I'm HERE!!!

So I’ve arrived!!! I know – it only took me six blogs!
My first hit of the Dutch was on the plane from Chicago to Amsterdam while sitting in the middle seat. To the right, an older gentleman who introduced himself as “Liam” and an “I guess we are going to be neighbors for the next seven hours.” Pretty adorable! But it didn’t matter, because to my left – my first hot dutch boy!! Of course I’m pretty sure he thought I was crazy since I was wearing sunglasses in a darkened plane and listlessly tuned into the Disney Channel (I really like Phineas and Ferb.)
Upon my arrival at Schipol Amsterdam airport, my next Dutch encounter was in the bathroom - a women in the bathroom wearing purple and black striped pants with boots looking like she was part of Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club band while doing the potty dance. But after she (thankfully in time) got her bathroom and I got mine, I discovered the wonders of a Dutch toilet. They are shaped to be flat on the bottom in order to allow you to “inpsect” what has been “deposited.” Seriously – the translation for it is “inspection shelf.”
I then got completely confused trying to call home on a telephone that would not allow me to use my credit card (still isn’t working – ugh gotta call those guys.) After buying a calling card and leaving a message, I met up with Rogier, the dad I’m working for. He was very nice although there was totally an awkward greeting moment where it was like “Do I shake your hand? Do we hug? I know you dutch like to do the triple cheek kiss, but I don’t think we know each other well enough, but I am going to be working for you, taking care of your daughter, and living in your house for a year so...” Seriously all that went through my mind in the three seconds before I met him.
Arriving at the house, I was greeted by one of the cutest two year olds I’ve ever met, Fien (rhymes with “seen,”) as well as Mags, the current aupair. We then walked around the city of Noordwijk (pronounced Nord-vike) where I was shown the happening street, the shopping street, and the boulevard an zee (on the sea) street – that’s right, I live on a beach. Here’s a statue near the main square, with me and the little one. After meeting the mother (I had pre-decided to go for the handshake on this one), I began to settle into my new home – a little summer house on the side of the main house. It has a living room, bathroom, kitchen, upstairs living room, and bedroom – all furnished by IKEA – seriously it looks like a showroom and it’s adorable and I love it. And there’s this cute system where if my window shade is open in the morning, Fien is allowed to come in and say good morning, so today, while drinking my coffee, I opened the door to this… So that’s it for now. I think I’m settling in nicely. Fien today told Mags that I’m “nice” and then she gave me a kiss goodnight and said (in Dutch) “thank you for the day and the food.”
I’m staying awake to talk to my parents since I don’t have to work until the afternoon tomorrow, and have killed time by watching Dutch subtitled “That 70s Show” and “Frasier” as well as google-translating all the things in my kitchen cabinets in which I have no idea what they are.
Talk to you soon!

Word of the day – “kip” - chicken