Luggage has landed!

Today I was picked up for work by another one of my colleagues--Andrew. This time, instead of going to the office, we went directly to the client we are working on right now. (Actually, the whole time I am here, I will be working on the same client.) I didn't do much of anything at work besides get started on my bank account at Fortis and surf the net for cool places to visit here in The Hague. So, easy day for me at work.

Since British Airways said that my luggage would be at the hotel between 8 and 1 today, I called the hotel and asked if my luggage had been delivered. They said no, so Andrew and I planned to leave the office around 4pm to do a little shopping for at least a coat. Everyone around me asks where my coat is--even if its sunny and 70. I was informed that the Dutch wouldn't be caught without a coat/jacket...ever. I guess the weather can change at the drop of a hat, so they are always prepared.

Another thing about the Dutch is that they start riding their bike when they are 4 or 5 and ride it to school every day. There are no school buses. When they turn 8, they stop riding to school alongside their parent and ride on their own--usually with a group of kids their age. It's amazing to see cars drive down small streets next to a little one on their bike. It would scare the heck out of me. My broker explained to me that the Dutch are just used to being on the road with all the bikes and walkers, so they react really fast to everything. They are also very aggressive when driving...so it reminded me of trying to get out of the 'cage' at Fort Osage High School when I was there. (a bunch of cars trying to get out of a gate only big enough for one lane of cars after school was out) If I get my car from EY, I can't imagine how I will react when a little kid comes up on the side of my car peddling away as fast as he can and swerving a little. Yikes. The tram lines also run down some of the streets, so you have to watch out that you're not in the way of one of them, also. I'm a little freaked out to drive, but as I've been hearing lately, I probably won't get a car. It's alright--public transport is everywhere!

Alright, back to my day... Lunch at our client was very interesting and is going to take some getting used to. It's a really big cafeteria (as our client is huge, as well....second largest in Den Haag) with a ton of choices. It's almost as if everyone knows what they want before they walk in...because they mean business. They rush around, pay, sit down, eat, and get back to work. Some get two pieces of bread...put cheese slices on each and eat using a fork and knife. It's odd to me, but I love bread, so I'm very excited about that--because I love bread as well...well all carbs in general actually : ). The milk is free, but pop is incredibly expensive. Today I got a Coke light, but I think that I will try to drop that habit and start drinking more milk (melk).

All the Dutch are average size--not big--so they must be doing something right! After lunch, you take your tray to an assembly line of disposal where you put each item in its own bin--> trash in one, leftover food in another, cups in another, plates, trays, etc. They mean business with this, too. One lady behind me was rushing so fast that she bumped me and I dropped stuff. haha... Kevin and I just laughed and he was glad that someone else noticed how intense that part of lunch is. : )

So, about 4:15, Andrew and I head to the city centre of the Hague for a little shopping. We got there in time for me to shop for about 15 minutes. (because everything shuts down by 6pm and traffic is a little heavy) Everyone should know that it's not possible to do ANY shopping in that amount of time! (Remember the reason I wanted to get some things--'essentials'--was because British Airways was going to reimburse me for getting things to get by with until my luggage arrived..and b/c I called the hotel and they said my luggage was not there, I knew I needed something for the next day at work.) I ran into one store and bought underwear and then went to another store and just grabbed a coat, suit, shirt, and shoes (the 'essentials' regardless of the cost). The total I spent was about 350Euros. Ouch...that is about $430. As long as BA reimburses me, I'll be cool. That's a lot of money! I'll work on that one later. : )

I met my broker after shopping and she took me to see two more apartments. One was on the 5th floor of a building with spiral stairs and my legs were cramping by the time I got to the top. It was spacious, but there was no dryer (i'm not sure why the Dutch have something against drying their clothes using technology, but it seems that way. I would have to iron everything if I let them dry by hanging it on a line.) and just the fact that its on the top floor was horrible. The second one was even worse--the furniture was from the 70's and not the cool 70's looking furniture you see coming back in these days. The bathroom and shower were in a closet off the kitchen and the bedroom had only enough room for a bed...nothing else. It also didn't have a dryer....what's up with my broker showing me these when she knows I at least need a dryer! I wouldn't care, at this point, if it was a communal washer and dryer, but anyway...

So, tomorrow, I will meet her again and then we will go look at a place by the sea (Scheveningen) that is what she says "my style." We'll see. It's getting down to crunch time,...not that it wasn't when I arrived on Friday, but I only get the hotel til the end of the week. If this one doesn't work, I think I will take Kevin up on his offer to take me in until the apartment I liked (on monday) that is not available until Nov 1. It was exactly what I wanted--and had a DRYER!!!

BIG NEWS: I received my luggage!!!! Whoohoo!!!!

Say it with me..."Whoohoo!!!!!"

Actually, I haven't even opened it yet. I got home late and ate dinner and responded to emails (since you all just got done eating lunch and are in the middle of your work day). After this, I will get into them and sit in awe at all the stuff I have now!!! I finally have choices! Well, I am tired of writing...so....

Dutch word for the day is "goedenmorgen". It means good-morning. : )

Kudos to everyone that used "dag" in their emails today. I knew you all were reading this b/c of it.