XXX Pole

Today was productive! First the boring stuff: registering for a residence permit, grocery shopping, and opening an ING bank account. Evelien went to ABN AMRO with her bike, since you get a free zit zak, or bean bag. However, the particular branch couldn't open an account for her, so she came back empty handed. On the way back, she stopped dead in her tracks and said, "Oh my God. I HAVE to take that!!" Confused, I looked at what she was pointing at and only saw a pole, identical to the ones that border the sidewalks in Amsterdam. She handed me her bike and picked up the pole, which had been dug out of the ground by someone else.

So, in broad daylight, we walked back to our apartment. Evelien carried the pole while I pushed her bike, and everyone stared. Or laughed.


We finally made it home, and Evelien proudly showed everyone her prize. Yesterday the RA's told Evelien that if she brought home an Amsterdam pole (marked with XXX because it's a part of the city's crest), they would bury it in the garden and ship it to California when she leaves. Aren't they in store for a surprise.

Oh and we found a Chinese grocery store in the city center, so now I can have udon noodles and fresh tofu whenever I want! This city is so similar to San Francisco, I'm falling more and more in love with Amsterdam.