The Scars of Sweet San Francisco

The United States of America, a country of extreme opposites. The country where vegan salad bars are located next to Taco Bell, the country where media magnet Donald Trump's followers go to the same supermarket as the few hopeful Obama supporters this country has left, and most of all: the country where the rich become richer and the poor are left defeated, dominating the street corners and desperately yearning for a fix.

As each day goes by, I can say that I feel more like a local in San Francisco. It's been five weeks now, and this city has welcomed me the minute I arrived at Oakland Airport, with its beautiful Victorian houses, its thrift shops and vinyl stores on the corner of each street and my best friend: the Bridge. I get what Scott McKenzie was singing about: even though it's fifty years later, the people here are still gentle, and yes, some of them even wear flowers in their hair.

Yet, as we know, all that glitters is not gold. Friendly as they may be, the hippies on Haight Street have turned into hoboes and the amount of junk that must be sold there is unimaginable. Amsterdam is like a sweet, little playground compared to San Francisco. It's heroin here rather than hash - though cannabis is BIG as well - and old ladies yearning for it rather than college kids.

So yes, the city's shadows have catched my eye sight as well. Hoboes sleep in front of your house, ex-veterans offer you medicines in bars and crazy people sit in front of you in buses. This might sound like a horrible nightmare, but in fact, I've never felt unsafe in this city. Weird, I know. The fact is that hoboes are friendly, and often too passed out to do you any harm. Moreover, people here actually talk to each other. In the bus, in the streets, in the supermarket. A bit superficial, alright - they still get crazy when they see my ''Cara'' brows (''honey, please tell me, where do you get them done?!'') - but sociable for sure.

I guess the sun also rises. It is said to rise in the East, but it definitely sets in the West, and isn't this the most beautiful time of the day? In other words, America has its downsides, the extreme unequality is the most important one, but it has advantages too. Let me say a few more things about these downsides. As I've mentioned before, the city is so goddamn expensive. A glass of wine for 8 dollars, gum for 4 dollars (my main vitamin sources, yes) and let's not even start talking about the rent. How can normal non-technical people live here? Well, they don't. They either sleep on the streets or commute to university or work day by day.

Another thing that struck me is the fact that politics really are right-wing here. What is considered as left/Democratic in the States, would be quite right-wing in the Netherlands. The other day we were discussing the Syrian refugees problem in my Contemporary Moral and Political Issues class, and my fellow students actually agree with some very conservative ideas. We don't want immigrants. Keep the Mexicans out. If they don't have the right skills that will be beneficial for the US, we don't want them in our country. Nationalism is an important value here, without doubt. Then there are also people flyering at university, comparing Obama to Hitler and claiming that we should all support Poetin. I support free speech strongly, but was definitely shocked.

Now let's turn to the positive things I briefly mentioned! Because that's probably the reason you're all reading these long essays of mine. The thing that still surprises me everyday is the sociability and friendliness of the people in the States. They compliment you, they tell you how their day have been (and for the first time I don't even think ''who cares?'' but actually listen to them), they tell you where to go, what to do and wish you a pleasant day with honesty in their voice. The lack of sarcasm has been a bit harsh for me - Americans don't really seem to get my humour - but I'm definitely a lot more open now. Met so many random people here, you don't want to know!

So that's something I definitely don't miss about the Netherlands, where everyone is minding their own business, looking on their phones and often even avoid looking people they ''sort of'' know in the eye when they pass them on the streets (just admit it!). For the rest, my life in San Francisco starts to feel more normal each day. I go to university, do my homework, cook my own meals and have friends to visit.

Not longer a tourist, but far from a San Franciscan either. Though I plan to travel a lot (Vegas! Vancouver! Mexico!) I can't really say that I'm a traveler either, now that I have a fixed home. We did couchsurf in Oakland once last week, to experience the upcoming area in real life. Unfortunately, I got a stomach flu and we had to leave early, but we definitely met some cool people to hang out with more in the future.

So back to my identity problem. What am I? Let's just stick to exchange student, nerdy as it might sound. I'm in a priviliged position, paying fees to the University of Amsterdam and paying relatively low (ridiculous, right?) rent. I don't need to work here, have plenty of time to stroll around the streets and meet all these nice people who think I'm oh so interesting, since I'm from Amsterdam (proud of my roots, but Brabant doesn't mean much to them) and study philosophy. So I guess I'm balancing on the part of society that's better of in this intriguing country. Yet I'm always trying to remember the reality, which sadly enough, doesn't smell like flowers anymore.

Square dancing, Surfers and Santa Cruz

We just needed to get away from the city. Seriously, now, already? You've just been there for four weeks, you might think. Well, the city can be a bit overwhelming - even though I'm used to a busy life in Amsterdam - and friends had trips planned to national parks and Hawaii, so yes, we needed to go.

 

''We'' is Lavinia, my Italian roommate, and I. We knew little about Santa Cruz, aside from the fact that there was a beach, an amusement park and a big surfing scene. Not that we could surf, but well, you know what we mean ;) We took a bus, a train - the biggest train I've ever seen, God Bless America - and another bus. It took a while to get there and when we finally got there, we were surprised about the size of Santa Cruz. It was so tiny! We'd arranged a place to stay via Couchsurfing, but had to wait a little while before we could go there because our host, Spencer, was still at work in Big Sur.

No worries, because if there's a beach, one should go to the beach and that is exactly what we did. The view was typically American, a few big rollercoasters, a carousel, a grand casino and lots and lots of food stalls. From burgers to chocolate ice cream, there seemed to be only one condition: there had to be calories in the food! We've even seen fried cheese cake. Seriously?

We decided to go for falafel, because one can never eat too much falafel - this is what the nightlife in Amsterdam has taught me - and we needed to kill time and fill our stomaches. Afterwards, we bought a huge bottle of red wine and began our trip to the host home. Which turned out to be not that far and one of the cosiest houses I've ever slept in! We were welcomed by a group of guys who were just cooking dinner, by the cutest dog ever - except from my own of course - called Dingo, and by a lovely garden to sit and relax.

Sitting and relaxing is what we did for a while, but not for too long, because we needed to do some dancing! And not just dancing, real American square dancing. I'd only heard about line dancing before, but this type of dancing turned out to be a lot fun as well. We arrived a bit late in the church - cool right, dancing in a church - but were very welcome to join the group.

Square dancing is basically a dance for four couples arranged in a square, with one couple arranged on each side. We just had to listen to the instructions, but it was one big chaotic mess. I'm not the best dancer in general, and I had no clue what the technical terms meant. Neither did my partner or the rest of my group, so what it came down to was a lot of running around and trying to follow the instructions. And a lot of laughing too.

 

Aside from square dancing, there was more activity this weekend. Lavinia, the guys and I made a trip to UCSC (University of California Santa Cruz), which has the best campus ever. And I'm not turning into an American here. The campus was in the middle of the forest, surrounded by trees. There was also a trailer park where people actually lived. My dream house really, aside from the tree house, because it looked so hippie-like and cosy. After a short hike we went to Dog Beach, where dogs and surfers reside. I decided to show off my courageous side and went into the water. Cold! And dirty! But it felt refreshing as hell.

On Sunday we borrowed some bikes from one of the guys, and went for a ride along the coast. Finally! I could put my feet on the pedals again and move! Honestly, I miss my bike so much here in San Francisco, but unfortunately they cost a lot of money, the environment is not so bike-friendly and it so goddamn steep (I know I already told you that). So yeah, biking was a lot of fun and above all, magnificently beautiful.

 

In the afternoon we played some volleybal on the beach with our new friends. I wasn't too good - serving has never been my strength - but it sure was a lot of fun. We ate some delicious veggie taco's at a Taceria and had drinks with a couple of Dutch girls during the night. Yesterday, our short but most relaxed weekend trip had ended again and we made our way back to San Francisco.

 

Our first trip south was definitely all we could've wished for, especially thanks to the lovely guys that hosted us. We might meet again in San Francisco during Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, so that'd be amazing. It sounds silly, but I'm really thankful we've met them, because I can finally say that I've experienced a bit of the traditional Californian life. Taking it slow, leaving the door open at night and spending your days at the beach. Doesn't that sound like heaven? To be honest, a few days were just perfect for me, I need the city life and the speed of San Francisco, but everyone was very friendly and super, super chill. I know Dutch people use this word a lot, but they have no clue what it means, if they haven't experienced the Californian way of life! I can't wait for the other trips we're going to make this semester, starting with Oakland Pride next weekend. I'll keep you posted.

Love from San Francisco,

Bente

It's a hard knock life... even in San Francisco!

My ''to-do list'' in this Golden State is growing and growing. Every time I meet new people, hear new stories or simply get lost in a new area again - seriously, these roads have as little logic as Amsterdam's city center - I can add another thing to my list. Places: Santa Cruz, Santa Monica, Yosemite. Bars: Zeitgeist (actually already been here, amazing Berlin vibe and at walking distance from my apartment!), everything on Valencia St., everything on Haight St. Things to do: a night tour at Alcatraz, go to a basketball game, visit SF Jazz Center... Enough. A week ago reality kicked in: back to university!

So what's university life like in the States? Well, I can't speak for the entire country, of course there's a huge difference between campuses: you have Ivy League, then there are universities like Berkeley and very pretty private universities and a bit further down comes San Francisco State University. After all, it's a state university. The campus is, and I think I've said this before, not too fancy, the buildings look pretty old and the cafetaria is nothing but expensive. But hey, that's not what it's about. It's about education, guys. Something we shouldn't forget in this modern world ;)

And education differs per class and teacher. I've heard horror stories about super strict teachers, who won't allow you to miss one class in the first weeks, give lots of homework and will literally tell you the course might be too difficult for you. Then you've got teachers, like mine, who are extremely easy-going, will allow you to eat in class, have only one rule, which is: enter the class with a smile (I know, that's not what I was made for, can't help the eyebrows, miss) and who literally say: the tests are very easy, if you study two hours as a preparation, you'll get an A. Oh yeah!

Cause what I did decide, before I came here, but most definitely now that I'm here, is that I don't want to spend too much time on my homework, on readings and essays. Kind of hard, since I've been perfectionistic all my life and I might say that ''I don't give a shit about the boring books'' but truth is that I do. So, how to balance the social travellers' life and the straight A-student life? I have not thought about this very clearly, but what I think it comes down to is: B's are fine too. They say that the average level in the States is quite a lot lower than in the Netherlands. I don't have a job or modelling work here, so I should have plenty of time to combine the two of them. I won't complain. I don't dare to anyway, I'm in San Francisco.

So, for those of you who are interested, a little bit more about the classes I'm taking. I'm only taking four, which sounds like a lot for Dutch people, but it's the minimum here at SFSU. The first is called ''Nietzsche & postmodernism'' and is about - try to guess it! - yes, Nietzsche. Our teacher is a very old lady (70, maybe?) who immediately dived deep into Hume, Kant and all those other guys during the first class. I'm doing my best to keep up with her, also because I think she's very awesome. She definitely was one of the cool kids in her youth. Anyways, another course is called ''Contemporary Moral & Political Issues'' and it's interesting as well. It's about issues such as war, abortion, animal abuse, free speech, etc. The teacher definitely wasn't one of the cool kids in his youth, since he comes across as a bit insecure and thinks everything we say is: ''cool!'', ''brilliant!'' or ''super!" Interesting folks, those Americans.

 

The third course is ''World Religions'', the teacher is quite chaotic, but in itself, I think it's extremely interesting, especially in contemporary times. I'm reading a lot about Hinduism at the moment, and that religion sure has some good stuff woven through it. The last course is my favourite one, which is: ''Food, Wine & Culture in California''. The teacher is the one who wants us to smile, but she's actually very funny, sarcastic and all about alcohol. We get to review restaurants, wineries and taste wine. What else do you wish for in a class?

 

So, enough about college. What else have I seen so far in San Francisco? Me and my friends did some touristic things, such as visiting Fisherman's Wharf, Lombard Street, Little Italy and the De Young Museum. I found a nice route for running - those hills are so damn steep! - we had some more house parties and we discovered a mouse in the kitchen. What?! A mouse? Yes, a tiny creature moving around the house, hiding in corners. I have to say that I'm not so shocked, since we had many of them in Amsterdam, but my roommates are pretty uptight. The landlady has sent someone to install traps, and I have to admit, I'll be glad if the creature has disappeared.

 

Any other news from the Western front? No all right, let's stick to Coast. Not really. I'm looking forward to Labour Day, which is next week, because I've got a little trip planned with some Italian exchange students: San José, Santa Cruz and Big Sur! Can't wait to travel around again. I might have to bring some of Nietzsche's work with me, but I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. I am even getting used to the expensive wine here. All in all, nothing to complain about.

''Did anyone ever tell you you look like Cara Delevingne?'' ''No! Never!''

So many things happening in such short time, I feel that I should write a post at least once a day, but well, that's probably not gonna happen. Not only because there's so much to do in this great state, but also because I still don't have any internet on my laptop. Story of my life, for sure. No internet in Amsterdam, no internet in San Francisco. But fortunately I brought many, many books and I have people around to talk to.

Anyways, today I feel like I should be writing a bit more about the first week, orientation week actually, of uni. Cause that's what I came here for after all! Something I kept forgetting the weeks before I arrived here. But reality is gonna start again and reality is gonna start again soon. Tomorrow... But well, the first week was only an orientation week, So it was not too bad. I met many, many people, heard lots and lots of shitty information that we all know by heart already - I mean, plagiarism, seriously? - and I've experienced that the San Francisco State University campus is not that pretty. 

And not that warm either... Must sound odd for Dutch people, but it's a true fact: it's about 5 degrees colder at campus than in the city. And it's only 20 minutes distance between the two of them. Honestly, I haven't seen any real sun at uni. It's always cloudy. It's a good thing that I live in the center :)

Orientation week was mainly about meeting people from different nationalities and hearing all about Americans and their weird customs. Most of them I already knew, for instance the famous ''Hi! How are you?'' and the over-enthusiasm, but I also found out that Americans give their phone number the minute they meet you. It's not a flirting kind of thing, but it's because they love to meet people (I think) and they are so excited about your life story, that they wanna know all about it in the future. In reality, they never call you back. Or maybe once, if there's a good reason.

So yes, all the information was a bit unnecessary, even though there were some useful things, like the fact that we learned that we have to have a travel permission from SFSU in order to travel outside of the States. Hawaii is a state, so we don't need it for this beautiful island. Some of my new friends are actually going there during Labour Day, but I decided to stay in SF - or go to Santa Cruz or a place closer - because tickets are damn expensive.

Fortunately there was more than just information, for instance a meeting at Dolores Park on Tuesday. I spent a lot of time with the girls from the first house I slept in, but also met many other internationals. To give you an idea: around 50% of the internationals is Asian, but I didn't meet a lot of them. They really do seem to stick together... I did meet a lot of Italians, lovely people. There are many Scandinavians here as well, lots of blonde hair that stands out in the hallways. Lots of Norwegians, lots of Swedes. They seem to get along really well with us Dutchies, and that's a good thing, cause we're with many as well! About 20 I think, which is crazy, right?

Thus, many internationals. But fortunately many people from California as well! On Wednesday we were invited to a fraternity party by a French guy who was very lucky and arranged a place via AirBnb which turned out to become his home for the next half year. It was basically a room filled with smoke, because Americans, or San Franciscans for that matter, smoke A LOT of weed. The smell was quite familiar, because I'm used to walking in the center of Amsterdam and experiencing the same. But the taste is different. I've tried some - yes, mommy and daddy, I did, not that it would really bother you, though! - and it sure is a lot stronger.

People really go crazy when you tell them you're from Amsterdam. ''No way! Are you kidding me? That's so amazing! I'm so excited about this!'' No, I don't mean to make fun of Americans. But they are definitely crazy about Amsterdam. I had to explain that ''No, I don't smoke weed every day'' or ''take magical truffles every week''.

Another thing I found really striking about house parties - I've attended three so far - is that alcohol is such a big deal. Of course, I knew that you had to be 21+ in order to get some, but I did not know they were so strict about it. Lots of people I met at the parties were under 21 - I felt so mature - so they are not allowed to enter most clubs. They either have a fake ID or just stay at home and drink. Which results in lots and lots of liquor bottles and wasted people. 

I do think that many young Americans are not experienced in drinking, and that's the reason they get so super wasted. They never drink during dinner, with their parents or at what we call ''borrels''. Such a difference. I'm very glad that I'm able to buy wine - I pity the prizes though - cause many people here are still 20 and that sure gives you trouble. I was actually thinking about becoming a dealer and make money of buying beers and wine for young people. You know me ;)

One of the house parties we attended was an amazing one. Me and two other Dutch girls joined a couple of American guys in their car to Sebastopol, which is a few hours north from SF. This might sound weird, but we knew one of them, Tynan, because he studied in Amsterdam half a year before. We had good fun listening to hiphop, crossing the GG bridge and looking at all the beautiful vineyards. Nature really does change as soon as you're outside the city. It's gorgeous. So we stayed in Sebastopol for the night, after a lovely evening with interesting conversations, burgers, drinks and a jacuzzi.

On Friday we were back in the city, which was also convenient, because I still had to take care of some things for the apartment. On Saturday I went to the Beat Museum and City Lights Bookstore, but I'll tell you more about that later, when I will - hopefully - know all about the cultural and literary history of San Francisco.

For now, I want to conclude my story with a really sweet compliment I received here in San Francisco. Something I have not heard about 500 times in my life so far. No, I should be grateful, it's a great compliment. ''Did anyone ever tell you you look like that model? The famous one? Cara!'' I've heard it about 25 times so far I think. She must be very popular in the States at the moment.

I actually had a discussion about it with my friend Jordi back home. He thought that Americans would probably not bother too much, because they're used to famous people. He turned out to be wrong. People go crazy about her. And me a bit as well. I still take it as a compliment, definitely, but after hearing it three times in five minutes it makes me feel a bit sad. Why? Because I'm also an individual with my own looks and life story. 

But well, I think that I'm gonna use this in my benefit as well. Next time, my response will be similar to this: ''Ah yeah, she's my cousin! We're super close''.  Who knows, maybe it'll take me some places I've never been, maybe I'll meet some people I otherwise never would've  seen. No one knows what tomorrow will bring. And that sure is a fine thing. 

Love from San Francisco! 

By the way, the photos don't really match the story, but they show my new room! 

Steep and Sunny San Francisco

Finally, my first post! A LOT to write about, but what I'd like to begin with: this city is a-ma-zing. It's beautiful, marvelous and wonderful. The people are friendly, the houses are gorgeous and the streets are filled with energy. Oh my god.

No worries, though. I haven't lost my personality yet. I'm still sarcastic, I'm still ironic and yes, I'm still frustrated when someone walks so god damn slow in the streets before me. I mean, this city is steep man, keep on walking. But it's hard to be in a bad mood here. As I said, the people are extremely friendly. And up until this moment I haven't experienced a lot of phonies yet, but that might also be because I've spent most of my time with either internationals or guys who love theirselves some weed and are relaxed in general. The 'Hi! how are you' is everywhere around of course, but you get used to it very quickly. And they have different variations as well, or dwell on: 'Hi sweetheart! Welcome to America. No way, your birthday is on the same day as my mother's. That's so funny!' Seriously, Dutch employees can learn a lot from the American spirit.

So yeah, San Francisco is treating me very well already. Let me expand a bit on the first days, as it'll be too much information at once to tell my experiences of the entire week. Exactly one week ago, minus 9 hours for my Dutch readers - as you're probably all asleep at the moment - I left my home, my family and my friends behind in the Netherlands. I completely left the student building I've been living in for 3 years, had some drinks with my parents and brother at the cafe Radion downstairs and met many friends at Schiphol who made sure I got on the plane safely. Appreciated that a lot!

My first flight was to Oslo, where I arrived around 1 am. Luckily I'd booked a hostel close to the center, so after I took one of these fancy Scandinavian trains, I arrived there and went straight to sleep. In the morning, I was woken up pretty cruelly by a bunch of Japanese people with whom I shared the room. Sorry for the racial tone here, but for real, who wakes up at 8 pm and stays in the room for one hour to cook soup? The smell enforced me to leave the hostel early and explore the city a bit.

Which was lovely. I walked to the Opera building, had some coffee and strolled around the streets. My flight to Oakland was to leave at 16.45 pm, so I made sure I was at the airport on time, which I managed to do. I won't bother you with too much information about the flight. It was fine, no highlights, no problems either. I watched Friends, the film Wild, tried to read a bit and listened to my music. I arrived in Oakland at 6 pm (cause of the time difference) and it was super hot. A weird experience though, because for me it was the middle of the night, but the evening was just beginning at the Pacific Coast, so I told myself to stay awake. Which was no problem, since I'm pretty used to little sleep and late nights :)

I couldn't get into my own apartment before Wednesday, but I had some contact with other girls already (who lived in the house I was supposed to be living in, long story, not really important) and they'd said I could crash at their couch the first nights. And since I'm such a big Couchsurfing fan anyway, that was no problem for me. I arrived there around 8.30 pm and I found myself in heaven. The girls had just cooked, so dinner was ready and the glasses were filled with red wine. What else do I need? I did smell a bit, but they didn't seem to care, so no problem there either!

Spending my first days with the two Emma's, Cindy and Jinte was extremely comfortable, because they told me all I needed to know about SF. Which is: 1) The food is really expensive in this town. Especially vegetables, which is definitely a bummer. One tomato costs 1 dollar and a few apples 3 dollars. Crazy, right? 2) The wine is also expensive. About twice as much as in Amsterdam. Fuck that, yes. 3) The MUNI (metro) system is very easy, you can buy an abonnement and travel unlimited for 70 dollars. It never arrives on time, though. 4) The landlady we both have is a special woman. I found out what they meant not long afterwards.

And many things I experienced myself the first few days were:
- San Francisco is steep. You have no idea until you actually experience it. The sweat that has left my body must've been enough for... you get my point. I miss my bike so much, but I'm a bit anxious about riding in town. I am gonna do it though, it makes you feel so much more free.
- But beautiful. The houses are colourful, each house is different (kind of like Amsterdam, yet more classic (Victorian style). There are many parks, lots of water and of course... the Golden Gate Bridge. Which really is intriguing. Such a sight. The area around the Golden Gate Bridge is gorgeous as well, many residential houses and a golf park. God, how afraid I was to be hit by some Tiger Woods to-be.
- The city is filled with hoboes. Especially around Union Square. Sometimes you think they think they're still living in the sixties/seventies, because they look quite similar to the hippies. They look a bit creepy...
- ... but they are actually very nice. No surprise, though, but you get what I mean. Especially around Haight-Ashbury, where I live.

 - Haight-Ashbury is amazing. I've got no words for it. So many thriftshops, filled with glittery jackets, vintage dresses, rings, rings and rings. I haven't seen a big record store yet, but I've heard they got many of 'em here!
- My house is pretty awesome as well. I share my room with an Italian girl, Lavinia. But she's the best. She's pretty excited about going out and buying vintage clothes as well, so that's gonna be good. My other two roommates are from Denmark and very nice too. As I said, we live in the middle of the cool neighbourhood, close to many stores and bars. As everyone who's close to me will know, that's something I've never experienced before. I live in the centre now! Finally! And I have a garden too! Hell yeah.
- The house has some drawbacks, though. The internet connection doesn't work yet (I'm in a cafe at the moment), there's hardly anything to cook with (but I guess we could buy those things ourselves) and the most inconvenient thing is that Lavinia and I have to go through A-K and Caroline's room to come in at night or go to the bathroom, whereas they have to go through our room to enter the kitchen. Especially because we seem to have different schedules, that  might be a problem. But that's something to worry about later on. For now, I'm really happy to have a room, it's beautiful and the location is perfect. Expensive though (750 dollars per month per person) but well, it's San Francisco.

And I'll conclude my first - extremely long - post with that. It's fucking San Francisco. I live in California now, I've met so many nice people already (for instance a lady in the metro, who complimented me on my rings, which turned into a 20 minute conversation and a Facebook friendship), and I've made many, many plans for the next few months.

Haven't gotten to the university part yet, but I'll try to do so in the next few days. Now I think I'm gonna walk around Haight for a bit, maybe visit Hippie Hill and see what my new friends are up to. Photos of my room are following soon. I hope Holland is okay - everyone in other parts of the world as well of course - and I hope you've enjoyed my first extensive post. If not, that's okay too. Just look at my awesome photos in that case. Keep you posted!

Love from California.

And so... the California adventure begins!

Surprise! I'm still alive. I have not disappeared from this earth, neither have I found a job somewhere in Australia. I haven't written anything on this blog for quite some time - ages, really - but I figured it is time I start writing again. Why is that? First of all, since it's summer, which means I've got a lot of time on my hands. What's better than to use that for blogging? Cause I know for sure, my dear followers, if you're still there, you've missed me. Every night. Where's Bente? Is she still alive? Glad to comfort you.

No, just kiddin'. The main reason I decided to use this blog again, is the fact that I'm moving to San Francisco in two days. Yes, the city of my dreams, where people are gentle and wear flowers in their hair. My California Dream is beginning to become reality and I can't wait. Yet, it feels weird as well. I seem to end everything here in Amsterdam. I've succesfully finished my bachelor - cum laude! - and I'm leaving the student room I've been living in for three years already. Weird, yet good. I was the last woman standing, I've seen people come and go, and now it really feels like my time to go. New experiences ahead of me, new roommates, new locations. And the last thing that ends, is my job at the lunchroom. That feels kind of sad, since I had such a good time there, making coffees, taking orders and seeing people smile when they've filled their stomaches. But well, I might return, I might not, one thing's for sure: now it is time to spend all the money I earned there!

So yeah, how to spend it? First and foremost, on my room. San Francisco is a goddamn expensive city. Rents are rising the minute we speak, so that's gonna cost a lot of money. On the other hand, I'll probably be living near Golden Gate Park, next to Haight-Ashbury (where all the hippies used to live) and Castro (where all the LGBT's reside). Golden Gate Park ends at Ocean Beach, which is... yes, really... at the Pacific Ocean! And that means, morning runs through Golden Gate Park, a swim to cool down and then coffee in one of the hipster bars in the neighborhood. Records, vintage and red wine. I yearn for it, San Francisco provides it. What else do I need, really? Gentle people, yes. And some sunshine.

Well, this was it for now. I have to buy a suitcase this afternoon, have some goodbye drinks - all I seem to be doing these days - and grab the suitcase. Tough job. What to bring for half a year? You'll definitely be hearing all the things I forgot to pack, but well, that's life. That's the good life, actually. The good life I want to share with you the next half year. Hopefully you haven't forgotten me and otherwise, bring me back in your daily memory. Cause you'll be hearing from me again!

Love and greetings from Amsterdam,

Bente

photos by: Free People

The Summer of Love

I'm back again - but probably just for a while!
Anyway, my little response to today's discussions.

Gone with purity, gone with pride

All possible replacements are near

No reason, why bother to hide

Our forceful feelings of fear

Imagine a world different from ours

Where sunshine prevailed over rain

No need to strengthen powers

Apart from those of your brain

Does it make sense, is there an aim

To be reminiscent of things in a past

All knew it would not stay the same

Love, peace and happiness wouldn't last

Why not accept reality and continue

Nostalgia is natural but what is the use

Yet somehow I cannot help feeling blue

Joining the anxieties is what I refuse

Praying for a past I didn't participate in

It sounds sentimental and maybe it is

In 1967 there was also sorrow and sin

Yet one season was filled with a bliss

Nowadays it feels out of date to state

That people need to make love, not war

But it's no coincidence all we feel is hate

Peace and harmony are a station too far

Flowers filled the bumpy San Fran streets

Hippies in Haight-Ashbury took the lead

The earth moved, it created beautiful beats

A demonstration without difficulty to succeed

In order to experience the immaculacy alive

It would be good to see them once from above

So we would know why to bother and strive

For one tiny taste of the summer of love