I’ve never flown KLM or been through Amsterdam. I think Amsterdam would be a place I would like to visit---at least from looking at the postcards=)
It was in Amsterdam I found out why I had to check my carry on. There are different restrictions for carry ons btw Europe and Asia. There’s also high security flying into South Asia. We had to through another full security check. I was highly entertained by a Scottish woman. She was a bit racy and shared her opinions freely. My layover wasn’t boring at all. We did a lot of people watching and speculation of people’s stories.
On the plane I was seated by a Punjabi man and his son. They were on their way to visit the man’s parents. The man and his son live in Germany. They only spoke German and Punjabi. My listening skills were tested as I tried to talk to the little boy who mixed the two languages. The man and I were able to communicate pretty well. There were some random words that failed me after being sleep deprived for more than 20 hours such as deice and the word for the wing on a plane. I enjoyed using my German again. Somehow the airline attendants thought we were married. I infer that from a comment they made when they came around checking on special meal orders. The attendant made the jester to us and the Indian couple across from us as being one family. I didn’t think anything of it until I was in line for customs. I realized I wasn’t ever given my immigration form on the plane. I slept a great deal and I think they didn’t wake me (which they typically do) because they thought the Punjabi man was my husband. Luckily, the immigration guy was nice and let me fill the form out without having to go to the end of the line.
After making it through immigration I went to collect my bags. Thank goodness all my baggage arrived with nothing missing or damaged. My host had fun watching me unpack. It is always interesting to see what newbies bring because you never really know what to bring. The company gave me a list of things to bring based on not living in a large city but I live in a city with 20 million people.
When I went shopping my first day here, I was pleased to find all sorts of food items I almost brought but are easily found here. I was also delighted to find a great selection of fruits and veggies. The best part is there are shops now with readymade clothes for people my size. YEAH!
I feel a bit spoiled. I have the best host. She uses her home as a guesthouse. I might end up staying with her during my year of language study since it’s so close to the school. There are lots of benefits of living with someone who has been here for 9 years. One is she has western toilets. Two is she has a wash machine. Three is she has a water heater (which they call geezers here). Four she has satellite TV. Five she has wireless. Six her house help cleans the house and washes dishes (note: It is customary to have house help. It’s not a luxury. It provides jobs for people and helps us out tremendously. We would be looked down upon by our community if we didn’t). I have access to all this as part of my rent. A special person lives in our neighborhood so we have electricity and water more often than other people. I’m a bit spoiled to begin with but it will help with the transition. There’s enough stuff I have to deal with than not being comfortable at home.
The weather hasn’t been as cold as anticipated but it’s been cool enough. I am taking a trip to visit a friend and her new baby next week. When I return I will start classes and have full orientation at work. It’s been good to have time to rest. I have a cold. My host says that most people get a cold the first week simply from exhaustion and acclimating to the pollution. I’m learning to be gracious to myself and am resting.
