Arrival

Well, I finally made it to the Netherlands! It was quite a journey getting here.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly as I made it into London on my first flight. Little did I know, Heathrow Airport is impossible to get through in a reasonable amount of time. My connecting flight was on time, however, so I did not make it. I got a spot on the next flight out, and made it in to Amsterdam around 2:30 pm. My bag was lagging behind, as it decided to take the flight after me just to keep things interesting.

None of these delays would have been an issue except for the fact that Annelies, who I'm staying with, was expecting me at 10:45 am. Without any public WiFi or a telephone, it was almost impossible to inform her of my delays. I did manage to e-mail her saying that I was running behind schedule, but had no way of finding out if she was still planning to meet me at the airport, or where to meet. After getting my bags and realizing that the hustle of Schipol Airport would make it very difficult to find someone I've never seen, I decided to take the train to her house.

This task was not so easy. Though public transportation is readily available, I do not speak Dutch. Asking every person I passed along the way, I finally made it onto the train from Amsterdam to the Hague, on a bus to Annelies' neighborhood, and even to her house! And only about four hours in transit!  The trains and buses are efficient, but I apparently still need some practice.

When I got to Annelies' house, she wasn't there. I let myself in with the key she'd left for me, and she showed up soon after. Apparently she had waited for two hours at the airport for me. Because my mom told her that I would most likely not leave the airport, Annelies was nervous that she couldn't find me and called military security to look for me. She said that she repeatedly had my name called over the loudspeaker as well. Oops!

After we both finally made it to her house, she gave me lasagna to eat and said she had to go get the "cupboard" (shelves) she had planned to get for my room. We talked for a while when she got back, but I was pretty tired after such a long two 24 hours.

In Preparation

I started this blog as an easy way for anyone interested to hear about my trip to the Netherlands for the fall semester.

In only a few short days I will be headed to the Netherlands for a semester of study abroad at Leiden University. It seemed as if this trip would never actually come, having made preparations months in advance. It was always far enough away that I didn't need to pack, inform the bank, or, until a couple of weeks ago, find a place to live. Well, the time has come. My clothes are splayed all over my bedroom, and I'm running out of weekdays to run all of the errands I hadn't bothered to do before I leave.

Five months is a very long time. Surprisingly, I am not (yet) nervous about the trip. I feel confident, after hearing about friends going abroad for a semester, that everything will go smoothly.

I am really excited to:

• Explore a place that is completely new to me
• Live in Europe
• Make new friends from all over the world
• Use public transportation or bike rather than drive
• Attend such a wonderful university
• Be forced to be completely independent

As soon as I get settled in I'll write more about the town of Leiden, the university, where I am staying, and my generous hostess, Annelies.