Home is home but it's not home

Today, I learnt about what sort of traveller I am. Drinking in a tiny little bar, hidden away in an alley way, talking to an older Dutch couple. Sitting down to a delicious Thai meal. I was very happy. There was also an eerie moment where I felt like my Dad. I felt very grown up and I could see myself in 30 years, doing the same thing but remembering back in this particular moment.

It must've been about 4 years since I last saw Alecky. She's currently studying in Leiden, about a 35 minute train ride South from Amsterdam, and she agreed to host me for a night. Her bubbly personality and occasional one liners straight out of left field was exactly as I remembered her from high school. Leiden is a beautiful little city. It was a Saturday night yet hardly anyone was out and about. Apparently there are many students there who have gone home over the weekend/holiday season. Right by where I was staying there was a live jazz combo playing at this small, intimate bar. It was the perfect setting and time of the evening for me. They weren't overly impressive players, but the occasion was very sweet. I went for a neat stroll in the morning and found my favourite bridge. When I got back at 12.30, Alecky was still asleep. She cooked us some lunch then we explored some more. I got a lot out of our conversations. She is an incredibly consistent being, who...

13 hours sleep was a pretty solid effort. Especially in the same room with a vicious, misfiring Australian chain saw. Anne Frank's house was heavy. It was moving. It was challenging. I felt silly for not knowing more about her and her story all along. It was well worth the hour and a half of standing in line in the cold - even after discovering the sign near the front saying, "you can avoid the queue by booking your ticket online". I also made a terrible mistake. I thought I was at the Van Gogh museum. I thought it was brilliant and I spent hours in there. Too bad it wasn't actually the museum, but just an exhibition. I only found this out the next day coincidentally as well. What a prick! The evening was spent aboard an overheated, stuffy, cruise to see the Amsterdam Light Show. It was mighty underwhelming and it put everyone to sleep. A few drinks was had at the bar back at the hostel with a couple Chinese-American girls where I confused the shit out ...

I felt so rushed heading into this trip. The end of the year was a massive shitstorm of deadlines, events and stressed people trying to interact professionally. It was only on the flight that I finally had time to sit back and think about how bloody awesome the next 4 weeks is going to be. At times on the flight I was filled with uncontrollable excitement. Other times, my mind wandered off into the darkest and irrational streams of thought. It was a frightening reminder of the dangers of an unstimulated mind. Other things that happened: - sat next to girl on flight from KL to Amsterdam who had been to Alexandra before for one of the Malcolm's 21sts - their mum was my mentor this year for teaching. - she was going to Europe to surprise her boyfriend on Xmas Day.