Brooke is really IN Amsterdam now!

Hello dear friends and family!

I'm sitting at a little cafe overlooking a canal pinching myself to make sure this is real. .. it is!

Everyone around me is speaking dutch and reading newspapers that I can't begin to understand! I arrived without a hitch on Tuesday at 7am. I met Allie (my soon to be rommate) at baggage claim and we met Julia after customs.. it was so good seeing her! Hurray! .. then the fun began.. we drug/pulled/hoisted/carried/threw/shoved our total of 8 bags up stairs, unto 1 train, 1 bus, 1 tram and down the street 3 blocks before we arrive at their apartment where we drug them up 3 flights of stairs! Wow! That was my work out for the month! check! (but, ... it was alsot so fun, and very dutch, ha!) Each day I feel more and more comfortable here... and we're getting things done!

So far... 

I've slept off jet lag... only took a couple days!..( I still wake up between 4-6am.. weird)

I've looked at one apartment (and I see 8 more tomorrow.. hopefully I'll pick one)

Met with a really great housing agency. Guido is our realtor.. great guy!

Bought a cell phone

Looked at bikes (I'll buy one tomorrow or Monday)

Figured out the tram system a bit. Got lost at least 3 times.

Played with the Pickerill kids

Build a cabinet from Ikea, that took Julia and I 3 + hours. Crazy hard!

Figured out banking stuff

Now I'm off to buy a converter for my computer and then to help make dinner for tonight.. our dutch friends Jan Bernard and Tineke are coming over for dinner. Tomorrow we'll have dinner and spend time with another dutch family. Everyone has been so warm and welcoming!

Well, that's a very short update but my battery is about to go.. so I better go buy the converter! 

Much love from Amsterdam!!!