Soul Asylum (Seekers)

Today we had a speaker come into our Refugees and Stateless People class, she is a lawyer here in Amsterdam who represents those seeking asylum in the Netherlands. Quick side note for those unfamiliar with the difference, asylum seekers are either at the border of or within the country they are seeking refuge in. Refugees are not yet in that country, nor or they in their country of persecution. The person seeking asylum has the burden of showing the immigration board that they are 1) outside their country of origin/persecution 2)have a well-founded fear of being persecuted 3) for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion and 4) are unable to get protection from their own country. (From the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, which has been ratified and codified by the US.) It's an extremely difficult standard to meet, most get denied. The guest speaker, Valerie, works at the airport one day a week meeting with tons of asylum seekers. They remain in detention for about a week while going through interviews. Valerie gathers information as best she can in the case that the decision of the Immigration Board needs to be appealed to a court. The problem is that often people are afraid or unable to talk about the reasons they fled their country. For instance, she described people who had been tortured so recently that they were afraid to admit it, they were virtually still in shell shock. Because of the concept of refoulment, it is a violation of international law to send someone back to a country where they are likely to be tortured. So, if the person can prove torture or imminent threat of torture, they will likely be allowed in. The person who is too scared to divulge the information puts him/herself at risk of being sent back. Valerie has to spend hours trying to gain trust and elicit information from the asylum seeker. Often a person who has fled their country because they are homosexual and risk being killed or tortured (absurdly common) are themselves homophobic because of the society they live in. They are so ashamed that they refuse to tell the Immigration Board and often get sent back. Also, many of them have very little proof as to their sexual orientation because they had to be incredibly discrete or nonactive. These cases are why refugee law exists, the filter/Immigration Board exists because of "economic immigrants" or people merely looking to make a better life for themselves, but not facing severe persecution. Also, once the threat has ended for asylum seekers in their home country and they therefore do not need the protection of their country of refuge, then they are sent back.

Some famous refugees include:

1. M.I.A. (her family fled Sri Lanka, she was born in England)
2. Bob Marley (police violence in Jamaica)
3. Gene Simmons' mother (holocaust refugee)
4. Henry Kissinger (fled Germany in 1938)
5. Sigmund Freud (fled nazis)
6. Technically: Jesus (had to leave Israel) and Muhammad (had to leave Mecca)
7. Albert Einstein (helped found the International Rescue Committee where Hallie and I volunteer)
8. Jackie Chan (fled Hong Kong)
9. Billy Wilder (Jewish refugee)

Thanks Wikipedia!

Here is an article on asylum seekers and the process for obtaining protection in the US: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/nyregion/02asylum.html?scp=1&sq=asylum%20seekers&st=cse

A Few Observations

1. There is a car here smaller than the Smart Car. It's around the same length and about 2/3 the width - and it still fits two people, these two people are smooshed together awkwardly. The car is so small that it can drive in one lane of the bike path, and frequently does.
2. Dutch men, specifically, Dutch men at a posh club playing techno music. They are very tall, very well dressed, and their neck length blond locks are very much jelled back. Play a little techno music and they really let loose. We could learn a few things about being so care free. In fact, yesterday at the beach I saw a young man (early 20s) running around in a speedo throwing seaweed at his buddies. That is a sight I would not see in the US. Oh, you want a photo?
3. Water. I have spent more money on water than anything else. The tap water is potable, but I can only carry so much around, instead I am forced to buy €4 bottles of fancy water because ordering "tap water" is apparently taboo. What this says to me is that 1) Americans drink a lot of water (wow, a healthy food related reputation? I'll take it.), and 2) Water bottling companies make a killing here, they've heavily minimized free public access to their product.
4. Again the Dutch: they are pleasantly laid back. There are times when I am clearly violating general bike traffic rules, or just being sort of a loud tacky American (it's the Brits that have a bad rep here, this is their Vegas baby), and the Dutch seem not in the slightest bit concerned. These are situations in which someone back home would point out my specific violation. It's almost like we get the benefit of the doubt, which is a generous cultural characteristic - no eye rolls or scoffs, just nonchalance.
5. Elaborate tile at the entrance of canal homes:
6. Whistling. Everyone here whistles, while walking, riding bikes, waiting in line. My classes have been disrupted several times by people walking by whistling their little heads off. This morning I was whistling in my room (4 flights up), and I got a sort of responding tune whistled from a passer-byer down below.
7. Red Light District. If you want to find foreigners, go to the Red Light District. I cruise through there on my commute to school. There are always ladies in the windows, although the day shifters are not quite up to the same caliber as the night shifters. Many of the ladies are unionized, pay taxes, and rent their windows much like a barber would. Others have been brought in through human trafficking, which is the primary reason that The Netherlands has started to introduce anti-prostitution legislation, deny window license renewals, and buy up brothel space for artist studios. There are still many working windows, however. We walked by a gal in her bikini perched behind her window the other night. She was chatting on her cell, had her feet kicked up, several red bulls, lots of snacks and a mini dvd player to keep herself occupied. This is an extremely tolerant society, the humor in this fact is that the Dutch are being tolerant of the behavior of foreigners. It is a rare sight indeed to see a Dutchman cruising through the District for shady purposes.
8. Zanvoort, the beach town: not an observation, merely a slideshow of yesterday's fun (beware of the slightly inappropriate pics)

An Afternoon Jaunt

Yesterday afternoon one of our professors and his wife (both in their 70s, mind you) took us on a leisurely three hour bike ride that began in Amsterdam and let out into green fields of cattle and sheep. It was highly relaxing and pleasant. I swear these cows are an entirely different breed (actually, they probably are) - and they are way fatter than I'm used to. I'm kind of obsessed with Dutch farm animals, kind of like I was obsessed with Swiss and German farm animals. I will tell you that they do indeed look like the fabled "happy cows" that good cheese comes from. Here's a glimpse of the ride:

Gent and Bruges Slideshow

I went on a little tour bus trip with my friends Georgette, Jackie, Ronald, and Stella last Sunday. We got to see Gent and Bruges (or F*ing Bruges for those of you who saw the film In Bruges) in Belgium . The tour was filled with Spaniards, we were among only a few English speakers so we received an excellent Spanish lesson. It was great fun getting to parade around with cameras in tow following the tour guide's umbrella - exactly the sort of behavior that mom gets made fun of for. There is a picture of said blue and red umbrella in the slideshow. We had an agenda in Bruges and we hit it all except the fateful bell tower, which was closed by the time we got to it. Michelangelo's Madonna and Child? Check. Belgium waffles? Check. Belgium chocolate? Check. Belgium beer? Check. Festive boat ride through Bruges that would not have occurred in the US due to the fact that the boat was totally full with nary a life jacket in sight? Check. My favorite line from the boat captain was "well, there appears to be French, Spanish, and English speakers on the boat so I'll go ahead and just translate into all three languages" - what a skill. Anyhoo, below is a slideshow of festive buildings and what not.

Subject Matter

The Hague trip #2

Last Friday we took a school trip to the Hague and were forced to gussy up, or "not wear jeans". Our first stop was the International Criminal Court where the Special Court on Sierra Leone is being held, it was empty at the time, but this week Charles Taylor is testifying on his own behalf. We're going to try to make a trip next week to see some testimony, the world press has the viewing area packed this week. The reason the special court is in the Hague and not Freetown (Sierra Leone) is because of the influence many of the defendants still have in the area, their presence could actually destabilize the city. So essentially, this is a mix of Sierra Leone criminal prosecution and some international help, as opposed to an international court proceeding like Nuremburg, Rwanda, or Yugoslavia. Here is a picture of me in the empty court room, spectators sit behind bullet proof glass - the purpose of which I imagine is to protect the defendant;) The black chair closest to me is where the defendant sits and a screen shows his face to the audience.

Here is a link to Taylor's touching story: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Taylor_(Liberia) Here is a link to the ICC, I believe they have streaming video if you're really interested: http://www.icc-cpi.int/Menus/ICC?lan=en-GB Next we visited the International Criminal Tribunal on the Former Yugoslavia, here is a picture from the outside. They then confiscated all liquids and electronics. However, on a positive note, there was a Lavazza coffee machine on the inside where one could obtain a machine made delicious cappuccino for .50. We were able to sit in on Vlastimir Djordjevic's trial, who I've dubbed "Phil Hartman": http://www.icty.org/x/cases/djordjevic/cis/en/cis_djordjevic_en.pdf After lunch we visited the International Court of Justice where international civil disputes are handled (although the nation-states must petition to this court to get in.) It is also known as the Peace Palace and it is incredibly beautiful on the inside, marble and handmade tile as far as the eye can see. Many countries have donated some insane "decoration" pieces, like France's 3 ton vase. Here is the outside:

Did I mention I got some sweet trendy Euro glasses? On Saturday, my friend Stella and I hit the Boerenmarkt. It has everything you never knew you wanted. Cheap clothes, toiletries, organic vegetables, delicious nuts and dried fruit, cheese, antiques, and flowers. Here are some food highlights:

Please note those berries were 3 baskets for £2.98 - even with the exchange, that's a great deal.

I bought some flowers for my room:

Eating my kill:

One last event: the awesomeness that is...Bibliotek (library). 7 floors of modern bliss. I have made it a habit to have a snooze in some white pod chairs on the fifth floor, then I commence studying in a kooshy desk shaped chair that overlooks the entire city, and it swivels. There is a theatre on the 7th floor. One can also buy some produce if one so desires. The bottom floor has a delicious Italian restaurant where we drink coffee and eat delicious pizza. Here is a slide show for your viewing pleasure:

I must elaborate on the time I spent with Petra in The Hague. As soon as I arrived on the train, about a 40 minute ride from Amsterdam, we rented me a bike. I had left my Amsterdam bike in the infamous 3 story bike parking garage: The train station is downtown, so Petra took me to a phenomenal coffee shop near the center, then we viewed a few historic looking governmental buildings.

Petra grabbed her bike and we rode off to Delft, home of Vermeer and oh-so-quaint. The bike paths are amazing, you can ride all over this country with ease, literally from end to end. There are people in their 70s doing 40K routes, and there are always strategically placed cafes in the middle of nowhere to replenish your coffee supply...specifically Petra's coffee supply;) Once in Delft, we ate at a cute restaurant along a canal. Unfortunately, I'd had a bit of a time the night before (don't hit the town with a bunch of 23 year old New Orleanians when you are not 23). Needless to say, I puked up my fresh squeezed orange juice and Petra had to finish my delicious goat cheese salad. Following that event we strolled around the town a bit and toured Vermeer's house. It had a great expo on his lighting technique, one of his key attributes.

We then rode back to The Hague where Petra had plans for us to go to the beach and generously allowed me to wear some of her beach clothes...which consisted of nothing but Spandex! "How European!" I exclaimed in delight. So we rode our bikes to the Beautiful cost and milled around in Spandex like it wasn't a big deal. We watched the sun sink at the close of an incredible day.

Stiching Het National Park Movie

Petra took me to Stiching Het National Park near the German border.  Below is a little film complemented by music that shows us riding around the park.  There was a museum in the park that housed lots of Van Gough and Picasso works.  I filmed the clouds because they were unlike anything I've seen before, they were delicate and elegant.  The subjects of many paintings.  Near the end you'll see the former landowner's hunting lodge and lake which we got to tour.  Please be aware: motion sickness may occur!

This city is amazing.  I love watching the carefree Dutch ride by on their Gazelle bicycles, men in business suits with their children on front, the bucket seat up front that holds 2 children and all your groceries.  A friend and I got lost on our bikes and ended up in the red light district surrounded by various things we'd never seen before, I had to constantly ding my bell to get around all the gawking pedestrians.  After that long jaunt it was already 9PM and I still had 30 pages to read for class, so I met up with my friend Jackie and we headed to the neighborhood pub.  It was quite productive except for our random tangents into linguistics and anthropological delights.  We got home at 1AM, and at 5AM I was ready to get up and go.  We had our first introductory course today on Human Rights and International Criminal Law.  The professor and many of the students went through Katrina while in New Orleans, and you can tell how it influences their studies and teaching.  For instance, Prof. Larson asked us what law countries used when there was no law.  If you can find a law, who enforces it when the government has totally broken down, he alluded to several African states (countries) such as Congo, Sudan, then New Orleans.  He said there was a total governmental break down following the disaster and Americans saw a state of being they hadn't been privy to since the wild west.  It was eye opening to hear this perspective.  I'm crashing from my four hours of sleep.  Pictures:  

Jackie and our productive study session

From First Days in Amsterdam

My bike, Arnout

From First Days in Amsterdam

Jackie and Cliff, in front of the law building

From First Days in Amsterdam

Arrival

I wonder why the flight from Minneapolis to Amsterdam was less stressful than Boise to Minn. Probably because I had access to 20 movies and solitaire on a personal screen, fellow solitaire addicts will rejoice. After landing in a surprisingly hot Amsterdam and taking the train to Amsterdam Centraal I had to be the stupid American with all the luggage that everyone loves. I pondered various tram signs for a bit, then sensibly hailed a cab. A 25 minute walk with a 50 lb suitcase was not gonna happen. I arrived at my dorm quad and quickly realized that Amsterdamians and Americans have very different ideas of what the term "dorm" means. I'll take the Amsterdamian version. We share a common area kitchen with a huge porch on top of the building that overlooks the city, totally awesome. Today I've milled around for a couple hours, purchased flowers and a bike, and now I will nap. Video of "dorm" and some house boats below.