So I wanted a city a little more slow paced then New York right?! Well, I found it alright. After a bit of Lonely Planeting and Googling on my next destination, I decided to go to Providence in Rhode Island. According to these resources it was not to be missed.  Now, I personally wouldn't have minded very much if I missed out on all the wonder that is Providence. However, I would have minded if I missed out on all of my CouchSurfing experiences and the people I met there, for they were simply awesome. The Greyhound bus driver that brought me to my next destination welcomed us aboard in true New York spirit "Please think about your fellow passengers, especially those of you who like to talk loud on their cellphones. Now it doesn't bother me, but I am nosy, and I like to listen to what you're saying." while honking his way through traffic.  In Providence I had to take another bus to get to my Couch, and two girls very kindly offered to walk me there once we got off. They questioned me about my plans, ideas and 'defense system', and where extremely appalled when I told them I didn't carry a knife or pepper spray with me. Both of them dived promptly in their purse, telling me "Here, have mine! I have many more at home!". You can imagine my discomfort to receive such a welcome... where in the world had I traveled to?! My CouchSurfing host, Caroline, however was very friendly, welcoming and thankfully also without pepper spray. She took me right in, and that same evening I accompanied her and her friend Valeria to a real American potluck party. Americans all around! As a foreigner I was obviously interesting, and had to tell all about my journey and the Dutch opinion of Americans. Meanwhile I was taking everything in, from the loud voices to the somewhat strange food. I joined in in a game of Appels to Appels, something with cards, more cards and mixing them. My 'Milk Duds' card was the most 'Awesome' of the options, so I won that round. Yeah me and my Milk Duds! However, as I had to describe 'Miller High Life' in a round of Salad Bowl, I didn't have a clue as to what I was describing, earning a roar of laughter and a yell of "Welcome to America!!!" as it turned out I was describing a kind of beer. I also had the pleasure of meeting George from the local liquor store 'Darwin's'. George had (unknown to him) a Dutch flag hanging outside his store, and it got my attention. He walked out as I was staring at it, asking me "What are you looking at? The pretty flowers?" (the flowers hanging dead and frozen in their baskets). But after my explanation, he invited me in for a glass of wine and some awful Dutch music. George had, as it turned out, lived in Amsterdam for quite some years. He also had some of his products labelled with texts like "You'll feel this the next morning!" and "This shit will f'ck you up!". Later, as I was going out to diner with Caroline and two of her friends, I told them about my meeting with "the guy from the liquor store", to which one of them replied "Oh so you met George?!". Everybody knows George.. :) We concluded my visit with a Miller High Life beer in a local bar, playing (in the interest of teaching me about the American culture) a game called 'Never Have I Ever'. Well, I can honestly say that never have I ever gotten to know strangers quite so well so quickly. Thanks guys, that was fun ;) :) I spent another night surfing a couch in Providence, this time at Katharine's place. She picked me up from the local Starbucks and brought me home to diner, 2 ultimate crazy cats and my bed all ready. I could tell that Katharine was used to travelers surfing her couch, and enjoyed a good evening talking and playing piano. How very weird to stay with complete strangers and share their home, and how incredibly cool. You get to dive right into the American culture, meet people you wouldn't have met otherwise, it's incredibly diverse, rewarding and also - free of charge! Not unimportant for a traveler on a budget :D I traveled on to Newport where I would surf at Kevin's and Danielle's place. On my first evening, they took me right along indoor climbing. I hadn't climbed in 10 years or so, but enjoyed it nonetheless - though I would feel my muscles for 3 days after. One of their friends, Dan, had come climbing as well, and was thrilled to have me enjoy his ultimate American Chevy Cruise Something Van, with music so insanely loud I could actually feel the vibration of the bass as I was sitting in the back. My stay at Kevin's and Danielle's was fun and relaxing, just what I needed after New York! I explored the little town which is next to the ocean, walked the Cliff Walk, went ice skating at the local ice ring (stumbling very un-Dutch-like all the time on those clumsy ice hockey skates), found another interested soul in the girl from the local teashop (where she tricked me into buying an Oreo smoothie) and went to Walmart! Crazy Americans with their 100 different kinds of cereal and marshmallow-on-bread. I stayed in Newport, but moved couches to Matt and Anna's, another young couple. Staying with them was just as fun and relaxing, and I was sure of my healthy doses of American culture. When I first met Matt, everything was "the shit" and "f'cking do it!". He also refused to believe I was from the Netherlands, insisting that I was from Denmark. Dan, Matt and Anna's roommate, trusted his cellphone in my hands, with instructions to leave a Dutch voicemail for somebody, using as much 'gggg's' as possible. Loved that evening guys! We also walked on the different beaches of Newport to enjoy the outdoors (and freeeezing cold), had diner in a local bar-restaurant-something where we watched an American football game, baked muffins, made French toast and Dutch diner, and had many good conversations (both sober and a little less sober). Now I won't call names, but somebody's roommate actually asked me "Is the Netherlands a country in Holland?"... He wasn't the only one though. A women interested in my journey asked me a bunch of questions, surprising me with her apparent knowledge of The Netherlands. That is, until she asked me "So did you walk here all the way from the Netherlands?". My name continues to dazzle people. The pronunciation is very difficult apparently, and have yet to meet a foreigner who can pull it of. I can tell people avoid calling me by my name, and more then once I got recommended to change my name to something easier (like Asian travelers like to do). I even started filming people while they try - just for the fun of it :p By now, whenever I introduce myself, I am prepared for the questionable look on someone's face and the "I'm sorry, whát??!" response. I repeat my name slowly, enunciating very clearly, after which I usually get a doubtful "Ing-ge...?!", or something along those lines. I like to repeat with "Close enough" to let them know it's ok and they don't have to bother. "I'll take whatever I can get!" was a cheeky response I once got back. It doesn't matter to me of course, it's part of the fun! So I pretty much listen to anything these days. As this is a daily returning phenomena for me, I gathered a few new pronunciations for you (written out phonetically): Inne, Inna, Inga (with a strong 'g', like the Dutch and Spanish pronounce it), Ienga, Indsjie, Iendsjé, Ieng-gùh (imagine the 'gùh' half swallowed/choked on) and my absolute favorite American way: Iengdjsie, courtesy of Matt! But, just like my foreign friends, I need to learn new things too. I am learning to be a full time traveler, which turns out to be quite a demanding job. Someone very kindly told me "Wow, you are such a good traveler!", because I am well organized. I always have my bag pack with me, which contains water, food, extra clothing, maps of the city, my ID, money, cellphone, camera, and pen and paper. It all comes in handy, and I use everything frequently, but just being well organized isn't enough. I am learning to deal with a whole bunch of other stuff, almost on a daily basis. From packing my bag every day, to finding my way around, adjusting to the American culture and food, figuring out where I go next, listening to your feelings, daring to take the plunge, trusting complete strangers, being open minded about new things, landing yourself in unwanted places, grabbing opportunities that come your way, dealing with unforeseen situations, communicating and dealing with people of all kinds, taking a step back, living in the moment, accepting long hours of traveling and waiting around, getting lost, not finding what you're looking and hoping for, not knowing where you are going to sleep that night and carrying your heavy bag pack everywhere like a pack mule. To name a few. It isn't always easy or fun, but it's traveling. And after three weeks, I do believe I am slowly getting the hang of it. I am much more living in the moment, letting go of things I can't control and trying to experience and enjoy it all. I am currently on the road as I am writing this, and have no idea where I am going to sleep tonight. But it'll be alright I'm sure. After all, "A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving."