Jessica is real cute
So Jessica asked me a bunch of questions (some are not actually questions) that I'm going to answer here because it was getting way to long to fit reasonably into a comment.
Q: Do you need a green card to be living over there or is it ok because you're going to school?
A: They don't have green cards here, it would be called something else. I've got a student visa which means I can live here, go to school, and work up to 20 hours a week so long as my course is happening. Once it ends I'll have to switch to a graduate work visa if I want to stay here; basically because I'll have graduated from a UK school I'm entitled to stay and work for 2 years (after filling out some forms and paying them £500), of course I still have to find a job. If I want to stay longer than that I'd have to get married or get a regular work visa, which is a lot more difficult because it is tied to your job.
Q: Are hostels really as sketchy as people make them sound? With like one bed and sleeping with people you don't know and the creepy old man starring at you and such?
A: Depends on the hostel. We stayed in one where we got a three person private room and it was pretty much like a hotel. The other one was a 10 bed room, but it was clean. There are some pictures of the rooms up on facebook if you want to gauge the sketchyness for yourself. I like hostels, they are really good for meeting people and they are cheap.
Q: What was it like to be high?
A: Being high was odd. I got really pulled into my own thoughts and didn't talk a lot (though that was partly because I knew I was high and was attempting to avoid saying cliche high person things). The first time when I had way too much was the most intense and I hardly remember it. I do remember a few pieces of the evening, specifically that I felt really clear headed even though I was aware that I wasn't, and I was realizing that I was forgetting things almost as they happened, a bit like in Eternal Sunshine when he is trying to make himself remember as his memories are being taken away. Then when I went to bed I remember feeling like I was floating all around. The times when I was less high I pretty much just got really relaxed and stared into space, apart from several instances of really hilarious conversation. It also has th benefit of not making you ill, like alcohol does, if you have too much. I'm glad I tried it, and I had a good time, but I don't like how disconnected it made me feel so it's not something I'll be taking up.
Q: Is it totally crazy that you can smoke weed anywhere there?
A: Sort of, though it is sort similar to drinking in that just because the activity is ok people tend to not just do it anywhere. Also it is actually illegal, just decriminalized, so you can only buy it in coffee shops (which sell weed and hash, not coffee), and unless you are in a super touristy area, you should keep it low key.
Q: Is it a more relaxed place? America is just so fast paced and so angry I'm just wondering if it's nicer over there?
A: Not sure if you mean Amsterdam or the UK, so I'll go with the UK since I've been here more. It is really similar actually, culture wise at least. It is prettier, and there are somethings that we don't have at all that are pretty wonderful, but it is still a western country with cell phones, and shops, and trashy people.
Q: I miss you terribly.
A: Aww, miss you too dear.
Q: When can I move in with you?
A: Any time, though you might have to live in the kitchen, my room is very small.
Q: Does anyone in Amsterdam speak english?
A: Yes, pretty much everyone.
Q: Are the accents super crazy?
A: The Dutch sound pretty cool, especially when speaking Dutch. There are people from all over in Oxford and on my course so I've gotten pretty desensitized to accents, except for the Scottish accent because there aren't any around. I'm thinking of applying for jobs in Scotland and it will be a little sad if I move there because the accent will no longer have that foreign hotness to it.
Q: Will you have an accent when you get home?
A: Amanda and Drew said that I've changed my inflection when I ask questions, but I don't think I'll have a noticeable accent. And whatever I have will probably fade pretty quickly, as after just a few days of being around Amanda I was accidentally stealing her more nasal pronunciation of things.
Q: Are there any words that you've learned like slang that are hilarious?
A: The Hokey Pokey is the Hokey Cokey here, and Where's Waldo is Where's Wally
Q: Come home.
A: I don't have one; I'm a vagabond.
Q: Do you need a green card to be living over there or is it ok because you're going to school?
A: They don't have green cards here, it would be called something else. I've got a student visa which means I can live here, go to school, and work up to 20 hours a week so long as my course is happening. Once it ends I'll have to switch to a graduate work visa if I want to stay here; basically because I'll have graduated from a UK school I'm entitled to stay and work for 2 years (after filling out some forms and paying them £500), of course I still have to find a job. If I want to stay longer than that I'd have to get married or get a regular work visa, which is a lot more difficult because it is tied to your job.
Q: Are hostels really as sketchy as people make them sound? With like one bed and sleeping with people you don't know and the creepy old man starring at you and such?
A: Depends on the hostel. We stayed in one where we got a three person private room and it was pretty much like a hotel. The other one was a 10 bed room, but it was clean. There are some pictures of the rooms up on facebook if you want to gauge the sketchyness for yourself. I like hostels, they are really good for meeting people and they are cheap.
Q: What was it like to be high?
A: Being high was odd. I got really pulled into my own thoughts and didn't talk a lot (though that was partly because I knew I was high and was attempting to avoid saying cliche high person things). The first time when I had way too much was the most intense and I hardly remember it. I do remember a few pieces of the evening, specifically that I felt really clear headed even though I was aware that I wasn't, and I was realizing that I was forgetting things almost as they happened, a bit like in Eternal Sunshine when he is trying to make himself remember as his memories are being taken away. Then when I went to bed I remember feeling like I was floating all around. The times when I was less high I pretty much just got really relaxed and stared into space, apart from several instances of really hilarious conversation. It also has th benefit of not making you ill, like alcohol does, if you have too much. I'm glad I tried it, and I had a good time, but I don't like how disconnected it made me feel so it's not something I'll be taking up.
Q: Is it totally crazy that you can smoke weed anywhere there?
A: Sort of, though it is sort similar to drinking in that just because the activity is ok people tend to not just do it anywhere. Also it is actually illegal, just decriminalized, so you can only buy it in coffee shops (which sell weed and hash, not coffee), and unless you are in a super touristy area, you should keep it low key.
Q: Is it a more relaxed place? America is just so fast paced and so angry I'm just wondering if it's nicer over there?
A: Not sure if you mean Amsterdam or the UK, so I'll go with the UK since I've been here more. It is really similar actually, culture wise at least. It is prettier, and there are somethings that we don't have at all that are pretty wonderful, but it is still a western country with cell phones, and shops, and trashy people.
Q: I miss you terribly.
A: Aww, miss you too dear.
Q: When can I move in with you?
A: Any time, though you might have to live in the kitchen, my room is very small.
Q: Does anyone in Amsterdam speak english?
A: Yes, pretty much everyone.
Q: Are the accents super crazy?
A: The Dutch sound pretty cool, especially when speaking Dutch. There are people from all over in Oxford and on my course so I've gotten pretty desensitized to accents, except for the Scottish accent because there aren't any around. I'm thinking of applying for jobs in Scotland and it will be a little sad if I move there because the accent will no longer have that foreign hotness to it.
Q: Will you have an accent when you get home?
A: Amanda and Drew said that I've changed my inflection when I ask questions, but I don't think I'll have a noticeable accent. And whatever I have will probably fade pretty quickly, as after just a few days of being around Amanda I was accidentally stealing her more nasal pronunciation of things.
Q: Are there any words that you've learned like slang that are hilarious?
A: The Hokey Pokey is the Hokey Cokey here, and Where's Waldo is Where's Wally
Q: Come home.
A: I don't have one; I'm a vagabond.