I didn't like the fact that this space was empty.

So there's still two and a half weeks until I leave for Amsterdam, but it was bothering me that this page was empty, so I decided to write a short pre-departure post. When winter break started in December, I felt like I had all the time in the world before I left. Once New Year's passed though, January 29th seemed a whole lot closer, and time has been passing incredibly quickly. Today, I got the official e-mail from CIEE telling me where to meet the staff at the airport, final reminders of what to bring with me, etc. and started freaking out, just a little (in a good way!). I've never been this far from home for this long, and I'm a little nervous about that, but I'm also really really excited to learn about and explore a new place.

One thing I hope to do while in Amsterdam is break some stereotypes about the city. A couple of times over the last few weeks, people (particularly adults) who hear that I'm studying abroad soon and ask where have had negative responses when I say I'm going to Amsterdam. Probably the comment that stuck out in my mind the most was "Wow, if I had a daughter that would be the last place that I would let her study abroad". This shocked me, as my parents were always 100% supportive in my choice of study abroad city. Other comments were milder but the asker always seemed mildly concerned about my decision. At this point I would explain to them my connection to the Netherlands and the Low Countries (father from Belgium, mother's ancestors from the Netherlands), my desire to practice my Dutch, and my interest in the culture, since the Dutch are well known for being an open minded culture that welcomes intelligent discussion. When explaining these things though, I feel unwillingly defensive, like I have to justify my decision. The only things people seem to associate with Amsterdam are drugs and prostitutes. While it's true that Amsterdam's policies towards these subjects are different from the US some people seem to think that's all there is. With this blog, as well as when I tell people about my experiences, I hope to teach them that there is more to the city, as well as a great place to study abroad.