While in Utrecht I am living with a family at Kievitdwarsstraat (yes, it is one word - the name of the street) 50 bis.   The house in which I am staying is on top of a one story house.  I live on the second floor of the house (third floor of the building) with a man named Adriaan and his wife, Khin - she is originally from Burma.  Khin and Adriaan have their kitchen, dining room and living room on the first floor of the house.  My room, my kitchen, the bathroom (which I share with Adriaan and Khin), and the baby's room (they are expecting a daughter in September) are all on the second floor.  Adriaan and Khin's bedroom is on the third floor. 

Pictures-
Left:  De Kievitdwarsstraat
Right:  Kievitdwarsstraat 50 bis

De Kievitdwarsstraat                     Kievitdwarsstraat 50 B

My room is about twenty square meters... much larger than I had expected.  I have my own phone line and a television with cable in the room.  European television mainly consists of an interesting combination of nudity and movies & sit-coms that America will no longer have anything to do with (with the vital exception of "The Simpsons" which is on every day at 18:30 - Thank God, Fox is international!).  You'll be glad to know that such vital contributions to television history such as the "Jenny McCarthy Show" have found a home on European cable. 

Some pictures of my room -

   

The neighborhood I'm living in seems to be quite typical of Utrecht judging by the other neighborhoods through which I have wandered.  There are many houses crammed up against each other and absolutely no privacy - not that the Dutch seem to mind.  Every single house has large windows and absolutely no window coverings, inviting passers-by to glance in and, of course, allowing the residents to keep track of the happenings outside. 

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