Success!!

yay! i tried a couple places to get my photos off my (full) memory card and onto the internet to save them, with no luck. no usb ports, disconnected usb ports, computer errors, 9 euro and 7 hours later, i have my pictures on a cd. well, i assume they are there... i can't find a computer with a cd reader to check! well, a free computer, anyway. so, for those wanting photos, you'll just have to wait a bit longer. sorry!!

i'm also feeling better in general. i was quite happy to get over to haarlem today, instead of staying all day in amsterdam. it's a beautiful city, but just not my cup of tea. at least the environment that my hostel is... well, as i speak, i am in the bar area, with music loud enough to discourage conversation, a guy smoking weed and drinking beer on my left, and a disco ball illuminating the wall above me in moving polka dots. last night, at least, they were watching a soccer/football match, but i couldn't ever quite figure out who manchester was playing. a guy said, but either i couldn't understand him, or i had never heard of it before.

so anyway, i am enjoying the local foods. i didn't eat much at all my first week and a half or so, but i think i have made up for it here. so good! giant frites, belgian waffles dipped in chocolate, falafel, dutch pancakes, yum! i was planning to make pasta tonite and even bought some pesto sauce to put on it, but in my mad dash for an internet cafe with a working usb drive, i worked up enough hunger for a "small" serving of frites. it's american small, which means huge!! but delish!

i also walked around for a while looking for a payphone that i could use my prepaid calling card on (thanks, rex!) to call my sister (happy birthday!!). but it was a nice tour of the city. i do feel more confident now, knowing more of my way around. and in like scandinavia, most everyone speaks english, which is such a huge blessing!

so thanks to everyone praying for me and leaving comments. i am enjoying the journey, realizing it's kinda silly to get so frustrated with things that don't go my way, and am just enjoying myself a bit more than i was before. but i definitely have enjoyed this trip so far, and am quite thankful to be here. even if this isn't my favorite city. ;-)