April

Marc was visiting Peru over the week leading up to the Easter weekend. Nina was visiting that weekend and we essentially had the apartment to ourselves as Jaana is rarely home. Nina left on Sunday as she was preparing for her final exam and on Easter Monday Marc returned. It was a beautiful day, easily 25 degrees. After a 16 hour flight he was wired and wanted to find a patio to sit on so we could bask in the sun with a drink in hand. Sounded good to me! We rode to VondelPark where there is an outdoor beer garden. It is designed to look like it has been lifted off a Hawaii beach with a straw-roofed bar surrounded by bar tables and reclining chairs. We enjoyed a few drinks and I got a little colour from sitting in the sun for two hours.

As Marc had been away for a week and we were receiving many responses to our ad for a roommate, I was having a difficult time organizing the logistics. I set up six interviews over two nights for the week Marc returned. However, most of these girls found other accommodations over the week Marc was away and in the end, four of the six cancelled.

I greatly preferred one girl and Marc really preferred the other. I relented and went with his choice as my time here is drawing to a close. Unfortunately we don’t know when we will be leaving, but with the terminal I have made commitments for the whole summer. Although they do know I may not be here until the end of August.

I spent a day with my manager from the terminal scooting across the city meeting vendors and collecting information. I now feel well-versed in the excursions on offer to try to sell to the groups of tourists I will be taking care of. I was also given the mobile phone I will be expected to have on this summer. That will be a hard adjustment. Marc was so thrilled to see I had one as he has never really understood my aversion to them. He was willing to bet I would love it by the end of the summer and would get one of my own. I quickly jumped at that bet, perhaps too quickly, my eagerness scared Marc and he backed down. That would have been easy money!

The following week I was heading to the office which sits in central Amsterdam. The tram stop is directly in front of the WesterKerk (West Church). I have tried many times to go inside, but it never appears to be open. As I walked by this particular day, I noticed the people walking in and out. I headed into a small reception area and was immediately confronted by a large sign stating that the church was not open to the public. The was a man at a desk selling tickets to up the tower and a bulletin board showing pictures of the inside and some public notices. One of which advertised free organ concerts on Friday afternoons. I inquired at the desk and the man confirmed they were open to the public. They were organized for conservatory students who required practice.

The following Friday I went to work for a few hours then headed over to the church to hear the concert. The church was bare in its design with concrete columns and white walls and ceiling. The organ was the only decorated aspect of the church. I sat in one of the chairs, staring at the structure trying to imagine how such a beast of a building was built in the 1620s, before the advent of cranes. The music was… OK. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I wasn’t really enjoying the dramatic tones and the sombre music. I was impressed by the power of the instrument and how it easily filled the hall with music.

That Thursday Nina completed her final exam, formally ending her studies! She received her grade for the exam and her thesis before leaving (perfect scores on each) and was now free of all school obligations for the summer.

That weekend I came to Germany. On the Friday night we went into Aachen as we had been invited to a friend’s birthday party. This is an old friend of Nina’s and her birthday party the previous year had been my first party after arriving.

On Saturday we went to another friend’s house for a game’s night. The group of us who actively get together for these games nights rotates the duty of hosting (it was our turn last). This particular friend is one of Nina’s closest friends and made dinner for the small group of us before getting down to the serious business of playing board games. One such game involved quick reflexes and I incurred my first games night injury as I slammed my elbow into the thick wooden table. I didn’t win either.

On the Sunday evening we went for a walk through a part of town I hadn’t seen before. It was a typical spring evening and I convinced Nina to come on a walk with the promise of stopping at the ice cream shop on the way home. We passed the offices of a rock and mineral consulting firm and I suggested Nina apply. She was thrilled with this idea and called them on Monday. This was the beginning and end of her summer job search; one 5 minute phone call. Of course, they asked her to send in her CV and she went for an interview, but as they had a hard time finding people, I think she had the job on the phone.

The following weekend I returned to Germany again. We didn’t have too many plans and were hoping to enjoy the nice weather. Friday evening we sat on her parent’s roof deck in the sunshine playing cards.

Sunday we met some friends in Aachen at a temporary carnival that sets up a few times a year. Having been here for a year now, I am starting to repeat myself as we did the exact same thing last April. In fact, we went with the exact same couple as last year (and hadn’t seen them in the year in between). On Sunday Nina’s parents left to visit their boat on the Dutch coast and I stayed on for the week, working remotely.

This past week has involved hashing out the final details of my work contract. Stefan is confident the company will survive this calendar year and is giving me a 6 month contract (April – Sept) with some vacation time included.

Stefan is leaving; he is going travelling as of next week and doesn’t plan to be back for six months. One employee gave her notice a few weeks back and the other employee quit on Monday and picked up his belongings on Tuesday. When Stefan leaves, I will be the sole employee in Amsterdam. Well, I will be the sole employee period! Initially I was afraid the company would fold without the other two, but with the others gone, my role is increasing and I will essentially interview and deal with any/all the candidates that Stefan isn’t able to deal with remotely. I am curious to see how this will pan out.

One of the best parts about extending my stay in Holland is the chance experience another Queen’s Day! The last day of April is The Netherlands’ national day. Nina has lived next door, but has never experienced it before. Although, she hates crowds so that will make it difficult as the whole city becomes one giant mess of people.

We had a lazy morning on Queen’s Day and left the apartment in the early afternoon. We jumped on a tram, although we knew it would only take us halfway as the centre of the city is completely blocked to all traffic. We got halfway and were told the tram was going to detour back into the suburbs. We got off the tram and the hoards of people on the outskirts gave us an indication of what the centre would be like.

It was sunny and in the low twenties, a hell of a lot warmer than this same time last year. On the sides of every street were people basking in the sun, selling goods, used crap, food (professionally or home made) and drinks. It’s the one day of the year when you are allowed to sell on the side of the road, so part of Queen’s Day is the city-wide flea market, the other part is the party. Every bar and restaurant had a portable bar or food table set up outside to feed the hoards on the street. In some ways, it’s like the world’s biggest food fair. And that was how we were treating it. From frites with mayo to little dough balls (like profiterals) with icing sugar to BBQ chicken legs.

Marc met us halfway through the day and we found a gem; a bench on the side of a canal that wasn’t being used! After walking around for a few hours, it was a welcome rest. We sat canal-side for a good half hour watching the parade of party boats float by in all shapes and sizes. Some were small with families, others were large like floating nightclubs. We were perched close to one of the humpback bridges with three arches, making for a serious bottleneck on the canal. That added a lot of amusement to the day as the middle arch was only large enough for one-way traffic, but was being used from both sides.

After four hours in the sun and surrounded by all those people, we were worn out and slowly headed back home. Quick possibly, and most likely, that would be my last Queen’s Day. But as I later learned from the news, five people lost their lives when a maniac drove through the crowd in an attempt to ram the Queen’s bus. All he succeeded in doing was killing some bystanders. Some of the news agencies were saying Queen’s Day had lost its innocence, which is a shame. Never before had I been in such a large crowd where the mood was so jovial.

On Friday I headed to the office to meet Stefan. I arrived at the office before he did and found it a little odd to see the empty work desks were Jonathan and Marie used to sit. Only Stefan's and my desk showed any signs they were still being vacated. Waiting for me on my desk was a bottle of Moët et Chandon. When Stefan arrived he told me he was really happy with the work I have been doing and the champagne was a gift for my first placement last month. We signed the contract and Stefan left to go to a meeting. It was a little strange, I received my contact and was seeing Stefan, quite possibly, for the last time. The office will remain open and I can use it at my will, which also seems strange as it will sit vacant most of the time.

With May 1st I reached my 1 year anniversary of moving into the apartment. Nina and I cracked the bottle of champagne, cooked a decent dinner (peppers stuffed with rice and vegetables in a tomato sauce) and sipped bubbly. Today, May 2nd, Jaana moves out and Paulina from Poland moves in.