Volunteering and Nightlife

This weekend we ventured out to explore Amsterdam's nightlife. On Friday night we ventured to Rembrendtplein, one of the nightlife hotspots here. Lots of bars, coffeeshops, and clubs. We wandered in and out of a couple bars before Kelly found out she had been placed on a guest list for Studio 80, one of the top "underground" clubs here featuring up and coming acts. Her roommate's cousin works there and apparently tried to put Kelly on a guest list, but when we went to try and get in, they couldn't find her name so we decided to call it a night.

On Saturday most people in our group went to various volunteer activities that we had signed up for earlier on in the program. I signed up to help make lunch, and feed people at a local homeless shelter. After getting there it turned out there weren't many people who needed lunch, so we ended up mainly talking with the director of the shelter, drinking coffee, and eating Dutch pancakes. It was interesting comparing how the Netherlands handle the homeless compared to the US. It seems the biggest difference is that almost all homeless shelters here are state sponsored, versus privately funded in the States. They also have very strong programs in helping people get back on their feet, including helping them find jobs and, if they follow through with the program and are willing to wait, eventually an apartment of their own. The shelter we were at was mainly for recovering addicts who had passed through the fist phase of the program here. They each have private rooms where they are able to stay for up to 6 weeks while they receive medical and psychological treatment as well as job counseling.

Saturday night our goal was to find The Absinthe Bar and go to a real club. We failed on both accounts. We wandered around downtown trying to find the Absinthe Bar, but it must have recently closed as it was not at the address listed online. Supposedly it was one of the few places that had a license to brew their own absinthe. We then tried to get into a club, but the lines were insanely long and it was already fairly late. Instead we went to a bar that at night turns into a pseudo club. It wasn't that fun, so we left shortly after arriving.

The wind has been whipping here the past few days. It isn't very cold, but biking against the wind or even across it is treacherous. If the wind is at your back, it isn't really necessary to peddle since the wind just pushes you along. I apologize for the absence of pictures, but I am still waiting for my new camera battery charger to arrive. Apparently my other one fell out of my bag on the plane.