Coming Up Soon: New York

A few days ago I posted on fb that I was officialy accepted into the GLCA NY Arts semester for Fall 2009, but didn't really specify what that meant. The link is to their site.

GLCA= Great Lakes College Association.
It is a group of smaller colleges that coordinate domestic and abroad programs. It is to create large opportunities for small schools. Their program in New York organizes full-time internships for students in the arts: dance, theatre, visual and musical. They have program housing in Chelsea* which houses all (or at least all that desire to live there and fit) of the arts students.


When I first applied to Ohio Wesleyan and Hope this program was one of the main reasons I was drawn to them. I had always hoped to spend a semester in London and one in New York, but it didn't truly hit me until I received my official email that yes, this was really going to happen. I am truly blessed and have a great group of supportive friends, family, professors and co-workers and that have helped me in a zillion ways to make this possible.
As you can imagine, it was a bit chaotic applying for this program while already off-campus, but my professors writing letters of recommendations sent them right in and my professor who coordinates the program at my school sent in all my information right away. Plus my good friend Rachel took care of a bunch of things and turned in forms for me. Plus my parents and siblings calming my worries, haha. It couldn't have been made much easier! Thanks!!


The next step is the interview. Now that I am in the program I need to find someone to intern for. Based on your CV/resume and letter of intent that you send in with your application the program sets you up with internships they think will fit the skills you possess and the ones you intend to develop. I am currently in the process of discussing with the program coordinator where I might interview. I return to states around the 13th of May and will go to New York to interview the following week. The program then starts at the beginning of September and finishes in mid-December like a typical college semester. This program will count for my Theatre 495 which is needed for my theatre major.

Many people have suggested I do this internship in the Spring so as not to lose my contacts from networking. However, there are a couple of classes which I need to complete for my degree which cannot be taken in the fall. As a result I will spend the next semester in NY and then return to Hope (after being gone just over a year) to finish my BA in theatre. After that... well, we'll have to see...


If you would like to visit me in New York, I would love that. New York is much closer than London... <3

The Czech

Here is the information on my work camp for anyone who is interested...

Straight from the SCI website:

"Location: Kostelecke Horky in Eastern Bohemia is a small village with about 150 inhabitants situated in the rolling landscape between Divoka and Ticha Orlice rivers. It is situated in North Eastern Bohemia, not far from the town Hradec Kralove, 6 km from the important railway junction Chocen. You will help local NGO INEX SDA Kostelecke Horky.

Work: Work will be mainly manual. Organisation branch runs two building, where work will take place. The first one is building of training centre. The main work for volunteers will painting, cleaning, gardening (making the hey) and other small reconstruction works. The second one is rural centre of Blue stone house used for environmental education programmes in schools, where volunteers will help with building/reconstruction works making the fences, etc. It will be main part of work on this project.

Accommodation and board : Basic in a former village school (bathroom, hot water available), sleeping bag needed. Cooking together from local and common resources in a school kitchen.

Leisure activities: Traditional folklore event "burning of witches" (1.5), bring your music instruments. Volunteers can make a trips to surroundings towns (Litomysl, Rychnov nad Kneznou, Letohrad,...) and visit old castle ruins (Potstejn, Litice) and very beatifull scenery of Orlicke mountains)"





Does it sound lovely?

I love adventures!

The Princess and The Pirate

On Saturday I took a train, a bus and a train out to the Stowmarket station a couple hours North and East of here. The morning started out terrible. I left late, gave up on waiting for the bus and walked to the tube station. Then I found out my train left from Liverpool St., not Victoria (completely across town). I realized later that the reason I thought to go to Victoria was because that's where I was supposed to pick up my tickets. I, of course, did not bother to do that. I finally arrived at Liverpool Street and obviously had missed my train. I did not fret, but just bought a new ticket... twice the price of the original ticket. While at the station I also managed to rip my pants badly enough that I changed into my jeans which I had packed for the second day and through out my cordoroys. I shrugged and looked at the bright side, one less thing to try and get home. Remember, I gave up complaining for Lent, hahah. I got on my first train, asked a lovely man in blue how to get to the bus. After I bought my coffee (it was mighty cold out) he walked me over to the bus, knocked on the door, verified the destination and I got in. It was a fine bus ride and then I waited a bit for my train to Stowmarket. I got on the train fine and as I got closer to Stowmarket I began packing up my things. I stood up as the train stopped and went to the door. There I realized, there was no handle... 4 doors and not a handle on a single one. I was sure I'd seen someone go out these doors... someone even came in them last stop. I start looking around for one of those sneaky buttons like in France. I even read the signs. I go back to the carriage and ask the woman nearest the door if she knows how to open the door. She says yes- and nothing else. Wonderful woman, wonderful. After I begin to ask again, in quite a fury by now, a gentleman farther back in the car shouts to me that I need to push down the window and open from the outside.

Oh.
Right.
Because that makes sense.

I go over to the window, pull it down, go to pull up the lever and the train begins to move. I continue to try and the woman on the podium tells me I can't get out, I'll have to get out at the next station and come back. At this point I'd already called Belinda and Benjamin once to tell them I'd be an hour late and they had no mobile... so they waited for me for another 20-30 minutes. I felt terrible. When I finally arrived they were very kind, but I felt terrible. They did find it a bit sad no one helped- as usually they would, but either way, I was there then and all was fine.


The rest of the weekend progressed on much better. We had a "simple lunch" and then dropped Benjamin off at a birthday party for Nicoli. Then Belinda and I went into Diss and looked at all the second hand shops (this is a woman after my own heart). Then we stopped to get the papers and picked up Benjamin. We returned to the house and I got to see Benjamin's train set and lego room. Pictures will be up of the lego room soon. I forgot to get a picture of the train. It's pretty awesome though. I can't even explain to you the amount of toys this kid has!

More on this later as I have a lot to do and am stressing just a bit...



Note: This semester I have done better about qualifying what I have to do as less than what it is. Instead of getting really stressed about little things all the time I just get stressed about big things and then... well, you know how things go... I'm stressing.
About what? School papers & presentations... Leaving London... Planning flights... Not knowing what I'm doing for this summer and not speaking any of the languages of the next 3 countries I am going to be in.

Oh dear...



Here is the chaotic part:

I have 1 week left of my internship (as long as no one changes that). Yay!
I have 1 week until AMY COMES TO VISIT!!! Yay!
And I'm doing much better with her visit than with my parents or my sister's (sorry everybody :() and actually planning just a bit.
I have 2 weeks left of class (I'm sad I only have 2 Tuesdays left.. boo)
I have 3 weeks left in London :(
In 3 weeks I am going to Athens to meet up with my brother. After a couple of days we will then travel to Bulgaria!
In 4 weeks I will be moving to the Czech Republic for 2 weeks to build fences.. Now that I think about it I may be regretting that part of it, haha. I will also be exploring a bit.
So in 6 and a half weeks I will return to the US.
At some point during the following two weeks I will go to NYC for my interviews for the GLCA New York Arts Program.
Then...

I don't know what I am going to do with myself...

That's the scary part.
After two and a half months of that I am going to spend the semester in NYC.
I think 2009 might be the best year ever. Let's hope something happens soon so I know what I'm doing this summer... and let's hope it's amazing :)


Note: In case you are reading this and thinking I'm spoiled... well, I am blessed. I am lucky to have a family that supports me in whatever I want to do and friends that are there for me. I will have to pay for the bills of the excitement I am pursing now for the next 30 years. I am well aware of this, but I know it's all part of life. You can't wait 'til you have this or that, this IS LIFE (now).
So thank you to you for your support. I am just one person, but I am my only person and I appreciate you giving me the support to be able to be confident enough in myself and the people around me to not be afraid.

I will be more than I ever was before.

Magical! Numbers.

Three is the magic number. We learned this in communication classes for presentations and in theatre classes for playwriting. People don't like to remember more than three things. That's why people like the three bears and the three pigs and... well, you get the idea. The odd thing is people don't belong in groups of three, they just like the idea of three.

I suppose I am getting off topic. That was all to tell you that I am going to tell you three things, but in all honesty, by the time I finished that paragraph I changed my mind, you'll get more...

The Original 3:

1. There is a pink car that parks on Manrsea Road every day. I have never seen the owner, but some of my acquaintances have. She's apparently a slightly older than middle age woman. That's about all I've gotten about her. Today I was walking home from a play and I noticed the pink car and it put a smile on my face. It's a lovely looking car. Sometimes it makes me think of the pink house in The Secret Life of Bees. I don't think it's the same color pink, but rather I think it makes people smile in the same way. Sometimes I pass the car and I just think of the car. Goodness! It is pink! I'm not sure if the woman knows this about her car. I left her a note thanking her for her car and letting her know it makes me happy to walk past. I hope she "gets it".

2. I have decided the worst possible thing about having a cold in London is going to the theatre. You have to sit and hold your coughs until a loud part. Plus you're really worried about whether or not you're ruining the show for everyone else. It really makes the production quite difficult. After the show I apologized to the people around me. Apparently the guys behind me hadn't even noticed. It was a pretty good show. If I hadn't been the one coughing, I'm not sure if I would've noticed either. I hope my cough goes away for tomorrow's performance of King Lear!

3. Last week a lot of things were going wrong for my Aunt. Her health was not doing well, her purse got stolen, it was just one thing after another. However I received an email today from her that let us know that things were getting better. After she sent out her email she received many back, reassuring her, validating her, and reaching out. It really reminded me how important it is that we all reach out. Even if we're not sure what we need, perhaps someone else is able to help without knowing the exact cure either.

One thing she wrote in her email I feel as though I need to write on my wall, to remind me often. She said she is learning
"reciprocity – to bless what I have, to ask for what I need, to offer what I can"

So to you, I encourage you to take care of yourself and by doing so, you will be able to take care of others.





Instead of adding a zillion more, lemme say these three:
1. I enjoy physical comedy. They make it possible to do shows without the audience knowing the language.
2. Conversations with good friends are important. Hearing their voices is even better. Thank you to Schae-Schae, Bristol, Rachel and Amy for all your help, love and guidance.
3. I don't have a job for this summer. I am getting stressed about it in a very strange way. I know it will take care of itself, but I am worried about the way in which it will be taken care of. I'm not so sure that it'll be a good idea.



And with that, goodnight my loves.

And thank you. For everything.


1: I decided I like punctuation in plays better than I like it in regular english. In plays you can use punctuation to show the way one speaks, not just the way the rules asks for it. So the above "And thank you. For everything." is alright because there needs to be a full stop after the you. The for everything is a new thought.

Punctuation in plays fascinates me. <3

2. It was originally 1, 2, & 3 together in the punctuation comment above, but then Pat provided the Fun Fact of the day and I thought it should be shared. So here you go...

3. Fun Fact of the day: Mountain Dew was invented in the 1940s. It was made in Knoxville, Tennessee, and flavored with lemon and lime. The drink was created as a mixer for Whiskey, which is why it was named "Mountain Dew" -- a slang term for moonshine




So, uh... goodnight moon <3

You know,

As independent as I can be, sometimes I just get scared to make decisions on my own

Summer and Strength

Seeing as this is my last summer before graduating from college, it is a bit sacred and I was unsure what to do with it. After much debate, I decided I would like to teach theatre in a camp setting. However, I'd rather not immerse myself in a strictly theatre camp. There are a number of reasons for this, but not worth explaining. I also decided I might like to work at a camp which had a goal other than simply being an enjoyable time in the summer. I spent most of the day looking at different camps. Before I even began to look at the camp application I searched for reviews of camps. It's amazing how many have a large amount of negative reviews out of there. As my search has continued I began looking at camps involving children with special needs. Most of them require the counselors to be with the campers 24 hours a day. There is usually a ration between 1:1 and 1:3 which I'm sure would be helpful, but the more I've thought about it, the more I realize, I don't think I could do it. I think I could, with some research, a little reading and a bit of help, create and facilitate activities. However, at this time in my life I don't know if I have the prior experience or the strength to be what these children/people need/deserve. I am in awe of the people who are.

If anyone has any advice on camps to apply to, I'm open for suggestions. I would like to be the theatre coordinator at the camp.

Family Time :)

I've been remiss in blogging for the past week or so as it's been a wonderfully busy time for me. My family visited me!

With the help of lots of family (including and outside of the 5 of us), the whole family managed to find good deals and change in the couch to gather in Ireland the weekend before St. Patrick's day. Needless to say there were tourists about, but we still managed to visit some beautiful areas of Ireland and meet some lovely Irish storytellers. This was my first trip outside of London with anyone and it was with my family! This was also the first time we've taken a family vacation since my senior year of high school when we went to visit my wonderful Aunt and Uncle in California. This trip was quite a bit different as none of us kids are home and we are all quite a bit busier than we were 3 and a half years ago (whether we realized it was possible then or not). As a result my mom circled things in the guidebook, reserved the hotel and the rest of just tied up loose ends in (Houston, Chicago or London), booked our flights and showed up. It was a bit chaotic with planning, but just spending time with my family is always a major blessing. The funny thing about going places with my family is that it feels even more natural than when I go visit places by myself. Since we are all together it is as if these things were just planted here for us.
And let's be honest, the best part is probably eating. The difference between eating with my family and eating with my friends is that when we order food, we share... a lot. Instead of eating your dish and maybe a tiny bite of one friend's, whose dish looks particularly delicious, you get to try decent helpings of a total of five dishes. Plus we're all old enough now that we're good sharers... this may not have always been true...
I will be honest, it was not completely easy-peasy having my family here. I had a few assignments due the upcoming week and was particularly stressed about one assignment which seemed too overwhelming to even approach. I have to thank my family for being so understanding. While I was never able to get it completely off my mind, they made sure to give me my space and encourage me to do what I needed to so that I wasn't a mess in regards to school work. And, of course, I wasn't. The presentation was fine. I stayed up most of the night before it was due, but isn't that the way college is supposed to be?

Thank you also to my sister's professor(s) and internship supervisor(s) who were understanding and moved things around so she was able to leave early and visit me for two days in London before going to Ireland. Just as I have a habit of traveling by myself (it's often easier), I usually walk around by myself. It was so nice to have my sister around and have someone to talk to as we walked. Sure, I might've gotten a bit misdirected one night- I'm not used to talking and walking, but it was just nice to have her see the world that I live in. Anna Jo's h.s. best friend studied abroad in London as well so it was nice to think about her as we wondered. I only wish Anna Jo could have spent more time in London, as I spent most of the first day at my internship and not with her. There is so much to see in London, you can hardly scratch the surface in a day. In addition, I did not have a lot of time to plan for her visit so we just sort of went with the flow. We did get the chance to see Avenue Q at the Noel Coward Theatre. It was an excellent showing and after the performance we walked around the West End for a bit. Seeing as my sister has been one of my best friend throughout my entire life, it was really important to me that she see the town that I was falling in love with.

On the Sunday of the Ireland weekend I flew back to work on some school work. Anna Jo and Justin flew back to the States Monday morning. My parents then took a ferry over to Whales. They stayed there until Tuesday and then came to London. I did not see them until late Wednesday night due to Tuesday classes & festivities* as well as my Wednesday internship and class. They were extremely understanding to the responsibilities and prior engagements I had. I was able to spend Thursday afternoon with them before sending them off to see 39 Steps on the West End (which they apparently enjoyed). Then Friday we toured the Globe and walked around a bit. I got a bit cranky due to some difficulties with dinner, but like the wonderful parents they are, they understood I was tired and stressed and we got to dinner eventually. Saturday we had originally planned to go to Stratford-Upon-Avon, but ended up going to see a fringe show in Hampstead and eating at a delicious Greek restaurant. They walked me to the bus stop last night and waited for the N11- which took its time showing up. We said our good-byes, but it oddly enough didn't feel as if they weren't going to be back. When I woke up this morning, I nearly called them to see if they wanted to go to lunch later. Of course, I realized then that they would be boarding their plane in an hour.

I am ridiculously blessed and wish you all have the chance to spend such wonderful time with your families.





*The Tuesday festivities are worth mentioning. Obviously, as I've mentioned before, Tuesday's are pretty much always great days, but this one was of particular greatness:
Playwriting
Grab a quick bite to eat
National Ballet rehearsals.
Amazing. There's always more to say, but when it all boils down, Amazing.
Walk by Hyde Park to bus to take it back to school.
Sing Happy Birthday to Bristol on the bus!
A bit more foodage
Present that presentation I'd be stressing about
Talk with Iwan Rheon, Moritz in Spring Awakening (UK) for about an hour.
He was lovely in case you were wondering.
More class presentations
Champagne for Bristol's Birthday
Out to a couple pubs for Bristol's Birthday/St. Patrick's day.

Yeah, it was a lovely day.

It's a whole 'nother world

You know the easiness of traveling has gotten to you when a friend informs you she'll be in Barcelona and during that time you only have a day(ish) free and that is tomorrow... and you still look up to see if there would be flights at the right time within your price range.

Inevitably, there weren't...
but I was would've flown to Barcelona for 24 hours to see a friend.

sigh.

Sometimes I wish I could do that in US, but it just never seemed as possible there. Plus, there are some reallllly cheap flights to Barcelona (if you get them at the right times)

I can't believe I have to go back to Ohio so soon.


Have I told you that despite my original hesitancy on London, I am now kindasortainlove with it.
I'm not sure if coming back will be in the cards, but I don't think I'd mind if it was.
I think reverse culture shock is going to be harder than the original culture shock.

Like little dots on a map

"If you have ever slept under the stars, you will know that a mysterious world awakens in solitude and silence as we're sleeping"

On the first night I went to the Van Gogh Museum. I went to the first floor of the permanent exhibit and after exploring the first couple of rooms I was exhausted. After spending 15E on the entry fee I was not about to leave so I went downstairs and bought a cookie and a coffee in the cafe. I wrote on some napkins and occasionally dozed off. Eventually I felt slightly more alert and finished the regular exhibit. I saw many lovely paintings including another one of the Sunflowers. I have now seen at least three, maybe four, of the five which exist.

Afterwards I listened to a band playing in the lobby for a bit and then found out I didn't have to pay for the special exhibit. The Van Gogh Museum with New York City's Museum of Modern Art put together this night exhibit. It was probably one of my favorite things in Amsterdam. Not only was Starry Night (and a few of my other favorite Van Gogh -and non Van Gogh- paintings) exhibited, but they had a great audio guide to go with it. It was a good length so I never got tired. I even asked the audio tour for the extra facts a couple of times.

I really felt as though I learned a lot of things. I knew Van Gogh had tried to put together a bit of an artists' community which he was going to start with Gaugin, but Van Gogh and Gaugin had disagreements. I had forgotten- or perhaps never knew- the rest of the story. Gaugin and Van Gogh's central disagreement was how one should do art: paint, draw, whatever... Van Gogh believed your subject should be taken from life. Gaugin believed that to paint from one's imagination was even greater. The reason Van Gogh didn't want to paint completely from imagination was because he didn't want to free himself completely from reality. I suppose now would be a good time to mentionthat when Van Gogh was in the asylum he began painting more from his imagination... Of course, that wasn't the only way he painted... Landweg in de Provence bijnacht (1890) was his last painting done at the asylum. It was completely from memory.

"I have a terrible need for- I will use the word religion, so I go outside at night to paint the stars"

Starry Night was not from memory. It was painting at night on The Rhone. He manipulated some of it, obviously, but he was looking at the real night sky as he painted. The stars were a source of comfort for Van Gogh.

Throughout the exhibit I really enjoyed reading/hearing bits of Van Gogh's letters to his brother Theo. I think their relationship is remarkable. Van Gogh often included small sketches of his pictures in his letters to Theo. They're wonderful and look just right. Vincent also recommended that Theo read Longfellow because he "will no doubt become a friend of yours". This is excellent advice.

While in the Van Gogh Museum I decided I could never be a museum currator. Being a museum for too long makes me feel quite exhausted. Plus I like them to be quiet and I could never be quiet for that long. I was a little peeved at one particular currator. Sometimes there are certain paintings that you want to spend more time with. There was no bench near this painting (it was on the other side of the room), but I wanted to sit so I just sat on the floor. The currator came over and told me that I needed to stand up or sit over there (he points to the benches far away from the painting). I was in no one's way. I was causing no harm. I think he had his paintings in a bit of a twist. I paid 15 euros, I can sit on the floor not bothering anyone if I want. Rawr.

"Why, I say to myself, should the spots of lights in the firmament be less acessable to us than the black spots on the map of France? Just as we take the train to go to Tarascon or Rouen, we take death to go to a star."

A few other tidbits about my Museum experience:

-During the exhibit I would read the first line or two of the description before I realized it was Dutch and none of it was going to make sense
-At the museum they had two of the versions of The Sower that Van Gogh did. The larger one just liked a bigger tv in which the colors were lighter
-By adding orange and blue together you get a gross color which allows for you to have better grays
-[I knew this, but it's good to be reminded] The Potato Eaters is an exercise in color
-Avond (naar Millet)
-Eugene Delacroix taught Van hos to produce effective color contrast
-Van Gogh's father was a minister. Van Gogh originally felt called to preach or deliver the Gospel. He still did deliver that light, just in another medium. He kind of knew this.
-In 1887 "grue" (crane) and "grenouielle" (frog) in french meant "women of easy virtue"

-Seurat is a pointalism master
-Theodule Ribol did a nice still life with eggs. I don't think we often realize how complex and cool eggs are.
-The Yellow House (1888) = Het Sele Huis

"The sight of the stars always makes me dream, in as simple way as the black spots on the map representing towns and villages make me dream"
-Van Gogh

Canals, bicycles and lollipops

Entry is written in pieces as I post what I wrote down on my pink post-it notes as I was experiencing things. I plan on buying my own personal journal sometime in the next week as I realize that there are some things which need to be taken down without attention given to audience.


It's strange how different and yet, similar my trips to Paris and Amsterdam were. In both I saw Van Gogh paintings and guys peeing in the street. Whether in France or The Netherlands I found people to talk to and sketchy people to avoid. I felt slightly safer in France, but I think that was because there were more sober people and I never felt lost. Yet, I enjoyed both countries and feel as though something is more complete by visiting them.

In Paris Mona Lisa was actually larger than I thought she'd be. Everyone had talked about how small she was bigger than I imagined. In Amsterdam there were even more bikes than I imagined. They weren't as aggressive as I thought they might be, but they were simply omnipresent. And the parents have their kids on the backs and fronts of their bikes. Friends are comfortably riding with a person or two on the back. It's really a bit of a spectacle. I ran when I was in Amsterdam and until I got to Vondel Park I didn't see a single other runner. I had to stop quite often for bikes or scooters or slow people on the path. I didn't particularly enjoy running in Amsterdam. There were more people running in Gronigen, but I didn't run there.

After running by a certain fenced in garden in London, I learned that the smell of marijuana makes me tummy feel a little funny when running, Amsterdam confirmed this. I'm glad that people don't normally smoke week near tracks or cross country courses.

While in Amsterdam I walked around quite a bit, exploring the neighborhoods. I didn't take quite as many pictures because there weren't as many "monuments" and after awhile you get a little tired of bikes.
Miller had told me that if I go to Amsterdam I should definitely visit the Anne Frank Huis (House) despite the wait and this was good advice. I extend the advice to you. It's worth it... although you might find yourself wanting to read the book again by the end :)
On Sunday night, Els (a relative of mine) took me to see Valkerie which I thought would just be okay, but following Anne Frank's house, it was a great combination. Although I was a bit emotionally exhausted of WWII by the end of the weekend.


I wandered around for a bit and found Sara's Pancake House that was in my sister's pictures. I ate there. It was alright. The service wasn't the best, but hey, it had my name in the title :)
I also found this cheese house that my brother recommended. He had the street names one off, but I ran into it on accident. He was right when he said they had the best cheese. I'm not even what you would consider a "cheese person" and-- delicious. De Kaaskamer Van Amsterdam. I recommend it. It was probably the best cheese I've ever had. Next door there is a tooth brush store which my brother recommended to me. Here is a video of their awesome ferris wheel of toothbrushes. You may have to tilt your head. Ignore the sound.


On Saturday I went to an outdoor market and bought a few exciting things. One of these included a 14e dress (which I probably should've tried to lower the price for). When I returned home I realized I didn't have anywhere to wear the dress so I wore it yesterday to school. Many people complimented it and made me feel quite good about myself. I even got to twirl in it in acting. It's a lovely twirly dress :) It's pink with black designs which have some glitter on them. The dress poofs on the bottom. It fits a little funny on the top as it's a bit used, but it's still lovely.

Note for all you costumers out there: While at the Van Gogh Museum I discovered Rorbye has quite a few lovely pictures of costumes from 1850s Italy so if you ever do a show set in that period, look him up.

Also, people can tell you how many bikes there are in The Netherlands and how they run the roads and how they are essentially used as cars (people carrying everything from grocceries to children), but until you see it, I don't think you can really properly imagine it.


Written Saturday, March 7th:
"Call me crazy, but I think I'd like Amsterdam more if there was less pot and no red light district. I am not against pot, I just don't smoke it. The only time I was really tempted was when I saw the lollipops on Saturday morning. They looked quite delicious. I resisted. I can understand why people go to Amsterdam to do pot though. It's accessible everywhere and there are lots of people doing the same. Plus it's cheaper and safer than in the US. And I think the safety is what matters. The Red Light District is a whole 'nother story... having the first time I stumbled upon it being when I was quite lost, exhausted and by myself probably didn't help my judgement on it. To be honest, it feels like it's something that doesn't really exist. It's a surreal story, not a lucrative business..."

Then my coffee came and I stopped writing.

Welp, those are snapshots are my experience.
The pictures- which there aren't many exciting ones so don't hold your breath- should be up on facebook within the next week. Thanks to friends for your encouragement. So far my travels have been consistently interesting and "new experiences"... just like I asked for.