wanted: gainful employment

oyyy. yesterday was emotionally draining, to be sure! it was the day i set out to find a job on the beach. scheveningen is the more popular of the two beaches, and every place i went in town to find a job told me to holler at the strand (beach). so, with a hopeful heart (because literally everything in the netherlands just happens, it just works in a strange way), i headed out to find a job.

not so easy. i hit probably 25 places on one side of the beach, and got flat-out turned town from probably 18 of those places. SUPER NICE PEOPLE, though, everyone was very understanding and wished me luck. i think 6 or 7 asked for my number and contact info, and said they'd call me. i have a feeling they were just humoring me, but at least one or two of them seemed plausible. one is at a place called copacabana, and the girl who owns it said she has a swedish girl leaving at the end of the month. i'm definitely going back there to stalk down her job! the other is the land of hot men. literally, the two most attractive men i've met since i've been here. the owner, i think his name is... well, okay, i actually don't remember. i was too stunned by his beautiful blonde hair and face and tall... anyway. and then he directed me to the kitchen manager, mischa, who is not only hot, but willing to flirt with me while i begged for a job. we'll see how that goes...

so, there are some prospects, but nothing totally promising. today we're taking the day off from the hunt, and going to a free concert in the spui (town square) with a picnic, then walking to the ICTY (international criminal tribunal for the former yugoslavia) where lauren is working. then, as per our routine, we'll probably come back, read in the park, take a nap, drink some wine, talk about life... it's a lovely routine. adding employment to it will only be more productive!

if nothing works out in den haag in the next week or so, i'm seriously considering taking a job in a bar in amsterdam that james can hook me up with. kind of a commute, to be sure (35 minutes each way), but it would be worth it to stay here! i gotta figure out how to do that. i love it here. i also found out that many of the masters degree programs here are in english and also can be fully covered. what. a free masters degree in leiden or amsterdam? i would say, yes yes yes. but we'll see- london is still calling, as is UC berkeley, somewhere in oregon, maybe new york, and i really do want to see if i could ever get into an ivy... but i digress.

if i can't find a job, and i do have to go home, i think i'm totally okay with that. i would LOVE to stay here, but if i can't get a job, it's two factors that i just can't help at this point- i'm not fluent in dutch, and i don't have experience in huge restaurants. i'm doing all i can, as well as applying for nanny jobs/ english/french/art history tutor jobs, etc... but if it doesn't work, then home is always where i can go and be loved and be happy. i'll eventually be back with butch and shirley for awhile, and whether it's sooner or later i can't say, but i will definitely be happy for the downtime and chill time with my family. i feel like i haven't seen them for extended periods of time in so long...

i need a bike. employment, find me!