Some Musings

I went out thrifting today, both in search of some pants that will fit mean serve as good walking pants, and to better familiarize myself with the bus and trams that take me from my apartment to different parts of the city. Tomorrow morning, my official schedule begins, with a visit to the IND for bio-metrics before I need to take care of a few things at the university itself. I'll probably have more on that for Wednesday's update.

Because I spent that first day here walking all over the place, I recognized many of the places the tram whisked past this afternoon on my journey over to De Pijp. I'm glad I decided to do that long walk and see the sights, read street names, and notice what are now becoming landmarks for my personal navigation. I had a moment early on in the apartment where I realized I was trying to orient myself using the Rocky Mountains. That's, uh. That's not going to work out here, brain. The Netherlands is a flat, flat country. Perfect for cycling and walking, but not at all conducive to navigating by mountain range.

Anyway, on my very pleasant out-and-about today, I gave some thought to the things I've noticed between here and the US. I've traveled some in the past, but always as a temporary citizen and not as someone looking to stay indefinitely. The better one gets to know a place, the more of its faults become apparent, of course, so know that much of my observations are early-on rose tint...and also remember I'm coming from the US, where nightmares and injustices abound. Everywhere. Always. Where they are unavoidable in their omnipresence.

Ok. List time:

-The lack of unhoused folks. I know the Netherlands has a growing number of unhoused citizens, particularly in locations where the housing crisis is severe and prices are unaffordable. But there is no comparison - and I mean even a little one - to the sheer number of folks on the streets in the US, both urban and suburban. I saw a few people peddling or asking for handouts today - maybe three in my travels around the city, including through the densely-packed high-tourist areas. No encampments, no one riding the trams to keep warm or dry or cool. No lumps on the sidewalks you need to approach to know whether they are living or not, strung out or exhausted. We all know the US is full to the brim of people unable to afford housing, and that the number keeps rising. But I guess I didn't really think about what it might be like to be in a metropolitan area without their presence. And without the familiar sight of police harassing people with no place to go.

-The city is clean. I passed through one area that smelled of trash today; and that was because they were using the familiar system of trash bins picked up once a week outside. Most of Amsterdam, including where my apartment is located, utilizes underground bins that have hatches above ground, where bags can be dropped. The entire bins are pulled and emptied periodically, but in the meantime, the trash is neither visible or smellable for passersby. And there are lots of bins - so far I haven't taken a piece of trash with me for more than a few minutes before finding a bin to plop it into. The bins themselves can be "adopted," by citizens, who volunteer to clean up around them and keep the area functional and neat. In return they are rewarded with some benefits from the city. If I were in a longer-term living situation, I'd seriously consider joining, because the cleanliness of the city at large is such a wonderful thing for commuters, and I'd like to contribute to it.

-I passed an herb garden around the base of a tree today, located on a public street outside of a restaurant. The sign, in both Dutch and English, suggested that passersby make use of the fresh herbs for their dinners. I wish I'd stopped and snipped some myself, because later this evening I ended up buying fresh cut herbs for my own dinner anyway. At some point I'll upgrade my little balcony to an herb garden. But I'll need to settle into a routine first.

-This is an obvious one, but the transit here is peak. I had a small heart-attack the morning I arrived, and I realized my taxi driver was driving in the tram lane. And that the bus lanes overlap with the tram lanes. And that the trams and cars drive alongside one another. on the street And that amidst all of that there are bicyclists, pedestrians, and moped...ists crisscrossing every which way. I've gotten used to it already, though, within a few days of wandering around, and I'm just left with the feeling of awe at a city designed around the transportation of people instead of goods. The bike lanes, sidewalks, dedicated bus lanes, and tram and train network has a lil ole American me both in awe and severely depressed about the state of my home country. Like. More so than usual, even than the times I'd look at what the US's train network looked like before Big Freight(tm) took over.

-The city is beautiful. I don't mean that American cities aren't. But I have been noticing Amsterdam's many-faceted beauty, and I'm in love with it. Combined with how easy it is to travel, and how clean everything is, the beauty of the city is incredibly easy to appreciate. There is art everywhere, of course, Amsterdam being the home of so many museums and galleries and theaters. But also the plant life, the gardens, the intentional design of streets and blocks and buildings, the way the canals intersect and are shown off to passersby all makes for a really beautiful experience whilst wandering around. Nature is incorporated in a way that isn't in most cities I've lived in. Some of the trees here tower over buildings and provide shade for every living thing beneath them, dwarfing even the largest trees I remember from back home (California excepted, lol). The parks feel expansive and intentional, and I can't get enough of exploring them. There are also plenty of places where the sidewalk diverges into a more natural path, which takes a traveler a little longer to go from A to B, but is a peaceful and pleasant walk. I take those on foot every time I come across them.

-Te general feeling of security wandering around. I'd heard Amsterdam was and is a pretty safe place to go a'walking. Part of that is a culture of pedestrians, bikes, and busses. Part of that is that there are still transit options through the night, even though limited. Part of that is a generally happy and well taken care of populace not having to live on the brink of society. In the past decade (looking at data through 2023), the Netherlands has had an average of 129 murders per year. Read that again, my American compatriots: The Netherlands, a country of 18,000,000 people, had an average of 129 murders per year, with 2023 totaling 125. My home state of Colorado, in comparison, a state of about 6,000,000 people, reported 201 murders in 2023. Certainly it's impossible to compare the two directly, and I'm not trying to diminish the problem with violence - particularly intimate partner violence as is prevalent in the NL just as in the US - but I did a double-take when a new acquaintance mentioned the increased rate of women being murdered here: one every eight days. The rates seems incredibly diminished coming from a country of incredible violence - and those murder rates don't necessarily include deaths at the hand of law enforcement - and it is honestly refreshing to hear people be concerned with lowering the rate even further in whatever ways possible. I want physical violence against a person to elicit shock and horror; not the oh-so-common dismissal it receives in the States, where so many are so worried about their own survival to have enough energy to fight for others'.

Regardless.

I'm looking forward to learning more about this area, and the country at large, and the continent at even larger. I didn't expect and still do not expect this place to be a utopia. But I feel better here. Less stressed, significantly less fearful for my person. A little more hopeful that there are others out there who wish to work toward a better future for everyone. I don't intend to turn a blind eye to the issues the Netherlands and Amsterdam itself faces. But for now, I feel like maybe it will be ok for me to let some of the fear that constricts me loosen a bit, and breathe in just a tiny breath of hope for the future. Even if I made it home without finding a single pair of pants today. Not a one.

Thank you for reading!

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