First entry

This is my first post since I arrived 2 days ago. I've been trying to get used to their time, but I think it is harder than it was in Japan. There's a 7-hour time difference, which might not sound like a lot....but think of it this way - when I usually went to bed in Iowa, it was 1 or 2am...which is 8 or 9am here. It's like staying up all night!

THE FLIGHTS

The trip was fairly uneventful. Josh dropped me off at the airport and of course I cried. :) I took a flight from Des Moines to Chicago (which ended up being a bit delayed because they overbooked our flight). Once I arrived in Chicago, I was directed to the International Terminal, which required me to ride a train to get there. Once I got to the terminal, I started looking for Luftansa agents...only to find out that Luftansa LANDS in Terminal 5, but DEPARTS from Terminal 1. Crap! So my plane is supposed to board in 10 minutes, and I'm really far away! I go back to the little train depot, and catch the train to Terminal 1. When I get there, I have to walk FAR - even through that part underground with the walkways and cool lights. Once I get to my gate, pretty much everyone has already boarded. Somehow I got a seat in the EconomyPlus section, so I had much more legroom than most people.

The flight itself was about 9 hours. They had very good food, surprisingly. For dinner, I had chicken and rice with a tomato basil sauce, a nice salad, a diner roll, and a triple chocolate chunk brownie. Yum.

There were many options for movies. I watched a French movie called "The Class." It's pretty good, I would recommend it. It was tough to sleep on the plane because of these 3 Italian guys sitting in front of me who were talking the whole time. I think they probably kept a good portion of the plane up. If it wasn't them making noise, it was this baby screaming towards the front of the plane. Sigh. At least I didn't get the swine flu, I guess...

ARRIVAL IN AMSTERDAM

We arrived in Amsterdam 30 minutes ahead of schedule. Customs was a breeze. I got to the carousel to wait for my luggage. And boy, did I wait! And wait...and wait...and wait! It took 45 minutes!!! Everyone was waiting that long. Finally, once my bags came out, it was time to get a train ticket.

The Amsterdam airport is very nice. Clean, people are friendly, and signs are also in English. I bought a ticket to Nijmegen and went to the train depot downstairs to wait for my #3 train.

The train arrived, and I, with the help of this random guy, dragged all my luggage aboard. Three pieces of luggage weighing 43, 30, and 25 pounds [and a large carryall purse] might not seem like a big deal...but it's pretty hard for one person to maneuver. I made friends with this old guy and his wife who were also going to Nijmegen, and they said they would tell me when to get off. An hour and a half later, we arrived.

ARRIVAL IN NIJMEGEN

The train arrived around 12:30. It was a very nice day, clear and sunny. I got to the train station and looked for a pay phone. Arnold, the owner of the house I am staying in, gave me his number and said to call when I arrived. So I looked everywhere, but no pay phone! Finally, I asked a girl who was standing outside if she knew where a payphone was, and she said here, use my phone! I think she knew I was not from here. She dialed Arnold's number and I told him that I had arrived. He said he'd be there in a few minutes - he lives about 2 blocks away.

His neighborhood is really cool. It reminds me a lot of DC or some parts of Chicago - rowhouses as far as the eye can see. His house is really cool. Built in ~1900, it is 3 floors. The stairs are very short, steep, and windy! I can't wait to take pics and post those on here. He showed me to the second floor, where the living room, kitchen, dining room, and patio were. Then we went up another set of short, steep, windy stairs to the third floor. This floor has my room, his room, another room, a bathroom, and another patio. I'll take pics sometime tomorrow.

We put all my stuff in my room, and I immediately laid down on my couch and went to sleep after emailing Josh that I had arrived. It was about 6am to me.

WHAT'S GOING ON NOW...

After that....not much else has happened. I've slept a lot. Got a really good bagel from the train station for dinner last night. Went to Burger King, which was interesting. They offer mayonnaise for fries, which is really popular. Their Sprite tastes quite odd, kind of grapefruity. Their trash can is interesting - there's a separate tube on the side for customers to pour their remaining drink/ice into before throwing the cup in the trash. Good idea.

I've got a great view from my room, which I will take pics of tomorrow. Fritz the cat is quite nice, and stayed in my room all night the second night I was here. He likes to purr, and he clicks when he walks on the floor! He has all of his claws.

I went to the grocery store today. I think I did pretty good. I got stuff to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, grilled cheese, spaghetti and garlic bread, toast, frozen pizza, and some fruit. I just ate an orange - wow! It was delicious. I walked past their frozen section and saw that they sell Vienetta! Do any of you remember that dessert? I think we got it once when I was a kid. They had some interesting commercials for it.

There was a restaurant close to the grocery store that looked pretty cool. Lots of outdoor seating, and it looked like one woman was eating fondue!!! I'll have to ask Arnold about it.

I am taking the bus, somehow, to campus on Monday to meet with Johan. That will be my first "official" event since arriving.

I've got a Skype number, so let me know if you want it. I miss everyone a lot, but it's nice actually living with someone [unlike living alone in Japan]. Even if they're not home a lot, I can still ask them things when they are. :)

That's it for today...more tomorrow!