Home!

I haven't posted in a while.  I guess I've just been busy being home.  It's really nice to not be in someone else's home or a hotel anymore.  I like to have a little bit of control over my living space...

Sometimes I get this really heavy feeling, like maybe I'm not doing the right thing.  This is pretty serious, what I'm doing...  There's a lot of stuff involved in it. A lot of big stuff.  I guess I'm just worried about making a big mistake...

On the other hand, I see these people who say things like "I wish I had done that" or "If only I'd done this while I had the chance" and I don't want to be them.  I like to say that I have no real regrets in my life. I don't feel like I've done anything that I seriously regret doing, and I don't feel like I missed out on doing anything that I seriously wish I'd done.  Even if I moved to Europe and decide that I didn't want to live there forever after all, that wouldn't be a regret because it would be a learning experience.  It would be a different story if I just stayed here, I think....

Blah, blah. Blah blah blah.

I need a job.

Florida.

Well, here I am. Back in the States. I'm exhausted. It's only 8:30 right now but I feel like I should be sleeping already. It doesn't help that last night we were up until two in the morning. I feel like I should have gone to bed hours ago.

So, first time in Florida. Not really my cup of tea I guess. To start with, it's just too hot. It's December, I don't want hot in December. Grandma and Grandpa's house is nice though. Tomorrow we're going to Disney World and then Christmas Eve we get to see my cousin Sarah. What a busy week we have.

I'm fairly certain that I had a lot more to write. I'm so tired that I can't remember, though.

It's just so weird to be back in the US. It's weird to look around and see so many enormous vehicles. It's weird that tax is added at the register rather than included in the shelf price. It's weird that the towns are so big, with a lot of open space. It's even weird that the toilets have so much water in them. I'm not used to this stuff anymore, and that's (like I said) really weird. I don't feel like those things really stood out that much to me when I got to Europe. But I guess I got used to it...

I want internet. I hate not having internet. I think I should go to bed...

How quickly things change...

Four months ago, I sat in an airplane at John F. Kennedy airport in New York, waiting for the plane to take off and fighting back tears.  I didn't want to leave home.
It's hard to believe that today, I can be the same person, sitting in an airplane in Amsterdam trying not to cry again.  I don't want to go home.

I don't feel any different than I was six months ago, or a year ago. But at the same time, I know I've grown a lot during my time here.  I know they say there's no way you can come out of studying abroad unchanged, and I have to agree that being in Europe these past four months has irreversibly changed my life.   It's so strange to think of all the people I've met who I probably won't see or talk to again, so really they were just there to be a part of my experience.  And of course I have to come back as soon as I can, because I'm not the kind of person who can be content with just coming here and then returning home and having stories to share.  I still have more growing to do, I guess.

So for tonight, I'm staying in Paris. I've had a wonderful day (please excuse the sarcasm leak, we're working on fixing that).  I love traveling and I love flying but I hate airports.  I particularly hate checking bags.  I have three bags: my big suitcase, a medium duffel bag, and a backpack.  My backpack has to be carry-on because it has my laptop in it.  When I got to the airport in Amsterdam, the lady who checked my bag told me that I could take my duffel bag as carry-on too, because it was light enough.  She checked my big suitcase, but it was overweight so I had to pay for that.  Then, when I went to go through security, this guy stopped me and told me we had to go weigh my carry-on bags.  And with my two bags combined, my carry-on was too heavy. So I had to check the duffel bag after all. Luckily, they did not charge me for having a second bag. What a pain, this business of checking bags. I'm tired of it. However, none of my flights for today or tomorrow are connecting flights, so I'm going to have to check them at least one more time. Hopefully I can talk them into checking them all the way through to my final destination tomorrow, but if not I'll have to re-check them again in New York.  I've rearranged some stuff between my big suitcase and my duffel bag, so hopefully that will do to make my suitcase not be overweight.  Tomorrow, we will see...

Now, I'm starving.  I had breakfast this morning because I got up way too early, and then at the airport I went by Starbucks for a giant caramel mocha and this teriyaki beef sandwich.  I guess I should pay more attention to labels because I didn't realize that teriyaki beef was going to come with cucumber and wasabi mayonnaise (and green onions but I don't mind those) but in the end it wasn't a problem, the beef part was good...  There's a restaurant across the street called Hippopotamus and I'm debating on whether or not I should go try it.  I've seen them around before and I've looked at the menu online but I'm not sure if I'm interested. But I'm very hungry...  There's a restaurant in the hotel but it doesn't sound exciting.

We will see. I probably won't post again until I'm back in the US.  Wow, can't believe that's tomorrow.

Here comes fun...

So today is my last day of vacationing in the Netherlands. It's very sad.  Tomorrow starts my two joyful days of travel.  I'm not overly excited for that.  I have to get up fairly early to grab a tram (or more likely, a bus) to Den Haag Centraal station and then from there, take a lovely train to Amsterdam, where I have a 12:30 flight to Paris.

Hopefully I will be able to locate the post office in the Charles de Gaulle, as I have some things to send places. (I forgot to leave my host family's house key.  I feel bad.)  It's a lot more expensive to send things to Europe from the States than it is from within Europe...  I was going to try to find a post office in the Netherlands to do that but it seemed like too much work... However, I land in Paris around 13:45 and my next plane does not leave until the next morning around 8:30 so I believe I have time to find a post office. I read that there is one in the airport, it's just a matter of finding it.

So after leaving Paris at 8:30 in the morning, I will be landing in New York around 10:30 in the morning. I'm going to be traveling back in time!  If only the plane would fly faster, then I could really be traveling back in time.  I don't have the slightest clue what I will do in New York to occupy my time because my next plane from there doesn't leave until 18:45.  Such long days of travel.

I'm really hoping I can check my bags all the way from Amsterdam to Florida.  If I can, that would be awesome. I went and withdrew some money today though, just in case I can't. I don't know if my card will work at the airport so I would rather be safe than sorry. I will try my card first, pay with cash if that doesn't work...  Checking bags is expensive. I have two bags.  In Europe, that's first bag free, second bag 55 euros.  In the US with Delta, I believe it'll be $25 for the first bag and $35 for the second.  I really hope they aren't overweight. If they were for the first flight, the lady didn't make note of it. I thought they must have been, though. Perhaps she was just being nice.

And after all that, I will be in Florida. Yay, Florida! I know it will definitely be warmer than here in the Netherlands. But only for a short time, before I go to Idaho and freeze to death.  I became far too accustomed to the warmer weather in southern France... I have to re-adjust. It'll be fun.

So, I really didn't do much today, honestly.  I slept in today (until 10:30.  Lazy bones). Then I went downtown for a couple hours and took a nice long walk there (and searched for an ATM) but then I came back to the hostel and decided I'd just relax some.  Tonight I have to make sure all my stuff is packed in a plane-friendly way.  Tomorrow I'm going to eat breakfast! I hope.  If not, that's alright too.

I LOVE IT HERE!

Look, I'm in there! Can you see me?  Can you, can you????  Don't worry, neither can I!  But it was so awesome!  Hold on, I have another one. (I didn't take either of these two pictures, Jenny found them online.)

There in the front with the blue and brown hat?? That's Tessa. Jenny and I were right behind her. We were in the front for Snow Patrol!  And Gary Lightbody, the lead singer? We got to touch his hand. We had some much fun!

So I took a few pictures for everyone who wants to see, I'm just waiting for them to upload. Give me a minute.

At this moment, I'm very happy with all these decisions I've been making. I really do like it here in the Netherlands. And it's winter!  I bet the summer will be even better.  The Hague is huge, the school is huge too, but it's a nice place, it seems.  It might be a challenge finding a place to live but maybe a challenge is what I need!  I can handle it.  And one of these days, I'll learn Dutch. I will probably learn to understand it before I learn to speak it but hey, that'd still be progress.  I've already caught on to a few words and phrases here and there.  I'm a linguistics nerd, it's only a matter of time.

So I have a couple pictures, let's see what we have.

This is one side of the university, courtesy of my own lovely photography.  No big deal, I suppose.

Another side of the school. Yes, it is surrounded by water. One of the many things I love about Europe, there is water everywhere. I love water!  And a school with skyways.  Yeaaaa.  Such a fancy school.

Ummm. Let's see, what else do I have?

The beach!  Scheveningen.  You know, the town whose name I can't say.

Drawings in the sand. Really sweet.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST!

Yes, we stood around waiting for 5 hours to watch Snow Patrol sing six songs! AND IT WAS AWESOME!  

Not to mention that being in the front is also very awesome. NOT TO MENTION WE WERE ON NATIONAL TELEVISION!  It snowed and rained all over us while we were standing there. It was packed and crowded and we were squished.  It couldn't have been any better. Pretty sure nothing can top that.

Except these hats.  Ten euros to charity, so worth it!
And my cursed Scandinavian eyes.  Thank you, Grandpa!

Oh yea, almost forgot.  The video where I'm on national television.

Coldddd

Okay, I know this temperature is nothing compared to at home. But I've been in southern France. You have to give me a break. It didn't get colder than 4 or 5 degrees the whole time I was there (or, uh, 40 degrees fahrenheit) and it especially rarely even got that low.  It usually stayed around 10-12 (50-55F)  Here, it's been raining all the time and at the moment it's 2 degrees out.  It's so cold!!  I know, just last week I say that it was -11(C) at home, so I have to stop complaining about here because it'll be colder in two weeks, in Idaho.

In other news, I'm tired. Lots of walking happened today.  It's okay, it's good for me.  I'm pretty sure of that. I'll let you know after I can feel my feet again.  We also went to the beach.  They have very nice beaches here. Regardless of wind and rain.  The beach has all these colorful teeny tiny shells, in abundance.  I don't think I've ever seen that on a beach... Only small pieces of bigger shells, and not nearly as many.

I'm seriously freezing. Could it be any colder in my room?  I chose to stay in a 24-bed room because it was cheapest, but there are only two other people in here beside me.  I've named them.  Snorey guy and sleeps-til-noon guy.  Their names are self-explanatory. I'm not sure who left the window open but it's still open and it's so cold in here.  Maybe it wouldn't be so cold if I was in my bed with blankets on me but there's no outlet over there to charge my laptop.

I went downstairs to buy a drink from the drink machine.  There are five options. Coke, Diet Coke, Fanta, Minute Maid, or Heineken.  The Heineken has two paper arrows pointing to it, and the arrows have the word "beer" written on them in probably 20 different languages.  Also, it said Minute Maid apple juice but it gave me orange juice and it's really gross orange juice, too....

Apparently, tomorrow I am going to a Christmas market and then a Snow Patrol concert. Yay!  Should be fun.  I think I'll go to Starbucks too. I could use a warm drink.

I'M LEARNING DUTCH!

Well.  I had a good day today.  Lots of exploring.  I found a lot of things. Found the right tram. Found the beach (but couldn't get to it).  Found the school. Found the Subway by the school.  Found Jenny (or she found me).

Then we took a walk, where we found a movie theater and bought tickets to see New Year's Eve, then we walked across the street to eat at McDonald's until it was time for the movie.  New Year's Eve was a very good movie, it was pretty funny.  Then we went back to McDonald's for McFlurries.  Then we walked to the train station so I could take a bus and Jenny could take a train.  The end.

I believe tomorrow we're going shopping (but I'm not buying anything because my suitcases are stuffed), and we might try to find a part of the beach that is accessible.  They are doing construction on the dikes at the place where I tried to go. Maybe other parts of the beach will be open...  I mean, I know the dikes in the Netherlands are important, so they can do construction on them whenever they want. BUT I WANTED TO SEE THE BEACH!!!

I guess it's all the better that way. I might not have been able to stay on the beach very long anyways. It was super rainy and windy by the ocean.  Maybe tomorrow will be better. I doubt it, but that's okay.

Alright! I wanna make it down for my free breakfast tomorrow! Goodnight!