I've safely arrived at my family's home in southern Holland. Apologies for the mundane writing, I'm a bit delirious after having slept only three hours on my flights. I took a quick nap in the car ride from Amsterdam, but I'm not running on much. My goal is to make it to 21h (9 p.m.) tonight. We'll see how that goes...
While waiting for my second flight in the airport in Paris I made a few travel tip notes in my journal. These may seem like no-brainers but here you go:
1. If you ever have anything important in open pockets without zippers i.e. wallet or passport, have them in there for short periods of time and don't take your hands off them. Pickpockets are everywhere. I also feel kinda cool with my hands in my pockets sometimes.
2. Drink water continuously. H2O is the cure to everything.
3. As soon as you land and have figured out where your gate is, get cash in the local currency. You just don't want to be places without cash (says a smart lady named Donna in my head). I exchanged some US dollars right away in Paris so I would land in Amsterdam with the moneys. I didn't want my lovely hosts to have to wait for me to exchange and having a cup of Dutch coffee was a crucial first.
4. General life tip: Never be afraid to ask questions. Charles de Gaulle is an uber confusing airport and I had an hour to switch planes. Thank goodness my French isn't total gibberish.
5. On that note, know how to say "Please" and "Thank you" in the language of whatever airport you're passing through. It takes about 30 seconds to learn and will get you far as an American.
6. These next two come from my Papa: Europeans speak at a lower volume than we do in the US. We are loud people. Like it or not, we are. Just be mindful. I'm from a theater upbringing so I constantly find myself drawing too much attention because I say the simplest things, like asking where the bathroom is, way too loudly.
7. A good language tip: Learn how to say "I don't speak [insert language here]" or "I only speak a little bit of [insert language here]" perfectly, accent and all. It will confuse whoever you're speaking to drastically and it is fun to see their reactions. More importantly, they will appreciate that you have learned to express your lack of ability to understand in a way that is very understandable.
While waiting for my second flight in the airport in Paris I made a few travel tip notes in my journal. These may seem like no-brainers but here you go:
1. If you ever have anything important in open pockets without zippers i.e. wallet or passport, have them in there for short periods of time and don't take your hands off them. Pickpockets are everywhere. I also feel kinda cool with my hands in my pockets sometimes.
2. Drink water continuously. H2O is the cure to everything.
3. As soon as you land and have figured out where your gate is, get cash in the local currency. You just don't want to be places without cash (says a smart lady named Donna in my head). I exchanged some US dollars right away in Paris so I would land in Amsterdam with the moneys. I didn't want my lovely hosts to have to wait for me to exchange and having a cup of Dutch coffee was a crucial first.
4. General life tip: Never be afraid to ask questions. Charles de Gaulle is an uber confusing airport and I had an hour to switch planes. Thank goodness my French isn't total gibberish.
5. On that note, know how to say "Please" and "Thank you" in the language of whatever airport you're passing through. It takes about 30 seconds to learn and will get you far as an American.
6. These next two come from my Papa: Europeans speak at a lower volume than we do in the US. We are loud people. Like it or not, we are. Just be mindful. I'm from a theater upbringing so I constantly find myself drawing too much attention because I say the simplest things, like asking where the bathroom is, way too loudly.
7. A good language tip: Learn how to say "I don't speak [insert language here]" or "I only speak a little bit of [insert language here]" perfectly, accent and all. It will confuse whoever you're speaking to drastically and it is fun to see their reactions. More importantly, they will appreciate that you have learned to express your lack of ability to understand in a way that is very understandable.