Study Abroad: I MADE IT!

    I am safe and sound in my little bed and when I say little I'm not joking my room is about the size of two mountain view closets. Here is a low down on the day I had.
   I arrived half an hour early to Amsterdam, went through customs within a minute no problem, then found the meeting point very easily, I looked around and could find no one with a sign that said my name so i sat down and waited and waited and waited. After waiting for an hour and a half I decided to buy the train ticket and go on my own. I later found out her train had been delayed and she got to Schipol airport ten minutes after I left. I got on the train hoping and praying that once in the city it would be fairly easy to get to my dorm and then to campus.
   Getting off the train was an adventure all itself, it was so crowded with tons of people running every which way but I could not find a bus information stand so I asked a man which bus would take me to Van Houtenlaan (my dorm building) well first off Dutch sounds like a mix between German, Arabic and French to me, so my pronunciation of anything is completely wrong. Then I asked him if he knew which bus would get me to Hanze, that he knew so I got on the number 11 bus line a nice russian student helped me find which stop I needed.
   Now I was on campus but no idea where on campus I needed to go. I turned the corner from the bus stop and saw a building that looked familiar from all my brochures and decided that was as good a place as any. Oh and did I mention that the wheels on My luggage had been obliterated by either the airport people or by the cobble stone I'm not sure which because I didn't realize I was just dragging them until I finally got to my dorm. Back to my story I get inside the building (of course revolving doors, that must have been entertaining to watch) and ask the front desk about Van Houtenlaan, welcome day ect. She finally understood me and wouldn't you know it the welcome day orientation was being held in that very building upstairs.
   I had missed most of the information and touring but at least i met a familiar face, my contact I had been emailing from the beginning and other American exchange students. One of the advisers took pity on me at the end of all the paper work and kindly drove me to my dorm, which by the way is all the way on the other side of town, I'm told it is a 30 minute bike ride to get there (JOY).
     My room is nice but it does kind of looks like a orphanage. I completely forgot about bring things to decorate the walls with and of course they offered me a pack set of bedding but what I am in desperate need of is a towel.
   The neighborhood is very cute and the town seems very fun and hip but honestly I'm a little overwhelmed thank god the Dutch are extremely nice and pretty accommodating.

Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day i need to venture the town and buy: a bike, a towel, food, get cash from a bank (oh and of course they don't accept visa anywhere in the Netherlands so my cards are practically useless) a phone, a bus pass, and who knows what else.

this is my dorm!