Initial Thoughts, Day 1 in Amsterdam

If you know me and you’re reading this, there is a very good chance you know I love to travel. I particularly like to go to places I think I’ll never have another opportunity to see; I find the places that put you in the most unfamiliar situations are the ones you tend to learn the most from. With that, the trip of greatest growth for me has been this past year going to school in Grenada. While you don't typically go to the Caribbean to “find one’s self,” I’ve learned more about myself and gone through the most growth on that tiny island than I ever have before.

I’m not really sure how this all started for me… The first time I ever spent time away from home was one of the most traumatic experiences of my childhood (spending the summer away at sleep-away camp). While that may sound silly, I just always loved spending time at home with my friends and family. I think a small part of me at that age always hated that I didn’t like to venture away home, and with that I looked for better reasons to leave the nest.

In conclusion, I’ve gone on a major excursion every year since I was 16 and realize now I’ve finally found the joys of leaving your comfort zone behind. People have asked me what I hope to expect for myself this time around, and I honestly don’t know right now. All I do know is that I hope to take what I’ve learned about myself in medical school and apply it to a completely new setting. I don’t even know what that means at the moment, but here’s hoping I can tell you in a couple of weeks.

The first leg of my trip included a quick layover in Reykjavik, Iceland. I’m now looking back wishing I spent a day here because it’s somewhere I’ve been wanting to visit. As trivial as it sounds, I watched an amazing foreign film in college that took place there, and it’s been on my list of places to visit ever since. It has definitely moved up the list of my places to visit after getting a glimpse of the amazing landscaping, the cool summer air, and experiencing the longer hours of daylight.

After finally arriving in Amsterdam later in the day, I quickly noticed that this city has an interesting combination of old and new. The architecture is exactly what I pictured:

View from our apartment in Amsterdam

… yet the transportation seems very modern. Taking the train to meet Shannon at Amsterdam Centraal was an experience in itself. My paranoia about not getting off at the correct stop most definitely got the best of me!

After FINALLY meeting up with Shannon, we arrived at our rental apartment in the middle of the city. The location is absolutely amazing… we’re walking distance from tons of restaurants, parks, museums, etc; tomorrow we’re planning to spend most of the day taking advantage.

Shannon in our apartment in Amsterdam

Bikes on Bikes on Bikes

So far all I can tell you about Amsterdam is this:

-Shannon has already got me hooked on stroopwaffles

-It stays light out past 10PM, which is weird, but kind of amazing

-Bicycles absolutely dominate the roads, and the bike lanes are probably the best ones I’ve ever seen. I always appreciate a city where the people use an active mode of transportation

-everyone seems to speak English, which is great for me, but if I leave here learning a couple of Dutch phrases I would absolutely love it.

That’s all for now. Tomorrow we’re planning to do a bunch of museums and the Anne Frank House (which I’m sure will be a major sob-fest for me, but It obviously has to be done).

Thanks for reading my first post. I hope you enjoyed it! Tell me what you thought or if you have any questions, or have suggestions for things I need to do!