Amsterdam Day 7

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Time sure did go by really fast here.... Today I said goodbye to Joon. It's starting to hit me as I'm writing this, but I'm really going to miss the guys that shared this experience with me. I had the best time with them, and it's unfortunate that I won't be able to see them for at least another 3 months... Life can be cruel sometimes.

I woke up around 11 am today in no hurry to get up. Joon and I had nothing planned, so we made sure to get our rest. He's going to Oakland airport after a 3 hour layover in Stockholm, because the flight he found was extremely cheap. He'll be staying for a day out in the bay area with one of his fraternity brothers, a kid who was on my floor last year, and then he'll be on another flight home. It's crazy to think that he's going all this way to save a couple of dollars, but I guess I totally would do it to.

We missed breakfast once again, but we just went downstairs after Joon was finished packing and waited for the kitchen to open up. We cooked almost everything we had left from the supermarket, which was a pretty simple and plain dish of hamburger meat and eggs... not the best thing in the world by any means, but it will get the job done. Afterwards, we had time to catch up with some work, which we both really needed to do. We took a break by playing 2 hours of chess... It's been a really fun way to pass the time. I know that I'm in a different part of the world and that I'm paying hundreds of dollars a day to be here, but sometimes I think I can let myself get away with some down time just hanging out at the hostel, especially when it's one of my best friend's last days with me for awhile.

Around 5:30 pm it was time for Joon to get walking over to Central Station, and I decided to go along with him. It was about a 40 minute walk over there, but Joon's flight wasn't until 10:30 pm anyway, so he was fine on time. We stopped at a gelato shop along the way, our favorite dessert by far, and had 3 whopping scoops of dark chocolate, lemon cake, and cookie gelato. I'm going to get so fat in Italy.

We got to the station shortly after, and we said our goodbyes. It's going to be a long time before I see him again, but that's all part of this abroad experience, and I understand that. Part of growing up is doing things that will prepare you for success in the future, at the expense of spending time with your loved ones. I miss my family and friends a lot right now, but I know even though they miss me too they are happy that I am getting to see the world and experience new things... I have to be happy for them and myself.

I took a long way back to the hostel, in part because I got lost but also because I had a strong urge to take some time to reflect on my trip so far. It seems like its been a blur because it all has gone so fast now that I think about it, but I will remember sharing some beautiful experiences with my friends for the rest of my life. As I walked along the cobbled streets of Amsterdam, the glowing art structures that make the light show in this city so wonderful and famous lit the way back to the hostel for me..... Tomorrow I'm going to start a new chapter in the trip as I meet up with Adam, and it's going to be different experience but just as great. He gets in at 6:30 am, so I better go to sleep so I can make it in time to meet up with him when he gets here.

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