No drugs on Monday morning
A new Country with a new language,
another climate,
a different lifestyle and new people.
Seventeen year old Alexander left the calm little town of Örnsköldsvik
in Sweden for
the crowded city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. |
|
The Country
The Netherlands is situated in the northwest of Europe and borders
to Germany and Belgium. The country is a monarchy and the queens’
name is Beatrix.
They call it the Garden of Europe because of its beautiful nature.
Holland, as it's also known as, has one of the largest populations
in the world due to its size.
The capital is Amsterdam. They speak Dutch and almost everyone knows
English.
40 % of the population is non – religious. Cycling is a big
thing in Amsterdam, everybody cycles.
In the Netherlands and especially in Amsterdam they allow soft drugs,
and prostitution is a legal thing.
The life
When Alex was 15 years old his dad got a job in Amsterdam and his
family moved there. He saw it like an opportunity, and now, one and
a half year later that’s his home. When I talk to him he is
very positive to the country, the only bad thing about it that he
can come up with is the rain, because it rains a lot in The Netherlands.
When I asked him about the nightlife in Amsterdam he laughed and said
that it’s a lot better than in Örnsköldsvik. He says
that the drugs and the prostitution are in the tougher parts of the
city. If you stay to the “normal” parts you won’t
even notice it. But the alcohol tolerance is high; you are allowed
to buy alcohol and get in to clubs when you are 16 years old, even
younger kids can easily get in.
Alex goes to a school called The National School of Amsterdam, which
is an international school for foreign youths. The school costs a
lot of money, and he says it’s a tough school and he has to
work hard.
In his spare time he does a lot of homework, trains boxing, plays
the base and hangs out with his friends, just like he did in Sweden,
except for the homework.
To the question about his first time there, how he felt before he
got used to all new things, he just said that it’s like every
other new place, you feel a little lost so you want to know more about
everything and where you can find new activities, so it will feel
more like home.
3 quick questions to Alexander:
Sweden or the Netherlands?
- The Netherlands
Swedish food or Dutch food?
- Swedish food
Snow or grass?
- Grass |
|
