Feels like home

Here I am sitting sitting at Carin's computer and it really feels like home in Amsterdam and this house where I lived three months. It's been very nice to see Carin, Tina, Inez, Marita and tomorrow I'll see my old class mates as we are having dinner together. Saturday I'm off to The Island for a night to meet at least a part of my big host family. And Monday again a whole day in the train to the ex-DDR and Leipzig.

I was in Leipzig last weekend with my parents and it was rainy but otherwise okay. I got some kind of picture what the town looks like and took a tourist bus tour with my mum. Now I know who Karl Heine is and why am I living in a street which has his name - and also some other stuff about the neighbourhood I live in (Plagwitz) and Leipzig's history. Friday evening we had an interesting experience as we went to a chuch a bit outside the city centre where a silent film from the year 1922 was played. The film was accompanied by organ improvisation and it was quite awesome, although the film was a bit too long. The film was shown for the first time since it was restored, the Nazis had banned it right after the premiere and after that it was lost for a long time until found and restored.

I was totally happy last Sunday when the train crossed the Dutch border and loads of Dutch people came in speaking beautiful Dutch (yes, it can be beautiful). Also some conductors came in and they seriously suspected that my interrail ticket is false, which was quite confusing as I haven't had any problems travelling with it in other countries. I almost had to go with them to the last station to have my ticket "investigated thorrowly"... Well, apparently I was credible enough because they let me go.

I went to The Hague with Carin on Tuesday and saw the city centre for the first time - until now I've been to Scheveningen, which is a bit outside the city. We also visited the Dutch parlament which was quite interesting. Yesterday I was in Utrecht to see Inez and Marita and today in van Gogh museum.

The natural products store I worked in in 2007 doesn't excist anymore. The closed it just like a week ago and became a part of a bigger chain. I don't exactly know why, it's very sad becase De Weegschaal was the oldest natural products store in Amsterdam (opened somewhere in the 70s). I met my old boss cleaning the old store as I walked pass it and also some old colleagues who now work in the new store.

It's calm and rainy and a bit cold and I don't have to do much. That's very nice. I've been just sleeping out and relaxing and enjoying talking Dutch. I have again noticed how easily you forget a language when you don't use it so much. Damn damn. Next week I'll get into this normal rythm again with schedules and hopefully also a gym for my poor back.