... and if you look to the left

We were married over a year ago now and though we had the chance to celebrate with friends in family in the states we never had the chance to celebrate with Joerg’s friends and family over here in Europe.  Last night we were finally able to.

We were joined by 30 friends and family at a small beach restaurant on Zandvoort, Netherlands.  We topper along the beach for 1km and ducked inside just as the rain started to downpour.  Luckily we were tucked away for the next 6 hours enjoying good food and wine and wonderful company, getting to celebrate mine and Joerg’s marriage, and, since it rolled on past midnight, my 32nd birthday. 

I was feeling sad about not having so few people there to represent my side, but my dear friend Justin spearheaded a video of birthday and marriage celebration wishes from friends all across the US, from Philadelphia to Seattle, and even some family in Senegal!  It was exactly what I needed to remember that even though I may be far from home I still have the love and support of so many as we continue this adventure of international living.

It’s been a year.  Hard to believe but we have actually ben living in Amsterdam for a full year now and it has been an amazing time of ups and downs and lots of new.

It feels funny to be reflecting on another milestone.  Eight months ago I was pondering on the change of the calendar year, in May it was a year of being unemployed, then our 1 year wedding anniversary and now the one year anniversary of our move, but I guess all those markers just go to show how much has been packed into life lately.

Let’s see, what has this year brought?

This year has been marked by a lot of travel.  An international move didn’t seem to be enough.  In the last 12 months there have been three trips back to the US, and multiple trips to Rinteln, Germany to be with family.  Also London twice, Athens twice, twice to Italy, Australia, Berlin, Crete, Mykonos, Istanbul, and several places around the Netherlands and Belgium.  It’s been one of my favorite aspects to living in Europe, there is so much of the world I have yet to experience that now seems out my front door.

And luckily a lot of people have come here.  Joerg’s mom has come to stay several times and friends like Frankie, Christian, Adrian and Matthias have come from around Europe for long weekends. Also from the US Aunt Julie and my folks each came for separate two week long trips and Erin and Em each came to stay for two weeks.  So much fun to have friends and family who have the desire and ability to come and share this part of life.

Joerg’s job has continued to go extremely well and considering that was the driving force behind our move this is a very good thing.  He is traveling even more then I am, mostly for work, but this means I spend a bit of time on my own here in A’dam.  Luckily I have made some great friends here, but beyond that I have also thrown myself into Dutch courses and as of recently I too am working.

I am working at Starbucks, go figure huh?  A seattle guy moves all the way to Amsterdam and ends up working at Starbucks.  But it has been a great place for me to keep busy where I can slowly improve my Dutch with an incredible staff.  It is called Starbucks The Bank and is a really cool Reserve store with an incredible design concept.

I have become a biker I use it every day no matter where I am going.  There are times when I am loaded down with the dry cleaning, groceries, my gym bag and fresh flowers biking through Vondel Park on my way home and I can help but laugh a little at how different day to day life looks here.  But then some things aren’t so different.

I still think about my family and friends constantly, even if the distance makes communication harder.  And luckily I still have my best friend with me navigating this adventure we are on: new marriage, new city, new jobs, new transportation and couture, but same partnership tackling it together.

Come visit.  We’ll show you windmills and loan you a bike!

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Favorite part of Berlin was getting to travel with good friends.  Most impressive site was the Holocaust Memorial.  Designer Peter Eisenman describes the memorial as producing an uneasy, confusing atmosphere aiming to represent a supposedly ordered system that has lost touch with humanity.  It is immense, breathtaking and disorienting.

One of the things I most over about it though was that even within the somber reality of what it is memorializing there was still an element of play about it with people weaving in and out of the stelea and climbing over it as well.  There was something about the play in and amongst the somber remembrance which added life to the monument.

One of the most beautiful things I saw in Istanbul was the Hagia Sophia.  This amazing church was dedicated in 360 and served as a Christian Church until 1453 when it was converted into a Mosque.  In 1931 it was secularized and in 1935 opened as a museum.  Their are remnants present from all its former incarnations, unfortunately everything is in sad disrepair.

A few of the original stunning mosaics have been uncovered but all of them are extensively damaged.  Though this World Heritage Site is one of the most visited locations in Turkey very little seems to be put into restoration and preservation.

Even considering the neglect it remains a stunning piece of history and architecture with astounding views looking int and out.

One of the draw backs to living internationally is that you leave behind your support network of family and friends.  Not only do you end up living a distance away from them, but often times the time difference makes reaching out hard.

I am struggling through an essay right now which is really important to me.  It’s a broad rambling analysis of the cultural and creative fields in America and developments over the last decade.  I have lots of great information and I know what I want to say but I just need some help focusing and framing.  And I am on a dealing of course. Normally I would talk to Megan about this. Or Michael, or Em or the Pietsch’s or or or, but everyone is asleep or away.  It’s tough, we talk so often about how small the world is.  But then there are salient moments when the distance actually feels really big. When what you need more than anything else is a cup of coffee with a  friend and someone to help you organize your thoughts and everyone you’d normally get advice from is in bed.