Arrival in Den Haag

6.41 pm

Mostly settled into my apartment in Den Haag. I'm right in the center of the city, about a fifteen minute walk from work. There's a big shopping area about five minutes from my apartment - everything from little food stands (I had lunch at the falafel place) to discount home good stores to designer clothing stores. I'm in a place with a bunch of other student interns, so even though I don't have a roommate, there will be lots of people around.

7.06 pm

Getting here was an adventure. People in the Netherlands are so, so, so much nicer than they are back home. There is no way I would have made it to my room in one piece if it wasn't for all the people who helped carry my massive suitcases and gave me directions. The next time I see someone wandering around looking confused, I'm going to stop and help them rather than just walking past.

I had to take the hotel shuttle back to the airport, get on a train, transfer at Leiden, then go to Den Haag HS. Traveling with two giant suitcases, one smaller one, and a backpack makes getting on and off trains difficult. I missed my stop the first time around, too. I got myself and all my luggage to the train doors as the train was rolling into the station - and the doors didn't open. There weren't instructions or anything, just two buttons - yellow and blue. I pushed the yellow button and nothing happens. I pushed the blue button and the doors made some noise, and then the train started moving away. Then, at the next station, I had to get all the way to the other end of the platform (luggage and all), down a set of stairs, and up another to get into the right place to catch the train. Luckily, a janitor stopped what he was doing and helped me get everything to the other platform. This time, the train I got into had instructions for opening the door. In pictures!

I made it to the rental office, even though the cab driver didn't really know where it was going. The lady gave me the keys and a map of the city, then told me to get on the tram outside the office to get to the apartment. The tram driver was really nice and told me which stop to get off at. I got directions from a girl in a clothing store. Then when I got to the street, I couldn't find my apartment building. I was looking for 257, and the only apartments were 3a all the way to 3m. After wandering around a minute and trying my key in all the doors, a girl came up to me and asked if she could help. She called the rental agency, but they said it was the right street, and they didn't know where the apartment was. So then we figured out that the street turned 90 degrees and continued, sans street signs, another two blocks. And there, at the very end, was my building. I could have hugged her.

So here I am, in a studio apartment with a bathroom and a tiny kitchen that's about 9 feet by 20 feet, not including the bathroom. And there's laundry machines in the building, no charge. So I figure, even though it's way more than I wanted to pay, it's a nice enough place, and no roommates is a bonus.

7:16 pm

Off to find some dinner, and somewhere I can buy tea. It's a balmy 37F here, warming up to 44F by Sunday. Brrr.