i LOVE the dutch. it isn't just the coffeeshops of amsterdam that is dimming my senses, or the having pulled (been pulled by perhaps?) a bartender, or even the fact that the weather was nicer and warmer than i have experienced in a few weeks, no, it is the dutch people. i am proud to be a citizen of the world if only for the fact that a place like holland exists. it gives me faith that the rest of the world has a chance. they are just so good natured, friendly and all around good people it makes me happy. perhaps i've been fortunate to only meet the best of the dutch, but in general they all just seem generally happy to be alive...

anyways, the group of us arrived on monday morning in amsterdam and very quickly i could tell i was not with the right crew of people. i came with my cousin, 2 of his friends and one of their friends. all cool guys, but after eating at lame tourist trap restaraunt for breakfast on the main street damstracht(?) i was already a bit aprehensious. these guys have been going to the 'dam for several years and they have effectively never left the red light district. SADNESS! soon after we head to their main haunt and the place to return to after when/if we all get seperated. a few spliffs are passed around and we are all good and stoned when everyone gets to the ever-so-boring stoner trance. urgh. especially boring as i don't really know these guys so well. the coffee shop that they frequented was really not that great. okay decorations, semi-comfortable seats, HORRIBLE music, descent pot, a cool place to visit, but definately not somewhere you'd want to keep going back to - the guys even complained about it. the only redeeming factor (which, to be fair, is pretty good) was that you could sit upstairs and do some great people watching. even better was that if you looked left you could see the corner of the skeevy (ww?) redlights and if you looked right there was an old church - cool because you got completely opposing views of hte city with a turn of the head. anyways, after getting overpriced pizza i suggested to the guys that we go get a pint before heading out to the pot. they're like "wow, that's a great idea, we've never done that" - WHAT? Gawd. Eventually i get fed up and ditch the crew and head out alone. at this point i'm pretty pissed and wishing i was with anyone besides them...literally anyone...grrrr...

hit up a gay bar with the intent of drinking and chilling, being pretty exausted from all the pot and the early flight - mission accomplished. i sat on a comfortable couch away from the bar and people watched with pint in hand. eventually the bartender came up and says "you know, we can't flirt with you if you sit all the way over there" - instant blushage on mateo's part. (# of bartender confidence boosters thus far: 1) i move to the bar and chat with the bartender for a while. he's an american bloke who did his graduate work in holland during which he met his current boyfriend and decided to stay. cool guy, got a philsophy recommendation from him. then met older scottish couple and chatted with them for a while. the free beers were flowing my way from the three of them - hooray for free beer! i finally understand the joy of being a girl at a bar! (oddly though this has NEVER happened to me before at bars). walked home, watched some dutch tv (with dutch subtitles) passed out and several times considered smothering my cousin's friend's friend for souding like some sort of african beast's gutteral growling....

gotta head to work - more on the 'dam adventures tomorrow