| 10-07-01 This time, when I returned to Amsterdam, I went with Elizabeth, and we stayed in a hotel. Before we headed to Europe, I sent emails to Marianne & TJ. Marianne didn't reply, but TJ did, and he said that he was sure we could all get together somehow. Before going to Amsterdam, we spent four days in Paris. That's where I proposed to Elizabeth - on the bank of the Seine River at night in view of Notre Dame Cathedral which was bathed in gentle green light. It was beautiful. The next day we headed to Amsterdam to celebrate. I was excited to see the Dutch people, hoping to become closer friends with them. Well, we made plans to meet TJ and then go with him to Vondelpark to have a picnic with a variety of his friends. We met Marianne there and Renee and about 4 other people who I didn't know. A couple others showed up later, but no one I had met before. I told everyone we were engaged, of course, and I also brought copies of Death by Zamboni to give as gifts. I gave a copy to Marianne, Renee and TJ. (His girlfriend was on vacation in Paris visiting friends.) At the picnic, I enjoyed talking to Renee and TJ, but Marianne hardly spoke to me. She basically ignored us. She was busy talking to her friends and didn't even bother asking me what I've been up to over the past year. The next night, I hoped to get together with them again, but Marianne did not return my phone call - she never even tried to reach the hotel the whole time I was in Amsterdam. I did talk to TJ, but he said he was too tired. Maybe he was, maybe not, I wasn't sure. It felt like he was finding a polite way to back out of doing something with us, but I wasn't sure why. We did have lunch with him the day before we left because we stopped by to drop off a sweatshirt Elizabeth had borrowed from Renee. He was very nice, but I felt like he was slightly uncomfortable around us. The thing is that if TJ or Marianne or Renee had visited Chicago, not only would I have made all kinds of plans to take them places, but I would've been more than happy to put any of them up. Renee promised to email me after he read the book, but he hasn't done so. Nor has TJ or Marianne. Maybe I did something rude of which I'm unaware, maybe it's a cultural thing. Perhaps these people, even though they have many friends, take a long time to develop these friendships because they grew up together. I just didn't know them long enough to be considered a friend; I'm not sure. But I definitely mis-read some cultural barrier. Well, it hasn't soured me on Amsterdam, which I still love. I would move there even if I never saw those guys again. I have no bad feelings for them - I was just saddened that they didn't seem to consider me a friend. Is that pathetic? |
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