Netherlands

I took an 11-hour Flix bus (departing at 1am) to Amsterdam. I walked the city (free walking tour), made a sandwich for lunch, and took a train to Delft. I met a brother in the Lord at the station and we went to a home meeting to eat dinner and sing songs with other believers. The couple who hosted us are Koreans who recently moved from Edinburgh to “open our house and serve the saints”. It’s so cool to see the Body of Christ in action. The next morning, I explored the city center with my host. I ate raw herring, tried a Dutch beer (not Heineken), went inside an 800 year-old church building, and cooked dinner with my hosts.

Sunday, I went to a church meeting spoken in Dutch. After some lunch and fellowship, I left for Amsterdam. I stayed two nights with my couchsurfing host. The first night I hung out, exchanging stories with six other couchsurfers. I explored the city with my Turkish friend (who offered to host me in Izmir). I’ve never seen so many sex shops, “coffeeshops” (filled with weed galore), and prostitutes in my life. At night, the red light district comes alive… a very interesting time for people watching. Last week was a huge gay pride festival and the hostel prices were still around 35 euros a night (expensive compared to Munich at 14 euros a night). Amsterdam is a unique city. I left the next morning on a blablacar to Brussels!

Duration

4 days

Accommodation

Believer’s flat in Delft (2 nights) and couchsurfing in Amsterdam (2 nights)

Favorite Food

Kroket (fried bread crumbs with meat inside) and raw herring

Favorite Site

Delft University

Cool Person I Met

David. David is an IT consultant, 31 years old, originally from Budapest, but travels the world a few months each year. He was my couchsurfing host! Couchsurfing is more than a “free Airbnb” and it’s safer than you’d think. Couchsurfers believe in sharing experiences and resources. David was an AMAZING host. He gave us open fridge access to beers, breakfast and dinner, and spent hours socializing about travel and life.

Highlight

My first night drinking Belgian beer with couchsurfers from Argentina, Turkey, France, Hungary, and India

Big Takeaway

Amsterdam is an incredibly tolerant city. Here’s how my tour guide referred to Amsterdam, “you can be who you wanna be as long as you don’t bother me… pay me is good too. Amsterdam is proof that tolerance works.” He shared this after explaining how years ago prostitutes would pay priests in advance to cover their sins (I’m not certain of the historic accuracy). Also, he mentioned how prostitution becomes legal when you pay taxes. I’m not sure what to say. Economically, prostitution makes a lot of sense. Think about how much tourist money flows into the red light district and coffeeshops each year. Bachelor parties, wealthy men, and the curious come from around the world. Morally, I believe selling your body for 15-minute increments is wrong… wrong for both parties involved.

I think the moral issue should outweigh the economic benefit incurred. There are around 3,000 sex workers in Amsterdam. Their job is to sell sex services. I can’t image how emotionally draining this job is and if you don’t work, you don’t eat. I don’t know reasons why women become prostitutes but I can imagine most them do it for a paycheck. This is understandable. Would you rather starve and sleep on the streets or find a way to make money? Again, I absolutely disagree with prostitution and would say anyone with a high sense of morality could not commit such acts for any kind of money. Rather, they’ll find every other means to make money while keeping the moral law within.

My point in all this is to recognize that prostitution is a legitimate (and difficult) job that many women do for a paycheck. These are precious humans made in God’s image who do emotionally draining work to make a living in Amsterdam. My heart broke as I walked past women in prostitute windows wooing men to “buy”. I don’t want to view them as sex objects, evil people, or worthless. No! Rather, we should recognize their situation and love them just as God does. Jesus was expected to stone the adulteress woman according to the law, but he demonstrated much love by telling her, “go and sin no more”.

Your Turn

Have you tried couchsurfing before? What positive or negative experiences did you have?

What are your views on the economic and moral trade-offs of prostitution?