today is queen's day. there were tons of people in town for the celebration last night, which was an extremely rare sight considering how shops here close by 5pm. today there were flea markets all over town. so i walked around the centre alone with a doner in hand, with a keen eye for quirky antiques, or junk, even though i already knew that i wouldnt be buying anything. i liked being pulled along with the crowd but after awhile, i got tired and felt utterly stupid. so i came home. my flatmates have all gone out to join in the fun, and here i am, breathing in dust. what makes me more mad is that this rejection might be another theatrical gesture on my part. queen's day isn't as exciting as i imagined it to be. mainly because it is a very 'dutch' event; songs and greetings are in dutch, the shared experience is 'dutch'. almost immediately, you sense the outsider-insider differences in such a national event.