YMX 2: First Step in Europe

April 14, 2012

I woke up with a really bad headache. I guess I'm really not used to traveling for long hours. I looked at the window and the sun was almost coming out. I became more excited! The attendants from the airline served us with really great meals, when given the option, I always chose the meal with rice in it. Yeah, I will miss rice that much. So at around 6 in the morning, the plane landed and its official: I'm in AMSTERDAM!

Schipol Airport, Amsterdam

After getting our things and making sure they're complete, our adult leaders called us for a final meeting before we meet with the Dutch organizers and our host families. After the meeting and after taking pictures of the airport, we started to walk to the Arrival station where our new friends and families await us.

 

  

From left: Saira, Kuya Martin, Me and Chiel

As soon as we got out, warm greetings welcomed     us. I saw the people I will hang out and stay with for the next three weeks. At first, I had a hard time talking with them 'coz I dont know anyone while some of my co-delegates have been friends with them since last year. So yeah, I said hi to those who would say hi to me. 

Then we were given drivers who would take us to the school called Tabitha. My partner, Kuya Martin and I got to be with the De Block brothers.When I got out of the airport, I immediately felt the cold winds. Really cold winds I should say. Pffff.

On our way to the school, I started taking pictures of the buildings and the cool places I've seen only in Holland. I also learned some basic Dutch laws such as blowing of horns is not allowed especially if its not necessary and that everything in the city went under careful planning.

Nanda orienting us with the program

When we arrived to Tabitha, we met everyone and after introducing ourselves, we were assigned our hosts families, and I am blessed to have been with the Vos family. Sir Wim and Mrs. Wilma gladly took us to their car as their son Robin and daughter Birgit is waiting at their home.

When we arrived home, we were greeted by their adorable and really huge/fat cats: Puk, Sache and Dorche!

Mrs. Vos also toured us to the house, she showed us our room (Birgit's room) and there we met Birgit, Robin and his girlfriend Leoniek, who was also hosting another pair for the Pinoy delegates. We sat down and drank coffee together. I was amazed seeing sugar cubes! And I really love their coffee, back in the Philippines, I'm not the coffee person, but I got hooked to coffee after tasting the one with a Dutch flavor in it. They asked us if we were tired but Kuya Martin and I felt that the wonderful views and the warm welcome took the jet lags away. So we were up for some good conversation with our hosts.

Their supermarket with the bikes

After some talks about how they have a prescribed design for their houses and how almost everything has a fee/charge (push cart, using the toilet etc.), Mrs. Vos and Birgit decided to take us to the supermarket to buy our lunch and also to buy our food for our long trip to Belgium tomorrow. Yeah, we'll be staying for one night only for we start our trip to Kortrijk the next day after the mass. So we went out to get their bikes, which are by the way, really high! For a short guy like me, riding their bike was a struggle. So we biked our way to the supermarket!

The push carts were placed outside and I was surprised that they need to put like 40 cents to use the push cart in the supermarket. I found it really weird since its used for free in the Philippines.

So we started buying food, bread, chocolates and a rice placed in a box (yeah, really cool!). After buying the things we needed, we biked our way back to the house, which was by the way very near. I had bread with Nutella for my lunch and then Mrs. Vos allowed us to take a shower before we go to our first activity in Holland.

YMX delegates and Chiel with the windmill

After lunch, we went to see the windmills! Its my first time to see a real, old windmill, which is used in making flour, so I was very excited. When we got there, I cant help but take pictures. I also saw some wooden shoes and other Dutch products, which are very expensive, so I just took pictures of them :)

Then we went to visit a place considered as the "fort" of the city, which protected them during the war from their enemies. We also went to a dike and we passed by their home for the elderly. Its really nice to know how they are training the old people in their city to become independent and they are really housed well, I could say. 

Home for the elderly

We also passed by the "coffee shops". Its what they call stores that sells marijuana though I did not get to smell it. From there, we walked to the shopping center! It turned out that in Holland, shops close very early at around 5pm and they are closed the entire Sunday, unlike in the Cebu, where Ayala and SM sometimes even have midnight sales. 

During the long walks, I have really observed how the Dutch really walk fast. Hahahaha. Since we still take pictures and we walk very slow, we were always behind. But yeah, I learned to be fast in walking, thanks to the Dutch people! :)

         

One of the shopping centers

After the long walk, when we got home, it was dinner time. It was around 7 in the evening yet the sun is still up. It was something new for us, having dinner with the sun, its like lunch in Cebu.

I was ecstatic after seeing our dinner. It was some kind of "paella" type of meal with peanut butter sauce (Nomnomnomnom). While we were having dinner, our family discussed about the Queen's Day, they oriented us with what to expect and surprisingly the Vos family gave Kuya Martin and I orange pairs of socks as presents. It was a long and fun day and with all the things I've seen on my first day, I'm certainly looking forward to the next few days.