alida, turn your (red) light on!!

I was able to visit a good friend, patti and her family in germany for a few days on the way back from nigeria. i had a great time of relaxing, hanging out with her children and husband, drinking real coffee, getting used to "western" life again.

I took a train to amsterdam on monday evening as my flight left midday on tuesday, and i decided to stay at a hostel in the heart of the red light district as it is close to the station, cheap, (and christian, therefore no crazy drunk tourists). i was dragging my bags down a street and accidently took a wrong turn so i pulled out my directions. an old, innocent looking man approached me and in dutch told me he was "not an amsterdamer" but perhaps he could help me. he directed me to a pub a few feet away and it being tiny suggested i not take my large bag inside. i put it on the ground but before i even took a step inside the bartender and a customer were yelling at me not to leave my bags outside as theft was rampant in the area. i backed up and what do you know, the nice old man had disappeared (thankfully without any of my bags!!) i should have clued in as i have never seen so many people on hard drugs in one place outside of east hastings in vancouver. i even saw a woman eating dirt out of a flower pot. i guess they have to steal their drug money from somewhere!! (this is the part where i should have turned my brain/light on, and been more aware of my surroundings!)

the customer and a stoned guy on the street were trying to figure out what street i needed to go to and the stoned guy apparently knew where it was. the customer suggested he might take me there for two euros... ya, i don't think so... i said i didn't have two euros and what do you know, the stoned guy went back to his friends who were snorting things beside the aforementioned flower pot.

i had to walk through the heart of the red light district which i found quite repulsive. i had been there many times in the past (when i lived in holland) but apparently i had only ever been on the fringe of it... there is some raunchy stuff there and full of male tourists checking out the female wares. i passed one really lovely gentleman who was the door guy for a live sex show and he had a scar from the left corner of his mouth to half way to his ear and it had been deep enough that it obviously cut his entire cheek. i walked a bit faster by him....

the hostel was quiet and clean and safe though and i had a good nights rest...

when i left the next morning at 9:30am there were no less than 6 people cooking crack cocaine on tin foil less than 20 paces outside the hostel doors. pretty sad stuff...

i am now back in calgary in one piece although my insides were almost frozen solid when i stepped outside the airport. i knew it couldn't be good when i saw amy dressed in a 3/4 length down jacket, hat, scarve and mitts. only a 70 degree difference from nigeria! i have not braved the outside yet today, but i need food so i am going to have to leave the house at some point!

i am returning to nigeria in january to try to start a biosand water filter program in a small village. i am a little scared as i have never done this before! we were able to have a steel mold made in november which is a huge part of it, so now it is about teaching about the filter to some designated teachers, and pouring and testing the mold. i pray it will be a success!

i am trying to sort out all my thoughts and experiences from this past month, and will try to put a short summary on my blog in the next few days... thanks for reading!!