In the morning I’m thinking about what I’ll do the coming weeks and how I have absolutely no desire to go back to my little shared house in Utrecht. Worrying about all this stuff makes me a bit restless. I decide to sit down, close my eyes and breath in and breath out. I come back to this moment, to today. The past is gone and the future is anything but certain. You don’t know how the future will unfold. So better just live now. Enjoy this day you were given, enjoy the gift of the present.
I pack my bags and sit down for a moment to read. After a while two fluffy bunnies come hopping in to the living room. More friendly company. A bit later my host follows the bunnies to the living room. While breakfast we talk more and her stories about the Airbnb’s keep inspiring me. I had never thought of the idea of renting out a room in order to pay for the rent, but I now see that it could be a viable option. She basically lives for free in the worst case and in the best case actually makes money of her house. I know it’ll be quite some work to find and create a place like this, but I see that it can be an option. I might have to look into what the rules about Airbnb are back home. Just this conversation makes me realize again how small I still think from time to time. It’s one of my favorite things about America. Here people think bigger and therefor there is also a lot more possible. I hope I can keep that mindset when I go back to the Netherlands.
My host leaves and I stay in the house for a bit longer with the the birds keeping me company. I finish a few more pieces of the puzzle and actually feel a bit sad for leaving this place, but I’m happy I’ll come back here not too long from now. I can leave my bags here til the afternoon, so I go to a coffee place to work and then move to the hotel when I can check in there.
I decide to rent a scooter again and that turns out to be a good idea. Getting some fresh air while riding a scooter with the sun in my face is a great way to feel good. It’s a fun ride to Starbucks where the barista recognises me again. I like that about going to the same coffee places several times. You get to know them a bit and they know a bit who you are. When I’m all settled with my laptop at the big table my mom calls me. Good timing. We catch up on life and I share my thoughts of maybe extending my trip here. Of course she looks forward to seeing me again, but she’s also happy I tell her now instead of just a few days before my planned return. At this moment I have no idea what I’m gonna do yet. I’m just thinking a lot the last few days about what to do next year. I think that’s also normal, since I just have a lot more time to think now I’m on vacation. The conversations with my Airbnb host also stimulated me to think about my plans. It’s inspiring to see someone live their dreams and it automatically triggers you to reflect on your own.
In the afternoon I ride the scooter back to the house and get myself an Uber to the hotel. It’s about 15 minutes driving and it’s a friendly guy who moved here a long time ago from Croatia. I really like how easy it is in America to go somewhere with Uber and the drivers are usually super friendly. The hotel is nice, I have a bed/living room and a small kitchen for myself. I chose a room with a kitchen on purpose so I don’t need to go out for dinner all the time. My first job now is to do groceries and as I look on Google Maps, I see that the nearest one is about half an hour with the bus. It’s in the neighbourhood where I stayed about a week ago. I’ve done groceries at Wholefoods, Vons, Trade Joes so far and today I’m doing groceries at Ralph’s. I think Ralph’s is my favorite, because they have a wide variety of products. I make sure I get everything I need for dinner and some food and snacks for the coming days. With quite a lot of food I come out of the grocery store again and decide to get an Uber back. Haha, no advertisement here, but I just enjoy the comfort of someone driving you for just a few Dollars more than the bus. Again a friendly guy drives me to the hotel where I can cook dinner. The kitchen supply is a bit limited, but I manage to cook a decent Italian pasta and watch an episode of one of my favorite tv series, making myself feel like home in this hotel room.
After dinner I walk around the block of the hotel, because my first driver this afternoon recommended a gelato place just around the corner. It’s a nice ice cream place indeed, great desert. I’m now staying in the Little Italy neighbourhood, so I think finding good food will not be too hard if I want to go out for dinner sometime these days. Staying in an Airbnb is more cozy I think, but being in a hotel with a desk to work on is also practical. I hope I’ll get some more work done in the coming days so I can enjoy the vacation more again after that.
