First day in the office went well.
Apart from waking up feeling like my throat was filled with sand, the morning went well.
The company has 700 people in this particular building, made up of 2 global head offices for a couple of the company's brands. There are a LOT of people that work there.
And so many funny little things that really, really threw me off balance.
Being who I am, it's no wonder that most things I am going to mention today are all food related.
Like;
- working for a company which has a cafe AND a restaurant in their complex; You load up your staff card with money and the restaurant (more like an up scale cafeteria) serves really nice appetisers, mains, pasta, soups, desserts, miniature sandwich provisions ( like proscuitto and swiss cheese and boiled eggs and freshly baked bread rolls etc) Soup is like 65 euro cents. I had a really nice hot meal of grilled turkey, steamed beans and mash potato for 3 Euros today. I don't think I could make my lunch for any cheaper than that!!! No need to haul lunch around then!
Mind you, there isn't much around to eat out at, in this office complex. But it sort of blew my mind - it reminded me of something I read in "The Devil wears Prada", where the main character works for publishing house in New York, and all the girls that work in the fashion magazines hang out by the salad bar painstakingly reading the calorie counter on the menus, and then run to the bathrooms after eating. But I digress. The point moreso was to discuss how new it was to me, and how kinda cool at the same time.
I should mention at this point that the dutch are infamous for not liking two hot meals a day - dinner should be the only hot meal. I have been told this 3 times now... AND not only that ... people told me that cheese sandwiches are their favourite lunch and breakfast options. No condiments. No salad. No meat. Just bread. And sliced cheese. I thought it was a myth. The myth was sustained today as I sat and ate with my colleagues.
Will you never cease to amaze me Dutchies?
- The 'cup of soup machine' in the coffee room. Yes. You heard it here first. Free cup of soup. Don't all rush over here at once people....
- The industrial coffee making machine in the coffee room, where you can choose from approximately 26 different types of beverages, including how strong you want the coffee, and the amount of sugars you want from pushing various buttons.
- The fact that noone has a "personal" mug, and everyone uses and abuses miniature paper cups all day. It's disturbing. I feel like crying for the earth when I look at my colleagues wastepaper basket.
- The standard etiquette that you can't make a coffee for yourself without asking the whole room if they want one. And possibly the room next door too. Seriously.
- Working with an agency that's based in London.
- Getting lost in this monstrosity of a building that has a skywalk, and is oddly circular and rectangular at the same time.
- Being surrounded by expats - I am almost sure I heard an Australian accent today in the restaurant.
- The heating in my building not working, and me wearing 3 layers of tops, and freezing all day.
- The fact that I might have been given a blackberry today to my dismay and shock, but luckily, I'm not getting one. Thank God. It would have been "Goodbye life, hello Crack-berry addiction." So not why I moved here.
On another note, I have made the major decision to seek a thermos, so I can drink tea on the train to work.
Today was the worst day in terms of weather that I have ever seen in Amsterdam. So wet. So grey. So foggy. I'm upset. It's finally here. The bad weather. My flatmate was telling me tonight to get used to it. And to purchase a rain poncho to cycle in.
I'm sorry, I don't DO "rain ponchos" unless I am super drunk and watching live sports. So in other words, I just don't do them. I told her my new job pays for an unlimited public transport card. I am doing the public transport thing all winter. She looked at me and laughed. I was concerned and confused at such a reaction.
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