vrijdag 30 november 2012

The return to Freezing Frogland: The first 6 months

I can’t believe it’s been exactly half a year since I returned on home soil. It’s gone ridiculously fast. Here’s a quick recap for those that have not found the time or interest (but still ended up here) to keep up with me.

After I left New Zealand halfway April I traveled through Thailand, Laos (with Stray) and Vietnam (alone). I ticked all the backpacker boxes such as uncomfortable night bus travels (a rock thrown through the window by two fighting men), getting my purse snatched (good reason to buy a new camera), food poisoning (aptly named ‘The biggest loser Laos’ by my also rather sick Swedish roommate) and eating insects (anything fried tastes the same).

I got home at the end of May and moved in with my sister in The Hague, which I was very grateful for, as I think I’ve come to a point in my life that I’ve saturated my need for staying in hostels. After a week I got bored and started looking for a job. Any job. After another week I found one and I'm now working as an Admin/Secretary. Which is not what I got my MA in sociology for, but it pays the bills and keeps me off the street. Which is a good thing as the neighbourhood I live in is the only thing mentioned under ‘Danger and Annoyances’ if you look up The Hague in the Lonely Planet.

I also started looking for my own flat, not necessarily related to the latter, but when you can find something nice and cheap of your own, why wouldn’t you? Start of August I got assigned my own (council/social housing) 2-bedroom flat, 200 meters from where I was living, so me and my sister can still have dinner together. It looked rather ugly colour-scheme and hygiene wise (not that I’m a pro decorator but I know that brown-and-yellow living room walls have been a no-no for about 40 years and mould does not qualify as wall decoration), so it needed some work done, but it’s nice and spacious and cheap. So after a month of painting, getting my hands on an entire set of furniture and decorations for a set price (including 20 pillows, Easter eggs, plastic peaches and some hideous paintings), I think I can say I’ve sort of settled down.

In short:
Now that I’ve been back for a while people tend to ask me quite often whether Holland is a good country, if it’s good to be back, if I’m going to stay, what changed the most. Let me tell you this. There’s two things that changed the most. First, people have crates on their bikes. That’s new. I’ve quickly adapted and bought a pink one myself, but had some trouble attaching it to my bike because my snelbinders (which cost about €5) keep on getting stolen. Now that I’ve secured them with 8 tie-wraps, they’re still on there a week later!

Second, I’m that one that’s changed. I’m older. When I pass the local uni, I’m not in their age group anymore. I was when I left Holland. The Moroccan boys on the street don't call me 'psst psst' anymore but say 'mevrouw'. Well, that's the cue that your youth definitely over (and you instantly learn it's got advantages as well).

But yes, it’s good to be back. I’m planning to stay – at least for a couple of years. The Hague is a great city, very international, with loads going on. It’s got pubs, music and a beach. It’s not pretentious, touristy and expensive like Amsterdam. Probably most important though, is that it is so much better to get to see my old friends regularly instead of just liking their statuses on Facebook. I do miss the nature and the lifestyle of meeting a lot of random people though, but this is something that is still available, just with a little bit more effort than before. In the end, all places and countries and cultures have their pros and cons. After a lot of thinking and some spare time I’ve come to the following conclusion:


I plan to write here regularly, depending on the interest shown (my eyes are on the counter!) and inspiration. Feel free to suggest topics!