That place is crazy. I don't know how much longer I can stick it out there, but it's entertaining to say the least. Between the crazy staff, the tourists, and the buzz around Dam Square, it makes for some interesting times.
I'm sitting in my tracksuit pants, and sweatshirt in my living room, and I'm feeling very happy to be exactly where I am at the moment.
My washing is on, and I'm about to make a cup of peppermint and green tea. My flatmate is on a work trip in Belgium for 5 days, and I have the place to myself. The tv is on, and MTV/dutch television commercials are in the background, meanwhile I'm watching the rain fall into the river Ij from my living room. My apartment is on the 9th floor, and to the left I can see the River Ij, and to the right, I can see the train tracks and the Inner East side of Amsterdam. I'm loving this day off. It definitely makes me feel like I have settled into life here.
I haven't watched tv since the first night I got here, and I checked myself into an airport hotel because I was coming down with a cold. That was August the 7th.
I should be going to the supermarket, but it's wet outside, and I can't be bothered cycling in the rain. Well, I could walk, for 5 minutes, but....mehhhhh.
I had a totally nutso weekend. Sar, Luke and George left on Saturday, so Friday night was our last night together. Funnily enough, we ended up repeating the same thing we did the second night they were here; hitting the cheap backpacker bar beer garden, and then heading into a little bar district called Nieuwmarkt.
I managed to catch Bastiaan, a friend of my friend Lauren. Bas and Lauren studied in France together, and we have been meaning to catch up for the last 6 weeks, and have a drink.
On Saturday, I went out to a special breakfast. My friend Sam ( the crazy Anthopology student) organises community breakfasts in the outer suburbs of Amsterdam, to promote community dialogue and get people together in communities and meet each other. At about 9 am, I dragged my over partied ass to a suburb in the East about 20 minutes by train. Sam had organised croissants and pastries, coffee and tea, and beauticians, workshops and a jazz band outside a suburban shopping centre. People in the neighborhood passing by were invited to have a hand massage, and listen to an ipod that was filled with podcasts of peoples stories from other neighborhoods of similar socio-economic status. It was pretty cool and a totally eye opening experience. I was sitting outside a shopping centre where in that same week, a young boy had been shot, and people arrived with stories to tell.
Photo courtesy of www.debalie.nlI met a pastor who was Aruban and Dutch, An elderly Chinese/Dutch/Indonesian lady, a Dutch woman with two gorgeous kids, and a Surinamese sailor. Then I came home, and watched catamarans sailing along the River Ij, from my living room, and then went for a bike ride around my neighborhood. I went to a boutique brewery near my house, which is built inside an old windmill, and there was a band playing the bonnet of a blue cadillac outside in the courtyard, called "Johnny Solo and the Gangsters of Love." When they finished their set, they jumped back into their cadillac and sped off down the street. Rock and Roll baby, Rock and Roll.
There's a really famous multicultural street near my house called Javastraat ( Java Street ) and they were having a food festival that night. I had to get ready to meet Laura so I couldn't stay for the festival, but I was so happy to discover the area, and taste some really good food. All these food stalls, there was a little afro-carribean community of guys with a stall, selling freshly squeezed orange juice out of a van and playing dub and reggae from a turntable in the van as well, lots of dutch food stalls, Fifteen Amsterdam restaurant, Indian, Indonesian, Surinamese, Morroccan, Turkish, Spanish... heaven!
It was my BFF Laura's birthday, and we met for a drink at Soundgarden, the bar Leon and Sam introduced us to. We love it. As I was running late, it was funny to walk in and find Laura sitting with Leon, and Sam again, by coincidence. Leon and Sam had to go home after a few drinks, they had work the next morning, but their friends invited us to a Silent Disco House Party, around the corner.
It actually makes a lot of sense because the houses are so crammed next to each other here, parties usually conclude with some really unhappy neighbours.
We arrived on our bikes, about 3 minutes from Soundgarden, and were given headphones, and told to cut loose on the open bar. Ooooh, so not a good idea.
It was funny, I was sitting outside the apartment ( trying to get my head together, I had a little bit too much to drink, but more on that later....) and all I could here was the stomping of feet against floor boards, but other than that, no noise whatsoever.The neighbours downstairs must have been so confused.
Yes, well as can probably predict, open bar and Rani sometimes get along too well, and the next thing you know, I had my first canalside vomiting experience.
I don't reccomend it. My friend Laura had to cycle me back to her house. On her Birthday. Did I mention it was her 21st?
Worst.Friend.Ever.
I am keen to get some more photos up here, but I just have to get my camera sorted. or my Computer. Both are out of memory.
On the other hand, here are some songs that are really inspiring me at the moment!
Noisettes: Never forget you
No comments:
Post a Comment