1 week already...

I went "out" for the first time here yesterday. And in the US, going our means staying in, or at least being in someone's apartment. Sylvia's, in this case. I went there around 6 because we'd agreed to have dinner there, me, Sylvia, and Maria, the other Dutch girl. When I arrived there they hadn't done any grocery shopping yet, so through the rain we went, to "Whole Foods" the healthy, and thus expensive, grocery store around here. I wasn't very hungry, consequence of Terry making pancakes and me having one, but it was nice shopping for a real meal. Theresa, Sylvia's German roommate, went with us. We bought potatoes, broccoli, oven dish material! And wine, because nearly all my friends here seem to be over 21, which is good :-D And, you know what I found in that wondrous store? Stroopwafels. 4 dollar for 8 of them, true, but still, they have stroopwafels here, for when I get really homesick (my pack isn't finished yet, though, so I'll be fine).

When we came back to the apartment and started cooking, all kinds of neighbours and friends started arriving, bringing, amongst other things, a container of Smirnoff, aparently everyone's favorite drink here. So, I had a couple of screwdrivers (simpler than it sounds, just plain wodka and OJ), and before I knew it it was eleven, and I wasn't tired. The food was good. I'm starting to like salad, oddly, or actually, I'm starting to appreciate how good dressings can make salads (in this case, honey/curry, an odd combination, very spicy, but good).

You know what all the cool kids (or well...all the students anyhow) who live here do at night? They go to Diddy Riese. And no, that's not a bar (I don't think I'll go to many bars here, seeing how I'm 19 and all), it's an ice-cream and hot dog place. They have sandwiches there for 1 dollar. And not just any kind of sandwishes, oh no. They have the kind of sandwiches where the buns are two cookies of your choice, and the "meat" is any ice cream of your choice.

Ok, so it's a once in a very long while thing. But good!

To make a long story short, it was a really nice evening, and I came home around 1, later than I've gone to bed lately. I slept until half past nine this morning, so I think I'm finally getting in the rhythm. Also, walking back at 1 was not scary whatsoever, this is really a safe neighbourhood, the streets are very very crowded at 1 am, and I even saw a police car go by, just cruising along, you know.

The plan for today? Going to Target (big store, to get a duvet), maybe doing the laundry (with this weather, jeans are really the only possible pants, and both of mine are dirty), and tonight maybe renting some DVD's at blockbuster and watching them.

I can't believe I've been here for (almost) a week already. One week ago I was in the plane, I believe somewhere between NY and LA, closer to NY though. Now it's my home, a temporary one, but a home nonetheless.

Hedwig