And so here I am. In Amsterdam for a week now. Progression progression....yes yes, progression...things I have accomplished since being here...I bought my first dutch cruiser bike...it's an old blue beater, single speed with coaster brakes. The price was right, and so far he hasn't let me down....although funny story; after buying the thing and riding it out of the store, I round the first corner only to slip the chain. The problem here is that since it's a single speed there is no extra slack on the chain (like if it had multiple gears) so I ended up having to walk it back to the shop for a quick fix. The bike hasn't let me down since though :] Rode him down into town today and picked up some beer at one of the many specialty beer stores here. Speaking of which, I feel like a kid in a candy store whenever I enter one. I really have to control myself, but there are some amazing beers here produced locally and regionally. There is a great pub that features over 200 bottled beers and 16 draft brews :] My beer blog will soon reflect this (I've got two new entries already queued up and I've got three more beers that need tasting).
On the other side of things (ie the real reason I am here) the work aspect side of things...I went out looking for jobs a few days ago only to run into a bit of a roadblock. It was my belief that I was to go find an employer willing to hire me and then they would apply for the work visa on my behalf. Apparently this is not completely true. I'll need a tax number (attainable from city hall) and then I'll need to find an employer willing to hire me and then they apply for the visa on my behalf. Now I'm quite certain this is how it will work, however I should know officially by tomorrow, or at the very least early next week, and then I can go from there. I spoke with a woman down at the Aussie Bar today and she told me something a bit different. So I'll call the offices tomorrow and figure out the requirements once and for all and then next week I should be back on track with a plan in hand.
Housing housing housing.... well I've been staying with my friend Annamarie here in the west part of Amsterdam, about 20 minutes by bike to Centraal Station for the entire week. I've also been looking for my own housing. I found a lovely little place out about 20 clicks north of the center of Amsterdam going for about 250 euro/month. It's a bit further than what I was originally planning on (ideally would like to find a place in the center of town) but at this point going for the cheaper option with a bit longer of a bike isn't such a bad thing :] The pluses are that it comes fully furnished with a bed and dresser, as well as laundry facilities, a garden, internet and tv. Sounds quite nice to me. So we'll see. If I can get the work visa process underway then I can look a bit more seriously for housing...
So that's where I am currently at. Hope I didn't write too much. Ok toodles, and stay tuned to my beer blog if you're interested...I've got some interesting beer reviews coming up for ya'll ;] talk soon!
Zach
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