For those of you wondering: I have safely landed and now spend my days actually in Missouri. So far there’s not that much to tell you about, although I absolutely love walking around here. I feel like Mario, taking pictures of ordinary things. For instance, I had never seen a stamp vender machine that takes $1,75 in just quarters. Maybe not that exciting, but I sure took a picture of it. Last time I was here, I noticed having a lack of pictures of the ordinary things, so I guess I’m overcompensating now.

This blog never turned into a diary of my travels, so it will not be one when I’m over here (but Bas, this one is turning out that way). Posts will most likely be linked to present events though, as everything is so fresh. Yesterday I noticed something particular. It started snowing here, combined with a temperature decline I had rarely ever experienced. Wednesday marked a very nice day, with 59 degrees F (15C) and sun. Yesterday, the maximum temperature was around 29 F (-2C). In The Netherlands, such a decrease never goes by unnoticed. Trains run late, traffic jams occur and everybody starts complaining about how ‘two inches of snow have such in impact’. Turns out, we’re pretty tough. First of all, Americans spend a lot of time ‘outside’ in their cars. Cycling through this weather is a sign of toughness, so that’s one for the Dutch. Secondly, after seeing the snow fall down, schools closed and highways were done for. Highways turned into parking lots, with police officers (not that busy handing out speeding tickets) literally pushing cars uphill. I’ll be ready for your criticism, but I call it 2-0 for the Dutch. Bring it in the comments. GO!