Arrival in Amsterdam

Well obviously one cannot arrive in Amsterdam without first departing the United States. After saying good-bye to all friends and family (thanks Chad, Taylor, and Alex for being my last US phone calls/pep talks), I was ready to depart. I have set up an account on Skype, but currently the video is not working. Still need to figure that out-any tips are welcome. I managed to pack very lightly, bringing one small checked bag, a duffel bag, backpack, and miniature Coach purse. It was a challenge but ultimately I think packing lightly proved to be the wise choice.

Departed St. Louis on Tuesday afternoon, bound for Chicago. On that flight I met Brittany, who is also going to study abroad (in Italy) and is originally from Troy, MO, home of the Tara Peasel. She and I were both very nervous and were able to find our gates and wait together for our planes. While waiting, I met several other people also bound for Amsterdam and studying at my same school. I HIGHLY recommend investing in a flight directly to your final destination when studying abroad for this reason. These people proved to be valuable assets on arrival day. Fortunately, everyone I have met so far has been travelling alone and has therefore been very friendly. On the plane, I sat next to a French girl and Canadian boy. The French girl was also studying at my school (HES) and had been since August. She was very nice and helpful and was able to offer a lot of tips. Very lucky for me. The Canadian boy was studying abroad at a different location, but was also very friendly. We talked a lot about the differences in our countries. He gave me some Canadian coins (a loony, or one dollar coin) because they do not have dollar bills. He also informed me that many Canadians travel to Cuba frequently and Cubans love Canadians and vice versa. It seems I have been mis-informed in my American education, as I thought Cuba was a communist wasteland country that no one would enter for any reason.

On the plane, two free meals were served, dinner and breakfast. I was very surprised. Dinner consisted of a lean cuisine looking lasagna, salad, roll, and brownie. Breakfast was yogurt and an apple croissant. I was also able to watch The Social Network (not that good but not that bad) and sleep a little. Good flight and I highly recommend United Airlines.

Upon arrival in Amsterdam, we first had to travel to the housing authority. Because I packed lightly and made friends, I traveled on the train with 2 boys, spending 2.70 Euro instead of approximately 40 for cab fare. After the train, we shared a cab to the housing authority for 10 Euro total. At the housing authority, my French-Canadian plane friend and I re-connected and shared a cab to our dorm. He had failed to print directions or the address so he was very willing to make a friend! (BTW Carly and Eric, the cat folder has been an interesting conversation starter!) Our cabbie got lost.
Sidenote: In Amsteram,cabs are not super common. Many of them are Mercedes, VW, or Volvo; much nicer than the US. At the airport and the train station, there were not lines of cabs like in Chicago.
Anyway, thank god my friend was in the car, because he was able to tell our cab driver we were not in the right location. I had no clue! After being lost for awhile, the cabbie stopped the meter and promised to get us to our final destination, but said he would not charge us for the aimless driving. Very nice and un-American of him!!

That brings me to my final observation. So far, I have found Dutch people in general very nice and friendly. They are all very helpful, even when we don't know the correct addresses or where we're going. No one got angry on the train when we were loading or unloading our bags. The airport and train were notably quiet; no one seems to be in a big rush. So far, I am really enjoying the atmosphere.

I have been unable to upload videos, but soon I will take pictures of my room and upload here and facebook! I am very jet-lagged right now and severely need to eat and sleep. Talk to you soon!