Amsterdam...

We arrived in Amsterdam on Monday. When we first got here, people were already ragging on it. I was constantly hearing either: ‘I wish we were back in Bruges’ or ‘I can’t wait to just get to Berlin’. I heard complaint after complaint about Amsterdam, about where we’re staying in the city, the fact that we’re in a hostel and not a 4 star hotel… I understand that this city has a dark side, I really do. We’re basically staying in the red light district, we can’t escape that. But calling this entire city a “dark place” is just not true. My first response to somebody when they said that was, “yeah, of course it’s dark, it’s raining.” I should probably have given my classmates some more slack on that first day, but while I’m trying to live the best I can in the now and today, people around me are stuck in the past or already thinking about our next destination. Not everybody feels this way, but some of the more vocal people do. 

This city has such a fascinating history and culture. Yes there are unpleasantries here, but not more than any other major city! Are people really ignorant enough to think that prostitution and sex trafficking isn’t going on in cities all across the globe? The difference here is that it’s out in the open for us to see, and that’s making people uncomfortable… GOOD. This should make us uncomfortable. It’s wrong and it’s horrible, but saying that this is a dark place and wanting to leave isn’t going to change that. We’re in Amsterdam for a reason, and our eyes are being opened up to things that we should not be ignoring. As for the marijuana here, I guess I’m just not shocked by that culture having grown up where I did. I know it’s bad, but I don’t think it’s this huge evil that ruining the world and is worse than any other thing you could possibly do (like some people I know believe).

I am so excited to explore Amsterdam, I’m almost a quarter Dutch! I tend to focus on my Scottish and Italian heritage, but I need to remember that I’m also Dutch and German! I think I’m going to really like Amsterdam, and I wish we had a few more days here to explore. Oh well, gotta make the best of it!