Drinks and School and Stuff

Well, It's been a couple days since I've written. I need to try to write more, because I know that as real as everything feels right now, in four months the few first weeks which are probably some of the most important weeks will be fading in the back of my mind.

We went through orientation, which was interesting to say the least. After the first day though, some of the Orientation leaders took us out for drinks. It was a pretty bangin time I have to say. I personally went to two bars, one nearer to the dorms called De Kroeg, and another a little further away that I don't know the name of. The inside was super classy though, it kind of reminded me of the big living rooms of huge houses in Pride and Prejudice that all the balls are hosted in. The ceiling was probably about 20 feet tall and painted with peaceful clouds. Here I'm pretty sure the whole smoking policy is that smoking inside anywhere isn't permitted, even in bars, but if the owner is cool with it, they can designate a room for smoking. It's closed off from the rest of the rooms though so you don't even really notice it's there. So there was also a little smoking room off to the side with the doors closed.

On the second day of orientation they had the police come and have a talk with us about how all the drug policies work. Basically, no soft drugs are legal anywhere in The Netherlands. But here's the thing, they allow coffee shops to stay open because it helps to keep it all out in the open. I guess they know that even if they try to enforce the illegality of it, they're going to get a black market and it'll just get out of control. This way, they can keep an eye on it and just keep it under strict watch. So, coffee shops stay open and an individual can come buy some pot if they please and then go smoke it. I've heard it both ways, that in some you can't leave without smoking it there, and then some that if you light up in the shop you'll end up in the canal. I'm not sure which one is true, or if it really just depends on the shop. I myself haven't had the pleasure of exploring or taking advantage of these shops just yet. Don't worry though, that will come in time. To finish second day of orientation though, the school took us bowling. Like, I can appreciate a good game of bowling (I guess?) but, isn't that kind of an American thing? I don't know, I suppose I can't be too picky. And of course, there's the perk of free booze, so that was nice. I could get used to this whole school being associated with going out for drinks thing...

Today I slept in a lot. It was nice, and I guess my body needed it. We've been going pretty much all day every day since we arrived last monday. It's good though, I'm starting to feel more and more comfortable in the city and walking around. I love it here, I can tell that in May leaving Leiden might even be harder than it was for me to adjust being away from my family. After I showered and threw on some clothes though, Randi's roommate, Ashley, and her boyfriend took me and other Cat and Randi to Tmobile which we ended up not needing. We thought we were having issues with getting our minutes onto our phones, but Ashley's boyfriend took a look at it and figured it right out. They are two of the nicest people. Ashley is from Pennsylvania and her boyfriend is Dutch. It's nice to know that they are willing to tote us around while we're still figuring everything out. They also offered to take us to Brussels and The Haag, which are towns around Leiden.

I have passed a couple different shops that sell postcards, so for all of you who sent me your addresses, don't fret! Just be patient, I'm definitely working on buying and writing those postcards. And, if you're new to the blog, it's not too late! Send me your address and I'll write you a postcard!

This first week has gone by really quickly and I have to say, I'm pretty proud of how fast I've adjusted to the new situation. I'm not usually good with change and I think this has gone very smoothly. Of course, things like Skype and being able to watch Glee on the internet have made it a bit easier but I'm sure the amount of charm and acceptance that this town possesses has a lot to do with it too. Good times.