Amsterdam

Got the internet sorted - yay! It's not wireless because trying to get that sorted out was toooo much! So now for a bit about getting to Amsterdam and my first weeks here...

I left after a night of late night packing in Berlin. Torsten (my flat mate) helped me to the Station, which was really good because I would never have made it. I left with my big rucksack, small rucksack and bike with bike trailer. More stuff than I would've liked to have, but anyway. Torsten got a picture of it all (und Torsten ich wurde gerne die bilder noch haben!) so I'll post that when I get it. I eventually got on the right train, after chasing my rucksack around the hauptbahnhof (it got left in a lift - I was too slow at unloading), with all my stuff and the trip to A'dam was pretty uneventful. Once in Amsterdam I moved into my room and met my new flatmate (engineer on oil refineries, deer hunter, southerner...). My room is much smaller than my room in Berlin (and more expensive) but should do for now!

On the following Monday (the 19th) I started work. For the 1st day I was shown around and didn't do much work as my computer wasn't set up, but got to meet loads of people who's names I subsequently forgot. I work in a building with about 120 other Greenpeacers. Our offices are in a three story building on the outskirts of Amsterdam. We have the whole top floor (where I am) and half the second floor. We also have archives, a bike cellar and a cafeteria in the basement. The people at work are cool, as one would expect working at Greenpeace. Our campaigns (Toxics and GE) are both being scaled down next year as GP is focusing more and more on Climate Change, so for now there are 2 campaign assistants (myself and Hanna, who was CA before me), but come 2008 it'll just be me. I've also been asked to work 5 days a week instead of 4, an idea I'm warming to.

So now that the job has started I'm just slowly starting to get used to everything here. I've bought a new bike as I was advised not to use my mountain bike as it would probably get stolen. It's a classic Amsterdam bike - a gazelle. Apart from going to a Cat Empire concert last Thursday, I haven't been doing much social, but looks like things will be starting up from next weekend. Also going to go check out some ultimate frisbee on Mondays...