Dream come true

I've been to many places in my life especially in the Asia pacific area. I remember it very well that after my 18th birthday I told myself that Europe (Holland) will be my next destination thanks to my friend Thijs Kouwenhaven who told me so much about this beautiful country.

After waited for so many years, I finally step my foot in the land of the tulips. Thanks to the long and tiring days I had from the APBF Congress, I slept almost throughout the 12 hours flight. Unlike any other country I've been to, arrival card needs to be filled in but not here. The officer asked me a bunch of questions before I receive my first Netherlands stamp on my passport. A familiar face was waiting for me at the arrival hall as  as I walk out - but without my name on a card (would be nice wouldn't it :P).

Spent the last 3 days attending CGs (they call it kring here) and a BBQ with people from church here. It seems that everyone knows me or tells me that "Ahhh.....you are the girl from Malaysia!" They are really friendly and full of humor. Questions that commonly asked with just such short time is "What do you think of Holland? Are you ok with Dutch food?" Guess what? I have no problem with Dutch cuisine. They are simply delicious!

Bicycles is one of the most important mode of transportation here and to be part of the culture, I got to learn how to cycle. First obstacle was to find a bicycle that suit me. Being an Asian who is shorter than 98% of the Dutch, it was not easy to ride one that is too tall for me. Thanks to Peter's parents who managed to find the perfect bicycle for me within 24 hours. First cycling training was to the supermarket then a little bit further to pick up Peter's dad's car from the office. It was really fun to cycle in the rain, who would want to cycle in the rain in Malaysia right?

With just 3 days in Apeldoorn, I managed to visit Haarlem and Het Loo Palais. Haarlem contains a few hundred years of history and it is really beautiful. The visit was short as I experienced the typical Dutch weather - rain.

After 3 days of familiarising myself with the Dutch culture, yours truly is currently in one of the most beautiful city in the world - Prague. It is different from Apeldoorn - the buildings, the people and even the history. I will blog more about Prague in my next post once I am back in Apeldoorn. Right now, I just leave you with some of the pictures from my trip for the past couple of days. So, stay tuned!