I have decided to do an overhaul on this blog, to get rid of the cute pink stuff and make it more of my personal website. I haven’t worked out all the details yet, but it’ll be changes for the better for everyone. This means that blog action here will be on a hiatus (speaking of which check out this cool French underground designer) for a month or so.
Meanwhile, have a look at OptiLife, another blog project I am involved in.
After just over a month in this city, it’s nice to look back and consider what golden nuggets were in all that junk I dragged here. These are some of the things I’ve used the most since coming to Amsterdam:
Oktoberfest jug – I drink tea from it almost every day
Huge five liter pot – couldn’t do my weekly cooking without it
Time capsule and airport express – both routers proved necessary to make our wifi reach the second floor of the apartment
Quiksilver backpack – I’ve been travelling with this gift from my brother for years and it never let me down
Leopard print robe – So cozy…
HTC Hero – not the best, but a very good tool for exploring a new city; extra love for google map search
1 euro soccer shoes – a second hand find that makes a huge difference on wet frisbee fields
And then there’s stuff that’s just lying around in the back of my closet:
VISA card – this country does not take visa
Bike helmet – shame on me, but I only used it once
Shirts – constantly looking for more business casual occasions, but they are rare in the exchange student universe
The music is performed live by a guy in a jumpsuit wearing a tea kettle cover on his head and his friend, a hybrid between a dapper and a human didgeridoo.
People just smiled approvingly when you scribble stuff on walls.
There are actually some Dutch people in the crowd.
No entrance fee and one euro beers all night long.
Instead of complaining about your dirty sneakers, than at door gives you a piece of colored paper for the participatory work of art that’s evolving in one of the hallways.
Less drunk/stupid people than at normal clubs.
Wow… eight days on the ground here in the Venice of the North and I’m starting to feel at home. Here is some randomness:
A bike is essential. I was without wheels for about five days, and living some five kilometers from the center of town this was a nightmare. Some three hours of walking a day, in combo with playing indoor volleyball barefoot during exchange student intro week, had my feet pretty destroyed. It’s ok now though. And after an 8 euro spray paint investment I now have one of the coolest bikes in town, albeit an “omafiets” (granny’s bike).
Turktown rocks. I live in the east of Amsterdam, in the Zeeburg region. This is a very multicultural neighborhood and it is awesome. No tourists and genuine shops and restaurants everywhere. Best so far is Bakkerij Oost and their 1 euro turkse pizzas. Get two and it’s like a full lunch.
Couchsurfing here is awesome too, with a load of great characters and a thriving community. I was at my first meeting this weekend and it was crowded, like 50 people. Going there partly to practice Dutch, I ended up speaking a lot of Russian. Well next time… There are also couchsurfing language classes that I will try to attend.
Tot ziens!
Inspired by some well-crafted literature and a few witty people that I’ve met lately I’m setting out to further improve my communication skills. During the rest of spring and summer I am going to make efforts to become a Master of Dialogue. In my vision, this means making the most out of every communication interaction in terms of joy, understanding, information, persuasion, well-being and so on. I will achieve this by being more attentive in all my communication and sharing my thoughts about it actively with others.
One particular thing that I’m looking for are insights on how to move out the neverending email loop, both in professional and private communication. As an example I’ll share a simpe technique that I tried for the first time yesterday. When asked a general question on how I’m doing and what’s going on in my life I decided that I had too little time to really go deeply into the matter, so I summarized my situation and feelings in ten sentences with then words each. This way I cut my typing time for this kind of message drastically, yet achieved what appeared to me as a decent snapshot of my current whereabouts.
If you know of any kind of sources of inspiration on how to move closer to excellence in communication please share them in a comment. I’m always open to have a skype session with you where we could talk more about talking. Just drop me an email!