A Part of Things

Ever since I moved to Holland I haven't really felt a part of things here. That's not so unusual. It's normal, after all, after moving to a new place to take some time to find a few friends, get used to things and start feeling at home, right? It took me almost a year of living in Japan to find some friends that I really liked and enjoyed hanging around with. I've been here for almost 1.5 years now...

Things do feel a bit more real since I got a temp car from my company though. It's so silly, but every time I got on the trains and went somewhere I felt like a tourist. I guess I'm just too much an American. I'm too used to getting into my car and driving to where I need to go. The traffic jams are really going to take some getting used to, but it sure does beat standing outside in the cold waiting for the bus, the tram, or the train to show up. And never ever will I hear my car announcing to me that it will be 30 minutes late because of repairs. *chuckle*

And what did I get in the mail today? Junk mail! Yes, I too could already be a millionaire! Well, that's not what it said, but that's much more familiar sounding, isn't it? It's a postcode lottery, to be split by everyone who applies in a particular postcode, should that postcode be chosen. 40 million guilders. Not bad, not bad at all. ;-)

So I guess the thin and short of it is, I'm not there yet, but I think I'm getting closer...