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.