When in doubt, try to look pretty.

Amsterdam is beautiful, quaint, safe, accessible, friendly, interesting, a once in a lifetime opportunity...

look at it!

It is also located in a foreign country, populated by people who speak a different language.

I'm well in to week 2 of working from home, here in Amsterdam, and while no one wants me to admit it, its a bit lonely.

Hey look! Its me alone in Holland!

Sure, Dre and I are getting along famously and having a great time. And Joachim is a fun roomie. But they get to head off to the office each day where they competently execute the same jobs they worked in their home states with a whole gang of fun-loving English speakers.

I get to navigate working from home or from cafes I have to pay to be in (and given my part-time wage, high debt to income ratio, and a weak dollar - I try to work from home as much as I can stand).

candlelit cafes

with interesting ceilings cost $.

I was already new at my job before I left. The inevitable transition period of being new and uncertain in a job is one I avoid at almost all costs. "We stay in hell because we know the names of the streets."

I try not to stay in hell, exactly, but I do - like most other humans, prefer to know the names of the streets. And I've been in a constant state of change since uprooting myself from Sacramento and heading to Oakland 3 years ago. Its amazing what I've accomplished, but it hasn't been easy. Sure I like adventure. But I also like  not knowing the language, the currency, the customs, the faces, the cool cafes and where to get the best deals on organic groceries. And how to open doors...

So now I'm new at my job and in a new city.

Hence my improved appearance.

nails and hair!

Yep. When in doubt, try to look pretty. I might feel insecure about my ability to comprehend what people are saying, but I can communicate self-confidence with a dress. (psst: If you know me from tenure at the anti-dress G.B., please don't tell S.L. :)

Thank goddess for the market. Three new vintage dresses for 10 euros and I'm in good shape.

for people who use something other than kitchen shears to make things

oooh! kitchenware! (you're welcome Jacob Jett!)

screams Hamstertime, doesn't it?

I wanted to buy this whole table!

Historically I've relied on my brains to get me by, but here in Amsterdam I'm leaning on beauty. Its hard to wow people with your mind when you are:

1. Lost
2. New around here
3. A little desperate for friends (I've encountered this awkward state every time I've ever moved. I'm a people person and people persons want people to like them.)

So I bought some dresses and have been doing my hair.

modified this myself, thank you very much.

It hasn't earned me any friends yet, but at least I feel confident on my way to the market.