Greetings from Amsterdam! I wanted to start this blog by showing you some pictures of where I live; I know it's always helpful for me to be able to picture something. This is the base for YWAM Amsterdam, De Poort. It's where their administrative offices are housed and also where I live. There's a courtyard in the middle of the building, and my room is on the third floor looking down into it. Here are some photos of my room. It's one of the larger ones, which is really nice, and they all have great windows. I don't think there's a bad view anywhere in Amsterdam! I just got the new duvet cover on the bed (from Ikea, the mothership of all decorating stores), and I'm hoping to paint the walls turquoise this weekend.

This is the common room where we cook and hang out. There's 2 or 3 kitchens per floor, so there aren't too many people trying to use it at once. It's a nice place to socialize with the people who live near me.

And finally, I'm including a few photos of the neighborhood. I took these yesterday while walking to the nearest grocery store. It's beautiful!!! I really can't get over this city--I love it. These were taken later in the evening; since we're so far north, it stays light until about 10:00 p.m. in the summer! It's nice, but I find that I don't go to bed until 12 or 1, which isn't good the next day!