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Hello and welcome back to today’s episode of Oosterdam! Today’s word of the day is dankuwel, which is the formal way to say “thank you” in the Netherlands. One thing I’ve learned about the locals here is that they don’t feign friendliness or hospitality. You can expect the cold shoulder more often than not when conversing with a stranger, much like you would expect to see in a big city back at home, like Chicago or New York. Hollanders are a lot more straightforward, so if they’re kind they truly mean it. My friend Jack thanked the cashier at a supermarket earlier and was met with silence. I told him that perhaps it might be better to spare the niceties if he wanted to blend in, as most residents here would perceive him as strange, not polite. He replied with a shrug and a smile, telling me that by showing his gratitude, he was being straightforward. And that he wanted them to know that he truly meant his thanks. Since then, I haven’t forgotten the word for thanks—dankuwel.
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This morning started bright and early at 7:15 AM. Having to leave my bed was an endeavor and a half—parting is such sweet sorrow—but I got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast. Breakfast was a lovely assortment of sweet and savory; on my plate, I had a few egg custard minis, some pancakes, bacon, charcuterie, and some tomatoes and cucumbers. This was accompanied by a glass of fruit juice, which I went back for again and again. After that, it was over to the University of Amsterdam to sit in on a lecture about sustainability in aviation by KLM’s (Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij—Royal Aviation Company) vice president of sustainability: Karel Bockstael. The presentation was information dense and nothing short of fascinating. When it comes to aviation, engineering and business have to work in tandem to develop a product that is energy efficient and cheap to produce, especially in a world where air travel is becoming more and more accessible: that was what we learned. Honestly, if the entire trip was like Mr. Bockstael’s lecture, I wouldn’t complain.
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Halfway through the blog post and I’m still only at noon! After the lecture we went on a massive scavenger hunt around the city over the course of three and a half hours. The goal was to take a photo at each of five key locations featured in John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars. It was also a competition for free apple pie, so naturally my team had to come in first. Picture four students power-walking in absolute silence except for the occasional “we’re crossing”. “It’s right around the block.” That was pretty much my team. In all seriousness, though, it was lovely to navigate around the city, familiarize myself with the tram system and further immerse myself in the culture. We stopped for a wonderful lunch at the Carousel and continued on to meet our tour guides, Sophia and Dasha at the Anne Frank House.
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Anne Frank was famous for her journals written during WWII on living as a Jewish family in hiding from the Nazis. She spent a large majority of her time sheltered up in the attic of a storage garage called the Annex; her journals detail her time spent holed up in the house we visited. The tour took us from room to room, allowing us to gaze upon snapshots from her life as we listened to excepts from her diary. It was but a disconcerted echo of what her life used to be, something I was mindful of as I walked through the dimly-lit corridors.
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After the Anne Frank House, we were turned loose to explore the city and experience the nightlife in Amsterdam on our own. We explored a few museums, claimed our prize (victory is sweet and its name is apple pie with whipped cream) and headed back to the hostel to get some much needed rest.
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That’s all for today’s blog. Thanks for reading, and see you tomorrow.