Day 1: Arrival

me in front of a windmill near the dorm

As I stood in line to get my passport stamped I heard my name yelled out.  I turned around and another girl from my school program was behind me in line.  Talking to the young man stamping passports was confusing, at first I told him I was here traveling but then he asked why I would stay so long. The whole thing ended with him and his friend laughing and talking in danish while I stood there with a blushing face.  Once Victoria was through security we grabbed our bags and fumbled through the process of buying train tickets, and finding the correct train platform to Amsterdam Centraal.  I think our Americanism was extremely evident.  Once we made it to the station we were supposed to take a tram to our dorm but the trams only accept special cards which we are receiving tomorrow.  So without the card, and with heavy luggage we foolishly settled on a taxi.  We told the taxi driver to take us to Funenpark, the complex that holds our apartment building, but instead he dropped us at Flevopark! All of a sudden we are standing out in the boonies of the city looking through apartment windows totally dazed and confused.  So we start walking in the direction of the city.  Victoria, in all her stress, decided we needed to stop so she could purchase an emergency pack of Marlboros--she's nice but thank goodness we arent living together; an emergency smoker is still a smoker and the smell never stops being gross.  Luckily, the shopkeeper where she bought her cigs was very helpful and drew us a little map with key landmarks on it.  Twenty minutes later we were at the Funenpark!

 The two photos above are the views looking left and right out of my window.  The complex is very nice and removed from the street.  There are many apartment buildings within this park-like complex and each is a unique piece of architecture.  Although the sky is gray and there was a slight drizzle, the temperature was warm due to humidity.

Anna's domain

My section of the dorm room.  The door to the right is our own bathroom that is a bit "interesting"--the water pressure is intense and the temperature scalding but I think thats better than if the water were dripping out cold! (optimism.)  While unpacking my roommate arrived, her name is Tracy and we explored Amsterdam a little in the afternoon to find a grocery store; so cheap! Got a lot of good basics for 17 euros and I even bought my first legal bottle of wine! what a rush. 

                                                                             Tracy

A random street in the city-not the best but pretty