It's 7am
I'm sitting on the pier. Watching the sun rise over the city of Amsterdam.
I arrived 10 hours ago alone from the small city of Den Bosch where I have been staying for the past 2 weeks awaiting for my bank card which was supposed to have been delivered.
In my wallet I have about 130 euros left.
3-5 business days they said it would take.
Then, 10-15.
Then, 7-14.
I called the bank on the 18th of August.
Today is the 10th of September.
I've been stuck in the Netherlands, freeloading off my friend for too long.
My plans keep changing whilst expecting the arrival of my card, so I restricted myself from doing anything. I needed to be frugal.
I spent the first week playing final fantasy 12 on ps4. Then briefly visited another friend in Amersfoort... before returning to the ps4.
The suffocation of not being able to do anything not because I don't have money, but because I can't access my money. Which each day, a glimmer of hope fades when the postman arrives with no letters for me.
Maybe tomorrow it will come.
Maybe.
So enough idling. I was wasting my time waiting and hoping for my card to arrive.
So.
On Friday I decided to go to Kinderdijk to see the famed UNESCO windmills. After which I went to Rotterdam to check out the nightlife.
It wasn't much. Arriving at 10pm alone, my timing was already off.
It was too hard to find new friends.
I tried. I observed. I gave up.
With my financial situation, there was no point throwing in money to not enjoy it. So i returned home.
50 euros spent. (Yeah transport here is expensive)
Last night I decided to come to Amsterdam to check out the nightlife.
I went to a meet up for expats alone.
I chatted with a nice Finnish couple for over an hour, but I knew they weren't going to stay up with me though.
An Italian and an Azerbaijani lady talked to me briefly.
Then a Polish man on the prowl.
Then an American teacher.
Then...
Then everyone left.
I was alone again.
I invested my time in this event hoping it would bring me someone to hang out with in Amsterdam on a Saturday.
Not again...
Sigh...but if I have to... I will go party by myself, like I always do.
Then I saw the Italian and Azerbaijani ladies leave and I was like....
What the hell. Nothing to lose.
No shame, I asked them where they were going and if i could join their group. I've no friends here. All I wanted was to hang out.
I guess they took pity on me and allowed me to join.
I met the other 3 guys. 1 Dutch, 1 Greek and 1 Indian.
We hung out. Nearly all night.
One by one they left to go home until there were just 2. Then he took the train at 6.
I wandered the empty streets. It was eerie, but peaceful.
As I sit watching the sunrise, a nice old Dutch man starts to talk to me.
We watch the sunrise a little longer.
It's time to go.
My lesson this time.
Seize the opportunities when they come.
They don't come often.
Gosh I'm getting old. I'm falling asleep typing this on my phone hahahaha