Greetings from Amsterdam

Hail readers—and hello from Amsterdam!

You may be wondering why I am in this famous Dutch city. Is it for the cheese? The canals? The wonderful waffles?

Nope. I am here for university. As I have mentioned previously, the Amsterdam University College has offered me a place to study here; and I have accepted it. There are of course many complex personal reasons for my decision—but to give only a few good, non-personal ones: the flexibility of the course; the costs of living and tuition; and the opportunities that are present here.

Chiefly among these is of course the opportunity to learn some Dutch; but I will also receive French language classes, and have native speakers on hand to practise with. Aside from that, there is everything from journalism (the university has had interns in newspapers), sports (swimming, gym, Krav Maga), and of course the impressive pedigree of the student body.

Amsterdam itself appears to be a nice city, although sadly I have not as yet had the opportunity to visit it. This is because I have been extremely busy cleaning my rooms (it was in quite a state), buying IKEA furniture (which I still have to assemble), procuring a bike—a most necessary form of transport here—and of course there have been the Introduction Week activities to attend.

The weekend does however provide an opportunity to rectify this. Although I still need to finalise my rent contract and procure a Dutch bank account, I believe the following two days will provide some free time in order to visit. The canals and Oude Amsterdam are the chief attractions—although I may steal a visit to the infamous Red Light district.

Writing

Although the move has been time-consuming and rather stressful, I have managed to work on the Ark. In fact I have reached a milestone; details of which I will release soon in another post.

As for my previous novel, the Necromancer, that has garnered quite some attention. My classmates were quite amazed; likewise my roommates. I hope to capture more attention and convince some people to buy it. A writer’s work is never done, as they say.

Friendships

I have met many interesting people here, and I hope to form friendships over the course of the year and the rest of my studies.

But for now, it is my friends from the UK that occupy my attentions. I have talked to two of my friends extensively over Facebook. One is my writer friend, Oli Woolley, and the other is a recent acquaintance; he is a professional choir singer. Suffice to say that they are interesting people.

That said, there has been one unfortunate consequence of leaving to study here. After leaving sixth form, I have formed a considerably stronger relationship with two friends from school. It seems that interacting with people outside of a school environment brings to light a much larger aspect of people’s personalities. And, to my sadness, I have left them just when they were beginning to be so much more interesting.

But that said, let us not exaggerate. Amsterdam is, after all, a well-connected city with many (affordable) flights from Schiphol. And of course the wonders of Facebook, the telephone and Skype means a friendly conversation is never far away.

Finishing Thoughts

My post has been somewhat rambling; apologies, but as you are able to see, I am going through many changes in my life presently.

What I will say is that the Magical Realm will see two main themes being expounded on over the coming weeks and months. Firstly, the Ark; work is progressing well, and I am in search of beta readers. And secondly—I will share my thoughts on Amsterdam and the Netherlands, in matters tourism, political, and economic.

Until then, keep following. An important update on the Ark will arrive soon!

Europe

Hail readers!

You may wondering as to the title of this post. For one, it is a single word; those of you who follow the Magical Realm know I tend to be rather more longwinded than that. For two, it builds on two of my previous posts: A Socialist’s Case for Europe and of course, Alex, in Brussels. The reason for today’s post is down to a simple fact: a single word can sometimes convey a lot—more, indeed, than a sentence.

First on my Europe-list is my offer from Amsterdam University College. Yes; after much time spent writing personal statements, annoying my teachers until they wrote me their references, and going through an interview, I have been accepted. Obviously, this pleases me. Will I go there? That is a decision I have to make; but ultimately, I don’t think it will be a particularly tough decision.

Aside from this, there is plenty more I have been doing in Europe. I have, for one, met Sion Simon MEP in the European Parliament. I was also given an (abridged) guided tour of the Parliament building, by John Cornah (thanks!) Naturally, I took photos. You can see them below, along with photos of a few other landmarks I’ve visited while here. (As you may be able to guess, I hope more will follow.)

Photos

Concerning Brussels

You may be expecting me to extol the virtues of Brussels. Aside from my Europhile pretensions, I love most European cities. You’ll find plenty of praise from me when it comes to the Colosseo in Rome; Las Ramblas in Barcelona; the technocratic beauty of Frankfurt, Hamburg, et al; the idyllic mountains of Schwabia; the Champs-Élysées in Paris, and all of the other many and varied landmarks of Europe.

Sadly, Brussels is disappointing—for the capital of Europe, in any case. The traffic is nightmarish. I have never seen a city with so many intersections, and with pedestrian crossings right as you enter the street; I have never seen so many lanes narrowing without explanation, so many one-way streets, dead-ends, and bizarre angles.

Drivers in Brussels are also awful. The rest of Belgium doesn’t seem to drive like them, but here they’ll cut you off, blare horns at you, and generally drive without apparent regard to safety or road regulations.

The city itself is also somewhat disappointing. Many of the buildings are high rise towers built without any sense of architectural style. Many buildings are old and badly maintained; and even the landmarks disappoint—the offices of the WTC, for example, look tasteless.

Nonetheless, while Brussels may not be the ideal tourist destination, it seems a pleasant enough place to live. We’ve not suffered noise in the hotel, despite being a few kilometres from the centre. The Internet is fast (always a plus). There are numerous shops selling varied and interesting produce—a vast array of bread, cheeses, wine, and even Turkish foods.

Moving On—To Poetry

To finish this post, I will be releasing a poem I have been planning to write for a while now. It is my very first political poem. Whereas my other poems address matters like love, mystical worlds, gender, power and art; this poem is about nations. It is about unity. It is named That Great Continent.

That Great Continent

Any thoughts on it are welcome.

Parting Words

I have not addressed my writing progress here, or my revision efforts, or a great deal other things going on with me. This is because, frankly, I am quite busy here in Brussels. Aside from my visiting, I need to sign a letter of acceptance for Amsterdam, pay a deposit, and get on with revising for my A-levels.

But once the pressure eases a little, I will get onto my writing once more. There is a lot of work to do there...

Until then—au revoir.