No, that's not a typo. That's what they say here in Amsterdam to welcome you. So while it is true that many people here do speak English, even their English is often just a little different. I do a lot of smiling, because that seems like the easiest way to communicate. Sometimes the smiles lead to a stream of Dutch, which then requires that I nod and pretend I understand what I'm hearing. There is a word that sounds like "sniffilein" that I hear when I'm out walking Casey and he proceeds to sniff another dog. That's just one of the words that sound a lot like a Dr. Seuss language to me. Thank goodness for Google Translate! Peter and I started our Dutch lessons last week, but it may be quite awhile before I feel comfortable speaking. I'm told I just need to plunge in and forget about the comfort level.

Not being able to speak the language, and not knowing many people here to speak to even if I did, leaves me with time to write. I have been saying for the past year that I would start a blog. The timing never seemed quite right, and I made a lot of excuses why I just couldn't. When Ben (for those of you who don't know, he's my son, and expert social media coach) visited us this week, he forced me to stop procrastinating. I'm still left with a uneasy sense that no one really cares to read about the minutiae of my day. However, when I post photos on Facebook, many of you seem to enjoy them, so this is just the next step. It will also save me from having to repeat myself in emails to friends and family. My goals are to blog in order to keep a record for myself of my life in Amsterdam, and also to just get in the habit of writing consistently. I always told my students to write every day. Now I need to practice what I preached.

Most of my time during the day (other than when we have visitors) is with Casey. I bored some friends silly with the excruciating details of how complicated it was to get him over here. Let's just say that I'm glad that all of that is behind me. I imagine he is as well. Having a dog here forces me to hit the road at least 4 times a day, and Casey and I have explored many parts of the city together. It helps that this a a very dog-friendly place to live. Dogs are welcome at restaurants, grocery stores, and even on public transportation. I can't bring myself to bike while he trots along beside me, the way many natives do. I'll leave my biking adventures for the next post. Welcome to my world!