the innocent eye is blind

i've been in amsterdam for almost a week now, and it's hard to describe how fabulous it has been. amsterdam, like most european cities, is wonderfully nuanced: both historical and modern, cosmopolitan and quaint. i wish i could capture some of this beauty and share it with you, but my photographs don't really do it justice. though image is powerful, experience is even more so.

the legalization of marijuana and prostitution in this city has unfortunately overshadowed its other qualities, though this situation reminds me of durham, because the uncovering of every cultural treasure seems that much more precious when it opposes the popular opinion.

anyway, my thoughts about the program so far have not settled yet, and so, i'm going to refrain from blogging about it comprehensively, as i would be inclined to do if i write into it anymore.

instead, i'll tell you what happened to me yesterday, which is a little embarssing, but overall good fodder for conversation. these two attributes may be redundant.

both my roommates were on skype last night in that awkward time before dinner when i wasn't hungry yet, so i decided to go on a walk by myself. i was feeling a bit more comfortable with the city, so i just set off without consulting a map. 10 minutes or so in, i wanted to check to see if i was passing by any important buildings, so i pulled out my map, which is kind of an intense process of flipping around multiple pages in my handy guide. anyway, a middle aged man approached me and asked me if i needed directions somewhere. i told him that i was just looking for some pretty buildings, so he offered to show me some spots.

as some of you might know, i have recently gotten into meeting strangers, which have led to some pretty cool encounters, new friends, and the occasional awkward encounter. so, i was pretty excited about this prospect of being shown around by a local.

first, we walked a bit to this bridge with a remarkable view. amsterdam, like venice, is a city built on poles, a fact which didn't really sink in until i got here, even though i had watched ocean's 12 (i guess it's mentioned there?). basically, there's canals and bridges everywhere, and this view was especially nice because we were in an unusually green area with a view of the zuiderkerk, which is the city's oldest protestant church.

so far so good, but then things got a bit stranger. he next took me to the red light district, which i found kind of odd, but excused it, thinking that most tourists do want to see it (and i had already been there twice with my group already - no, i did not do anything). anyway, i walked quickly through this area with him.

he then asked if i wanted to get a coffee or something with him, and by this time, i was getting kind of antsy, so i told him i had to go back. i was a bit nervous because i didn't know how to get back from where we were at that time without looking at a map and he kept leading me through side streets rather than going on the main roads, which he said were too commercial for his taste (learned that kaiserstraat has the biggest revenue per square meter in amsterdam -- apparently this guy was a market analyst for mckinnsey). during this time, he also decided "wir reden jetzt in deutsch" and so i couldn't really understand what he was saying anymore because my german has deproved significantly.

anyway, i kept on insisting that i had to go back, but he insisted that we go to his favorite glass gallery so that he could show me this special type of glass that he collected, i forget the name of it now. luckily, this gallery was on a street that i walked back on the night before, so i was good to go. the eetcafe next to the gallery had an empty table set up outside for two, when he saw it, he put his hand lightly on my waist and said, "look a table for us", so i jammed my elbow into his hand and was like "uh, i really got to go."

so i didn't know how to lose this guy, so i just walked quickly back to my hotel. i guess the smart thing to do now would have been to have said "thanks, bye!" then, but i was kind of clueless, so i just walked quickly back to my hotel, still talking to him. in front of the hotel, i told him, "well, it was nice meeting you!" and shook his hand. he laughed and then KISSED THE SIDE OF MY NECK.

which i wasn't sure whether or not was like the european tradition or whatever and he had missed my cheek because i flinched, but honestly, this guy freaked me out so much. he then looked at me, and said something to the effect of "try again?" to which i was like "ahh, sorry we don't do that in america" and literally bolted into the lobby and up to my room.

now, i don't know if i am being stupid about this situation now, or if i was stupid then, but...it was just very crazy to me.

and more to come...