the netherlands

hi there, i'm sitting in an apartment in rotterdam because, duh, where else should i be for thanksgiving weekend. well, i guess that's not entirely obvious. i was thinking about turkey and stuffing and cranberries and mashed potatoes the other day, and i almost got sad that i won't be cramming my face with ridiculously-rich and yummy food at jeremy's... while sneezing and praying that the deep fryer won't catch on fire. but then, i realized that i could forego one year's worth of east coast orphans for the semi-exotic land of holland.

it IS fun and interesting.

like the trains, and the cool library, and the sorta odd imitation-crab-and-egg-salad wrap that i ate yesterday. that latter one just goes to prove that cafeteria food, in any country, isn't that good. but the beers were great, and the stew. and the perfectly picturesque cobblestone avenues of delft.

most people speak english, or they do with a sweet dutch lilt. it's chilly, but not freezing, and i'm a big fan of not driving anywhere. the BIKES! omg, they're awesome with kids and adults hanging off the back, and luggage lying across handlebars, and backpedaled braking! i feel like i'm 10 again -- a good thing, mind you.

but it's true, it doesn't feel totally exotic. maybe because everyone speaks english? but there's a lot that's only in dutch. i can kinda derive meaning through my ingrained knowledge of germanic and romance languages, but it's not all obvious, even menus. or maybe because i'm not alone. or maybe because i'm older. i dunno, but european-living... well, i dunno.

i'm not really sure how to feel.