And I know that I do actually have friends and family that I haven’t seen for 5 years because I’ve moved away… But Amsterdam sort of feels like an old friend. A friend that says very little, but you always remember what they say. Amsterdam was not the first European city that I’ve seen in my life, but it’s one of the most influential. I have so many important memories and I’m glad we finally went back, felt safe going back.

The anxiety of living in a foreign country
I can’t say that I still feel anxious about living in The Netherlands but the main reason we went to Amsterdam was to complete my reapplication to live here. I needed to update my photo and signature. But all those “what if” situations kept popping up in my head. What if they found something wrong with my papers? They did actually, it was pretty funny. But it was no huge issue! Someone wrote down the wrong date for my passport and the guy who helped me fixed it. He was an amazing dude too! We laughed the entire time.

I’m a nervous person by nature but even after 5 years I’m still learning to feel comfortable. I should be more confident in myself, I’ve accomplished a lot! But I couldn’t have done it if I had stayed in my home town in America. I’m always reminded of those first few weeks when we visit Amsterdam. How I never thought I could find the courage to leave. It’s all in the past now but I look back and smile.

Precious time with Sander
Sander and I have a small flat and that means we’re always in earshot of each other. But that doesn’t mean we don’t deserve a break once in a while. And by break I mean a date! Now listen here. During quarantine, the dogs have developed a lot of anxiety and they can’t remain alone.. Which of course can be a pain in the ass. But, we’ve thankful that Sander’s parents love our dogs. So they get to baby sit and Sander and I can have a few hours to ourselves.

It’s also a great way for us to actually spend time together. Otherwise we’re on our phones, watching tv, or something something else. We can’t give each other 100% of our attention. Dates are few and far between now but that’s the way things are for now. Amsterdam has always been the place we enjoy ourselves the most and I’m so glad we don’t live to far from it.

A true test of knowledge
So when we go to Amsterdam, I’m adamant about only using Dutch. We hardly speak Dutch at home so I’m always rusty… And Amsterdam is the best place to “be Dutch”. And let me tell you I will always adore that feeling… When people believe that you’re Dutch and that you belong. I love entering a store and having only Dutch spoken to me. It’s like I do belong, that this is my true home. It’s never been easy for me to feel at home or comfortable where I live.

And I know I said above that I need to be more confident… But this is a different form of confidence. The knowledge that I speak the language, that I’m at home with these people. It’s the best feeling in the world. I know I have my Dutch tutor to thank for that… And I know she reads these posts, so hello Wess!

Cultures from all over
There are times when I feel too Dutch though. The same meals, scents, flavors, sights and sounds… Most of that stuff is strictly Dutch, especially since I come from such a small commuter town. But in Amsterdam, you’ve got everything to smack you in the face. As the capital city of The Netherlands, Amsterdam is home to thousands of different cultures under once roof. I can tell you Sander and I spend a lot of time in the Asian streets.

I’ve found dozens of flavors from my mom’s home cooking on the shelves in such grocery stores. So I’m also thankful that Amsterdam can let me bring a small piece of home. If you ever get the chance to eat fresh burfi, please do! It’s one of my favorite Indian desserts!

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These were three of the amazing sights to be seen in Amsterdam. There’s too much to do in one day. My mom had goals that she needed to hit and so we did those. There’s so much to see that it would take us the whole week to complete a fraction of it! Here is what we did.

The Van Gogh Museum
This was the first stop on our list. My mom has been wanting to visit for ages and she got her chance to. It was so crowded with people because we decided on a 10:00 AM time slot. By the time we got to the last floor the crowd had died down. If you’d like to take your time and lose yourself in the artwork I suggest you go a little later in the day. This museum also has wonderful mini exhibits that pop up from time to time. We went to the Van Gogh & Japan exhibit and it was indescribably beautiful. Take note that picture taking is forbidden.

The Anne Frank House
We had never been to the Anne Frank house before and I might say that it was a humbling experience. No photos were allowed at this museum and I prefer it that way. This house has been preserved out of respect and in the memory of those who struggled to live there. While most of the furniture has been removed, the spirit of the house still remains. It’s important to note that tickets can only be bought online. Sometimes months in advance. Please plan ahead because showing up there without tickets will result in sad news for you.

Cruise Like a Local
Sander and I had done one canal cruise before but this was something special. Our guide was a man named Vincent and his commentary was the best. He was insightful and highlighted some insider information about buildings along the canals of Amsterdam. Even Sander learned something! My favorite highlight was the information about the Dancing Houses (as seen in the photo above). Many Dutch houses were built on wooden poles and they began to lean over time. These houses are a great example of that because they lean all over the place!

As I said before, these highlights of Amsterdam are only a fraction of what can be seen. Amsterdam is such a big city. What we did is what my mom wanted to see. We spend the whole day in Amsterdam and we were exhausted when we got back. We could have packed more into our schedule but she wanted to take it a bit slow. Which is fine! We saw what we needed to see and that’s what made this a highlights of Amsterdam trip for us!

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Today we skipped breakfast to head to our favorite restaurant Ramen-ya. I decided to try something a little bolder and I ordered the Kimchi. I was pleased to find that it was actually spicy! It’s not easy going from a home where green chilies are common place in every meal (even breakfast)! I don’t cook spicy foods at home because Sander can’t eat them. So it was a pleasant surprise when I dug in. Of course we also had our normal order of fried Japanese chicken, karaage.

After that we headed out to various stores to buy what we needed. One of the main reasons we head to Amsterdam is for a particular bookstore that sells Snotgirl. I picked up issue 13 and we headed on our way. The next few stops were for skincare and hygine items. This included Lush, DECIEM Inc., and Douglas for my favorite make up. After that we headed to the ABC. I was thrilled to find Make Good Art on the shelves so I grabbed it. It was also time for us to get a membership since we always come away with a few books.

The sun was so bright out and it made for the perfect day! It’s been a hard winter and I’m ready for it to end. It feels so good to have the sun once again on my windows. Soon enough spring will truly be here! There are already tons of flowers in bloom and you know what that means… A trip to the Keukenhof!

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