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Other entries in Amsterdam

Exploring the city

Today we woke up and moved rooms. as i mentioned previously, this new room was pretty much the same as our old room except we now had a tv and a front row view of the Red Light District at all hours of the day. reason for moving: remains unknown.

Heath, Nova, and Aron went looking for laundry and internet so Jenna and i decided to walk around and get a glimpse of the city. Amsterdam really is an amazing place despite its reputation as a city filled with drugged out loonies. canals run throughout the city, there are as many bicycles as there are cars, and the architecture reminds me of Holland. we intentionally got lost and occasionally found ourselves engaged with locals about how beautiful the city was. most of them just shrugged, acknowledging the obvious truth of the statement. The Red Light District is really only a small part of this wondrous city and we made the bright decision to stay right in the heart of it.

our other friends, three Lee siblings (Jamie, Phil, and Brian) plus James (another Korean), opted not to stay there and instead chose Leidzeplain, another district known more for its museums, things-to-do, and wealth. we had been arranging to meet up with that crew when we got to A-dam so this was the night for it. after our long day of doing nothing, we began drinking in our room around 5 and continued it until about 10 when we went out. since you cant drink on the street, we had to party hardy in our room, ok!?! dont yell. we went to a bar called the Grasshopper which Aron's hair stylist had recommened (he calls him his "barber", but lets be honest, Aron uses a stylist). the bar was filled with foreigners so we quickly shuffled through them to the back porch where we set up a few tables to gather around. we hung out there for a little bit and then left to find alternative entertainment. one story that must be recorded here is my experience when i ventured indoors for the bathroom. as i opened the backdoor to re-enter, i heard the song "Wonderwall" playing way too loudly and a chorus of people trying to compete with the high level of noise. it was literally an orchestra of voices screaming the lyrics to this Oasis legend. all this wouldnt have really bothered me except that throughout the crooning, more and more guys started to take off their shirts and hug each other drunkenly. this was clearly the "great time" these Americans were looking for when visiting Amsterdam. when i passed through again on the way back from the bathroom, the scene was still in full force and all i could do was shake my head and recount the story to my friends outside. only in amsterdam.....and maybe on Gay Pride Day in Chicago.

when we exited the Grasshopper, we bumped into some more USC friends, some on purpose, and some completely randomly. its always crazy to run into people you know thousands of miles from where you grew to know them; and when alcohol is flowing through your system, it seems 100 times more crazy and mind-boggling. we hopped into a few cabs and headed to Leidzeplain to attend a party in a church. it was supposed to be the hip, happenin thing to do but when we discovered a 17 Euro cover charge (sans beverage) we bit our thumbs at them and went to make our own adventures. well, when its late and the city is shutting down and stops selling alcohol, your options are limited. luckily, we are all creative and intelligent individuals. we started telling bad jokes and screaming at the tops of our lungs. somehow, this didnt tire as quickly as one might think. along the way we lost a few of our group so that by the end of the night, the only people standing and screaming (at least in my presence) were me, Aron, and Jamie. we stumbled through Leidzeplain to drop Jamie off at her hostel. while we were standing in the street outside her place and getting yelled at by multiple Amsterdamians for being too loud (ironic, no?), i saw a familiar figure approaching us from out of a mist. the shape was short, had a globe of a head, and bounced a bit when he walked. why, it was none other than Bilbo Baggins! well, a Bilbo Baggins lookalike that earned that title my freshman year of college when everyone he met immediately recognized the resemblence, even without having seen the movies or read the books. this guy just looks like a hobbit, trust me. anyway, in my drunkeness, i yelled out to him, "Bilbo! whats up, brotha? Lookin' good, my man!" he responded, "yeah, thanks. youve got a good memory." Aron added, "I love the 9-0!" awesome. i have a good memory, even when drunk. Bilbo says so.

we journeyed back to our hostel in the Red Light District, carrolling along to the songs made up in our heads. we occasionally got chastized by a local sticking his head out of a window but to them we paid no mind. why you ask? because, we were young, drunk, Americans.

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