Peeks, Pokes, and Pointers!

Hi, quick update! I'm still alive. I've been sick for days, it's a bad cold which is moving around my head cavities and body. This means I can't "go out", or "make progress" regarding life stuff ...... ............... ................................................................... .................... .............. thank god

I've been sewing, and playing with my dog. Also: contacting folks who may have paid work projects, a.k.a "networking". The weather has turned, from pleasant overcast days to a barrage of downpours, and bicycling in the rain sucks. I'm probably buying a car, but I don't know where/how yet. Our American drivers' licenses are only valid for 4 more months, so that's funny too.

My Dutch consists of words for navigating the grocery store. Aardappel == potato, because it's "earth apple". Sinaasappel == orange, because it's "orange apple" lol

I've had some bad mental health days recently. One of the causes was poor sleep. Doggo is henceforth banned from sleeping in our tiny bed; her kicks and flops ruined my sleep, and I woke up feeling drunker and angrier each morning. The bigger question is, how long was this going on?? Probably for years, but it was less noticable in our USA king-size beds.

I hate being sick, I'm a horrible patient, but wow maybe I can do nothing for a few days, that would be amazing. I wanted this whole experience to initially feel like a vacation: not working, walking my dog, eating every sweet and savory thing I could find. The reality is, we're struggling with the language, customs, obligations, figuring out basic stuff like how to get a Covid vaccine (they do exist, but it's another maze of phone calls and passcodes sent to you through postal mail).

Stuff is messy right now. I'd say we're not at a stage where we're "adjusted" or "having fun". We have favorite bicycle routes, with breathtaking scenery, but that sometimes feels like a weird obligation because we have nothing else going on. The bicycle culture here is vicious, biking is normalized (like driving in the USA) and some people act like they don't want to share paths and roads. This topic deserves its own post, I'm not ready to unpack this tonight. Too many of our rides have included a near-miss (it's never our fault, btw) because too many bicyclists assume they can just do whatever and ignore the signs and markings. Younger people are worse in this regard, THERE, I SAID IT.

Amsterdam is just barely too far for comfort, and we're seen most of our little town. We're not giving up, we'll keep pushing ourselves (also husband has lost a bunch of weight since we started bicycling, which is impressive). But ugh, the norm seems to be aggressive, oblivious behavior on one's bicycle. ... I'm not unpacking this tonight! More on this later.

Wikipedia: "Paris syndrome is a sense of extreme disappointment exhibited by some individuals when visiting Paris, who feel that the city does not live up to their expectations." ... My version is the shock of realizing that no one here wears color. Most people are dressed black, grey, light neutrals, maybe an occasional normcore blue. The school kids look like preppy clones. I realize this isn't just a Netherlands trend, since normcore and athliesure devoured the fashion scene, but still, it's sad. It feels like people go to great lengths to not stand out?

Husband is heavily tattooed, on his head and neck area, and (unlike Portland) people sometimes react when they notice him. Some of the young kids love it; many older women are repulsed.

Aaaguhhgh now I'm typing and rambling, I really need to close this topic for now. The glow is fading, my patience is wearing thin, you can only eat so many grab-and-go sausage rolls before the novelty is lost. I think this is the gross, awkward part, where the honeymoon phase ends, and we confront the reality of our situation.

To be continued.