A day in the city - with new friends!

One of the challenges that I have not really focused on is the fact that I have relocated to a large metropolitan area from a very small one.  Newburyport has less than 20,000 people and Rotterdam has over 600,000.  Depending on the context, of course, Rotterdam is either very big or very small.  One of my new friends, Adrian, is from Mexico City and he scoffs at the notion that Rotterdam is a big city - his hometown has almost 10 million!  21 million if you look at the greater metropolitan area!

I have been framing this experience as an adventure in a new country - which it certainly is - but it is also a big city experience, with lots to explore in terms of activities, the international population, transportation options and proximity to OTHER big cities.

On Saturday, I explored Amsterdam with these guys - 

Adrian, Tina, Adriana, Pojen and Jose (who joined us a bit later).  We started with lunch, then walked to the Museumplein (home to the Van Gogh Museum, the Rijksmueum, the Stedelijk Museum and the Moco Museum.  And, of course the famous Concertgebouw, home of the city's classical orchestra. This area also hosts numerous demonstrations and there was one in progress regarding Afghanistan.  

Dinner with beer was next on the agenda, followed by a visit to a typical Dutch 'coffee house'  (I bowed out at that point and headed home).  Our topics of conversation ranged from the urban planning issues (how do they do public hearings in your city??) to the more personal (if you could make your life into a movie, what genre would it be?  comedy? drama? rom-com??).  We dubbed Tina our 'talk show hostess' since she had the most interesting questions.  AND we watched a guy get arrested in his colorful 'tighty whities' - sorry, no photos were taken....

I am looking forward to many more adventures and conversations with these guys and with all of the students I have yet to meet and friends I have yet to make.