Well, my second weekend in Amsterdam and my first after a working week. I found last week so damn tiring I was happy the weekend arrived. I also wasn’t sure how I’d find the energy or enthusiasm to ‘enjoy’ my adventure again. A touch of melodrama never hurt anyone.
On Friday morning I went to the Expatcenter at the WTC and got my BSN number, essential if you want to do most things in The Netherlands. The process was very efficient and I had the number within 15 mins. Next stop the ABN AMRO to open a bank account. Again supremely efficient and within 20 mins I had a bank account. Card due to arrive on Tuesday. So most of that sort if admin is sorted. Not sure I’ll get paid this month though, have missed the cutoff date. I’m hoping there is some sort of manual option. Otherwise it means waiting until October, which would be a pain in the ass.
On Friday evening I went down to den Bosch to visit Roel. It’s quite easy from work, train direct from Schiphol, no biggie. We went for dinner at a local restaurant and the to see a film. You know, I can’t even remember what it was called. It had Steve Carroll and Julian Moore in it. ’twas sweet.
On Saturday morning, Roel had to leave early to go to Deventer. He and his sisters were spending the day with his mother as her birthday treat. I woke up and headed back to Amsterdam. Most of the day was pretty low key. Cleaning the flat (sort of) and then waiting for Roel to arrive. We stayed in and watched a film off appleTV. Submarine. We both fell asleep!
Sunday was more eventful, we went to Cocos to watch South Africa play Wales in the rugby world cup. I wore my bokke top, first time ever I think. It wa fairly fun, although not entry sure it’s my crowd. We won. Then we spent the afternoon exploring and doing a little shopping. Later we watched Priest on DVD and met George and Tina at café Luxembourge on Spui for a very pleasant littl visit. Roel and I then had a quick drink at Prik and some food after which Roel left for home and I went home to do my ironing. Fun filled.
Yes, I’m living in Amsterdam. I’ve been here about 10 days now and have completed one full week or work. Apart from the expected mild culture shock I think it’s going pretty well. My response and take on my new life is certainly divided into two reactions. Firstly my reaction to Amsterdam and secondly my reaction to work. I’ll start with work first.
It’s strange. I worked at the BBC for almost 11 years. That’s a long time and a significant portion of my life. Over a quarter of my life was spent in the service of the great British public. Being in one place for that length of time certainly does something to you. At the BBC, although professionally it wasn’t going too well (although not exacly badly), it was a comforting environment. I knew what to do at lunch, I always had friends around for a natter and I knew the office conventions. This, I think, is a bad thing. It made me complacent and at times lazy. I could rely on my knowledge of the “way things work” rather than thinking fresh and working hard. Now that’s all gone and once I’ve learnt the new logistics (I already know the canteen and the coffee machine well) I’ll have to start building up new local insight and the only way to do that is through projects. I have some really good ones to work on and it’s very exciting. One week in (and although I reserve judgement on this “working for profit” thing, all seems to be going well. I”m feeling challenged and inspired. Let’s hope it continues, even after I’ve worked out who my mates are.
As for Amsterdam, well… mostly it’s a delight. And a significant delight at that. Now and then I do have a slight wobble where I wonder why I’m not in London (I know London, all my friends are in London etc) but they pass very quickly and I’m soon back to exploring the city and the local culture. I haven’t quite sussed out the Dutch yet, and I suspect I never really will, but I’m enjoying trying.
Today I got my ID number (BSN) and account number so almost all the “moving country” admin is complete (thank goodness) so I can start enjoying being here without worrying about that.
Last night I found a couple of “cultural events” – no Dutch that have excited me. David Sedaris is here at the end of Sept and Pieter Dirk-Uys in November. Happy days!
