Moving to Amsterdam for a Study Abroad

Now I'm not going to claim that I am an expert traveler. I would say that I am a decent one.

I have traveled to some pretty janky places around the world, but I was always in a group with an actual adult that made all the decisions for me.

So it was a pretty big thing when I decided I wanted to study abroad in Europe during the spring semester. I had only myself and couldn't rely on anyone else to make the decisions for me. Kinda scary right?

Well, I hopped on a plane about 17 hours ago and left everything behind. My family, my friends, and everything that makes me feel at home is currently sitting back in Salt Lake.

Amsterdam at first is like all cities. When the plane started its descent, all I could see were the little yellow orbs of light here and there in the darkness. The sun had not begun to rise yet, even though it was 7 am. One thing that I will have to get used to, less sun, for now. The airport was big and scary, but I put on my big girl pants and mustered up all the courage I had to ask in very terrible dutch where the train station was.

For all those interested in visiting Amsterdam I strongly suggest that you purchase a card at the airport so that you don't have to worry every time you use public transport. Oh another thing, try to take the train in. Although the taxis are fancy (they are all Tesla) they are very pricy. You'll save a ton by taking the train to Amsterdam Central or one of the many buses.

Anyways took a fancy taxi ride into the city. Don't panic when they cross over into the train tracks and start driving on them. As I was reminded numerous times by Massi, it is legal and normal for taxis to drive on the train tracks. Makes you kinda feel like James Bond as you dart along in a Tesla.

Since I arrive early in the morning, I was unable to check into my room. But when I asked really nicely the attendant at the front desk of the hostel let me throw my bags into a locked luggage closet. Now, bagless I left to explore my new home.

Walking around I purposely tried to get as lost as I could. My phone was sitting in my pocket, and google maps were just a quick tap away. Wandering around without a point was actually pretty cool. I happened across some fantastic facades that were beautiful, churches that had towering steeples, houseboats that looked like they were one second away from sinking, tiles paths that led through little gardens, and the best coffee houses ever.

I stopped off at one called Berry and oh my, the chai latte was perfect. It warmed up my hands and after drinking it and sitting in Berry's adorable cafe parts of me started to defrost.

A short hop from Berry was Vondelpark. The city's biggest park. I sat here and read my Edward Abbey while parrots flew above me. If anyone knows what tropical parrots are doing in the Netherlands in the wintertime, please let me know. I was frozen to the bone, so I have no idea how those birds were surviving.

Anyways after walking the length of the park, my feet were getting sore, and I was starting to tire. I turned back.

Here at the hostel, I am surrounded by French middle schoolers :) while I try to work with a bank.

Apparently, to get a Netherland SIM card, you need to have a dutch bank account... unfortunately this was not listed anywhere. So ya girl is without a phone for a few more days, but alas I can print as many google maps as I want for free, thanks hostel.

Alrighty, it's about time for me to check in and set up my bed.

C ya  later

Things I've learned so far

- they like potatoes in their Caesar salads

- nobody wears a helmet while riding a bike

- the people that do wear helmets are absolutely crazy and test their luck by darting across the train tracks and into the ways of cars

- they have perfect coffee that can keep you going for several hours

- If you are sitting in the park alone reading a book, old men will try very hard to flirt with you. The best advice is to sit there and nod your head like you don't understand a thing. Amsterdam is a huge international city, and that one course in high school French might pay off in unexpected ways