We're Gonna Have A Little Chat....

Okay, so basically for a little while now, something keeps popping up and it's really annoying me. 


People assume, that when you do a year abroad you expect

- lots + lots of partying
- no studying 
- travelling
- making loads of friends
= basically having the time of your life. 


Sure, for some most people, this applies and they have the TIME of their lives. 

However - this is not the case for some people. 
Some people like me. 

It annoys me when people say "Are you having a good time, it really looks like it from what you post own Facebook"
When my reply is "No, it's actually really hard, I don't have a great social life and I don't go out", people are shocked and they then ask me about my content I put on my Facebook. 

If you actually look back at the dates of when I 'did' go out, (the two occasions) they were dated back before I started class. Since then, I haven't done anything unless it's related to my course. I shouldn't even have to justify myself, but I feel like I do. I'm not as massive party animal even at home.. but I feel like because of this, when I do post the one time I go out, people think wrong of me + it's annoying af. 

Person: "Oh it looks like you go out a lot because you post pictures of your food"
Me:....

Of course, I post pictures of my food like any other foodie does, but a girl has to eat and of course if the food looks damn good i'm gunna post a picture of it! I basically spend my life, attached to my laptop working, drinking an obscene amounts of Starbucks (which the guy has started giving them to me free) and eat enough crisps to open up a new potato farm. 
With all this in mind, of course i'm going to post 'GOOD'  and positive things on Facebook, because if I sit and post depressing statuses no-one is going to give a crap because there's nothing they can do to help me fix it. There's such a bad stigma attached to people who post 'bad' things on social media. They become annoying and people that you don't want to see what they're up too. I know this because I have people on my Facebook who I think are bloody annoying cause they moan all the time. I really didn't want to become one of these people. 

Yes it's bloody hard here. The workload is insane and with any luck, i'm going to pass this semester. I've never known anything like it and it's a shame it's like this because I physically do not have the time to do anything else. To anyone who knows me- i'm a workaholic, so if you think the amount of work I'm going is going to get me a pass... think wrong. So can you imagine how I'm feeling knowing i'm working the hardest I am and knowing that theres a 80% chance of me failing??
It sucks. 

I would give anything to have it easy over here, I really would. I would love to go travelling around Europe and literally not have a care in the world.. but i'm a hard worker and I feel like I have to study for anything to pay off. It may not be the case here. 

Also it's another reason why I haven't kept up to date with this blog. There is literally nothing to tell you, other than the fact that I'm studying or eating cereal for dinner. 

Just thought i'd let you know. 

Vogue & Other Business!

*Note, this has been a delayed blogpost due to the amount of work that is upon me! 

After the first few manic weeks, I was able to take a night off and experience something that I have always wanted to be apart of. 

Vogue's Fashion Night Out, an annual event held in various cities across the world. One night where designer brands stay open late, hand out free cocktails and lure you in to buy their goods. Obviously a lot of press and famous people attend, but it is open to the public who can wonder around and if you're like me - pretend that you are someone famous! 

The atmosphere was amazing, people dressed in beautiful clothes, people taking photos for their blogs and a countless flow of champagne.Within every shop, we were offered a signature cocktail, for instance in Tiffany's a blue cocktail was much appreciated. Even though I couldn't afford anything in any of the shops, it was a wonderful thing to attend, to have a mooch around and drink free drinks. And who doesn't love free drinks!? 

Earlier that week, Megs and I found a new cafe that looked pretty sweet called Hutspot. It's a cafe/art space/clothes shop and was originally opened by a group of teenagers for a creative space. The menu wasn't extensive but had enough to satisfy your tastebuds. The decor was really interesting, minimal but also had a 70's vibe to it. After lunch we decided to go full out and try their cakes and I must say, they were much better than the actual lunches themselves. Inside the shop, they had an old school Photo Booth, which you had to wait for the film to be developed. So you can find a snippet of the photo strip below. 

The last few weeks or so has been absolutely crazy with work. The work load is so much that trying to fit anything else in is nearly impossible. Homesickness comes and goes, but I think that natural for anyone that moves abroad. Hopefully as the weeks go by, the workload becomes easier and I can actually find time to explore the city, as there is so much to do and to experience, it would be a shame to waste it. 

Today - my wonderful mommy is coming out to see me for a few days, so we are going to try and cram in as much as possible. I can't wait to see her, it's been a long time.. well 5 weeks. 

CT Amsterdam Coffee & Coconuts

It's been officially three week since I have moved to the Netherlands and I haven't been very active in nightlife (because it's not really my style) but I have found that my love for quaint artsy cafes has not died down! After finding this beauty online, Coffee and Coconuts is located in Ceintuurbaan which isn't very far from where I live -thank the lord- on the high street.  I am attracted to anything that has anything coconut flavoured but also if it sells coffee you know that I will be their number 1 customer.

With a loft apartment aesthetic, straight away you feel relaxed. You climb a variety of stars to little snugs with grey bean bags and low wooden tables. It's buzzing but you still feel like you have your own little place of piece and quiet. You can't call it a cafe, as it has a full breakfast-lunch-dinner menu, which does not disappoint any taste buds! From coconut buckwheat pancakes to avocado on toast for brekkie, beef burgers to shrimp tacos for lunch and finally for dinner slow roasted lamb to lemon chicken tagliatella. A wide choice of foods for any palate

Megs & I managed to make brunch which for me consisted of an acai bowl, which I have wanted to try for a really long time, and it was super yum, followed by a watermelon cooler, because I think I have an addiction to watermelon. It was pricy for what I had, but the acai bowl was more money because of the ingredients that it contained, but it was worth it. Megs had the traditional coconut and buckwheat pancakes with a fruit compote and oh my lord, it was like heaven.

The whole vibe was artistic and relaxed and seemed to be the hotspot for creative people with a passion for food. A lot of students were working away with a coffee by their side, something I will defiantly be doing again.

If you're ever in Amsterdam hit it up

http://www.ctamsterdam.nl

An Unsuccessful Night

No-one tells you all the little things you have to do when you move abroad. This week has not been the easiest, filled with countless questions and being passed around like a hot potato from one person to the next. I'm still working on the access around my accommodation and university; but maybe eventually I will get it sorted.

I love the fact I have a huge window and a balcony in my room and because I am east facing it means I get to witness the beautiful sunrise each morning. The photo I managed to take was about 5am when I was half asleep but I think I did a good job.

In my previous post I spoke about going to the antique market, which I managed to find with the help of GPS! It was an indoor market, filled with so many different treasures and curiosities. I happened to stumble across a jewellery stool and of course, bought a new ring to add to my ever-growing collection. It's silver and had a small peridot in the centre, a bargain for €14! After attending the market, I walked back to Leidseplein which is where a lot of theatres and restaurants are. The Museum District is a really pretty place to wonder around it doesn't really feel like you're living in a city at all. There were lots of street performers and small market stools amongst the busy streets and it really has a certain buzz.

This week, I have been into uni quite a few times, to check where my rooms are for my classes, attending a Dutch crash course*, and to get familiar with the campus. The main positive for me was that I found a cafe on campus which sells THE best coffee I have had and that is saying something. They sell great caramel latte macchiatos with a pretty heart in the milk, so I think I will be a regular in there by next week!

*which was the funniest and most annoying class i've ever attended. 


 Wednesday is student night, so Megs and I ventured off to the student bar called CoCo's in central Amsterdam to enjoy a discounted cocktail or two, but after the tram taking forever and day to get there, we finally reached the bar and it was so packed we decided after 5 minutes to leave. Giving us 20 minutes to try and catch the last metro home... which we didn't make. After a hilarious run through the city centre, we managed to find the night bus. One of which I do not want to experience again! However although the night may not have not been a successful one, we managed to laugh the night away.

p.s we were laughing at a sticker on the wall of a man named 'Jazzy Jeff'. It's not even that funny.

A New Adventure

Countless times have I sat down and looked at this very webpage thinking,
"One day... I will continue a blog"
or
"I must really start up my blog soon"
or
"I'm moving away, so I should really document this"

I decided to listen to the last one.

Many of you know that I have recently moved abroad to Amsterdam to study for a year on an exchange with my university back in England. It was a massive struggle trying to get a place but I landed on my feet in Europe, which means that it didn't cost the world and his wife to get here & also the fact that flights from London are super cheap at the right time so I can pop home whenever I have the time.

Moving abroad was always on my agenda when starting university but when the time to move actually arose it was difficult to believe that within a matter of weeks, I would have to make new friends, adapt to living in a city and being by myself once more. I knew that I had to make the move as for many years I had always complained about 'not seeing enough of the world' and making my life interesting, so i knew that I just had to take a deep breath and get on with it.

The move over was an extremely long day, as I had 4 suitcases, a mobility scooter and a wheelchair, with the assistance of Karen and Alex and of course my Mom, it was all possible. From Ebbsfleet-Brussles-Amsterdam the total travel time was nearly 7 hours! Whereas a flight would of been 30 minutes or so.

After having the company of friends for the weekend it was hard saying goodbye and not having anyone to talk to on the Sunday night, but I knew that eventually that I would meet people in the same boat as me so that was reassuring.  I have never lived in student halls before, so knowing that there are a possible 14 other people living in the same corridor as me seemed daunting but good also knowing that there will always be people around. I went to Ikea, and bought some bits for my room as it seems very empty, but I know that over the next few months I will have my room exactly how I want it.

The first week in and I managed to do all the boring adult stuff that you're expected to do when you move away, like setting up a new phone, a bank account and making sure that the native people understand that you don't need a visa to live here! With the beginning of the socials for the international students it was great to meet a variety of people all with different backgrounds and outlooks on life.

Getting around Amsterdam seemed easy at first but the more I travel it seems to get more difficult. I found that the university isn't very disabled friendly, and even though theres a lift to the 15 floors...(yeah i know) you need a special lift pass. After being passed back and fourth to different people I was finally given an email to ask permission. However with this lingering at the moment, the university looks amazing and I can't wait to finally start learning something.

This weekend most of the international students have a a weekend ticket to some events in the city, I did have a pass, however I sold mine as I realised that it would be very difficult for me to get around the city constantly stopping and starting. Even though I am upset about missing this, today I found myself going back to the usual cafe that is a 5 minute walk from mine. It sells the most beautiful flowers and the food there is delicious. Not very cheap, but worth the money for some good organic grub and a great coffee. Also I found a bookstore that sells English books so i'm glad that I can pop in there when I miss Waterstones. I'm quite lucky in the fact that I live in a very green part of the city, of course there are lots of canals but I found a nature reserve that was so lovely to walk around and it makes you think that you're not even in a capital city at all. Tomorrow I am going to Elandsgracht to a antique market that specialises in jewellery, furniture and antiques so i'm excited to see what treasures I can find.

p.s  i've lived in Amsterdam for one week officially today.