Hi all!

Here is the message I received from my sister after my last post:

"Good post! Though I am left with a few questions. Seems like your impression of Amsterdam was "ok." Why? Any specifics? And when you say going to London isn't how you imagined it would be "abroad" what exactly do you mean by that? What were your assumptions? That there would be no mcdonalds?"

She also included grammar edits. Can you tell she's a journalist? Nevertheless, I reread the post and yes, it was weird. Let me clarify a few things.

I liked Amsterdam. The people were so welcoming and the canals and colorful plants added a special charm to the city. But with any big city, there are busy and overwhelming areas (especially if said city has legalized marijuana and prostitution). I didn't care for these touristy parts. Apologies if that overshadowed my overall thoughts on Amsterdam!

When you think of 'Europe', don't you imagine narrow, cobblestone streets with beautiful people riding vintage bicycles? (this is exactly how Amsterdam was, by the way) I am completely stereotyping but whether you admit it or not, we all have this idealized vision of how countries outside of the U.S. should be, especially if you have grown up knowing nothing but the States. When I said London isn't how I imagined it would be abroad I was referring to the fact that London and New York City are so similar. I had heard this over and over again but I didn't quite understand until I saw it for myself. Don't get my wrong though, I really like London and I've become very comfortable here. And yes, I knew there would be McDonalds here.

Whew. Now that that's done you can read the above post for a glimpse into my wonderful day yesterday!