Amsterrrrrdammers

Let me just start by saying - COOOOOOLLLL!!!!




This place is cooler than anthing I've ever seen before. Crazier places, cozier places, more energetic places and more prostitutes than you could shake a stiff stick at... incredible people, and more unique cultures than I could ever have imagined in one place before now.



Well. I arrived at Centraal Station first thing Thursday morning, after catching an early train out of Schiphol airport, and was immediately scammed by the first dodgy tourist-swindler in the street out of my only 5 euros for showing me to my hostel, "The Flying Pig" Downtown. Which if I'd known it at the time I could almost have seen from the station!

The hostel reception consisted of a large ring of huge cushions around a couple of tables, (where the haze of dope smoke constantly pours from the many dazed and confused tourists that seem to spend their entire European holidays stuck in the same cushions) a pool-table, and a bar. Very chilled out and very cozy - gezellig!




Anyway, my timing in arriving in this city could not have been better, for yesterday was Koninginnedag - Queen's day, and before this day I had not known what the word 'party' meant. The entire city, and by entire city I mean the ENTIRE city was one huge party ground, and it seemed to me that the entire world had migrated to Amsterdam just to share this gobsmacking event.

This is a picture of one of the famous grachten - canals - of Amsterdam, on Queen's day. (Compare to the above picture of a canal, which was taken on Friday afternoon)




This is the entrance to the famous Vondel Park in uptown Amsterdam:


I've honestly never seen so many people in one place at one time. (I reccomend clicking on the photos to see the big versions!) Perhaps this is a beauty of coming from a small and fairly quiet country like NZ - everything here is so new, it's an absolute treat!

Well, I've been attempting to speak Dutch to every Dutchy I come across. And most are so happy to help, it's awesome.

My first experience of the speed at which people speak their native language came when I decided to try my first Dutch conversation... with the customs official at Schiphol airport. So I walk up to him and say, confidently and clearly, "Goedemorgen!" (good morning).

And he opens his mouth and says... something...

Now, for some obscure reason, I had imagined my first short Dutch conversation would have run more smoothly than this. And I was going to try my hardest to make it so...

So I open my mouth. And I say the dutch equivalent of "yeeaa..noo..wait.. yes! umm... no?"

And he gives me a look.

And repeats himself clearly, in English:


"Do you live here?"



Well, it's only been uphill from here. It's been great to see Sharon and meet a couple of her friends, very helpful Dutch teachers. My brain feels completely choppsy right now, combining the complete reality shift of being in Europe with constantly straining to follow Dutch conversations, and I'm loving just taking each day and night as it comes without worrying whether I get 8 hours sleep or only 2.









Until next time!

--Mete

Better on Holiday

Hello all!

I figured I'd write a blog of my travels, as opposed to just group emails, for ease of photo sharing and the like. (Also because I like the idea of writing a blog. We'll see how long it lasts!...) I also like the weblog idea more than group emails to people as it seems to me to be more open. I may try to update this every 2 weeks or so. Please feel free to write as many comments as you like under my posts! (Just to make me feel special ;) -- remember though, it's public!)

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Anyway, this first entry sees me sitting in my room in Perth, strewn with my slowly evolving packing and throwing-away efforts, after having finally quit my job of 1 year here in Australia, and started my second phase of my plans for World Domination.

Australia is a really interesting place, far more interesting than I would have initially thought coming from NZ (hehe). This last year I've managed to work in Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney, spending 3, 7, and 2 months all up, respectively, in each place - so I guess I've seen a pretty broad range of the country's cities.









Points of note:

• Melbourne has trams and crap weather.

• Perth has sunshine and bad drivers.

• Sydney has great surf and a terrific amount of awful customer service.

Right... onwards and upwards I reckon.

(disclaimer: just kidding!, I actually love all three cities, and I'd gladly live in any of them in the future if life was to lead me there. My pick of the bunch would definitely be Perth though, the weather here is immaculate 8 days out of 10)



So I guess I can thank my work for that, although the relief I feel having left that job behind demonstrates clearly to my mind that it's not the career for me - computers 9 hours a day 5 days a week is a bit (read 'completely') mind-destroying. I don't know what else I'll do, but I guess knowing what you don't like is one step closer to knowing what you do.

Well, the other beauty of the job of course was all the amazing people I met in Melbourne as well as Perth! Swings and roundabouts, hey. And here I am about to start on another swing, flying away from home as speedily and far as possible, with that joyful sense of doomed inevitability that must register vaguely in the tiny brain of every baby sparrow, as it flings itself from the tree for the very first time...

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So my plan, as it sits now, is to go and spend around 1 month in Holland, starting in Amsterdam, followed by 1 month in Germany, followed by at most 2 months in Turkey, before heading back to Amsterdam to settle in to study again. I've been fervently studying the language since around August last year, and I reckon I'm fairly conversational by now -- looking forward to all those vaguely uncomfortable silences as I stray out of my depth and become completely lost for words -- but I think the best part of that has been discovering my own strong love of languages. After all, what could give a more in-depth and personal experience of another people's culture than to speak with the everyday people in their own language? The very glue of a civilisation!

Sorry...

The travelling part of my plan is fairly loose, so I can avail myself of whatever opportunities come my way. The studying part of my plan is about a 6/7ths baked pie just now to be honest - I have the successful university application letter, I have the will and strong desire to do it, and I've saved hard - however I'm still waiting to see if I get a scholarship which would finance my entire first year of parties.
Worst case scenario, no scholarship, funds drained through too many amnesiac nights, and a massive university bill where my savings once stood. Good thing I'm a good boy and will take care of my bank balance eh...









Right, I reckon I've bored you all enough now. My apologies if the photos made this page load painfully slowly, I just need to stop being lazy and think of a better way to do that than just pasting photos in with my blog posts. On the other hand, all these photos pasted in so artistically are sure to keep people from falling asleep - like a really annoying television ad.



In any case, I'm outta this joint on the 26th of April, so the next time I write will most likely be from Amsterdam! Tot straks...


Ohmygodohmygodohmygod...