Welcome to Life in Holland

I've never been more thankful for deodorant in my life.

Let me explain: while living in a new country and getting to do the whole "experiencing the world" thing, there's this uncomfortable stage where you don't know anything. I was going to write this super inspirational blog about how this week has been absolutely picturesque, inspiring and full of ambition. And it has, it really has. However, I think you (as a reader) would probably be more interested in the fact that it's been also been the most bumbly-tumbly, ungraceful and nerve-wracking experience I've ever faced. Although I've traveled before, there's something especially stressful about knowing that this is going to be life. At least, with the help of those magical sticks of courage (otherwise known as deodorant), I smelled relatively good for the whole thing. Relatively.

The view from my bedroom window. It's such a nice, cozy, safe place. Alas, we most move on from those things eventually.

Amidst my countless fumbles (striping down before I figured out how to work the shower, not knowing how to open the front door, and wearing a hat inside) there were a lot of things I learned this week regarding my new home:

1. Coffee. Specifically, "Coffee Shops."  

NOTE TO SELF: THIS IS NOT WHERE YOU GO TO GET COFFEE. I mean, they serve it (usually) but if you ask a local to direct you to the nearest "coffee shop" you're going to experience something entirely different from a little place with lots of espresso. To put it simply, coffeeshops are where you go to hang out and smoke weed. On a side note, coffee (with espresso and stuff) here is lovely, plentiful, and cheap.

2. Bikes. Bikes really are everywhere, 

and the bike provided by my host family really is my key to freedom. However, it wasn't until after I left the house for my first adventure that I realized I knew nothing about Dutch road signs. My pre-planned route that should have only taken ten minutes at most turned into a multiple-hour-long bike ride. In the rain. And wind. That experience alone was probably worth a stick of deodorant. After having a chuckle, my host mother informed me that, although it's good to know road signs, you really can do anything you please on a bike.

Me and my noble steed (an oma fiets, or grandma bike, if you will)

3. My hosts think I eat funny. 

You know how in America, you hold your knife with your left hand and fork with the right? And then you're supposed to put the knife down when you don't use it. WRONG. Fork = left hand, knife = right. Keep them in your hands at all times! Multiple times, I've caught my host father grinning as he watches me shovel food into my mouth like the uncultured American I am. His words were: "It's so funny to see you rearrange the food constantly just to get it onto your fork." I'm working on it, but sometimes I'm just SO hungry!

4. Other au pairs. 

They're everywhere! It's an endless pool of potential friends. Clumsy-as-always-me, I just didn't know that you're kind of supposed to stick with your nationality when on outings. Which is unfortunate, because there aren't many Americans (Spanish people are awesome!). Along those lines, there's also constant social outings. You can really pick and choose your friends and which events you want to go to more than others.

Cheers to new friends in new places!

All that to say, I made it! My work as an au pair is going super smoothly, the family has been so kind and thoughtful, and the kids are fantastic. Poor Cato is super busy with school, but I've had many rounds of "indoor baseball" with Otto.

Otto! And stroopwafels. Both are fantastic.

I also ventured out to Amsterdam for my first time, where I met some of my first friends. I was super scared to go out and brave traveling to Amsterdam for the first time, but a lovely Dutch couple adopted me for the day and showed me how to do everything from tram cards to finding awesome places to eat.

Wim, my new adopted father and and provider of bitterballen, a yummy dutch food.

AND GUESS WHAT GUYS!? I am now the proud owner of a museum card. You know what that means? It means a flat fee for a card that will get me into all of the museums in the Netherlands!!

Rijksmuseum (whoa, dude) 

And the last and most exciting announcement I have to make is that this girl is going to "art school." Art school in quotations because we're just switching what would be my dutch lessons for art lessons. GUYS- I GET TO HAVE MY FIRST YEAR OF ART SCHOOL HERE IN HOLLAND, A.K.A. THE HOME OF REMBRANT. AND VAN GOGH. 

The Night Watch! Rembrant. (also, whoa. duuuude)

To summarize, these almost two weeks have gone absolutely splendidly. And despite sweating through a few t-shirts while getting groceries and being a perfectly uncultured American, I couldn't have asked for a better start to my year in Holland. 

ALSO: friends from church. Like, my new church. No, they are not horses, they are people who own horses.