Goodbye, Albuquerque

I’ve been meaning to get this blog up and running for about two weeks. But I’ve found myself prioritizing my remaining time in Albuquerque with things like: saying goodbye to seven years’ worth of friends and colleagues; selling or giving away virtually everything I own; closing cell phone, Netflix, and utility accounts; sweeping and scrubbing my apartment; and, unfortunately, bidding goodbye to my cat, who is not well suited for a transatlantic move.

I now find myself with a bit of down time. After a final apartment walkthrough, donating the last remains of the items I am leaving behind to Goodwill, converting some dollars to euros at the bank, and mailing a few items to my dad in Tempe, I am sipping tea on Paul and Annie’s couch with their dogs. I’m looking at everything that I’m taking with me to Amsterdam (and, effectively, all of my tangible belongings): two large suitcases crammed with clothes and a few other items; a small carry on suitcase with more clothes; and a case for my laptop.

I depart from Albuquerque tomorrow at 10:40am, and I arrive in Amsterdam via Houston on Saturday morning at 8:20am. I’ve checked in for my flight (and I’ve found that I’ll be paying an additional $450 in bag fees; my bags are each about 65lbs – about 15 lbs over the 50lbs limit), arranged for a cab from the airport, and confirmed my reservation at a bed and breakfast in Amsterdam. My immediate goal will be combating jetlag by running around a park, walking around town, and drinking a strong Belgian beer. After that, I’ll take the rest of life in Amsterdam as it comes to me.

And, as life in Amsterdam comes to me, I want to share part of it with friends and family whom I won’t be able to communicate with as often due to the time difference, issues with international calling, etc. Although I don’t usually shy away from new experiences, promising my family that I’ll write about exotic Dutch things like riding bicycles and eating raw herring might also nudge me toward doing such things.

So, check in regularly if you want to hear what I’m up to, and please feel free to keep in touch offsite.