I've made it here.

I have arrived in The Hague and am getting settled into my studio apartment, which is quite basic. I've already been to the grocery store to pick up a few things. And, I realized that I REALLY need to get a Dutch/English dictionary, especially if I want to cook (I have no idea what the directions on the box says). I stuck with pasta so that I didn't need any directions.

My flights went fairly smoothly. Although, they completely messed up my schedule on the Denver to London flight. Normally they serve drinks, then food, then lights out. However, we had bad turbulence for the first 2 hours, so that delayed everything. I ended up with about 3 hours of sleep. Now, I am trying to stay awake until 8 or 9 pm so that I don't end up waking up at 3 am.

Customs was a lot smoother than Jason & I experienced in Mexico last week. It took forever there. I was in and out in no time in London and Amsterdam. On a side note, we returned from our week in Cabo on Friday night about 11:30 pm and I left the next day at 8:15 pm to London. Not a lot of down time.

Packing was quite interesting. I think I would mail stuff in the future. It is a lot of work to try to condense everything and only bring the bare minimum. After seeing the sheets on the bed here, I am wishing I had found room for a set of sheets and a pillow. I think that will be my first purchase tomorrow after work. Arriving on a Sunday really limits what is open for business.

It seems I brought the warm weather with me. It is pretty warm today, which is unusual. It is usually in the 70s. It makes for a really hot apartment since there is no air conditioning. I have the window open right now, so it isn't too bad. Second purchase may be a fan.

The bathroom is a typical European style. You have to step over the toilet (basically) to get to the shower. And, there is no sink in the bathroom (unless you count the extra faucet in the shower - I haven't figured out what that is for). So, I will be using the sink in the kitchen (using that term loosely - there is no oven or microwave) for brushing my teeth, etc.

Oh, and I thought there was a real closet, but it is just a cabinet with shelves. So I have to figure out a system for my hanging clothes. Right now they are mostly on the ladder to my bed (it is above the kitchen).

I report to the International Criminal Court (ICC) tomorrow at 9:30 am. I am in a pretty good location, so it shouldn't take too long to get there. Well, I'm fading fast...I think I'll be in bed very soon. It is almost 8:00, so I'm doing good.

Until tomorrow (unless, of course, I am too tired).

Your world traveler,
Michelle