Recap of journey:
Long. It was long.
Didn't get a wink of sleep on the nine hour flight from Portland to Amsterdam thanks to the hyperactive children who kept wailing and screeching throughout the entire flight. Their parents clearly did not slip them a little NyQuil so that the rest of us could get a little sleep. Thanks, parents.
I haven't slept in over 48 hours as of writing this post. However, college has prepared me well for traveling internationally without sleep: all you really need is a nice big mug of Starbucks coffee to get you to your connecting flight.
Despite the lack of sleep, I had a pretty good time getting over here. I sat next to a very attractive Spanish exchange student on the way to Amsterdam. And on the flight to Berlin, I sat in between a group of Chilean professional skateboarders. They were pretty badass, covered in tattoos they had designed themselves. These encounters are proof that Spanish is always useful. Even on your way to Germany.
Amsterdam's Schiphold Airport is a pretty interesting place. They sell tulips everywhere. And mugs with references to pot. It was very Seattle, especially when I walked off the plane and the first thing I saw (other than a lot of orange), was a Starbucks. The line was filled with a bunch of confused Americans trying to order "the usual" only to realize that the people at this particular Starbucks didn't necessarily know what "grande nonfat iced vanilla caramel frappuchino with extra chocolate sprinkles" meant.
Speaking of Starbucks, it's interesting to see how Americans are viewed abroad. The Amsterdam Schiphold Starbucks, for instance, sold sandwiches that were "American-style," i.e. stuffed with fried chicken and melted cheese. The Chilean skateboarders told me that America needed to be "more chill," i.e. not feel inclined to control the entire world. #Truth.
Long. It was long.
Didn't get a wink of sleep on the nine hour flight from Portland to Amsterdam thanks to the hyperactive children who kept wailing and screeching throughout the entire flight. Their parents clearly did not slip them a little NyQuil so that the rest of us could get a little sleep. Thanks, parents.
I haven't slept in over 48 hours as of writing this post. However, college has prepared me well for traveling internationally without sleep: all you really need is a nice big mug of Starbucks coffee to get you to your connecting flight.
Despite the lack of sleep, I had a pretty good time getting over here. I sat next to a very attractive Spanish exchange student on the way to Amsterdam. And on the flight to Berlin, I sat in between a group of Chilean professional skateboarders. They were pretty badass, covered in tattoos they had designed themselves. These encounters are proof that Spanish is always useful. Even on your way to Germany.
Amsterdam's Schiphold Airport is a pretty interesting place. They sell tulips everywhere. And mugs with references to pot. It was very Seattle, especially when I walked off the plane and the first thing I saw (other than a lot of orange), was a Starbucks. The line was filled with a bunch of confused Americans trying to order "the usual" only to realize that the people at this particular Starbucks didn't necessarily know what "grande nonfat iced vanilla caramel frappuchino with extra chocolate sprinkles" meant.
Speaking of Starbucks, it's interesting to see how Americans are viewed abroad. The Amsterdam Schiphold Starbucks, for instance, sold sandwiches that were "American-style," i.e. stuffed with fried chicken and melted cheese. The Chilean skateboarders told me that America needed to be "more chill," i.e. not feel inclined to control the entire world. #Truth.