6.30am, I rise. It´s November and my head is confused for the cold, usually this time of the year I am sleeping with a sheet and fan on. I run straight to turn on the big black gas heater. an 11km bike ride ahead of me, i have 4-5 layers of clothing on, I am ready. It is still so dark, I attach bike lights to my jacket. The ride is hard, the cold wind is stinging my face. My nose is red and I can smell the beautiful scent of wood burning.
I work into my work to find the usual scenario, the other house keepers in the small smoking room, chain smoking before they start. i walk upstairs to find my collegue, a dutch lady who did house keeping for 30 years at this hotel. She wears the same outfit everyday, a striped silk buttoned up collar shirt, a skirt with lady tights and those shoes you can purchase at the chemist. Her face is a strange case of wrinkles, I wonder if it is from 30 years exposure to chemicals. I have never seen her smile, she works like a robot, constantly grunting. She speaks no english so everyday it is a constant communication struggle between us.
The hotel is old, it looks over a canel, over corn fields. The rooms are decorated strange,a smell of dust is everywhere, the same business people stay in the hotel every week. I start to recognise thier toiletry bags and even sleeping habits. Some people mess thier bed so bad and others are neat and tidy and the cover still all tucked in. The restaurant area is dark full of timber. They same people always sitting in the same chairs. a picture is hung on the wall of the 4 generations of Stelling. On special occasions they buy big dutch desserts for us to eat. The hotel is in a small dutch village. A church in the centre and a few small shops. The petrol station has one fuel pump. The village is nice and cosy but not really a place that I can feel like myself. I miss the big city life but try to make the most of my time in harmelen.
I work at Hotel Harmelen for 6 months, I feel complete isolation being a foreigner. I can't have a normal conversation with anyone. I am alone 99 percent of my shift. I pass the time by looking out the window. I think about life, my life. Where I have been, all the people who have been apart of my life, The people who left an impact on me, All the people i miss dearly. I think about where I have been and where I am going now. Why did I choose for this expereince, I wanted to know what it felt like to be different. I saw so many people immigrating to australia who struggle to become apart of our culture and had difficulty speaking english. I think I accomplished what I wanted!
Christmas and new Year have passed and it is time to find a new Job in Holland. i am afraid because I don´t speak dutch, I may fail. I finally dig out from negative nancy and send some emails. Within an hour I have an interview. In a local hotel in the restaurant but only for part time. My brother is searching on the net and finds an advertisement for a waitress position in amsterdam. i email my resume and within no time at all. i have an interview the next day.
It is a steak restaurant, perfect considering I am vegetarian! I sit with the guy and he says ´Your the girl with all the subway experience´ I say Yes with a smile. He told me he has a friend opening a store the very next day. I meet my boss ten minutes later and was hired within two minutes of meeting him.
I love being in amsterdam everyday now. I can´t wait to see the city turn to spring. I am so happy to be able to speak english all day long as well as practice my dutch. We have a lot of customers with red glassy eyes!! Very hungry too!!!! amsterdam is a cool city and I am so excited to be exploring it.
