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This weekend was and still is so nice. Yesterday evening, I was at a student party and stayed till late. It is these moments that I missed for so long. I even appreciate the little hangover I have at this moment. Why? It reminds me of yesterday evening and the fact that I felt I belonged there.

Yes, there is always room for improvement. But at certain points in time, it is also helpful to step aside for a moment and reflect on what has recently changed.

Sure, work is demanding and I do not have much comfort or even luxury at the moment. But this is still quite some improvement. I finally have the possibility to go out and have a good time. The music is always nice and something important to realize is that you cannot 'buy' a good time. You either have it or don't have it. Just living without worrying too much about the future. Worrying by itself does not get you anywhere and there are always positive things to discover.

A good way to look at life is displayed in the following: A man approaches a boy who stands in the rain and smiles. He asks the boy why he smiles. After all, the weather is bad and it is cold outside. The boy replies that it rains regardless of him being in a jolly mood or not. This displays a certain attitude: Why occupy yourself with issues you cannot change or influence? Why let yourself be dragged down by what is beyond your influence? You can choose for yourself whether you want to feel powerless or powerful, depressed or happy.

After writing much about my experience in the Netherlands this far, I decided to add categories to my weblog. Something to spice it up a bit. This entry should just stay here temporarily to indicate my motivation to work on this particular section.

What am I talking about? Now that I have adjusted to the daily life here in Utrecht, I thought it is about time to add some of the locations I have visited this far. Who knows, maybe you visit this pace somewhen in the not-so-distant future and wonder where to go out. Over time, I will extend my location reports to more than just Utrecht but you have to start somewhere. Speaking of which, I already decided to include the following:

• Winkel van Sinkel - Cafe/Restaurant with built-in club


• Ekko - Some dance events happening here as well


• The Jam - Young crowd in a packed place near the gracht


• Havanna - Salsa nights and spicy food


• Monza - No idea, it just opened


• Tivoli - Stille Disco was a blast


• Stadscafe Broers - Very nice cafe, perfect chillout

Just to name a few. In addition, I will try to include short reviews about cafes and as I already indicated, this will grow beyond Utrecht in the future.

Chris

So, today is my first day 'home' again in southwest Germany. Getting here was ok and apart from an overcrowded ICE train between Frankfurt and Stuttgart quite smooth. On the last part, though, I wound up in a regional train and wanted to buy a ticket while on the train. Been there, done that, like a thousand times before. Pay EUR 2.00 extra for 'late booking' and that's about it.

Well... far from it. There was no regular conductor in the train, only some kind of bad-tempered woman who told me I should have bought a ticket at the station and that my failure to do so now costs me EUR 50.00. Heck, I paid EUR 60.00 for the ride between Utrecht and Stuttgart, which is about 800km. Now I had to pay another EUR 50.00 for a distance of 60km. But what really got on me was her way of telling me. These were the very first moments 'home' in Germany and all I get is fined for some dumbsh** they apparently changed during the last three months while I was away.

As if the status quo of EUR 50 wasted wasn't enough, that woman was bad-mouthing me. I did not pose a threat to her and signaled that I wanted to co-operate. In fact, I even approached her telling that I didn't have a ticket.

The only response I was able to utter to this attack on me as a person and on my wallet was "Welcome to Germany". Sure, not everything is perfect in the Netherlands. But I have gotten into similar situations there in the past months and NOBODY EVER treated me in such a way.

But, this is only a short stay. This time, I am only a visitor, an outsider. Which in this case is good. Just look back at my weblog archive, there were so many issues why I wanted to go away in the first place. Staying here for a couple of days is alright, though. I can meet with some friends whom I have not seen for the past months and can update them on my experiences.

Well, I could go on about the people I encountered here on the street and their shabby appearance and weight problems. I could also go on about their 'ignorance combined with superiority' complex. But not today. I'm here for fun and even more fun is waiting for me once I return to the Netherlands.