#ATaleOfTwoCities

Wow, it’s been a big week.  My flight was flawless, my apartment is awesome, and I came into the office to the warmest welcome I’ve ever experienced (which is good, because the weather is quite chilly at the moment).  I’ve mostly spent the last five days getting settled into my neighborhood, my new home, and the office.  I even had a crash course in Dutch by spending Sunday with a good friend and her adorable three year old twins.  All in all, I’m finding it’s amazing how quickly a person can adapt to new surroundings.  In many respects, I already feel like I’m “home”.

It’s weird to think that just a week ago, I was getting ready to leave on this adventure and waiting until the very last minute to frantically pack everything I own.  On one hand, it feels like ages since I departed, but on the other hand, it feels like I’ve barely left.  I’m finding the world is becoming an increasingly small place every day.  With every new technology we introduce, we have an opportunity to use it to connect to others.  So far, I’ve video chatted with friends, family, and coworkers back home every day.  (Speaking of, can someone PLEASE help my mother get setup on Skype)?  *Sigh*

But enough about home.  You signed up to hear about life in the Netherlands, right?  Well, the office here is fantastic.  AGT is now all in one location, so it’s really great for collaboration.  It’s a big, open floor plan with lots of windows and natural light.  Even the meeting rooms are made mostly of glass, encouraging openness and interaction.  I’ve already had the opportunity to meet a ton of colleagues from NL, Corporate Center, and AAM… but more on that in future blogs, faithful readers.  Stay tuned.

I’m quickly learning that the best way to get to know someone in the office is through coffee (delicious, delicious coffee) and lunch.  It’s awesome how people take lunch together here.  You can tell it’s important.  For the midday break, work is temporarily set aside, and you take time to eat together, talk to each other, and really get to know one another.  For an extrovert like me who thrives on interaction with others, this is music to my (foreign) ears.

So what have I learned this week?

1. I learned (the hard way) that Dutch supermarkets don’t accept credit cards.

2. I learned the best way to learn a language is to spend a day surrounded by three year olds.  (Well, at least you learn the words for lot of animals).

3. And I’ve learned that there’s no replacement for face to face communication.  There never will be.  I get that.  But since we can’t all be lucky enough to be together, video and phone make a nice replacement.

Oh, I learned that I didn’t pack enough sweaters.  Seriously.  It’s *really* chilly.