so it begins
i was going to wait a little while before my first post, but then i figured some of you are probably curious as to how things are starting out on my journey so far.
after a slightly unbearably long travel day (and night) i was finally in amsterdam, with my one pathetic little hour of sleep. i met with my good friend milan to hang out and spend my first night in the netherlands with him– and it was just the best time with him. eating good food, playing pool, playing music together, and vibing.
something quite interesting, this woman on a tram in amsterdam, who managed to yell just the most insane and vulgar things the entire time... literally nonstop. i could tell you what she was saying but well... maybe you should just listen to it.
#You'veLickedALotOfPussyBeforeYouCameOutOfThisLife #ImGoingToSmashYourBones
as of right now, i am sitting in my new home, a cozy little caravan. am i so incredibly excited that i got to stay in one of these? yes. is it proving to be prone to housing massive spiders? also yes. but bonus feature, it turns into a sauna during that day so thats pretty cool (or like pretty warm, i guess). i am already jumping straight into learning things the hard way on this trip– learning, nonetheless. after throwing over $200 literally into the void on my first day due to idiotic booking mistakes i decided to make on one hour of sleep, i had a moment of rage but then a moment of calm soon enough thereafter. i had to remind myself that one of the whole reasons im doing all this in the first place is to prove to myself that i will survive when things get really hard; i can figure it out. and alas, so far, i am figuring it out. i am really sucking at transportation so far. im being too nonchalant about it. today i missed a train because i was just vibing instead of rushing, then didn’t get off at the stop i was supposed to, then got off at the wrong stop and had to wait for the same train i just got off to come back to go just one more stop. i was distracted i guess. it was a shit show. but after that train, a bus, and 30 minutes of walking, i made it here to my little dutch caravan anyway and nothing terrible happened so we are chilling. the little town near my workplace is so incredibly adorable. im obsessed. definitely need to check out the pub there.
upon my arrival to my first volunteering job, i met some girls, one of which gave me a rose. it was cool, they were all asking me a lot of questions and me back at them. one of these girls, french, named lucie, offered to show me where the grocery store in town was. we grabbed some bikes and off we rode there. its so fun riding a bike around in the netherlands. there i tried not to get decision paralysis on what to buy to cook myself dinner (to be cooked in the very chaotic outdoor kitchen). ended up with ingredients to make a tofu and veggie teriyaki stir fry over brown rice. lucie is very… demure. and has found herself in the french clique that seems to exist here.. about 5 other french people here. cooking so far is proving to be a really... interesting time. im hoping to find others to convince to make food together and share a meal– everyone so far seems very individualistic in what they do. i also met this guy, tyler, who reminds me so much of my ex boyfriend. its weird. we even interact in the same way. he is proving to be very cool so far, unfortunately. while i ate my dinner i had quite a deep conversation with this italian girl… who’s name i am forgetting, and she has been through so much shit, unthinkable shit. like literally nearly died, was in a coma, etc. she told me that wasnt even nearly the worst thing thats happened to her. i couldn’t believe it. she has got to be a chosen warrior, one of the strongest people ive ever met, thats for sure. we talked for a while. tomorrow we will go bike to a nearby lake together. soon after, 4 americans arrived, also staying for two weeks– the crazy part? 2 of them are from connecticut! milford, and wallingford. what the hell are the chances of that? the other two are from dc and massachusetts. they are a group of friends who met in vermont and have been volunteering together ever since.
these past couple days have felt like weeks and every moment has mattered tremendously. im really wishing i had a book right now. after this i will sleep and hope spiders don’t crawl in bed with me. but so far, obviously i am loving it here. i hope i can continue to find my way back to myself after every challenge. its not too hard when i am doing the things i love. i will probably write again in a week or so, but i just wanted to establish things. tomorrow morning i start as the cute groenteboertje i have been waiting to be.
my new home for the next two weeks