008-06-23T22:49:00.003+02:00

When you think about the entire globe, the cultural differences between people in North America and Europe aren't that big of a deal. But the one thing that separates specifically the United States from say, the rest of the developed world, is lack of affordable health care. I can not emphasize enough how huge of a deal this is, but I'll try by way of example.

I moved to NYC from Paris in October 2006, and a few weeks later I accidentally cut my finger pretty badly while I was at home in Brooklyn. I was working full time, but I didn't have health care, which is entirely normal. I bandaged it up myself, but later in the evening the wound opened up again while I was out at a bar. It looked worse than it was, honestly, but blood always freaks everyone out. I was shuffled outside, and a nice Scottish girl demanded that I go to the hospital right away for stitches. It was pretty obvious that's what I needed - again, the cut wasn't going to kill me or anything, it just was too deep for a simple bandaid. The thing is, I didn't have health insurance. So I couldn't go to the hospital. That was that, there was no "well maybe I should anyway....," the fact was that there was no way I was willing to pay hundred and hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars to get stitches in my finger - and also wait for hours in the emergency room until someone could see me. I just couldn't afford that. Every single one of my (American) friends that I was with understood that, but the Scottish girl just kept saying "but this is crazy, you need stitches, then you'll be fine, why won't you go to the hospital?" as though I was trying to prove something about how tough I was being. It wasn't about being tough, it was about reality. In the US, just because you happen to live there and work full time and pay taxes, that doesn't mean you have the right to get stitches if you cut yourself. This is the way I was raised, this is what my society taught me. This seems normal to me.

Anyway, I bought a huge pile of supplies from a pharmacy, bandaged myself up properly, and my finger healed slowly - there's still a scar, and the inside knuckle of my left pointer finger is still incredibly sensitive, but that's all fine. I don't have a big, scary story about getting hit by a car or breaking my leg without health insurance, because honestly, if something like that happened, there's no way I would be in Europe right now. I would be in debt for the rest of my life, like millions of Americans are right now.

I mentioned a few weeks ago in this blog that I fell off my bike, right? I was pretty banged up, but it didn't occur to me to go see a doctor, even though a couple different people told me I should just get myself checked out. First, I thought "it's nothing, I just scraped up my leg." But second, I still have this American mentality in me that says "you can't afford it, and you don't deserve it" - even though I know both of those things aren't true. So I didn't do anything about my cuts and scrapes, I just tried to keep everything clean and bandaged. Then, a few days ago, I noticed that shit, my right ankle was still swollen, it had been over two weeks, and it seemed to just be getting worse. The wound on the top of my foot wasn't scabbing up the way it should have been (which meant it wasn't healing), and this was becoming not only painful, but annoying. I haven't been able to wear heels in over two weeks! I would avoid running after a frisbee if someone threw one my way! Not good. So I finally freaked out and went to talk to a pharmacist in my neighborhood this past Saturday.

The pharmacist took one look at my foot and told me to go see a doctor right away, because I had an infection. Since it was a Saturday, I had to make arrangements to go to the hospital, rather than just go see my doctor (I actually haven't picked a doctor yet). Just the words "go to the hospital" scared me to death, though I kept telling myself, "okay, this won't be like it is in the states, it won't be like it is in the states," but I still took 200 Euros out of the ATM machine. The thing is, I do have Dutch health insurance, but I just literally signed up for my plan and I don't think I'm in the system yet, so I had to do the whole thing as if I'm not insured. This wasn't a problem, and I kept getting assured that I would be reimbursed by my insurance company.

When I got to the hospital, the American in me expected to be there all day, which was a bummer, since I had been planning on enjoying my Saturday. Instead I waited about 3 minutes before someone called my name. I wasn't asked to fill out forms or show ID. The doctor took a look at my foot, said "yup, you have an infection, but it appears to just be local and you simply need to treat it 3 times a day with antibiotics." The entire process took no more than ten minutes, he wrote me a prescription, shook my hand, and sent me on my way. And that's... it? Does anyone need to see my passport? Anyone want to charge me 50 Euros just for walking in the room? No? Right... because... this isn't the US.

The pharmacy was just down the hall from where I saw my doctor. I handed the woman my slip, give her my phone number, and waited for it to be filled. Ok, my brain is thinking, this is where I get charged. This is the scary part. Five minutes later, my prescription was ready. "That will be 9.70 Euros please. And keep this receipt, be sure to use it to get reimbursed from your insurance company." And that was that. Less than ten Euros. That's what the entire process cost me, and if I feel like it, I can get that 9.70 reimbursed. At no point did anyone ask me for ID and make photocopies. At no point was I ever given a different type of treatment because I'm a foreigner who doesn't speak Dutch. It's very simple, very obvious - but so incredibly foreign to me. Imagine that, Americans. Health care being a basic human right.

I've been using these antibiotics for just a couple days and my foot is almost totally fine. After 24 hours, the wound started shrinking and the swelling went down significantly. If I had just done this when I fell off the bike, I would probably would be walking around in heels right now.

I'm sure that somehow, in the US, there are clinics and doctors and special programs that would provide something somewhat similar to what I described above. But I'll tell you something: I wouldn't really have any idea where to find them, and I have tried. I went to a public clinic once in New York for an exam - the type of place that exists specifically for people who don't have health insurance. It took me about 30 minutes to fill out all the forms, I had to provide my ID, social security card, pay stubs, and some other paperwork. Then they charged me $175 USD and required me to pay up front (before I even saw the doctor) and in cash. When I told them I only had $100 on me, they gave me directions to the nearest ATM machine. I had to leave the office, walk down the street, get more money, and hand it over before anyone would see me... and this was, again, a "public health clinic." The actual exam took about 10 minutes, and I was in the office for over 2 hours. I spent most of my time looking at advertisements for different drugs, which were hanging all over the walls.

It's not about the language, or the food, the religion, the time we eat dinner, or even the legal drugs and prostitution that really create such huge differences between the Dutch and Americans. It's not a Dutch vs. US thing at all, it's a US vs. The Rest Of The Developed World type thing. And I've got to say, I just don't see myself ever being able to give this up - this amazing privilege of being treated like a human being if I'm sick. There will always be a part of me that sees this as really special, and not just the way everyone else is doing it. I hope so much that Europeans fight against the privatization of health care, which is slowly starting to happen (but is nowhere near what it's like in the US), and pressure their governments to keep health care affordable for everyone. No matter who wins the next US presidential election, I'm not holding out hope for universal health care in that country anytime soon, and that is just simply a disgrace.

Ah yes, the logistical details are important too.

2008-06-19T17:27:00.002+02:00

In the past few weeks, I have been many places. It hasn't all been cafes and bars and picnics in the park. In chronological order, this is where I've been since the 9th of June:

1. To the main IND office in Rijswijk. This is where I applied for permission to get a work permit, basically. After deciding to hire me, my employer gave me a 1-year job contract and made the appointment for me at the IND office. The outcome of this appointment was getting a sticker in my passport that proves I reported myself to the authorities and my visa is in process. I had to bring my contract, passport, and 1 official Dutch-size passport picture, and application forms (which were prepared for me by my employer, again). This was a really simple appointment - I was in and out of the building in ten minutes.

2. To the bank (ABN) to set up an account. In order to get paid, I need a bank account - practically everything here is done with bank transfers and direct deposit. Normally you have to provide a BSN number (which was called a SOFI number, or a dutch social security number). However! My employer has an agreement with this bank that allows employees to set up bank accounts before getting a BSN number (though I need to give them one within a certain time period). I needed to provide a letter from my employer and a copy of my job contract, along with my passport and an address.

3. To the main branch of the DienstPersoonsGegevens (DPG) in Amsterdam, on Stadhouderskade 85. This is where I had to register myself to the city with a legal address. See, in order to get a BSN number, I need a legal address in Amsterdam (keep in mind, everything about this process is different if you have an EU passport, which I do not have). And since you need a BSN number to do just about anything, this is a really important step. I'm fortunate enough to have friends that own their own apartment here in Amsterdam and said "sure, you can use our address to register." I want to emphasize this is a really big deal here - I needed a copy of their mortgage agreement, a letter saying that I could stay, and a copy of my friends passport. And from here on in, all my mail goes to their place, which is also a huge deal. Everything is communicated through the post - my bank account number, my BSN number, etc. Anyway, everything went fine at the DPG (I was there for about an hour or so) and now I'm officially in the system.

There's one weird thing that I needed to provide that I don't have, which is a birth certificate with an apostel stamp. I have never been asked for something like this before and I really have no idea why the Netherlands needs it. I do have my original birth certificate, and the people at the DPG seemed really understanding about this whole lack-of-apostel-stamp thing. They said I had six months to get it, which means requesting a copy from the state of New York, where I was born. So, okay, I'll start figuring out how to get that sometime soon.

I want to emphasize that because I have a job with a proper contract, my whole integration process into Amsterdam has become absurdly simple. Everything I'm doing right now is based on the fact that I have a job... and everything I do, I do with the help of the HR department at my company. I've had one or two very minor problems/inconveniences along the way, but honestly nothing even worth detailing in this blog. Every time I go anywhere, whether it's to the bank or the immigration office, I just simply bring everything with me. Everything. My passport, photos, birth certificate, job contract, housing contract, etc., and of course I have multiple copies of each one of these things.

So, what's next? Finding an apartment. I know, my housing situation must sound a little confusing. Here's what's going on, in the simplest terms.

-I'm registering at my friends M & A's apartment, in Bos en Lommer. This is now where Amsterdam believes I live, where all my mail goes, etc.
-I'm actually living in a different friends apartment, south of Vondelpark, in the Oud Zuid. It is not possible for me to register there, and it's only through the amazing generosity and trust of my friend that I'm able to stay.
-Therefore I'm looking for my own place, something nice and legal, someplace that allows me to register which...
-Is incredibly difficult to find here in Amsterdam for a million different reasons but...
-I found one anyway.

This is incredible! I'm going to move into my new place on the 1st of July. It's located near the Weesperplein, which is technically in the center, but it's actually more east of the the center (just across the Amstel). I'll go into how I found it and everything in my next post, but I wanted to mention it here because this means... another visit to the DPG!

Anytime you change addresses in Amsterdam, you need to re-register. So - yes, I just went through this whole process of registering in Bos en Lommer and getting my mail sent there and everything, and now I'll have to change all that stuff. The thing is, I just really needed that BSN number and couldn't wait to register myself (and honestly, I didn't expect to find an apartment so quickly). The good news is that there are DPG offices all over Amsterdam and I can change my address at any of them (think about them like little City or Town Halls), I don't have to go back to the main branch.

So, just in case there's anyone reading who might be embarking on something similar - honestly - none of this stuff was hard. Since every other person who moves to Amsterdam seems intent on emphasizing how hard it is to live here, how it's impossible for Americans to find jobs, how dealing with Dutch bureaucracy is a total nightmare... I just wanted to be that one person on the internet who says that hey, in my particular case, it's all working out fine. And even though it was raining while I biked to work this morning, I still thought, man, I am so happy to be here.

Where I've been going, what I've been doing

2008-06-17T13:46:00.004+02:00

Picnics - the easiest location for me is Vondelpark, since it's so close to home and everyone knows it. But this past weekend I went for a Sunday night picnic at Beatrixpark, and it really seemed like me and my friends were the only people there. This park is in the south east of the city, near the Rai station. I got a little (okay, a lot) lost on my way there, and once I got tired of consulting my map I just stopped and asked people for directions. When I rode home with a friend, I found a much, much more direct route. I love picnics in Amsterdam parks - there are no rules about where you can or can't sit on the grass, dogs run around all over the place, and no one kicks you out at a certain time.

Bars/Cafes - places I've gone to recently include Soundgarden, OT301, Studio K, DeBalie (of course, for free wifi) and the Kriterion. Look those places up in you're in Amsterdam; they all have a really great vibe. The Soundgarden has this ideal back patio right next to a canal, and while I was sitting back there I felt that wonderful I've-left-the-city feeling, even though it's off a major street in the Jordaan. And DeBalie was a lifesaver for me before I started working - they have tons of room, incredibly cheap prices for food and drink, and no one ever minded that I would often stay there for 5-6 hours at a time in order to use the wifi.

I went to the Hope Box offices recently for a Friday night screening, in the north of Amsterdam (I took that picture just outside the office). I'll go do anything if it means I get to take a ferry to get there, so I didn't even really mind that the film was in Serbian with Dutch subtitles - actually, I was happy to find myself in the situation where I was the only non-Dutch-speaker in the room - the more this happens, the more motivated I become to learn the language. This cultural center is a global project - I think the best way I can sum it up is bringing people together from all over the world through visual arts. Visit their website to learn more. If you're interested, come along to their event this Saturday, the 21st of June at the GO Gallery (Prinsengracht 64) - I'm planning to attend, so say hi if you're there!

Speaking of learning the language, no, I haven't learned Dutch at all. I mean, I certainly know more than I did 2 months ago, and I'm getting better at reading menus and hearing the names of streets and whatnot, but I really, really don't know Dutch, and I would like for that to change. I'm going to start taking classes in September (they're offered for free by my company), but I think before I start that I may sign up for a month or two of private lessons. It's really easy to get around using English, but the thing that frustrates me is not being able to pronounce the names of the roads and streets, or even worse, the fact that I can't hear it right when someone else says it.

Tonight is another big game for Holland, and I still haven't found my inner football fan, so I'm thinking that a picnic in the park sounds like a nice way to spend some time while the rest of the city is at bars and cafes, going completely insane. And if Holland wins, that means a city full of happy people, so hey, I'll go ahead and root for Holland too. From a distance.

Quick catch-up post

2008-06-13T16:39:00.003+02:00

I wanted to update with some specifics about the IND appointment, the bank account, the whole registration issue - but I'm going to hold off on that until next week. Hopefully it will help someone else out if they're planning a similar type of move.

I had a busy week with the legal issues and starting a new job. Just getting back into the mindset where I have to wake up at a certain time every day and leave the house is a pretty big change. I'm really, really happy that I had enough time to enjoy unemployment - almost two months. Not bad at all. My first day of work was kind of insane and I didn't end up leaving the office until 9pm, but even though I was exhausted, the very fact that it was still bright and sunny outside motivated me to keep my plans for the night. I met up with a group of couch surfers in Westerpark for a picnic dinner. Now, this is what I love about couch surfing/hospitably club/etc. When I went out that night, I only knew one guy. But as soon as I showed up, I was offered wine, veggie spring rolls, quiche, cheese, etc. I had so much fun with my new friends that I lost track of time - we ended up sitting on my (new) friend's roofdeck, listening to music and drinking, and enjoying the sounds of the city celebrating from a distance (Holland had just won a football game that night). So on my second day of work, I showed up even more exhausted, but got through it. It was worth it to hear a Dutch guy sing the Canadian national anthem after a few beers and a glass of tequila.

The Big Thing going on in Amsterdam right now is football madness. I'm not really a football/soccer fan (or a fan of any kind of spots-on-television), but I admit that I get a kick out of watching everyone get all worked up about it.

Kind of a weak update, I know, but next week I'll get back into the blogging spirit. At least two posts - one about logistics, one about all the fun stuff. And I'm sure I'll find some way of bringing up how much I love my new bicycle every time I post something. One of the best things about working in Amsterdam is my commute - riding through a beautiful park and along the canals. There really is no better way to travel (I haven't had to commute to work in the rain yet, obviously).

And thanks for all the comments on my last post, I appreciate that you're all reading!

The sweet feeling of legality!

2008-06-05T18:35:00.007+02:00

I signed my new work contract and celebrated my 29th birthday this week. And while of course it was wonderful to get calls and emails on my birthday, the best feeling of all was putting my signature on the (ten-page!) contract that will allow me to live and work here in Amsterdam. Once I was done meeting with the HR people, I went out to meet up with some new friends and celebrate.

Now, I've been planning this move for about 7 months and put in a lot of effort, work, etc., into making this all happen. But I want to acknowledge that yes, I'm really, really lucky to have had everything work out the way it has. Way back in October 2007, I found a company that has offices both in the US and Amsterdam, and if you've been following this blog for a little while, you probably remember me talking about meeting with them in Oregon. Once I got to Amsterdam I had about four meetings with the folks here, and was then finally offered the job (to make a long story short). So while a lot of people say "wow, you've been here for just over a month, that sure was quick!" it doesn't quite seem that way to me. Then again, now that I actually have the contract and my start date is coming up soon, it does seem to be rushing up!

Because the company is more or less sponsoring me to stay here, they made the appointment for me at the IND (the Dutch immigration office). My appointment is this Monday at the office in Rijswijk, and the purpose of this appointment will be to hand in my residence/work permit paperwork and getting a sticker in my passport that proves I've reported myself to the authorities and my visa is in process. I need to bring:

1. My signed employment contract
2. the application forms (which are being prepared for me by my employers)
3. My passport, obviously
4. a Dutch official passport picture

The differences between starting a job here in the Netherlands and starting a job in the US are drastically different. I have twenty-five vacation days, and if you're American, I don't need to explain how unbelievable that is. When I got to the part in the contract that explained sick leave, I asked "so how many sick days do I get?" and the woman looked at me like she didn't understand the question. If you're sick, you're sick, she said. Basically, there is no "number of sick days." Sick days are totally different from vacation time. "You have to understand that in the US, that's not always the case" I replied. I thought about my previous full-time job in NYC, where during my first year of employment, I was granted exactly 3 personal days, 5 sick days, and no health coverage at all. And you know what, that's absolutely not uncommon or weird. Here, I'll have health care and a pension plan (if I want it), just like everyone else who lives and works (legally) in the Netherlands. They even offer free Dutch classes!

Having the past two months to just kind of relax, travel around a bit, and explore Amsterdam was perfect... now it's time to really develop a life here. Of course, I'll keep this blog updated, and if you have any questions you can always comment or send me an email (tami.mahoney@gmail.com).

The best way to celebrate a new job is with a new bike

2008-06-03T00:04:00.006+02:00

There is a lot to catch up on in this expat blog, and I know a lot of you that read this are my friends and already know the good news, so bear with me for a repeat: I was offered a job here in Amsterdam! I'm due to sign a contract sometime tomorrow (3 June) so once that has been taken care of I'll write about it all in more detail. I keep thinking of all the ways my life is going to change - I can finally get a bank account! Which means I can get a real phone with a real contract and stop using a prepaid mobile! Little things like that are going to make such a huge difference.

Sometime in the early afternoon this past Friday, I had a bit of an accident on my borrowed bike and got myself pretty banged up. It was my fault entirely - I had been borrowing a racing bike and became way too comfortable with it. I got into the habit of riding three times faster than everyone else, zipping around traffic, and passing people all the time. I was passing someone not too far from my house, and my front tire went right into the tram tracks, and I went down (and a big thanks to the very nice Dutch woman who pulled over in her car to help me up, fix my bike chain, and offer me a ride!). I'm fine and so is the bike, and it didn't stop me from riding around that afternoon or night, but it was the final straw in me riding other people's bikes. First of all, a racing bike is just completely impractical for this city, no matter how fun they are to ride. Secondly, I would have felt way too guilty had I messed up the bike by riding it around like an idiot. If I'm going to ride around like an idiot and mess up bikes, I'd rather be the owner of the bike. And since I spent a lot of time celebrating this weekend, there was a lot - a LOT - of riding around like an idiot (usually with me on the back of someone else's bike, which helped add to my collection of bruises).

This afternoon I went over to De Baron Fietsen & DutchBike Amsterdam on the Overtoom, almost where it hits up with the S100 Circle (close to Leidseplein). It's the shop that rents out the orange bikes, and also sells new and used bikes. My old roommate got her bike at this shop and told me that a friend of hers worked there. I found the perfect bike that just so happened to be entirely put together by that friend, which makes me really happy. It only took me about three minutes before I fell completely in love with the bike (a purple gazelle with pedal brakes) and vowed to always lock it properly and always lock it to something. It's second hand, so it doesn't stand out as being a super nice bicycle (which is a good thing), but it's also in really good shape and has 2 new tires. It cost me 150 Euros, and then I spent about 90 Euros on two locks - before the guy could even explain to me what the difference was in all the locks, I just told him I wanted the absolute best locks they had. If you're looking for a good bike shop in Amsterdam, I really recommend this place - they treated me really well, adjusted everything so the bike fits me perfectly, and the entire process only took about 20 minutes or so. How I love efficiency!

In between all the celebrating I did this weekend, I also visited the Amsterdam Tattoo Convention for a few hours on Sunday afternoon. It was my first time at a European tattoo convention, and while it was smaller than the conventions I've been to in the states, it was set up really well and very well attended. Artists came from all over the world, but of course my friend and I had our eye on anyone who was located in Holland. After circling the room and examining a lot of portfolios, my friend spotted Maaika who I think we both agreed was our favorite for the day (though she wasn't at the booth during the time we made that decision). Both of us are in the market for new tattoos, so finding an artist was a pretty big accomplishment for the day. I said hello to Gunnar, a Swedish tattoo artist (who works at Bluebird Tattoo in Västerås) that I had met earlier in the week, and did a little bit of shopping. It felt so good to know that now that I have a job, I can do things like buy clothes and think about a new tattoo.

I've met a lot of new people in the past few days, maybe partly due to the fact that my roommate left for Rome, so hanging out at home in the kitchen isn't as much fun as it used to be. However, right now that's exactly where I am. The balcony door (which is off the kitchen, at the back of the apartment) is wide open on this warm, humid night. There was an amazing thunderstorm last night, and I'm hoping for a repeat this week. Right now I can hear the wind in the chimes and the trees, and that's all I can hear. No traffic, no car alarms, no screaming, no loud music. This, right here, is what I love about Amsterdam. And I am so incredibly happy that I know I'm going to stick around for a long time.

Edited to add: as soon as I hit "publish" a huge thunderstorm broke out! Perfect timing!

Four weeks, three bikes

2008-05-27T14:16:00.004+02:00

Does it make me more of a local now that I've had a bike stolen? That's the only positive spin I can put on the situation. Well, that and the fact that I'm riding my third bike in four weeks and I have yet to pay for any of them, because I know some really generous people.

See, my roommate owns two bikes - the Good Bike (which is now also known as the "stolen bike") and the crooked bike (pictured, and which I've been riding the past month when she's in town). While I wasn't looking forward to her leaving Amsterdam, I was looking forward to taking ownership of the good bike and just hanging on to the crooked bike as a spare. But this past Friday afternoon, she discovered the good bike had gone missing - from right outside our apartment! That made us two people with one crooked bike between us (and the crooked bike was suffering from a busted tire, so that had to be fixed), and obviously that's not going to work. I mentioned my bike problems on facebook, and what do you know, within 24 hours I had another bike courtesy of a new friend that I've known for about 2 weeks. "Are you sure you want to give me this bike," I asked, "given that the other one was stolen from exactly where I'm about to lock up this one?"

"Of course," he replies, "It's no problem." So now I'm riding this cool Peugeot bike around Amsterdam, feeling like I should be in Philadelphia or something, leaning way down over the handlebars and lifting it on to the racks without any problem because the bike weighs nothing. It's not the most practical Amsterdam bike, but man, it's fun (and quick) to ride. However, it's not mine, so I'm going to suck it up and buy myself a new bike this week.

The way I understand it, there's a few different ways to obtain a bike in Amsterdam. You can be lucky, like I've been, and have friends who will give your their spare bikes. Or you can go to the junkies and get one for 20€ or so, in which case you're probably buying the exact bike that was just stolen from outside my house. In this city people steal bikes very openly, very often, and without hesitation. Then they sell them. Honestly, I can see the temptation behind buying one of those stolen bikes because when you go to a shop you're looking at spending at the very least 100€ (more like 150) for a pretty basic, somewhat junky, bike. If you want a "nice" bike you're going to spend at least 300 Euros. And why spend that kind of money when the thing is just going to be stolen and you have to buy two locks anyway? That tacks another 30-50 € on the price.

But I just simply can't buy a stolen bike. I've had bikes stolen in the past, I've had parts of my bike stolen in the past (the most memorable time was when someone stole my bike seat in Philly and replaced it... with another seat that didn't fit), my friends have had bikes stolen, and it happens all over the place, not just Amsterdam. The feeling of finding your bike stripped of its seat, handlebars, pedals, etc - or just seeing it not parked where you left it - it's just terrible. I mean, I already loved my roommate's good bike, and I had only ridden it a couple times. She was totally connected to it and loved it. People love their bikes, it's just the way it is, and if I bought a stolen bike I couldn't live with myself knowing that someone who might have loved that bike went out one morning to discover it had gone missing.

So after I looked through the neighborhood for the stolen bike and came up empty, my roommate and I comforted ourselves by getting some beer on a lovely, sunny, Friday afternoon and heading over to Vondelpark on foot, where we relaxed in the sun for an hour or so before heading to a fancy chocolate shop for more stolen-bike comfort. At 4.30am late Friday/early Saturday I was riding my third borrowed bike home from Jordaan, watching the sun rise and purposefully making my ride take as long as possible by riding around the Oud West until I got myself lost. It's harder and harder to get lost now, though it does happen.

My roommate leaves for Rome tomorrow, and then I'll be on my own for the next month or so. In July, one of my very close friends from New York will be coming to stay in Amsterdam with me for a month, which I'm really looking forward to, and hopefully another visitor or two will be popping up from Paris sometime in June. I suppose if getting a bike stolen (a bike I didn't pay for, mind you) is the only thing I really have to complain about, things aren't so bad, are they?

One month down, and I've finally gone to the post office

2008-05-22T12:49:00.006+02:00

The first time I was in Amsterdam was back in the Spring of 2005. I hardly knew anything about the city before I arrived, and I remember being surprised by two things - 1) that it was so beautiful and 2) that it seemed really diverse. I still think these two things almost every day. This past Monday night, I rode my bike home from the Lloyd Hotel after a great evening of free music - European musicians performed with artists from all over Africa and Europe as part of the Virus Free Generation Tour. The (South African) host of the night spoke English to the room, the artists performed in English, Slovak, Zulu, Swahili, Sardinian, Italian, and probably a few other languages that I'm forgetting. I sat with a group of new friends - Dutch, Croatian, Austrian, etc - and as I looked around the room I realized that out of the 100 or so people, we could have probably come up with at least thirty languages, easily. Every Monday night, the Lloyd Hotel hosts these free events, completely open to the public. You're not even obligated to buy a drink, though there is a nice bar. This Monday there's even a Tango Orchestra performance!

So the diversity, the combination of people who end up in Amsterdam from all over the world - this really appeals to me. In some ways, it reminds me a bit of New York City, just in the way that everyone seems to be from somewhere else, but every so often I'll run into a born-and-raised Amsterdammer. This makes for good stories, but at the same time everyone has heard all the stories... so one more foreigner showing up here from somewhere else really isn't that big of a deal.

And then there's the beauty, and this is me still being in the honeymoon phase. I still simply just love riding my bike across the city late at night, when it's quiet. On Monday night, my roommate and I rode home together, side by side, and only occasionally saw a car on the road. We crossed canals and rode past the windmill and the beautiful homes along Koninginneweg, not too far from where I live. It was such a great night, and to end it with the ability to cycle so easily, riding next to a friend the whole way ... it's just very special. Spring is in full bloom, and everything is so green and alive. I know I sound like a big hippie here, but whatever.

I've been trying to make myself take care of some of the more practical matters, like getting a printer cartridge refilled, going to the post office, and picking up a few things for my apartment. On the advice of practically everyone I've met I finally went over to the Albert Cuyp market and was successful getting just about everything I wanted. This is where you want to go to get everything from new bedding to envelopes, bike locks, food, clothes, etc - and at very, very affordable prices. However, if you plan to buy a mattress topper, I would advise you to maybe put some thought into how you're going to transport it home if you go via bike. As I rode home I just had to hope that I wasn't going to need to use my brakes or bell, since my hands were completely full holding the mattress in front of my handlebars in a very specific way (I got home without incident, fortunately).

It's really exciting to be in this phase, where there's still so much to see and discover. However, in the next week my first priority will be to spend as much time as possible with my current roommate, before she takes off for Rome. After spending over 8 years in Amsterdam she's leaving for a more southern climate. It will be great to gain a friend in Rome, but I'll miss having her around. Because of her generosity, I had a place to stay when I arrived here... but I also gained so much more than a bedroom, I gained a friend that I'm sure I will have for the rest of my life. And I can't thank her enough (though I'm going to try!) for making me feel so welcome here.

The important stuff: patatje, picnics, frisbee, and waterproof jackets

2008-05-17T22:29:00.003+02:00

You might think that now that I've had a few weeks in Amsterdam, I'd have all kinds of things to say. But really, when people ask me what I've been up to since I've been here, it can easily be summed up: picnics, biking, frisbee, beach, drinks, hanging out. Trust me, I could fill up a blog very easily with all my thoughts about cycling here in Amsterdam, but I resist the urge. But it struck me the other day - I spend no money on transportation. It's just another one of those ways that makes Amsterdam fairly affordable.

I think that I've had more weather-related conversations in the past few weeks than I have had in my entire life. The weather in Amsterdam - up until today - has been nothing short of perfect. And wow, do the folks who live here like to emphasize how rare that is. I pointed out the other day that there are other places in the world where the weather isn't that great either, and that actually, if I think about it, the weather in New York kind of sucks. Hot and humid in the summer (and over-air conditioned), bitterly cold in the winter, etc. But there's no arguing this topic with a Netherlands local. The beautiful weather that stretched on for a couple weeks (and is due to return in a couple days) was surely a once-a-year opportunity, and therefore every moment must be spent appreciating it.

Which is fine with me! That's where all the picnics, bike rides, and beach trips come in. That's why my motivation to do any actual work was non-existent. This isn't me being lazy, of course, it's me adapting to this new culture. See how I just justified it? Part of my cultural experience included a trip to Wijk aan Zee, a beach located about 20 km or so from Amsterdam. I took part in the eating of patatje oorlog - french fries with peanut sauce mixed with mayonnaise and chopped onions. The name literally means "war fries," and even though everything about the combination seemed just simply wrong - I sure as hell kept eating them.

I've been meeting a lot of great people through my wonderful roommate, and I went to a couple Couch Surfing meetups, where I met even more great people. I'm not finding it terribly difficult to meet Dutch people who are friendly and welcoming, I haven't had any problems with ... anything, really. The honeymoon stage is still going strong, I suppose. When I woke up today, it was raining lightly and chilly, and for some reason this motivated me to finally get some practical stuff done. I rode my bike over to HEMA, the big everything-you-need department store, and stopped at the Bio Market for coffee, cheese, and bread. I was happy to notice that my jacket and bag really did pass the waterproof test, and I know I'm still in the honeymoon stage with Amsterdam when riding my bike in the rain makes me happy.

A lot of people have been asking about my job prospects, and all I can really say is everything still seems to be going well. I had a few meetings with the same company here in Amsterdam, and obviously I'm hoping that the outcome is that I'm offered the job. Until I know about that, everything is up in the air. I know exactly what I want to do if I get the job, and I have a pretty good idea for how I want to proceed if I don't get it... but it's not really worth going into details until I have an answer. Fortunately, in between picnics and trips to the beach and drinks with friends, I did manage to find the time to do a little freelance work, which is a big help. And honestly, I am really, really enjoying this time to just relax, sleep late, meet new people, and not think too much. I needed a break, and now that I have it, I'm making it a point to have a good time and enjoy living in the present, instead of always making a plan for the future. Of course, that being said, I do kind of hate that I have so many little projects half-finished or just-started. I wonder if the locals would kill me if I wished for more rain this week, so I can actually get some stuff done.

Exploring different neighborhoods in Amsterdam

2008-05-06T17:41:00.006+02:00

I love feeling a strong sense of attachment to my neighborhood - I don't need to be best friends with my neighbors, but I certainly like saying hi and bye. I like knowing the folks who work in the shops and cafes closest to whatever apartment I'm in, I like knowing all the shortcuts, I like knowing who has the cheapest beer and who has the freshest bread. So I already feel deeply attached to my new neighborhood, became friends with some old guy named Ben who works on my street, and the guy at the tabak is starting to get to know who I am. I know I won't be able to stay at my apartment indefinitely, but I'm already starting to hope that wherever I end up next will be somewhere close by.

That being said, it was great exploring the Oost with my friend Brooke, who has been living there for over a year. We walked through the Dappermarkt and then crossed over to what I think is the Zeeburg to check out all the crazy architecture and bridges. We enjoyed a couple of beers at Studio K, which was just across the street from her house. The thing I loved about Brooke's neighborhood was the diversity and the realness of it. Amsterdam is a small city and I'm sure tourists find their way to a lot of places, but on that day I think I was the only one taking pictures and not knowing my way around. That's a good feeling - maybe I'll end up living in that area someday.

One thing that I love about Amsterdam - and I know this might sound strange given that sex & drugs is what this city is known for - is that it's pretty quiet and peaceful in many ways. There's not a lot of horn-honking or car alarms or police chases, especially in my neighborhood. But talk about quiet and peaceful ... yesterday I finally explored the north of Amsterdam, or Amsterdam Nord - and it was like I had transported myself to the countryside. After taking a five-minute ferry ride, my friend C. and I rode our bikes no more than 5 or 6 km before I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere. I saw cows, sheep, goats, windmills, and lots of open space. I rode my bike on lanes that were built in between two bodies of water, and I even rode in places where the water level was above the bike path - I'm finally starting to understand what this whole "below sea level" thing really means. The landscape of Amsterdam is so wonderfully foreign to me. I grew up around mountains, and I didn't see a working windmill until I was about 22 years old. C. and I spent about eight hours riding around and stopped here and there for a drink, a bite to eat, or to take pictures.

I felt very fortunate to have such a beautiful day to explore the north, and such great company. Even if I didn't have my roommate with me, it would have been a really easy trip to do by myself - and I did see a few tourists on rental bikes while I was out there. Even though city life suits me, I'm always looking for a way out. I hate that feeling of "trapped" that comes from spending too much time in the same city - or any city. I need to get away from buildings and concrete and people as much as possible. And Amsterdam makes this incredibly easy.

I took that above photo at a cafe where C. and I stopped for food. We ordered inside, then sat at the tables that were placed along the docks - literally eating on top of the water. I wouldn't want to go swimming in the water or anything, but just being around it - and hearing it all day long - feels incredible.

Even just getting to and from the north of Amsterdam was fun - we took a five-minute free ferry ride. I've been on ferries before, either on foot or with a car - but I've never seen one full of people on bicycles.

It's been so much fun to run all over Amsterdam this past week and learn my way around. I still have a long way to go before I'll really feel at home here, but fortunately we have another beautiful week ahead of us. This week I'm making it a goal to A) do some work and B) make some more friends. The friend part isn't so hard, but man, sitting down inside to actually work has been a bit of a challenge. One of these days I'll find that magic job where I get paid to learn my way around different places in the world and write about it, right?

My first Queens Day ... in Spain

2008-05-02T16:21:00.003+02:00

After spending about 4 1/2 days in Amsterdam, I made my way to Barcelona this past Monday night (28 April). Though I booked this trip about three months ago, I didn't do a speck of research or planning for it. It's a nice story - C., my roommate in Amsterdam, was meeting me in Spain on her way back from Rome. Both of us have been so busy that up until about a week ago, we didn't even discuss where we would sleep at night. Hotel plans were made in about 2 minutes, I wrote down directions on how to find to get to the hotel from the airport, and that's about where my planning stopped. I met some really nice people on the train from the airport to the city, and they wrote down places I should go, food I should eat, and showed me what metro line to take (talk about good timing). So I ended up meeting C. at our hotel around 11pm on Monday night, and we proceeded to spend the next three days eating and drinking our way through every tapas bar in Barcelona. We rented bikes, we laid on the beach, we ate lots of fish, we struck up conversations with bartenders, and so on. Other than walking through a beautiful old church, my trip to Barcelona was all about hanging out with my friend, relaxing, and enjoying the weather - the touristy stuff will have to wait for next time. The people were beautiful and friendly, the bars were open late, the food was incredible, and compared to Amsterdam or Paris, Barcelona is a really affordable city.

C. is a very special friend, someone who came into my life at a great time and makes me feel incredibly welcomed here in Amsterdam. When we arrived home, I was delighted with how much daylight we still had left (our flight landed around 7pm, and it was light out until at least 9:30pm or so), and excited to be back and have someone else at the apartment. Even after spending three days in a row together, C. and I stayed up until past 1am, laughing and eating and making curtains for the windows out of sheets. It's really nice to live with a girl again - especially one who likes to cook and wears the same sizes as me. She's also encouraging me to start jogging with her in Vondelpark. The idea of starting up that habit (again - I have started and stopped that particular form of exercise a million times) seems like a great idea, especially since I live so close to the park and I have a lot of free time right now. The only problem is that I pretty much hate running just for the sake of running. If I was running around playing Frisbee on the beach, that would be great. But generally, running just to run bores me to death - but who knows, maybe this is the year that I'll learn how to love it.

I'm looking forward to another beautiful and sunny weekend here in Amsterdam, with plenty of biking and hopefully some meeting of new friends. Next week, I really do have to start working, and perhaps wake up before 11am. No promises though.

I need to talk about bike riding, just to get it out of my system

2008-04-27T15:54:00.004+02:00

I still don't really know that many people in Amsterdam, so when I find myself with free time and no desire to unpack, buy practical supplies for my apartment, or clean ... I bike. The weather has been absolutely perfect lately. I'm talking warm, sunny, blue skies, and cafes full of people eating outside. On Saturday, I spent several hours enjoying free wireless internet at Debaille, a cafe in Leidseplein. I left around 6pm and didn't stop biking until about midnight. It doesn't really even start to get dark until 9pm or so, which makes the days feel incredibly long - and when the weather is as perfect as it was on Saturday, all those daylight hours feel really great.

I'm getting better at finding my way around, and it's a good thing I'm spending so much time by myself. I find that as soon as I'm with someone else, I naturally let them take over and guide me around. On Saturday night I rode home with a friend and rather than pay attention to street names and how many canals we were crossing, I just concentrated on the conversation - which of course is not a bad thing, but still, I could have benefited from learning a direct route from de Pijp to the Oud West.

While I was in the center of Amsterdam today, I had my first pedestrian run-in. He stepped in front of my bike (while I was in the bike lane) and I didn't have the time to ring my bell, so technically, I hit him. Or collided into him, if you will. I imagine he was probably a little bit hurt, and I fell down and was also a little hurt, but I felt the need to scold the pedestrian. "Look before you walk next time!" I said, which is probably about ten times more polite than I would have been in New York (when a simple "fuck you, asshole" would have done). Everyone around me was instantly concerned about the welfare of my bike and cast disparaging looks at the sad pedestrian, who dared step foot in the bike path. It's moments like this when I feel like I feel like all is right with the world - cyclists always win here.

I say I'm averaging about 6 hours a day on my bike. At the end of the night, I'm exhausted (which is one reason why I haven't done nearly enough cleaning/unpacking/apartment-sorting out). Now, I've been riding for what feels like my entire life, and I've ridden in all different types of places - from the middle of nowhere to the heart of Chinatown in Manhattan. But these Amsterdam bikes are unlike anything I've ever ridden before. No gears and no hand brakes - to stop I push back on the pedals and also get a lot of use out of stopping myself with my feet. My hands feel like they have nothing to do! My left hand stays firmly near the bell while I'm riding through the center of the city, but once I'm outside the super-busy area... it's so strange, but I do like it. The bikes here are simple machines. Comfortable, not built for speed or going up hills, but perfectly built for this city.

I'm leaving for Barcelona tomorrow night, just for a quick 3-day vacation to avoid the madness of Queens Day here in Amsterdam. Having never been here for Queens Day, I don't really have any opinion of it one way or the other, but my roommate isn't a fan and convinced me a few months ago to go out of town for the holiday. I've never been to Barcelona, but I have a guidebook to read from 1995, some high school Spanish skills, and a wonderful friend who will meet me at our hotel on Monday night. So I pretty much think I'm all set.

Day four in Amsterdam: Full force in the honeymoon stage

2008-04-26T15:20:00.000+02:00

Finally, after all the planning and waiting, I'm in Amsterdam. And right now, I am definitely in the honeymoon stage with this city, the type of stage that pretty much anyone else (unless you're in the same kind of situation) would find either annoying or silly or boring. But you can only have this feeling once, when you finally do move to that new city or town that you wanted to get to so badly - so I'm going to enjoy it as long as it lasts.

If you're looking at a map of Amsterdam and find Vondelpark, my new home is near the "bottom" of the park, just across the canal (Sloterkade). My unpacking process is isn't moving that quickly, which is mostly due to the fact that I'm spending all day out and about and trying to get my life established - a slow process. I had a meeting this past Thursday about a potential job, and after studying a map before I left, was able to bike myself to the office without getting lost at all. When that was over, I wandered around the middle of the city looking for a place to buy a prepaid mobile phone. After about 30 minutes or so without any luck, I stopped in the closest hostel I could find to ask for advice. The girl at the front desk, who was smoking a joint (the center of Amsterdam smells like a combination of bakeries and marijuana at every turn), pointed me in the right direction and said "it's a little bit of a dodgy place, but it's cheap," she said. Perfect! I got a mobile for 35 Euros and added in the three people that I know here in Amsterdam (hey, have to start somewhere, right?) and felt like, damn, that was a successful day. In New York, a job meeting and a new phone would be no big deal - probably something I could do on a lunch break. But something about being in a new country and here on my own makes any small accomplishment into a big victory. Again, honeymoon stage.

So far, the way I've spent most of my time here is riding my bike (well, my roommate's bike). Since I have the time, I decided that I wouldn't use a map to get around while I'm out, which means it takes me a long time to get anywhere I need to go. Riding from my place to the library yesterday was fairly easy - only a few wrong turns (the main branch of the Amsterdam library is very close to Centraal Station, which makes it easy to find). Getting TO the center of Amsterdam doesn't really cause me any problems, it's when I try to get home that I end up riding around in circles. Still, on Friday night I rode home (after enjoying a lovely dinner with new friends) as the sun started to set and didn't arrive home until well after dark - which meant I got to see the canals all lit up. Not a bad reward for being lost. On Friday evening I spent enough time lost in the Oud West neighborhood that I'm hoping the area is a bit more ingrained in my head.

After not riding a bike for about three months, the feeling of relying on it as my sole method of transportation feels fantastic, and a million times more natural than it did to drive a car while I was in Los Angeles. I adore my new neighborhood and apartment - the balcony in the back looks on to all the backyards, which are full of flowers and trees, and I'm so glad I got here just as spring is beginning, to watch everything come to life.

From New York to Paris

2008-04-21T20:30:00.000+02:00

I’m writing this somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, on my way to Paris. Finally getting ready to live up to the name of this blog and start expat life all over again.

I left Los Angeles on the 16th of April and landed in New York around 10 at night. Starting that very first night, I didn’t go to sleep before 4am the entire time I was there. Just too many people to see, too much fun to be had, and since I don’t have a job... there was plenty of time to enjoy it all. I stopped by my old job (I worked in television post-production for a little over a year) to see the folks that I used to spend 50+ hours a week with, and armed with advice, I headed to B&H to spent close to $1000 on an HDV camcorder and accessories. All that money I made at the accounting office sure is getting spent quickly.

So I mostly just ran a lot of errands, did some last-minute shopping, and enjoyed the hell out of the first real spring week in New York. Of course, four days is not nearly long enough, and I found myself wishing I had an extra week. I am incredibly blessed with the best friends in the world – the type that wouldn’t let me pay for anything ("it’s your last day here, it’s on me!"), that will stay out until 4am to catch up over drinks (even with work the next day), and will always have a place for me to stay and encouraging words. I also have an amazing family that is behind me 100% and will all go way out of their way to help me out. So right now, it’s really hard to leave all that behind. I still have friends that have known me since I was a little kid, and hanging out with them – and not having to explain anything, because they know me so well – well, I just really hate thinking of being away from that.

But. I also really love thinking about seeing my friends in Paris and Amsterdam. We may not have the same history, but the friendships I do have with people in Europe are pretty amazing. When I told my friend Lada that I would take a taxi to her apartment in Paris from the airport at such-and-such time, her immediate response was "are you insane? Do you think I won’t be there at the airport to meet you?" My other friends in cities all over Europe have been just as encouraging, supportive, and wonderful as the friends I have in the states.

When I arrive in Amsterdam on Wednesday night, my friend (and future roommate) won’t be around – we actually won’t see each other until we meet up in Barcelona on the 28th! So I will really be on my own, and I have to admit, I think that’s kind of exciting. I’ll have to go out and figure out where to buy groceries without someone pointing me in the right direction, and even though that doesn’t sound like a big deal, it’s those types of little things that will be small victories in those first few weeks. Now, if I can get my suitcase up the stairs of her apartment by myself, that will be a way more impressive victory...

But before all that, I have two and a half days to just relax and enjoy Paris. I don’t imagine I will have too much difficultly with that.

The journey begins - goodbye west coast!

2008-04-15T06:59:00.000+02:00

My last day of work in Los Angeles is tomorrow (technically, today), the 15th of April, and I keep getting a lot of "wow, you sure are leaving quickly, huh?" type of comments because my flight to New York is the 16th. But Los Angeles was only a temporary move, so it doesn't seem like a quick departure to me. What else am I going to do here? Go look at movie star homes? I saved some money, enjoyed the weather and the food, and now it's time to go. But before I leave, I have to pack.

I'd like to think that I'm a good packer, but I wonder if I'm lying to myself. When one makes a "normal" move, ie: moving to a different town, you pack up all your crap in boxes and go. Of course I'm sure you throw a lot of stuff away and donate and whatnot, but for the most part, you don't get rid of everything. That's the big difference when you move across an ocean, especially if you have absolutely no idea how long you'll be away or where you might end up. So yes, I have a few boxes in my father's attic with photo albums and comic books. I will leave another box or two at my mom's house in LA with clothes and shoes - but my reasoning for leaving behind my beautiful shiny black shoes? They're heavy. I love them, but they're heavy, so they stay in the US. The goal is to get all of my worldly belongings in two suitcases, each under 50 lbs., and heavy shoes do not make the cut. I won't be moving books, movies, or photo albums. For the most part, all I'm bringing with me to Amsterdam is clothes, about 1/4th of my shoe collection (which is really hard), and a couple thousand of dollars (or about 50 Euros, ha ha... oh, that joke is starting to hurt) worth of electronics. It would be nice to think that if I do manage to settle down in Amsterdam, I could have a few boxes sent to me and reclaim some of these items. The hardest things for me to leave behind (other than the shoes) are the pictures that I keep in frames and my wonderful winter coat, which is long and warm and wonderful and completely impractical for Amsterdam in every way. I spent over four hours this past Sunday listening to the Clash very loudly and going through every item I currently own, trying to figure out if it stays or goes... and I'm not done. And have I ever mentioned that when I came to California, I only had two suitcases? I know most of the time I spent packing was really going through paperwork - years of bank statements, old passport copies, plane tickets - but still. I have no idea how that took four hours.

I know those first few weeks that I spend in Amsterdam are going to be really weird - going from a super-structured life in the US to a totally unstructured life in Europe is obviously going to take some getting used to. I have a meeting with some folks in Amsterdam on my first full day there (the 24th), and I admit, having something to do - a place to go and a time to be there - it helps, mentally.

So the first leg of the journey starts with a 6-hour plane ride east. Back to Eastern Standard Time, back to Brooklyn, back home to New York. I'll spend four days running all over the place, picking up a few last-minute items, trying not to be late to some last-minute appointments, and of course, saying goodbye to friends and family. My time is booked up nicely with dinners and drinks and hopefully, lots and lots of sleep.

Two week countdown

2008-04-09T04:33:00.001+02:00

I'm very tired, and sometimes I wonder if it's just pure exhaustion that makes me feel like eh, whatever, moving out of the country in less than two weeks, no big deal. Will I be able to get some sleep once I'm in Amsterdam? Yes? That's all I really care about right now. Maybe next week I'll start getting nervous, but everything is about as planned out as it can be. The only things left to do are buy an HDV camcorder (exciting!) next week in New York City, pack, and say goodbye.

My friend C., who offered to host me when I arrive in Amsterdam, has decided to leave Amsterdam for Rome - I'll miss having her around, but I can't fault a girl for deciding to quit her job and change countries, right? Instead of losing a friend in Amsterdam, I just see it as gaining a friend in Rome, which works for me. But with her leaving Amsterdam (I think at the end of May) and my moving date rapidly approaching, I did start to more seriously think about where exactly I was going to live. A while back, she bought up me taking over her apartment as a hypothetical idea, and I hypothetically agreed that it was worth thinking about. Then sometime last week I thought, shit, I want that apartment. It is not a place I can stay for the long-term (it's one of the many "illegal" sublet apartments, which means that registration isn't possible, which means I can't apply for a residence permit), but for three months it can be home while I figure out what happens next. C. said that would work out great and we'll talk about the details when I arrive (in two weeks!).

So that's the Amsterdam news. In just a little over a week I'll go from being employed at a well-paying job and driving a nice car to enter the world of freelancing and total instability. I am ecstatic about giving up the car, and as far as giving up the idea of guaranteed, full-time employment - well, it's nothing I haven't done before. And honestly, there's always New York City. I have a lot of problems with that place (mostly involving how much it costs to live there), but the longer I stay away from it the more I miss it and feel like that is where home is. I feel the same way about Paris and Philadelphia sometimes too. But NYC - that's where the jobs are, that's where family and friends are, and it will always be there for me if I need to go back.

I mentioned in my last post that because of my quiet office job, I have a lot of time to listen to news, podcasts, and music, right? I think I'm going a little overboard. I'm finding myself having imaginary arguments with people all the time, constantly yelling at the radio, and unable to have a conversation without bringing up some crisis happening somewhere in the world. Someone suggested that I try and find some comedy podcasts to listen to, so I started searching, but Flight of the Conchords led me to HBO which led me to documentaries which led to an interview with Spike Lee about his documentary When the Levees Broke, and that's what I listened to as I finished up my work day. Directly after that I listened to this special on NPR about the Iraq War Senate hearings with Crocker and Petraeus, which led to more and louder yelling at the radio, especially since I was in the car and therefore didn't have to keep my voice down. Someone at the hearing bought up the "what if there's another humanitarian crisis somewhere in the world, like in North Korea or Afghanistan, how will the US Army be able to help?" and I'm thinking gee, WHEN DID THAT EVER HAPPEN BEFORE? Wasn't there some kind of incident involving a hurricane in 2005? Right here in the US? Isn't there a genocide going on in Darfur like, right now?

So that's what I'm up to. Yelling at people who can't yell back, while I wait impatiently for the 20th of April.

Sink or swim

2008-04-01T03:58:00.001+02:00

Since I've been in Los Angeles (which is about two months now), I have had a lot of time to listen to music and podcasts - I try to see that as a benefit of my desk job and spending so much time driving a car. I love anything that has a documentary-style feel to it, and often when I'm filing or photocopying for hours, I use the time to listen to the BBC World Service radio documentaries. Much to my delight, the third documentary I listened to this past Friday (I'm not kidding when I say I have a lot of time to do this kind of thing) was titled "Escaping the Water Wolf: With climate change bringing new threats of rising sea levels and increased rainfall, will luck and ingenuity continue to save the Netherlands from submersion?" You can listen to the program here.

The Netherlands - in case you couldn't guess by the name - is home to the lowest elevation in Europe (Fun Netherlands Factbook link here). People are living 7 meters below sea level in Zuidplaspolder, which is near Rotterdam, and the documentary talked about how climate change is going to affect the Netherlands in the future. Interesting stuff to learn about my future home.

Today I confirmed all my plans in terms of arriving in Europe on the 21st of April. I have a place to stay in Paris and friends to see for the two days that I'll be there. It's so easy to arrive in Paris - I know exactly where I'll pick up my bags, where I'll grab a taxi, and exactly how to tell the taxi driver where I want to go. I realized as I was thinking everything through that I don't know about any of that stuff in terms of arriving in Amsterdam. I know I'll arrive at the train station around 19.30 on the 23rd of April and take a taxi to my friend's apartment - an apartment I've only been to once, in a neighborhood that I've only seen at night. I don't even know the name of the neighborhood where she lives! I wonder if it will seem real - arriving in Amsterdam without a return ticket, knowing that I'm planning to stay.

I got a confirmation email from the Binger Filmlab saying that my application had been received, and I should find out if I made the short list of applicants sometime after April 10. I still put my chances of getting in to that school at 100 to 1, but we'll see. I had some email exchanges in the past few days in regards to the job in Amsterdam, and hopefully a phone call to be scheduled this week. Nothing ever moves fast enough for my taste, but at this point all I can do is wait. At least it's finally April! And remember, if you live in Amsterdam - tonight the Kaizers Orchestra is playing at the Paradiso. I love this band so much it makes me want to learn Norwegian, just so I can sing along with all the songs. I wonder if I can find the same type of thing in a Dutch band?

Moving ahead

2008-03-25T03:03:00.002+01:00

Through a series of coincidences, I ended up having coffee with a new friend on Sunday. AP is exactly my age, and came to the US in 2003 from Kosovo. I was able to record our (almost) three-hour conversation with my macbook and a funny-looking snowball microphone, which I refer to as my spaceship mic. I didn't know what I should do prior to our conversation in terms of research, and ended up not doing that much besides figuring out (roughly) how to use the Garage Band program to record. It was a great meeting - I learned so much that I would never hear about just by reading newspapers or watching videos, and I'm full of new ideas for the direction that I want to take with the documentary.

At the end, I gave her a copy of my film treatment. It's just a page and half, and if my blog entries are any indication of my writing style, you might be able to guess that keeping something concise and brief is not my specialty (but I'm trying!). If there's one thing I learned from working at a production company, it's how necessary it is to be able to describe an entire series/film in one page, so after a bit of a struggle (and a deadline that made me do it), I finally got something down that I don't mind showing people.

That being said, it has been very, very strange for me to share my ideas on this documentary with ex-Yugoslavians. The best I can compare it to is the feeling of nervousness that happened when French people would take my (English language) walking tours of Paris. I was never more nervous about my A) pronunciation of French words and B) getting the facts completely wrong (for the record, one particular French family had such a good time on my tour of the Marais, they specifically took all the walking tours my company had to offer). So when I write a documentary treatment describing what it's like to live in a society that has been devastated by war - even though that's not something I have ever done - and I hand it over to a woman who was forced out of her apartment at gunpoint ... that's a bit nerve racking. And obviously, this topic is a lot more serious than whether or not I could properly translate French plaques correctly into English. Anyway, AP read my treatment and told me "you are in the right direction, you are talking about what we (former Yugoslavians) actually think and you are not a Yugoslavian." It meant so much to me to get that feedback, and I feel more motivated than ever to keep this project moving ahead.

Speaking of moving ahead, I came up with even more backup plans and if-this-than-that type of scenarios for my life in Europe, and I'm feeling pretty confident about everything. With just twenty-three days left in Los Angeles, I'm going to try to spend as much time as possible at the office to save up money. This upcoming weekend I'm taking a trip to REI - one of those outdoorsy type stores - for a new backpack (something that will hold my laptop and a few days worth of clothes) and sufficient rain gear for biking around Amsterdam. I have doctors appointments and haircut appointments and dinner plans on the horizon for New York City, and it does finally feel like my time in the US is winding down. That is not a bad thing.

I found a new favorite hobby - looking through "biking in the Netherlands" types of websites. I haven't been on a bicycle in over two months, and it's killing me - spinning classes are a good workout, but not the same thing. I can't wait to bike all over that country and not feel guilty for not wearing a helmet.

Remembering why I want to go

2008-03-18T05:19:00.005+01:00

I have just over a month left in the states. That gives me too much time left to start packing or making final goodbye plans, but it's getting to the point where there's not much left to do to prepare. I'm either going to find a way to live in Amsterdam or not, and the next step is to just get there and figure it all out. So I thought I would allow myself the luxury of not focusing on too many details right now.

A huge part of why I want to move back to Europe is for the ease of travel. While I was living in France, I did a significant amount of traveling - mostly with the help of Hospitality Club. In fact, I used HC during my third visit to Amsterdam (in September 2007), when I stayed with this really friendly Dutch guy (Marcel) for a few days. I remember how happy I was during that trip, even though I didn't do anything particularly special. I rented a bike, read books in Vondelpark, took pictures, and probably ate a lot of stroopwaffles. I had to buy allergy medicine, and I still remember how friendly the man was who worked at the pharmacy. I was in the middle of the red light district on a busy day, and the pharmacist took the time to find me exactly the right medicine for my particular allergies at the cheapest price. I met a new friend who took me on a long boat ride around the canals, giving me the chance to see Amsterdam from the water (the picture I included is from that day). I remember thinking how strange and wonderful it was to get a coffee to-go whenever I wanted - something that doesn't really exist in Paris. I felt unbelievably lucky and in love with the world during that short trip, and I didn't want to leave. It was one of the only times in my life that I didn't look forward to returning to Paris.

It is quite possible I'm starting to get too old for hostels and the "so, where are you from, where have you been?" conversations that go along with that whole backpacker scene, but I'll never feel too old to travel. The people I met through Hospitality Club ... some of those people have become my very best friends. I never paid for lodging in Budapest, Sarajevo, Prague, or a million other places - I stayed with real people leading real lives, all because we share the same basic philosophy: that traveling is important. That's it. It doesn't matter how little money you have or if you can't afford to go out to dinner and pay for overpriced museums. You can still go, learn about a new culture, try out a few words in a new language, and explore. I remember in Sarajevo, there was a day when about 20 of us HC members came together to explore the city for a weekend - something we had planned out on the internet. Along the way, we would run into other random travelers and invite them along to lunch, dinner, for a drink, whatever we were doing. It became so natural and easy to meet people, invite them to stay at my apartment in Paris, give them keys, and never even find out their last name. Hospitality Club isn't unique - there's also Couch Surfing and probably a bunch of other similar organizations. If anyone out there reading is interested in travel but thinks that lack of funds is a reason not to go... please check out HC or CouchSurfing.

I recently noticed that my favorite band of the moment - Kaizers Orchestra - is playing in Amsterdam ... 23 days before I arrive. If you live there, please go see them play at the Paradiso on 1 April and tell me everything about the show.

Taking the weekend off

2008-03-10T07:00:00.002+01:00

I spent a really lovely long weekend in Portland, Oregon with some good friends. It was great to see Portland start to come to life with flowers blooming, sunny skies, and clear views of the mountains.

As I continue to look into my options and try to get a real answer on the visa and traveling situation, I'm feeling much more relaxed about the whole situation. The situation with the job in Amsterdam has moved in a good direction, (maybe) isn't such a long shot after all. I have met with two people - one who runs the NYC office, and one who runs the Portland office (and frequently travels to Amsterdam). The more I get to know about the company the better it seems, and the people who work there are absolutely great - any interview that includes using the word "fuck" at least ten times and bitching about the US health care system is the type of interview that makes me happy. Working for them would be a great career move, I would get to be in a creative environment, put my hands on some really great technology, and continue working in post. Just the fact that this option is even on the table at all feels great. Having one meeting in Amsterdam means gaining one contact.. and from one contact comes another.. and so on. I was actually offered work in Portland if I wanted to stick around, and as tempting (and flattering) as that is, I'm sticking to my Amsterdam plan. But I won't forget how happy I was in Portland, and that city goes on the "Places I could live happily" list. Just like in Amsterdam, I couldn't stop myself from taking pictures of all the great bikes...

Still, that job is just a possibility, so I'm continuing to think more seriously about other options (keeping in mind that the Binger application has already gone out, but I think it's a long shot that I would make it in). Several days ago, I wrote a pretty informal email to the International School at the University of Amsterdam, saying that there were two programs I was interested in and wondering if I should apply to both or pick one - and I was surprised that someone actually took the time to email me back and throughly answer my questions. The first program is a Master of Arts in European Studies: Identity and Integration, the other is Master of Science degree in Communication Science, with a specialization in European Communication Studies. The Communication Science/Studies degree relates very closely to my undergraduate education, so it makes sense for me to go that route - though I think I'm more interested in the courses offered in the European Studies degree. It turns out I can apply to both programs if I want (and only pay one application fee), though I have to chose a preference. I have time to think about it and gather opinions (and change my mind), since there's no way I'll meet the April 1 deadline for the September 2008 semester. I actually briefly considered trying to get it done in time for the deadline before I realized I might actually lose my mind if I take on one more project like that. Plus, it might be nice to actually visit the school first before I go trying to get accepted.

For the next few weeks, my spare time will be filled with putting together a new video project, making some changes to my website, and best of all... playing with my new mac! That was another highlight of my Portland trip - I am now the proud owner of a brand new 2.4GHz Macbook, along with a few new accessories that I couldn't resist while I was in the store (and getting hooked up with a discount).

New computer, great potential job meeting, great food, good friends - a very lovely weekend all around. Now, back to work.

In an ideal world, Schengen Area rules wouldn't be open to interpretation

2008-03-07T09:11:00.004+01:00

Several days ago, I had one of those experiences that just about any expat could relate to - you prepare your documents, make your appointment, triple-check everything - and then get confronted with "Oh no, that's not how it works." It's funny how very real, important issues like visas and immigration are ultimately the decision of a single person. If that border guard or that police officer or that consulate official decides they don't want to grant a visa... that's bad news for the expat/tourist/traveler/whatever. Even as I type this, tons of stories friends have told me are springing to mind - and now I have one to add to the pile.

Since this blog exists to track my expatriate progress, I feel obliged to write about it, especially because I would like to think that someone else might learn from my mistakes. So even though this story only proves that I don't know everything and I kind of hate that, I will explain what happened when I got turned down by the French consulate for a long-stay visa (see the previous post for the whole story as well).

All of my paperwork was perfectly in order and I made it to the French consulate in LA on time. The man I dealt with there... I'll call him FC. I had already filled out a Schengen Visa application form and bought in three copies, but FC told me I needed to fill out a long-stay visa application (note: these forms are 99% identical - the only difference was that everything was in French on the forms he gave me, and I had printed my copy from the French consulate website). I explained my situation to FC, told him about my friends in Paris and showed all types of proof that I could stay with them. FC told me "you don't need this visa at all, you can just use your passport."

Well, I replied, I am traveling for 8 months, and my US passport only allows me to stay in the Schengen area for 90 days...

No, no, he replies. You have 90 days in each country, and you can, for example, go to France for say, 10 days and then take a week off and go to Spain... when you return to France you will still have 80 days left. Stay in France for 20 more days, and go to Italy for 10 days. When you get back to Paris you will still have 60 days left. And every six months, this renews, so as long as you don't spend more than 90 days in France in a 6-month period, you can just keep doing this forever (that's me paraphrasing his words).

Sounds great, but it's just not true. In the most polite way possible, and without accusing him of being wrong, I said "it was my understanding that Americans get 90 days in the entire Schengen area, and I was advised to get a visa if I wanted to stay for 8 months." He tried to talk me out of it. It was the most surreal experience, to have the "administration" talk me out of following the rules, while I tried insist that I really only had 90 days to stay in the entire Schengen area with my US passport. If I leave the Schengen area and come back, I think I can do that once in a 6-month period. The law is set up so that I can't just keep flying to Turkey every three months. So in the end, my visa was denied - because FC said it just didn't apply to my situation. He still encouraged me to go to France, travel as I want, and just use my passport.

I was flabbergasted. I got in touch with an immigration lawyer in the states, and she backed up everything I know to be true, and confirmed that what FC told me is wrong. Could I fight it? Maybe. Do I want to? No. First of all, getting turned down for this visa cost me $175 USD, which still aggravates me. Secondly... France isn't even where I want to live. I know that schengen visa/long stay tourist visa would have come in handy and backed me up during my time in Amsterdam, but my passport already has a French visa, and a French titre de sejour from 2005-2007, and if I stuck another one in there and then eventually tried to permanently relocate to Amsterdam, things could get confusing.

So that's that for France. I emailed the lawyer and put forth this situation. "Let's say I arrive in Europe on 21 April and stay anywhere in the Schengen area until 20 July (three months). On that date, I'll fly to Belgrade or Sarajevo or somewhere that is not an Schengen/EU country and will stamp my passport. I'll stay in that area until say, 28 July (which I wanted to do anyway to research the documentary). Then when I arrive back in Schengen-Area-Europe, I'll have another three months. So I'll have to go back to the US on 28 November." The lawyer told me my plan was perfectly safe. I'm also pretty sure that I will find something else out there that contradicts this advice, and yes, that is frustrating.

I'm obviously not thrilled with the way the situation turned out, but that's mostly because my ego was a little bruised, since I had been confident that this would work. But honestly, the more I think about it, the less worried I am. More and more I think that my best way into Amsterdam, and into a real life in Europe, is either school or work - simple as that. My Binger Filmlab application went out a few days ago, and I am really pleased with how it came together. Even if I don't get accepted, the application process gave me a good kick in the ass - I spent many nights staying up until 2 or 3am after a long day at work, writing and re-writing my documentary treatment, researching everything I could about my topic, writing my essays, and updating my resume and website. I also learned more than I ever wanted to know about how to wire money from an American bank account to a Dutch bank (for the application fee). In addition to Binger, there are two Masters Programs at the University of Amsterdam that really, really appeal to me, so I'm going to go ahead and apply once I decide which one suits me better. And there is the possibility of a job at the editorial company in Portland/Amsterdam - I have a meeting on Friday morning to talk about that very topic.

I feel very fortunate to have such great friends all over the world that are rooting me on. The other day, I wrote an email to some of my friends that live in Paris and Amsterdam, telling them what had happened with the French consulate. I received some really sweet replies and more offers of help, suggestions on how to do things differently, or just to say "don't worry, you'll figure something out, you always do, and we can't wait to see you in April." Well, I don't always have everything figured out, but as long as I learn something important from the experience, it's worth it.

But I'm still really annoyed about that $175.