"My Infinity Summer"

This has been the summer that's lasted forever. Let's put it into perspective. I stopped classes at Shaker Heights High School on May 7th, after which the normal senior year events followed (i.e. lawn day and senior project). I start school in a week in a half here in the Netherlands. That's 4 MONTHS. To the T. Jesus. Next summer will be a little less than half this summer. Early July to late August. But that's too far away to think about right now.

Today we're supposed to be finding me a bike - finally. I'm still bored through my skull here, although my trip to Zoetermeer was superb and a 24 hour highlight of what has officially been about a week away from home (I put the pictures on Facebook, it's much faster than Blogger). I'm having a tough time though, really. Like I said before, I can talk to my host parents until I'm blue in the face and bike until my legs ache but besides that there isn't much to do!

I think that's the hardest part. I haven't even reached the half way point in my Dutch summer vacation and I already just ache for America because of the nonstop going which I had there. I understand all my friends are doing their own things at college so I think that's why I'm not that torn up about not seeing them, I wouldn't be seeing them anyhow. Here's what I miss: My parents and My American world. I always had something to do, here I have nothing (I'm destroying the 09 Tulane summer reading. purpose you ask? none)!

I asked my host mom a while ago what's kinda the norm in terms of Dutch kids hanging out (just walk over? or what?), because I thought the neighbors she took me to meet were pretty nice. She told me she really didn't have a clue and that most AFSers just wait until school starts (ok but that's TWO WEEKS AWAY) and that's probably my best bet. I'm very interested though in how frank they are with their words. When I got home from Zoetermeer yesterday the kitchen was pretty empty and she was asking me what kind of vegetables I liked (hmmm...). I had to inform her that that list was scarce to non existent. She replied "Well if there had been a check for doesn't eat vegetables on the AFS application, well, you wouldn't be in this house!! laugh laugh laugh.

Either way. Zoetermeer was tons of fun! We traveled into the Hague which was a town I was really hoping to be placed near, and it lived up to all my expectations! I loved that it was an old city right on the ocean. I don't feel like many cities in America are like that (if you think of one, keep it to yourself), they all are touristy and sensationalized! We walked on the pier and had something to drink nearby, it was loads of fun.

Once again between the beginning of the post and the end of the post something has changed: My host dad informed me there will be no bike buying today, which kinda erks me a little bit. They're looking on the equivalent kinda of eBay and they can't find anything right and refuse to go to the store and look at bikes. So I remain immobile.