Sint-Jan, Cafe Bruxelles & Night in Soho Kitchen

I've been staying with Tante Lorene since Wednesday and we relaxed the night I arrived with Tamarah. Then the two of them took me to a small town close to Lorene's House in Breda, where we toured the canals, had some ice cream, and climbed the high tower of a famous church, Sint-Jan's - Hertogenbosch. Picturesque views and good times with family made this day one I will cherish. I've been waiting so long to visit my aunt and cousins in their home country, it is hard to believe I finally am here. I am dutch, too, and it is strange to call this my home. Somehow, it is-- perpendicular to my California easy-going side. Perhaps it wouldn't be so hard to live like this. Again -- I am finding it more difficult to come home. I think I could get used to a culture that despite its distinction from my own, is such a part of my unique personal geography.



It was my last night in Breda, and one of my favorite cousins took me out to dinner, Arjan. I met his girlfriend, Petra, for the first time and we toured their house, (Three stories high and quite spacious for a European home.) Discussing dutch real estate pricing later, I thought about the incomparable expense of overpriced California residences at home. We walked through much of the town, through the nearby parks, and the shops, stopping for drinks at a cafe, then getting to know each other. We discussed their pending trip to California (The tickets to LA were bought this week -- Awesome!) and the differences between our two countries. We stopped at SoHo Restaurant for dinner and started with beef carpaccio and parmesan, followed by surf en turf, along with a trio of strawberries (fresh fruit, mouse, and ice cream. Voila!) to top everything off. Arjan was just as I remember from a few years ago. Bright, energetic, and quick to laugh. He is a kindred spirit, and I cannot wait to see both of them in a few months for Christmas in the States. Petra is bubbly and tempers his carefree humor and stories with her own wit and laughter. I loved being around such positive energy last night. Arjan and I rehashed memories from his most recent trip to the states just 5 years ago, and even perused pictures from 1993 when he was ten and I was pretending to learn dutch from him as a precocious 12-year old, who wouldn't learn a second language until the age of fifteen. (I now speak spanish, very little french, and that sums in total this particular moment.) Our conversations delved into a side note about graduate education abroad and living close to those you love. Reconciling my passion for the way life is in these European cities with people I really enjoy spending my time, this makes it difficult to come home. I feel myself here.