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    An American in Amsterdam

    By notone-co
    Sep 10, '06 8:39 AM EST

    Due to my procrastinating, absent minded, design led life, these next few posts are way overdue (sixth months overdue to be exact.) But just like in school I need deadlines, so my plane leaving for the states on Friday seems like a deadline to me, and that has made me interested in posting my experience over here.

    A little bit about me first, I find it relevant somehow. I was born in Cincinnati, Ohio; literally a stones throw from the DAAP architecture building. Moved to Chicago and then to Dayton where I spent almost 17 years of my life.

    Moved to Cincinnati for school and have bunked up there for the past 5 years. I then decided, with the help of UC's co_op program requirements and an offer to work in Europe, to move to Amsterdam. So, negating small trips around the country and the world, that is where I have spent most of my life.

    If you don't know what Ohio looks like, here is a shot. And if you do, here is a frightening reminder of the "heart of it all".

    image

    Looking up this information, I thankfully do not have these figures running through my head. Ohio is approximately 41,330 sq.miles with dimensions of about 210 mi / 230 miles. The COUNTRY of The Netherlands is approximately 16,003 sq. miles with dimensions of 190 x 160 miles. Essentially Ohio is over twice as big as the land of the Dutch. That blows my mind.

    Population wise is a little different, must account for all the corn fields. Over 11 million in Ohio, but almost 17 million in Holland.

    Let try to tie all these random thoughts back into a singular thought. I have lived most of my life in basically a crazy small part of the world in southwestern Ohio. Moving to about the same area across the pond, with a whole new language, way of life, even though it was not a true culture shock because the first thing I saw when I got off the plane was Burger King and on TV when I hit my apartment was Oprah.

    It's been hard but an amazing experience. An old friend told me that she thought I was a home-body, someone who likes the comfort in their own way of life. I don't know if I made this trip to prove her wrong, prove to myself I wasn't that way, prove I wasn't the classic stereotype of an AMERICAN, or maybe it proved that I was exactly that. God only knows what I will feel like when I hit Midwestern Soil.

    Never having any ability to write in a diary, blog, or write in the English language very well I hope I can continue to post for whatever it may bring.

    So this is where I have spent the last half year of my life.

    image



     
    • 6 Comments

    • archtopus

      That's a lovely glacial boundary.

      Sep 10, 06 11:21 am  · 
       · 

      hey, i'm from Dayton, Ohio too! Kettering to be exact. Lived there for 11 years. It took years of living in a big city to for me to break out of the small town mentality, but my midwest roots are still a big part of who i am.

      Enjoy Amersterdam while you're there.

      Sep 10, 06 12:38 pm  · 
       · 
      notone-co

      Thought it was a nice shot of Ohio, plus one of the first images that popped up on google. Do you think I have perfect views of our wonderful state?

      I'm grew up in Oakwood, and being here realized too my midwestern roots. I have four more days in Amsterdam so there is only two lives to do, pot and hookers (plus pack and go to work).

      Sep 10, 06 1:28 pm  · 
       · 
      notone-co

      two things, not live; sorry.

      Sep 10, 06 5:46 pm  · 
       · 
      word!

      sounds like you need to stay away from the midwest.

      me too, so after we graduate we should look for jobs in the most exotic far away places possible... who ever goes further or more exotic wins... up for the competition?

      Sep 10, 06 8:25 pm  · 
       · 
      klsarch

      the midwest sucks!

      (but i miss you guys!)

      Sep 12, 06 10:00 am  · 
       · 

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