Back in Europe

I’m sitting in the airport in Amsterdam, on my way to my hometown, Stavanger, Norway. I haven’t been back in Europe in five years and it feels great. Amsterdam’s airport looks pretty much the same I remember it as last time I passed through on my way back from Japan/Kuala Lumpur with my uncle Thomas.

This afternoon, I hadn’t been on the continent for more than ten minutes before I managed to make an ass of myself. I went to change a few dollars I had at the foreign exchange. I asked the exchange attendant, “Can I get Dutch Gilders or whatever they are called?” (Guilders — Thanks Kerim!)

She tilted her head slightly and gave me a warm smile, she was giving me that unmistakable, “What a cute stupid American,” look. She said, “We don’t have Dutch Gilders here.”

I was about to continue playing my part as the stupid American by responding, “What do you mean you don’t have Dutch Gilders? I’m in Dutchland, ain’t I?” Fortunately, however, she preemptively added, “Here in Europe we use Euros, would you like Euros?”

Doh! I knew that, really I did. Quick, I thought, is there any way I can change this from the “stupid American” routine to the, “smart and sassy, great sense of humor American who was really just joking” routine but nothing appropriate came to mind. As I stood there blushing, the beautiful south Asian bank clerk tried to console me in her flawless, but slightly Dutch accented English, “Hey, at least you know what country you’re in.”

I hope this is my last embarrassing experience for today. Prices seem higher than I remember, or perhaps it is just that dollars aren’t what they used to be. All the prices are more expensive than an equal number of dollars, even though dollars are worth less than a Euro. I paid the equivalent of $10 for a Chicken salad and a small sprite at McDonalds. That is more than even Japan.