Back among the Dutch

It's been a long time coming, yet it still surprises me to be back in Holland again. After 31 hours of travelling and more than a week back, things still take some getting used to. I wake up before 8.30am most mornings - I'm definitely awake by 9am. People who know me know that that's not a time you usually see me awake by choice :) I have no trouble crossing a busy street, but when there's hardly any traffic I have to think twice about where the cars are supposed to come from. I walk more or less in the middle of sidewalks, coz I'm still not sure on which side I'm supposed to walk or pass other people. When people start a conversation with me out of the blue or just ask me something, it takes me a minute to remember which language to reply in. I have to put the groceries in a bag myself again at the supermarket. I sometimes catch myself on converting prices I see to euros when it seems expensive, only to realise they already are in euros. Other times I convert euros back to dollars just to double check... And even though I was back at my old house in Utrecht last week for a little while and it felt completely normal for me to be there, I still on some level expect to go back to Adelaide and Flinders soon. Like this is just an extension of my time in New Zealand and Melbourne before I go back to unit 65. Like my time here is just as temporary as my time at all the places I recently left and miss.

Still, I'm ok with being here for now. It was absolutely great to see my fam again at the airport after so long the other day and my Australian cousin Simone was there to pick me up as well, so we were chatting away in Australian on the backseat of the car all the way back to my parents' place. Saved both of us from talking Dutch for a little while, which we both still had to get used to :) This week me and my housemates have planned a night out on the town, followed by a day of catching up while doing something fun and/or relaxing together (we're still in the process of deciding what exactly we'll do...) And I'm looking forward to seeing them all again :) Soon I will move back to Utrecht and start my last year of my undergrad. And I will get completely used to cars driving on the right side of the road again, and I won't have to think twice about which language to speak and I won't be converting prices in my head all the time anymore. Because that's just the way it goes. But I'll still miss all of you who are not here with me. Because that's just the way it goes too. Hope you're all well.
Love Carine