Hello! Today we started the day off by traveling to IJ Hallen — Europe’s largest vintage market! I’m not sure if I have emphasized this enough, but the public transport in this country is truly amazing. We took the metro to Central Station and then took a free ferry across the river to the market. Later the same day we took buses and the tram system to explore the city further. I can’t go without saying that the main way to travel in Amsterdam is by bicycles. There are more bikes than blades of grass in this city (I think). Just watch out for the bike lanes, they will run over you (I know).
IJ Hallen is on the north side of the Het IJ river in Amsterdam. This market was outside, in the sun, and inconceivably large. We had two hours and no hope to cover every single stall and piece of clothing. But don’t worry, I spent my fair share of euros. The market consisted of vintage clothes, jewelry, art pieces, and food. Vintage markets like this one is very common in the Netherlands as reusing and upcycling is a sustainable way to deal with unwanted “junk”. Additionally, it is a way to take something with little value and make profit off of it. However, I am curious how much money these vendors make. Most items were incredibly cheap.
After the market, we took the ferry and bus to a Pitt Alumni gathering. This event was so interesting and exciting as it allowed for me to connect with people who made careers out of their degrees at Pitt. I learned about people’s career paths, as well as their advice, and people’s lifestyles, culture, and transitions to living abroad. I found this event super helpful because I learned ways to prepare for the job world. There was so much that I cannot write it all down here, by I will mention some of the large takeaways.
One very common thing I learned from this event is that people don’t really end up where they plan to. Half of these people did not plan to live outside out of the USA. Another bunch did not end up working in the fields they studied at school. Yet, all of them have found success and careers that enjoy working at.
Another, really somewhat random and obvious, thing I learned from this event is that I am an adult. What I mean by that is these alumni talked with us as if we were their peers. Which makes sense, as we are all adults. But this informality with people older than me isn’t something I’ve experienced a lot before. It was relieving to see that these alumni seemed very human. I was worried that the 9-5 lifestyle turns people into robots.
After the alumni event, I spent this rest of the evening walking along shopping streets and relaxing. Tomorrow we are visiting a University and the Schiphol Airport (again!). I’m hoping we get to see some planes up close.
Until then, doei!
Also, Mom, if you’re reading this, happy mother’s day!