For years I lived in Amsterdam, with my ex-boyfriend (then boyfriend), then alone, then with my ex-boyfriend (then boyfriend). That sounds worse than it actually is by the way. Anyway, I lived in Amsterdam North, which is not considered to be Amsterdam by the Amsterdam people, but I don’t care, I still got to Amsterdam Central quicker than most Amsterdam people, so whatevs!

Not that I liked the neighbourhood: not at all. I thought at one point it was an awful place, full of domestic violence, cultural issues and poverty. Around me that is, there are lots of nice places in Amsterdam North. Anyway, I would have never moved there if I was not with a guy that would never want to leave Amsterdam. I was pretty okay when I lived there, but I had never fallen in love with Amsterdam and even though I was in the city a lot, I still did not like it.

Now that I have moved away since a few years, I really start to appreciate the city. I still think other European capitals are way better, but Amsterdam does have its charm, if you look beyond the weed/whores/Sodom and Gomorrah rep. I have been spending a lot of time in Amsterdam lately and I really like going there. It is also pretty close to my home still (I can still reach Amsteram within 20 minutes), so it even starts to feel like a second home a bit.

I went to the Water Hole, which I wrote about, I went to do the Swing thing, which I have not written about after I did it actually haha, and I just love hanging out with Jem and Rey there. It really is lovely to spend time in the city, take a walk in the Vondelpark, go shopping, get a drink somewhere, go to the cinema, have a cream tea with my cinema friends, I really enjoy it. Especially Jem and Reys house, which is an awesome apartment in a typical Amsterdam building near Muiderpoort, is really making my Amsterdam experience more real or something, if that makes any sense.

You don’t have to live in Amsterdam per se, to enjoy the city to its fullest. I like just going there and taking a stroll in the evening, the meet ups dont have to take four hours, just going to Rey and Jems house for a movie, or just have a drink with someone is possible too, which is kinda nice. Though everytime I have short meet-ups, I always wish they lasted longer, hihi. Anyway, I really enjoy exploring the city, discover restaurants and pubs and places that are cool to visit, like the Amsterdam Food Hallen, that I also introduced to my Mexican friends now, which is nice!

I mean, I am still not falling for Amsterdam, but I do see it more as “the city” now, way more than tiny Zaandam that is closer to my home. It is just nice to go into the town after work, meet some people and go home again, even though it totally messes with the life I used to have: writing, writing, writing, watching Netflix. It is amazing when I think about my life 6 months ago, and what it is like now. I still have lots to learn, it is a bit too chaotic for my taste at the moment, so I am cutting back on a few things, but I do love meeting people in Amsterdam, I feel like I can just go anywhere, especially now that I know some people that actually live in the city. Really cool!