I finally made it to Amsterdam. Twice, since I last posted. I have some pictures that I will hopefully post tomorrow once I get them off my camera. It's a crazy, interesting city, but to be honest, I think I like Den haag better. And Leiden better, as well. Amsterdam is a little schizophrenic, it seems. It doesn't know whether to be a new, modern city of illicit activities, drugs, sex and graffiti, or if it should stick with its old roots, its war history, pre-war history, charming canals and interesting fusion of cultures that remain from the colonial times. I really really like the charming parts of the city - Jordaan, specifically, and the area where the Anne Frank Huis is; the area by the old Jewish quarter is nice, as well. But to get to any of that, you have to walk through either the Red Light District, or the tacky tourist areas that surround the Centraal Station. Which are rather unpleasant, I think. I mean, even if you're into that kind of thing, the Red Light District is just so...awful. I can't imagine why anyone would spend time there. And I didn't even go through at night - I went on a Sunday afternoon!
The other really strange thing is that it doesn't really feel Dutch - too much tourism. The language you hear in the Hague as you are walking down the street is usually Dutch - like, the background language that most people speak. Sure, you also hear English a LOT and French and others as well, but mostly, Dutch. In Amsterdam, there was no background language; it was a mix of everything, which is really cool - don't get me wrong. But I heard Dutch about as much as I heard Spanish or English, probably less than English for sure. It just seems like maybe it has lost some of it's Dutch culture to the hoards of tourists coming through and all the businesses that cater to them.
Anyway, so that's Amsterdam. It was great to see, fun to be there, and really nice to be back in Den Haag. I like it here.
My job has been pretty interesting the past few days. Some MAJOR organizational changes have happened, and things are kind of weird now. I suppose it will get better as people get used to the changes, but it's also sort of thrown a wrench into my tasks, actually resulting in less work for me to complete by the end of my stay. Which isn't bad, I guess, nice not to be super-pressured my last week or two, but still...it's an odd feeling in our office now. We'll see how this coming week goes.
But, I've still been really busy the last few weeks, trying to cram in all the socialization I can manage while working hard and trying to see new things every weekend. It's been exhausting! But I only have 1.5 weeks left here, and I want to make the most of it. I bought a rail pass and a plane ticket from Madrid to Dublin (where my flight back to NY leaves from), so I've pretty much set my travel plans to take me through France to the Iberian peninsula. A friend of mine here, Marta, is from Portugal so she's going to put me in touch with a friend of her's in Lisboa to show me around, which should be awesome. I also want to go to Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid, and as many other cities I can manage. Maybe stop in Paris on the way down. We'll see how it goes. With the rail pass, I have complete flexibility as to where and when I travel, which is great. It was a little more expensive but TOTALLY worth it, I think.
Meanwhile, I can't believe I'm leaving here so soon! It's been so amazing, and the people I've met...it's really sad to think that I probably won't see many of them at least for a long time, if ever again. I know it's bad to think that way but it's true...Everyone's from totally different places and with really international prospects for their careers, so it's unlikely that we'll all end up in Holland again. Although, I guess a few of us could end up in Brussels or something, or some city that is a hub of international organizations. Like Den Haag, come to think of it...
And the Dutch people I've met - that's tough, too. They will for sure stay here; this is where most of them have families, jobs, lives...and unless I come back, I will probably not see them. Although, of course, I've offered my couch to any of them if they ever visit Chicago. :)
Kim and I are throwing a farewell party next weekend for our last Saturday in the apartment. Unfortunately a lot of people are traveling, but it's okay if it's small because so it our flat. I think it will be really interesting to have my co-workers and hers mingle; it might produce a combination of international awareness that is just deadly, between the environmental and climate change know-how, and the international justice angle...should be good conversation at the very least.
And, for now, I'm off to bed. Monday again tomorrow, start of a new week and new adventures. I can't wait.
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