het grote appeltje

going away present for el dutchie

another friend leaves the big apple to head back home to the lowlands—a testament yet again to the temporary nature of this side of the world. and as people come and go, comes the constant reminder of the dynamism of this so-called melting pot.

was great of course having elvira around. especially that the only reason for having known her is that her mom and good friend il cone's mom are streetmates back in maastricht. and a conversation between them goes through the complex simple process of things happening. and eventually into an exchange of emails discussing her and barbara's couch-crashing at my place on their first night in new york.

6 months hence and a wealth of experience richer—meeting the other thissens, sarah the dane, barbara from croatia, c the swiss and gaining a wider perspective of the world and other people. bit sad obviously bidding farewell but it's just the nature of the city i guess so no point whining. besides, at least when i swing by amsterdam, there's a few more people to visit. but for now, as i plan my own escape from the big apple, time to keep that dutch energy going somehow.

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speaking of energy, watched the england-portugal quarterfinal in an irish pub in the city with officemate brockie the brit and his mates. most pints of stella id ever had for brunch. and most feckin bloody cursing ive ever done that early in the day as well. especially when rooney got sent off. and though england did not survive those diving portugese, i did however survive my wobbly bike ride back to brooklyn with the balance of a biking dutchman. ok, the twisted ankle on the walk to the bar for the brasil-france game was kinda stupid. but at least the zip through the billyburg bridge was slip-free safe.