I went into Amsterdam today to run a few errands, taking the train from where I live in the East. (Actually, due to work on the train tracks, I actually had to drive to Amersfoort first...but that's beside the point.) I was slightly shocked at how happy it made me to be in a big city for a little while. I always treat myself to a starbucks drink when arriving, and as I exited Amsterdam Centraal latte with my latte, I thought to myself "heerlijk". Seriously...I actually thought it in Dutch. These things have been happening more and more often lately. Last week while driving, I started yelling at another driver in Dutch. I suppose it's a sign I've integrated.
My boyfriend has exactly the opposite reaction to the busy feel of a city like Amsterdam. He would much rather live in a smaller, quieter place. That's actually a big reason why we've chosen to live really close to the national forest here (The Veluwe). I on the other hand, loooooove the convenience of being in a large centre. There are a million fun things about Amsterdam, but I think what I really enjoy most is that there I can find basically everything I could ever want or need. The last few years that I lived in Canada, I lived in Toronto and I loved that too. Toronto has lots of great little neighbourhoods and tonnes of amazing shops and after a few years, I knew exactly where to go for whatever I needed. I had a favourite card store, clothing store, coffeeshop etc. Unfortunately, where we live is so small that none of those things exist here. So today, with my Starbucks in hand...I almost felt like I was at home! The only thing missing was my Canadian girlfriends.
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