Exploration of Eindhoven

So, I'm here! In Eindhoven! I guess I'll be here for a while, til the 20th of July, actually. The weather is typically gray, the sky a looming sheet of cloudy glass. It's a rare night I see the stars. But things are very peaceful, people are generally quiet (until, that is, the subject of soccer comes up), and there isn't much to disturb the casual Dutch atmosphere. Everyone here, it seems, rides a bike to get around- a curious city bike that isn't as wide or long as US city cruisers, and seems like a mix of beachside bike and racing bike. I guess they'd be street bikes. Definitely not the sort you'd generally see in the States.

My days are typically filled with exploring the surrounding city, searching out English books and good, quiet cafes (of which there are many, trust me). People like to peoplewatch, which is entirely enjoyable and completely normal. You just take a seat somewhere, whether it be on a bench in the plaza or at a cafe table with your drink, and stare pensively at the pairs of people walking by. Generally you glance and try and figure out what they're doing, what they're thinking, what they do for a living. It's pretty fun, and not many people are too disconcerted by it. Kids, young people, middleaged people, elders all peoplewatch.

The fashion is very different here. Rarely, if ever, will you see a boy (or even a girl) with "emo" bangs or hairstyle. Skinny jeans are in, tucked into the tops of ankle boots. Trenchcoats as well, because the weather here is drizzly at best. Messenger bags are also in use, and plenty of guys are wearing long shorts/short pants/what some girls call capris. But it all makes sense. Because it rains/drizzles quite a bit, and you don't want to get your pant legs wet. So, you wear skinny jeans so the hems don't get in the puddles (or tuck the hems into your vairvair fashionable leather boots). Or, when you bike, skinny jeans don't get tangled in your chain and gears. Same with guy capris. Maximum coverage with least dragging. Messenger bags also can be slid around until the body is at your back, resting on the back edge of your bicycle seat. Lots of things make sense here. Well, lots of things with the exception of me. I'm a living contradiction to Dutch fashion. Hopefully I'll be able to survive the next six weeks!

Peace!