Good afternoon, all.
Well, I misspoke about updating from Indianola; right now I am back at Grinnell. I have seen so many people that I have missed for such a long time; I am so blessed to have so many good friends and such loving parents.
Coming back was interesting, though uneventful. I flew from Copenhagen to Chicago and then Chicago to Des Moines; the Copenhagen-Chicago flight was interesting in that I left at 3:40 and arrived nine hours later at 5:15. There were a few other DIS students who flew back on the same plane, which was a pleasant surprise.
I did have, however, numerous bursts of culture shock in my transit. First, during the long flight, I talked local, state, and national politics with the woman sitting next to me; she was an avid supporter of Obama, and she decried how the Republicans had become the party of "No!" This experience was rather perplexing to me; to be frank, I agreed with most of her points and arguments for her political beliefs, but I quickly realized that she was locked in this politically-polarized mindset demonizing the opposition. I then realized that I, for maybe the first time in my politically-aware life, was somewhat removed from this polarized system. I began to realize that American politics are always in a constant state of deadlock, while European politics are much more conducive to compromise and even consensus (well, on many things, anyway; some things still completely divide the EU, like the Iraq War). Given my gradual realization that I was returning to the American political atmosphere, I merely stated that compromise was necessary for us to really enact positive and lasting change.
Upon arrival in Chicago, however, I was veritably assaulted by American-ness: I noticed dozens of differences immediately, ranging from the gruffness of airport employees to ridiculously long security lines to cowboy hats to American fashion to weight problems to English-everywhere to American dollars to the English measurement system. After transferring my luggage, I went to a Chili's Restaurant in the airport and ordered the least-Danish thing on the menu: Chili Bacon Burger. Not only was it a sandwich, but I ate it with my hands, it was spicy, it was a mix of all sorts of flavors, and it was indescribably messy. While breaking my fast of American food, I just sit and watched people, noticing how different everyone looked and how they interacted with each other. I find it hard to put it into words, but I looked at my fellow Americans as... interesting.
On the flight to Des Moines, I had another sociopolitical encounter of a different variety. I spoke with a strong conservative who expressed his concerns about how country's tendencies towards socialism. After I told him that I had just gotten into Chicago from Copenhagen, he was curious to know how the Danes handle issues such as taxation and gun control; as could be expected, my responses surprised him. Here was an entirely different political discussion; while I did not sense this man harbored any hostility towards those of the "other side" here, I was exposed to arguments that were so different than any European or DIS student political arguments. With these three experiences, I realized that I was going to have to navigate American politics and culture again.
After much longing, imagining, and waiting, I finally arrived back home in Indianola and then went to my other home at Grinnell. The inevitable "How was Denmark?" was asked again and again; I felt that my answers have been getting more creative over time. I have indeed developed inter-cultural skills; I had a lot of fun; I saw many places that I had only dreamed of seeing before.
However, the answer to, "How was Denmark?" is not nearly as interesting as "How did your experience in Denmark change you?" That is a question that is much deeper and requires much more thoughtful contemplation. That answer will come in the next post, in what will likely be the final post before the closing of this Blog. Stay tuned.
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Some adventures and more reflections
Good afternoon, all. I hope that the day finds you well.
I've done a few interesting things since last I Blogged (man, that sounds awful. We need to think up a better verb). I also have to study for a European Storytelling test tonight, so I'll try to make this slightly shorter.
First, we had our Photojournalism exhibition on Friday, which was very cool. Right now, our prints are hung in the DIS common room (where everyone goes to eat their lunch). As stated earlier, I did my photographs of a professor at Copenhagen University. I feel as though I have developed a lot through this process, and I hope that I can come back to the Scarlet and Black with a bit more experience than before.
After the exhibition, I went to Tivoli with DIS! Woot! Now, to explain what Tivoli is... it is kind of like an amusement park, but it is also a major concert venue (on Friday nights, i.e. when we were there) and garden (there are thousands upon thousands of beautiful flowers there that are all in bloom right now). As the rest of the DIS people clumped up and headed on their own separate directions, I was left wandering aimlessly for a bit until I met another of my lone fellow DIS friends also wandering aimlessly. So, we made a conscious decision to walk around together and explore. However, things took a turn for the daring when someone who entered with a season pass gave me a multi-ride ticket... which means that I could go on as many rides in the place as I wanted. My newfound friend also wanted to try every ride she could, so things got interesting. She went on a huge fast roller-coaster with three loops called The Demon; my courage was not sufficient to join her. Then we went to a big swing that lifted us high above the buildings of Copenhagen. I never really noticed just how low all of the buildings are: Copenhagen does not have any skyscrapers in the downtown area. The view was spectacular... then the swings started to spin, and I was quickly spun into a position that I had no idea what direction I was facing and where I was going next. Then we went on a few more tame rides (including one wooden roller coaster), and then, against my better judgment, she convinced me to go on "The Demon". I must admit, it was heart-rattling, but it was very fun.
After making ourselves almost vomit, we did some shopping and got candyfloss (that's apparently the European term for cotton candy; what an awful name). Then we listened to the concert, a performance by Swedish pop singer Lisa Nilsson. Put simply, she was excellent; it was mostly relaxed music with the occasional hard rock, and both her vocals and the bass guitar solos were stellar. We finished the evening by getting some chai tea and then watched an awesome light show over a lake while on a bridge over said lake. Being right in the middle of the show was cool, especially when a lot of smoke whooshed out from under us.
Sunday was also a bit of an adventure; I went with my host parents to Kokkedal Castle. I was a little disappointed in that the "castle" was actually just a really big mansion; no parapets, no moat, no big stone walls. Apparently the castle was used as a summer house by royalty in the distant past, then it fell into disuse over the years. Here's the interesting part: a wealthy, private individual bought the castle, and then began a massive renovation project. However, the fellow ran out of money, so the castle renovations remained unfinished. Then, the castle was bought by the royalty again, then sold again to a private individual to undergo renovations to turn it into a conference center. (I might not have all the facts straight on when this place changed hands, but the point of the matter is that the building has had a bit of a rough existence since its original construction in 1746).
Now, since I am in the midst of doing my evaluations for my DIS professors, it seems like it would be a good time to give a thumbs up and thumbs down list for DIS.
Thumbs up: Study tours are freaking amazing. They are well-planned, relevant for the course material, informational, fun, and allow for at least some free time. Two of the study tours are also entirely paid for by DIS in advance, so those are even more amazing. Then again, I should say that my program (European Politics) is renowned for its cool study tours, I believe.
Thumbs up: Course offerings are incredible. You can take almost anything that you can think of here, including applied sciences though not including theoretical sciences. I am so glad that I was able to diversify a bit, taking a Politics class, a psych class, an English class, a photography class, and a language class.
Thumbs up: Compared to other study abroad programs, DIS academics are very strong. The professors are almost all professionals in their given field, so, for the most part, they know what they are talking about. I felt that I learned a ton this semester, though that may have been due to my course selection.
Thumbs down: Program might be simply too big. In general, the classes are quite large, as 4 out of 5 of mine had more than 30 people.
Thumbs down: DIS focuses on group projects, which, as much as I enjoy interacting with people, is incredibly inconvenient because none of us live anywhere near each other. If I could take the group projects at Grinnell and the individual projects at DIS, I would be much happier.
Thumbs down: A general expectation that students here love to party. Time to go out to a bar and drink is essentially included in the study tours, and the 4 days of classes every week facilitates people getting hammered on a regular basis. DIS faculty and staff also seem to drink just a little too much at times; I feel that it would be best if I not name names.
Anyway, here's a little more to chew on about my study abroad experience. Only 5 days until I arrive back in the states (AHH!) and only 7 days until I get back to Grinnell (AHH!)
I've done a few interesting things since last I Blogged (man, that sounds awful. We need to think up a better verb). I also have to study for a European Storytelling test tonight, so I'll try to make this slightly shorter.
First, we had our Photojournalism exhibition on Friday, which was very cool. Right now, our prints are hung in the DIS common room (where everyone goes to eat their lunch). As stated earlier, I did my photographs of a professor at Copenhagen University. I feel as though I have developed a lot through this process, and I hope that I can come back to the Scarlet and Black with a bit more experience than before.
After the exhibition, I went to Tivoli with DIS! Woot! Now, to explain what Tivoli is... it is kind of like an amusement park, but it is also a major concert venue (on Friday nights, i.e. when we were there) and garden (there are thousands upon thousands of beautiful flowers there that are all in bloom right now). As the rest of the DIS people clumped up and headed on their own separate directions, I was left wandering aimlessly for a bit until I met another of my lone fellow DIS friends also wandering aimlessly. So, we made a conscious decision to walk around together and explore. However, things took a turn for the daring when someone who entered with a season pass gave me a multi-ride ticket... which means that I could go on as many rides in the place as I wanted. My newfound friend also wanted to try every ride she could, so things got interesting. She went on a huge fast roller-coaster with three loops called The Demon; my courage was not sufficient to join her. Then we went to a big swing that lifted us high above the buildings of Copenhagen. I never really noticed just how low all of the buildings are: Copenhagen does not have any skyscrapers in the downtown area. The view was spectacular... then the swings started to spin, and I was quickly spun into a position that I had no idea what direction I was facing and where I was going next. Then we went on a few more tame rides (including one wooden roller coaster), and then, against my better judgment, she convinced me to go on "The Demon". I must admit, it was heart-rattling, but it was very fun.
After making ourselves almost vomit, we did some shopping and got candyfloss (that's apparently the European term for cotton candy; what an awful name). Then we listened to the concert, a performance by Swedish pop singer Lisa Nilsson. Put simply, she was excellent; it was mostly relaxed music with the occasional hard rock, and both her vocals and the bass guitar solos were stellar. We finished the evening by getting some chai tea and then watched an awesome light show over a lake while on a bridge over said lake. Being right in the middle of the show was cool, especially when a lot of smoke whooshed out from under us.
Sunday was also a bit of an adventure; I went with my host parents to Kokkedal Castle. I was a little disappointed in that the "castle" was actually just a really big mansion; no parapets, no moat, no big stone walls. Apparently the castle was used as a summer house by royalty in the distant past, then it fell into disuse over the years. Here's the interesting part: a wealthy, private individual bought the castle, and then began a massive renovation project. However, the fellow ran out of money, so the castle renovations remained unfinished. Then, the castle was bought by the royalty again, then sold again to a private individual to undergo renovations to turn it into a conference center. (I might not have all the facts straight on when this place changed hands, but the point of the matter is that the building has had a bit of a rough existence since its original construction in 1746).
Now, since I am in the midst of doing my evaluations for my DIS professors, it seems like it would be a good time to give a thumbs up and thumbs down list for DIS.
Thumbs up: Study tours are freaking amazing. They are well-planned, relevant for the course material, informational, fun, and allow for at least some free time. Two of the study tours are also entirely paid for by DIS in advance, so those are even more amazing. Then again, I should say that my program (European Politics) is renowned for its cool study tours, I believe.
Thumbs up: Course offerings are incredible. You can take almost anything that you can think of here, including applied sciences though not including theoretical sciences. I am so glad that I was able to diversify a bit, taking a Politics class, a psych class, an English class, a photography class, and a language class.
Thumbs up: Compared to other study abroad programs, DIS academics are very strong. The professors are almost all professionals in their given field, so, for the most part, they know what they are talking about. I felt that I learned a ton this semester, though that may have been due to my course selection.
Thumbs down: Program might be simply too big. In general, the classes are quite large, as 4 out of 5 of mine had more than 30 people.
Thumbs down: DIS focuses on group projects, which, as much as I enjoy interacting with people, is incredibly inconvenient because none of us live anywhere near each other. If I could take the group projects at Grinnell and the individual projects at DIS, I would be much happier.
Thumbs down: A general expectation that students here love to party. Time to go out to a bar and drink is essentially included in the study tours, and the 4 days of classes every week facilitates people getting hammered on a regular basis. DIS faculty and staff also seem to drink just a little too much at times; I feel that it would be best if I not name names.
Anyway, here's a little more to chew on about my study abroad experience. Only 5 days until I arrive back in the states (AHH!) and only 7 days until I get back to Grinnell (AHH!)
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Short Travel Break, Post 2: Louisiana, May Day, Swing, and a Special Hat
Good evening, all.
So, here comes another blog post your way. I have a lot of very short subjects to discuss today, so hold onto something because away we go!
First, I went to Louisiana on Friday. Yep, Louisiana ... Museum of Art. It is in a city called Humlbæk just north of here, and it's a modern art museum. I went with my host parents on Friday. It was quite a place: there was already any room to park around the museum (despite there being 100-200 parking spaces), and this place is in a town that's smaller than Grinnell. There were actually a surprising number of really well-known artists' works, including one Monet and a couple Picasso. A few exhibits were really interesting, such as a few mobiles made from painted straw; others were definitely "Is that art?" moments, such as a solid blue painting called "Monoblue" set across from a solid pink painting called "Monopink." There was also a collection of 10,000+ plaster casts (the artists said that no two were alike), and two immense bronze spiders. I was glad I went, even if I am not usually one for modern art.
Saturday was quite a day, though not exactly as I had planned. In the early afternoon, I left for Copenhagen to go to the big May Day celebration. However, upon getting off the train at Østerport, I had a horrifying realization: I had left my black wool hat on the train! I turned around as fast as I could, but could only watch as the doors closed and the train sped off to the airport with my hat on it. I was crushed... it was a great hat... I went to the ticket counter and said that I had left something on a train, and they told me to call the main office. I did that, but it was in Danish, so the only thing I could do is leave a message (or, at least, I thought I left a message). Then I went to the ticket counter in Nørreport, hoping to find someone else to tell about my hat. They said that there's nothing they can do, and that I should call this different number after 3:00. So, without my hat, I decided to go kill time at the May Day thing that I had planned on attending.
The best way that I can describe the May Day thing is a mix of Block Party, 10/10, the Iowa State Fair, and the Harkin Steak Fry saturated in Communism (Now if your head is not spinning after that, then I have failed). Anyway, so it is a big communist/socialist political day, and there's Communist and Social Democratic party people distributing leaflets and waving red flags and all that. There was a lot of hammer and sickle emblems all over everything, too, and socialist/communist politicians were giving speeches. However, there were also tons of merchants selling all sorts of things, including scarves, jewelry, hats, hot dogs, kebab, thai food, and a bunch of other stuff, so that part was very fair-like. Then there was alcohol. And by that I mean there was alcohol ... and lots of alcohol. There must have been 100+ clusters of Danes sitting around on the grass (the event was held in a big park near the football stadium), each cluster with at least one 30 rack of beer. And the average age was incredibly low, I would say maybe around 30 at the highest. Most of the groups looked like late high school students or early university students, each with their own rack of Carlsberg beer or Sommersby hard cider (keep in mind: the drinking age is 16 here). It was loud and noisy and law-violating (saw plenty of jaywalking, public intoxication, and indecent exposure), certainly not consistent with any of my previous encounters with Danes, except maybe at the FCK football game. Oh yes, and there were concerts going on at the same time as all this.
However, I didn't exactly do much while I was there: I didn't feel like drinking, I wasn't hungry, I didn't want to buy any overpriced accessories, I didn't have anyone to talk to, and I didn't understand any of the speeches; the event was more of a case study of Danish society rather than an actual event that I attended. And I was also missing my hat terribly...
After my camera battery died, I left to go call the number about my hat. They said that I needed to file a lost and found report, and that the sooner I did that, the more likely it would be that I could get my hat back. So, I went back home (an hour long trip, as you already know), and then filed the report. I then killed some time, trying to not think about my lost hat, then, after calling the train station again and having them say that they did not find my hat upon cleaning the trains, I decided to go train hopping to see if I could find my hat.
So, I went to the station and hopped on the train to Vedbæk. No hat. Then I got off and killed some time walking around the empty Vedbæk school before getting on the train to Skodsborg. Again, no hat. In Skodsborg, I walked around a forest killing some time, then got on the train to Klampenborg. Again, no hat. In Klampenborg, I walked around the station and tried to look at it as a logic puzzle; the people at the station said that they have no idea where the trains go once they reach their final destination because they get renumbered upon a successful run. However, I realized that I had left my hat on the :02 indirect train between Nivå and Kastrup. If the train comes at 20 minute intervals and it takes about an hour to get from one to the other, then it would make sense that there are six trains running on that circuit. However, the circuit was about to close soon, so I realized that I could only check two more trains and would have to leave one unchecked. So, I got on the train to Hellerup and went to my previous seat and behold! there was my hat. I grabbed it and proceeded merrily to Hellerup, where I caught a train back to Rungsted. This was an extremely lucky occurrence: any drunk idiot could have picked it up (or thrown it away or vomited in it or goodness knows what else), or the train conductor could have picked it up and thrown it away... but they didn't, and my train hopping paid off. I consider myself very very lucky.
My last interesting thing of the weekend was another session of swing dancing. I think that I wrote about this last week, so I won't talk about it to much here. I danced with a goodly number of people; however, I've come to notice that the dancing scene is a little less casual here than at the Grinnell Swing Society. Here, most people seem to come with their significant other and do not spend much time dancing with anyone else unless they are both particularly experienced in swing dancing. This was certainly not always the case, but I felt like it was an incredible challenge for me to find any available follows for much of the dance. Today, I danced with a Pole, a German, and a few incredibly experienced Danes, and they have told me what many experienced follows have told me: relax and loosen up, only then will I really start to get into the music.
Anyway, that's a wrap for today. Sleep beckons. That's the news, and I'm outta here.
So, here comes another blog post your way. I have a lot of very short subjects to discuss today, so hold onto something because away we go!
First, I went to Louisiana on Friday. Yep, Louisiana ... Museum of Art. It is in a city called Humlbæk just north of here, and it's a modern art museum. I went with my host parents on Friday. It was quite a place: there was already any room to park around the museum (despite there being 100-200 parking spaces), and this place is in a town that's smaller than Grinnell. There were actually a surprising number of really well-known artists' works, including one Monet and a couple Picasso. A few exhibits were really interesting, such as a few mobiles made from painted straw; others were definitely "Is that art?" moments, such as a solid blue painting called "Monoblue" set across from a solid pink painting called "Monopink." There was also a collection of 10,000+ plaster casts (the artists said that no two were alike), and two immense bronze spiders. I was glad I went, even if I am not usually one for modern art.
Saturday was quite a day, though not exactly as I had planned. In the early afternoon, I left for Copenhagen to go to the big May Day celebration. However, upon getting off the train at Østerport, I had a horrifying realization: I had left my black wool hat on the train! I turned around as fast as I could, but could only watch as the doors closed and the train sped off to the airport with my hat on it. I was crushed... it was a great hat... I went to the ticket counter and said that I had left something on a train, and they told me to call the main office. I did that, but it was in Danish, so the only thing I could do is leave a message (or, at least, I thought I left a message). Then I went to the ticket counter in Nørreport, hoping to find someone else to tell about my hat. They said that there's nothing they can do, and that I should call this different number after 3:00. So, without my hat, I decided to go kill time at the May Day thing that I had planned on attending.
The best way that I can describe the May Day thing is a mix of Block Party, 10/10, the Iowa State Fair, and the Harkin Steak Fry saturated in Communism (Now if your head is not spinning after that, then I have failed). Anyway, so it is a big communist/socialist political day, and there's Communist and Social Democratic party people distributing leaflets and waving red flags and all that. There was a lot of hammer and sickle emblems all over everything, too, and socialist/communist politicians were giving speeches. However, there were also tons of merchants selling all sorts of things, including scarves, jewelry, hats, hot dogs, kebab, thai food, and a bunch of other stuff, so that part was very fair-like. Then there was alcohol. And by that I mean there was alcohol ... and lots of alcohol. There must have been 100+ clusters of Danes sitting around on the grass (the event was held in a big park near the football stadium), each cluster with at least one 30 rack of beer. And the average age was incredibly low, I would say maybe around 30 at the highest. Most of the groups looked like late high school students or early university students, each with their own rack of Carlsberg beer or Sommersby hard cider (keep in mind: the drinking age is 16 here). It was loud and noisy and law-violating (saw plenty of jaywalking, public intoxication, and indecent exposure), certainly not consistent with any of my previous encounters with Danes, except maybe at the FCK football game. Oh yes, and there were concerts going on at the same time as all this.
However, I didn't exactly do much while I was there: I didn't feel like drinking, I wasn't hungry, I didn't want to buy any overpriced accessories, I didn't have anyone to talk to, and I didn't understand any of the speeches; the event was more of a case study of Danish society rather than an actual event that I attended. And I was also missing my hat terribly...
After my camera battery died, I left to go call the number about my hat. They said that I needed to file a lost and found report, and that the sooner I did that, the more likely it would be that I could get my hat back. So, I went back home (an hour long trip, as you already know), and then filed the report. I then killed some time, trying to not think about my lost hat, then, after calling the train station again and having them say that they did not find my hat upon cleaning the trains, I decided to go train hopping to see if I could find my hat.
So, I went to the station and hopped on the train to Vedbæk. No hat. Then I got off and killed some time walking around the empty Vedbæk school before getting on the train to Skodsborg. Again, no hat. In Skodsborg, I walked around a forest killing some time, then got on the train to Klampenborg. Again, no hat. In Klampenborg, I walked around the station and tried to look at it as a logic puzzle; the people at the station said that they have no idea where the trains go once they reach their final destination because they get renumbered upon a successful run. However, I realized that I had left my hat on the :02 indirect train between Nivå and Kastrup. If the train comes at 20 minute intervals and it takes about an hour to get from one to the other, then it would make sense that there are six trains running on that circuit. However, the circuit was about to close soon, so I realized that I could only check two more trains and would have to leave one unchecked. So, I got on the train to Hellerup and went to my previous seat and behold! there was my hat. I grabbed it and proceeded merrily to Hellerup, where I caught a train back to Rungsted. This was an extremely lucky occurrence: any drunk idiot could have picked it up (or thrown it away or vomited in it or goodness knows what else), or the train conductor could have picked it up and thrown it away... but they didn't, and my train hopping paid off. I consider myself very very lucky.
My last interesting thing of the weekend was another session of swing dancing. I think that I wrote about this last week, so I won't talk about it to much here. I danced with a goodly number of people; however, I've come to notice that the dancing scene is a little less casual here than at the Grinnell Swing Society. Here, most people seem to come with their significant other and do not spend much time dancing with anyone else unless they are both particularly experienced in swing dancing. This was certainly not always the case, but I felt like it was an incredible challenge for me to find any available follows for much of the dance. Today, I danced with a Pole, a German, and a few incredibly experienced Danes, and they have told me what many experienced follows have told me: relax and loosen up, only then will I really start to get into the music.
Anyway, that's a wrap for today. Sleep beckons. That's the news, and I'm outta here.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Laws of the Land: Cars and Crime
Good afternoon all.
So, I have had a series of discussions in my Danish class and with my host family about various laws in Denmark, how they affect the general population, why they are the way they are, and considering whether they could be imported to the United States. I will attempt to give at least some insight into these conversations, as I find them incredibly interesting from a political perspective.
Let's start with cars. Cars are taxed at 180% here in Denmark (yes, that means that a $20,000 car would cost $56,000). And it's more than just a sales tax: if you buy a car in Germany and want to be able to drive it in Denmark permanently, then you have to pay 180% of the value of the car to the state for the ability to drive the car. Also, to get a driver's license in Denmark, you have to pay $2,000 for the license itself; driver's education (which is required for all types of licenses) costs anywhere from $4,000 to $8,000, depending on how well you drive. You also cannot apply for a license until you are 18 years old.
Obviously, Denmark wants to discourage (and, likely for many people, make impossible) buying and using a car. With this money, they invest in public transportation and, as I think that I've said before, Denmark has one of the highest quality systems of public transportation in the world. Nonetheless, the question for me remains that I, as an American, feel that taxes this ridiculously high on cars is almost an infringement on the freedom of the population. If taxes are this high, then it is basically forcing people to take public transportation. Now, I don't mind taxes on goods that allow for the correction of the market (eliminating externalities, etc.) but this is crazy to me. When I asked my host mom if she felt it was impinging on people's freedom, she responded by saying that people do not have a right to pollute the environment and felt that Americans are completely oblivious to the damage they are doing to the entire world through their excessive use of automobiles. I could not exactly counter this: I am sure that we are doing much more damage to the global environment than Denmark, when controlling for population.
Danes have a similar legal situation set up with energy. In Denmark, 73% of each energy bills is tax, meaning that using $100 worth of energy costs you $470. Denmark has also heavily invested in renewable energy, approximately 20% coming from wind energy alone. Similar to the situation with cars, the government is essentially forcing the general population to conserve energy with such high costs.
Another interesting legal measure in Denmark is punishment for crimes. First off, like most developed nations, Denmark has abolished the death penalty. The most severe punishment for any crime is a life sentence, which is 16 years in prison (When I attempted to correct my host mom by saying that a 16 year sentence is not a life sentence, she responded that the word for the 16 year sentence is life sentence, and Danes feel that this is the appropriate amount of time for the most heinous crimes). However, apparently one can get an "unlimited life sentence" in extreme cases of mental illness combined with atrocious crime, where the life sentence is renewed indefinitely. Despite this, Danes routinely make fun of Americans for having a legal system that allows a double-homicide to be punished with two life sentences, which they think is hilarious and silly. If this all doesn't quite make sense to you, you're not the only one.
Then there's the open prisons. In Denmark, most crimes are punished by forcing criminals to live in a pseudo-apartment complex. The rooms are well-furnished with television, beds, food, private bathrooms, and a communal kitchen, something akin to a nice dormitory. They have to stay in these prisons during the weekdays, but they are free to leave on weekends. During the weekdays, they cannot see anyone else or go anywhere unless they receive special permission. In addition to this system, there is also a system of house arrest, where instead of going to the open prison, prisoners can wear an anklet and be confined to their own home for the term of their prison sentence. Criminals are given one of these two punishments if they commit small crimes, though there have been the occasional case of a murderer in the third-degree or fourth degree being sentenced to an open prison.
This system, in my evaluation, seems a bit more murky. First, life sentences being 16 years perplex me to no end. Second, the open prison system seems like a perfectly fine life to live, especially for someone who is starving or homeless and I would expect that some would commit crimes just to get placed there; however, upon research, apparently this happens very infrequently, if ever, as one can get pretty much free housing and food stipends from the state if you fall below a certain income level. Are open prisons really punishment, then? Danes feel that their system allows criminals to get readjusted to society rather than living in an area of constant fear and anger "like in the United States." This does follow B.F. Skinner's approach to prisons, as he noted that any organism learns to do more "good" behavior and less "bad" behavior through positive reinforcement rather than punishment.
Lastly, I wanted to give a statistics update on the Danish social safety net. Apparently, if you are unemployed, you can apply for state funding to cover your basic needs. The highest amount of money one can receive is about ~$2,300 a month before taxes, with somewhere between 30 and 50 percent taken out for taxes, probably.
However, despite how how this safety net is, incredibly few Danes apparently just stick to the state grant, electing instead to work. One also must keep in mind that prices here are much higher than anywhere in the states.
I will let you all make judgments. Is this system a good system? Can/should we import anything to the States?
So, I have had a series of discussions in my Danish class and with my host family about various laws in Denmark, how they affect the general population, why they are the way they are, and considering whether they could be imported to the United States. I will attempt to give at least some insight into these conversations, as I find them incredibly interesting from a political perspective.
Let's start with cars. Cars are taxed at 180% here in Denmark (yes, that means that a $20,000 car would cost $56,000). And it's more than just a sales tax: if you buy a car in Germany and want to be able to drive it in Denmark permanently, then you have to pay 180% of the value of the car to the state for the ability to drive the car. Also, to get a driver's license in Denmark, you have to pay $2,000 for the license itself; driver's education (which is required for all types of licenses) costs anywhere from $4,000 to $8,000, depending on how well you drive. You also cannot apply for a license until you are 18 years old.
Obviously, Denmark wants to discourage (and, likely for many people, make impossible) buying and using a car. With this money, they invest in public transportation and, as I think that I've said before, Denmark has one of the highest quality systems of public transportation in the world. Nonetheless, the question for me remains that I, as an American, feel that taxes this ridiculously high on cars is almost an infringement on the freedom of the population. If taxes are this high, then it is basically forcing people to take public transportation. Now, I don't mind taxes on goods that allow for the correction of the market (eliminating externalities, etc.) but this is crazy to me. When I asked my host mom if she felt it was impinging on people's freedom, she responded by saying that people do not have a right to pollute the environment and felt that Americans are completely oblivious to the damage they are doing to the entire world through their excessive use of automobiles. I could not exactly counter this: I am sure that we are doing much more damage to the global environment than Denmark, when controlling for population.
Danes have a similar legal situation set up with energy. In Denmark, 73% of each energy bills is tax, meaning that using $100 worth of energy costs you $470. Denmark has also heavily invested in renewable energy, approximately 20% coming from wind energy alone. Similar to the situation with cars, the government is essentially forcing the general population to conserve energy with such high costs.
Another interesting legal measure in Denmark is punishment for crimes. First off, like most developed nations, Denmark has abolished the death penalty. The most severe punishment for any crime is a life sentence, which is 16 years in prison (When I attempted to correct my host mom by saying that a 16 year sentence is not a life sentence, she responded that the word for the 16 year sentence is life sentence, and Danes feel that this is the appropriate amount of time for the most heinous crimes). However, apparently one can get an "unlimited life sentence" in extreme cases of mental illness combined with atrocious crime, where the life sentence is renewed indefinitely. Despite this, Danes routinely make fun of Americans for having a legal system that allows a double-homicide to be punished with two life sentences, which they think is hilarious and silly. If this all doesn't quite make sense to you, you're not the only one.
Then there's the open prisons. In Denmark, most crimes are punished by forcing criminals to live in a pseudo-apartment complex. The rooms are well-furnished with television, beds, food, private bathrooms, and a communal kitchen, something akin to a nice dormitory. They have to stay in these prisons during the weekdays, but they are free to leave on weekends. During the weekdays, they cannot see anyone else or go anywhere unless they receive special permission. In addition to this system, there is also a system of house arrest, where instead of going to the open prison, prisoners can wear an anklet and be confined to their own home for the term of their prison sentence. Criminals are given one of these two punishments if they commit small crimes, though there have been the occasional case of a murderer in the third-degree or fourth degree being sentenced to an open prison.
This system, in my evaluation, seems a bit more murky. First, life sentences being 16 years perplex me to no end. Second, the open prison system seems like a perfectly fine life to live, especially for someone who is starving or homeless and I would expect that some would commit crimes just to get placed there; however, upon research, apparently this happens very infrequently, if ever, as one can get pretty much free housing and food stipends from the state if you fall below a certain income level. Are open prisons really punishment, then? Danes feel that their system allows criminals to get readjusted to society rather than living in an area of constant fear and anger "like in the United States." This does follow B.F. Skinner's approach to prisons, as he noted that any organism learns to do more "good" behavior and less "bad" behavior through positive reinforcement rather than punishment.
Lastly, I wanted to give a statistics update on the Danish social safety net. Apparently, if you are unemployed, you can apply for state funding to cover your basic needs. The highest amount of money one can receive is about ~$2,300 a month before taxes, with somewhere between 30 and 50 percent taken out for taxes, probably.
However, despite how how this safety net is, incredibly few Danes apparently just stick to the state grant, electing instead to work. One also must keep in mind that prices here are much higher than anywhere in the states.
I will let you all make judgments. Is this system a good system? Can/should we import anything to the States?
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Orthodoxy, Kremlins, and the Sleeping Man
Good evening all.
Here comes the second installment of my Russia trip narrative. I will try to add a little more culture this time, and end with a list of highlights and amusing quotes about Russia. I apologize in advance if I get some names or progressions mixed up, though I guarantee that I am doing my best.
We started with the same breakfast as the past two days, then packed our things and headed for Novgorod. Novgorod was originally the northern capital of the Kiev state, the political body that would eventually become modern day Russia. The city eventually came into conflict with Moscow after the Tatar invasion, losing the conflict and Moscow being established as the capital. Today, Novgorod is a city of about 200,000 that is a popular historical tourist spot for Russians seeking insight into their history.
In Novgorod, we first visited the Novgorod Kremlin. Now, to disambiguate, almost every old Russian city has a kremlin, the word translating to “wall” and often being used as a garrison point for the local militia. The walls have been renovated multiple times, but sections of it date back to the 15th century. Inside, we saw the Monument of 1000 Years of Russia, constructed in 1862, and St. Sofia’s Cathedral dating all the way back to 1050. We then walked across a bridge over the Volkhof River and saw the old merchants’ quarter filled with churches built by the guilds. After this excursion, we went to a restaurant for lunch where we had the traditional cabbage, beets, and unidentified meat (though the ice cream for dessert was very good).
We then went to likely one of the more tense visits of the tour: St. George’s Monastery, tended by a Russian Orthodox monk named Dmitri. He gave both the history of the monastery and a pseudo-sermon through translation by our professor, and then showed us the inside of the monastery he tends. Afterwards, he answered questions, which gave us an opportunity to learn about the Orthodox faith directly from an active member in the tradition. He was certainly not harboring any pluralist tendencies, saying multiple times that those who have heard about the Russian Orthodox Church and failed to accept its teachings and traditions will be unable to pass God’s exam on Judgment Day. After his lecture, we took a quick look around the rest of the church grounds and then went into town to have dinner. A few of us went to a very nice restaurant where we had grilled salmon, tea, hash browns, and boiled vegetables.
After dinner, we all hopped on the train for Moscow. Now, this was my first overnight train experience, and I have to say that it was much better than I had expected/ been told by other people who have taken overnight trains. We slept four to a compartment, and chatted for a while until sleep overtook us one by one.
We awoke the next morning in Moscow, and transferred to our hotel right away to freshen up and/or catch up on sleep missed on the train ride. Almost immediately upon our arrival, I could tell a marked difference from St. Petersburg, Moscow filled with skyscrapers, decisively cleaner, and certainly not doing anything to hide the fact that it is one of the world’s largest cities. The city is laid out and run very functionally, with two road rings around the city that are in a constant state of traffic jam. We then started our bus sight-seeing tour, working our way to downtown Moscow to see Red Square, St. Basil’s Cathedral, and the Moscow Kremlin. We had a tour through Lenin’s Tomb, the most heavily guarded tourist attraction that I have ever seen, and then had lunch at a few fast food restaurants right off the Square. Amusingly enough, Lenin and Stalin impersonators dotted the square, as well as people dressed as cartoon characters. We then went to see an immense Marx statue, Moscow State University, and a picturesque platform overlooking the city skyline.
Upon our return to Red Square, we met up with some students who attend Moscow State University and broke into small groups to disperse ourselves around the city. Three Russian girls named Nina, Anastasia, and Marcia joined my group of four Americans, and we went to see some of the more obscure sights of the city including an immense square filled with grand architecture dedicated to the working people of the Soviet Union. The square seemed to have been, at one point, used as a form of consulate of the USSR’s component republics; now, it is an amusement park and hangout of teenagers and young adults. The place touched me in a way, forcing me to realize that the Soviet Union was indeed taking action to empower its people, and has left a strong impression on the minds of future political leaders and the people of Russia. We then took the monorail to a small shopping and dining center to have dinner at a restaurant called Moo-moo’s, where we had extremely cheap yet quality food. Afterwards, we went to one of Moscow’s walking streets where we bought some beers and talked in a small park.
The conversation with the students served a function that I am at a loss of words to describe. I met three typical Russian students, who attended a university and went about their daily lives in a city that was regarded as the source of all evil by the American government. They had lived through the fall of the Soviet Union, yet they seemed to harbor absolutely no hostility or even uneasiness towards the United States. In fact, many of them wanted to visit the US, though they said that they still want to call Moscow home for the rest of their lives. I shared a meal, a walk, some metro trips, my interests, my dreams, their interests, their dreams, lots of laughs, and even a talk about our love lives with people and not former citizens of the “evil empire.” Similar to my first encounters with my fellow students at Grinnell, I have again realized that our world is first and foremost composed of people and not Americans, Russians, Jews, Christians, etc.
I now have a human face to evoke whenever people talk about “the Russians,” an absolutely invaluable experience that, I feel at least in this moment, breaks away my stereotypes and mental images to open my consciousness to the experiences of other people.
The next day was certainly a climax of political, cultural, and historical importance, the day where we visited the Kremlin. After a thorough security check, we were allowed onto the grounds of the Kremlin, where we had a guided tour. We saw the office building of President Putin, as well as his administrative building, as well as the Czar Cannon and Czar Bell, two amazing metal masterpieces that were actually never fired or rung. We then saw the three churches that were crucial to the daily lives of the czars, including the church where the czars were baptized and married, the church where they were crowned, and the church where they were buried. All Russian czars are buried here up until the 17th century, when Peter the Great moved the burial location to St. Petersburg. As could be expected, the churches were absolutely beautiful, housing both golden decorations and artwork that are national treasures to the Russian people. We also were given some free time to walk around the gardens and viewing platforms of the Kremlin, though we were explicitly told not to step on the street on threat of being arrested immediately.
After leaving the Kremlin through the gate where Lenin entered to take power in 1918, we then split up to explore the city on our own. I then headed off back to Red Square to meet up with Annie Brothers, who is currently studying abroad in Moscow. After a hug-filled reunion, we took a tour to see a few more sights that my study tour has missed. We went to building that housed the former KGB headquarters, as well as the Soviet Polytechnic Museum. Afterwards, we visited two memorials that were set up in honor of the people who died from the terrorist bombings early Monday morning. We then said our farewells, and I took the metro back to the hotel to shop at a large souvenir mall near the hotel. I then hopped on a bus at the hotel to head back to downtown Moscow for our farewell dinner, where we had an excellent meal and plenty of good vodka. Our newfound Russian friends also attended the event, and we shared a few laughs and stories about ourselves in a slightly inebriated dialogue. With that, the official stops of the tour had ended, and we got back on the bus to crash at the hotel.
Once we arrived at the hotel, however, not everyone got off the bus. After a good meal and a few shots of vodka, I was incredibly tired and fell asleep in the back of the bus. Unbeknownst to him, the driver left the hotel with me still sleeping in the back seat. I then woke up to the driver yelling at me in Russian, and he was extremely confused as to why I was still on the bus. Apparently he was in the process of cleaning the bus, and he stumbled upon a “sleeping man” in the back. I was extremely embarrassed and more than a little worried about how to get back to the hotel. The driver then took me in his car to a nearby thoroughfare, where he hailed a taxi and gave directions to the driver to get me back to the hotel. The trip went without a hitch (the driver’s smoking was a bit annoying, but I couldn’t complain), and then I met my professor out in front of the hotel at about 2:00 AM. I apologized profusely, and he simply laughed and said that he was glad that I did not spend the evening in the bus barn and miss the plane the next morning.
Our group packed up after a rushed breakfast the next morning, and got to the Moscow airport without any major problems. The plane left on time, and even arrived a bit early to Copenhagen, with the “sleeping man” on board.
This trip to Russia was undoubtedly one of the most memorable experiences of my life, and I believe that it will prove incredibly useful both in telling stories in the Grinnell Dining Hall in the future and in giving me a real notion of what is meant when one speaks the word “Russia.”
Well, that’s my Russia trip. I hope that you have enjoyed the read. Here are a few memorable quotes that will hopefully provide some merriment. Now, I need to pack for my trip to Rome!
Jon = Tour leader Anna = Russian tour assistant Dmitri = Russian Orthodox monk
Jon: “You don’t want to eat traditional Russian food. Traditional Russian food is salted fat on bread with salt on it.”
Jon: “This is a country that has won wars with its weather.”
Jon: “Moscow is very clean: of trash, of illegal immigrants, of dissent…”
Anna: “This is Russia: nothing’s weird” (in reference to the fact that you can get almost any medication at the pharmacy without a prescription)
Anna: “The US is too fair; it’s too hard to get arrested.”
Dmitri: “Until the age of 25, women are attracted to men with strong arms and teeth.”
Dmitri: “We see Protestants as little children who refuse to do their homework.”
Hairdryer sign: “Do not by wet hands touch hair dryer.”
Here comes the second installment of my Russia trip narrative. I will try to add a little more culture this time, and end with a list of highlights and amusing quotes about Russia. I apologize in advance if I get some names or progressions mixed up, though I guarantee that I am doing my best.
We started with the same breakfast as the past two days, then packed our things and headed for Novgorod. Novgorod was originally the northern capital of the Kiev state, the political body that would eventually become modern day Russia. The city eventually came into conflict with Moscow after the Tatar invasion, losing the conflict and Moscow being established as the capital. Today, Novgorod is a city of about 200,000 that is a popular historical tourist spot for Russians seeking insight into their history.
In Novgorod, we first visited the Novgorod Kremlin. Now, to disambiguate, almost every old Russian city has a kremlin, the word translating to “wall” and often being used as a garrison point for the local militia. The walls have been renovated multiple times, but sections of it date back to the 15th century. Inside, we saw the Monument of 1000 Years of Russia, constructed in 1862, and St. Sofia’s Cathedral dating all the way back to 1050. We then walked across a bridge over the Volkhof River and saw the old merchants’ quarter filled with churches built by the guilds. After this excursion, we went to a restaurant for lunch where we had the traditional cabbage, beets, and unidentified meat (though the ice cream for dessert was very good).
We then went to likely one of the more tense visits of the tour: St. George’s Monastery, tended by a Russian Orthodox monk named Dmitri. He gave both the history of the monastery and a pseudo-sermon through translation by our professor, and then showed us the inside of the monastery he tends. Afterwards, he answered questions, which gave us an opportunity to learn about the Orthodox faith directly from an active member in the tradition. He was certainly not harboring any pluralist tendencies, saying multiple times that those who have heard about the Russian Orthodox Church and failed to accept its teachings and traditions will be unable to pass God’s exam on Judgment Day. After his lecture, we took a quick look around the rest of the church grounds and then went into town to have dinner. A few of us went to a very nice restaurant where we had grilled salmon, tea, hash browns, and boiled vegetables.
After dinner, we all hopped on the train for Moscow. Now, this was my first overnight train experience, and I have to say that it was much better than I had expected/ been told by other people who have taken overnight trains. We slept four to a compartment, and chatted for a while until sleep overtook us one by one.
We awoke the next morning in Moscow, and transferred to our hotel right away to freshen up and/or catch up on sleep missed on the train ride. Almost immediately upon our arrival, I could tell a marked difference from St. Petersburg, Moscow filled with skyscrapers, decisively cleaner, and certainly not doing anything to hide the fact that it is one of the world’s largest cities. The city is laid out and run very functionally, with two road rings around the city that are in a constant state of traffic jam. We then started our bus sight-seeing tour, working our way to downtown Moscow to see Red Square, St. Basil’s Cathedral, and the Moscow Kremlin. We had a tour through Lenin’s Tomb, the most heavily guarded tourist attraction that I have ever seen, and then had lunch at a few fast food restaurants right off the Square. Amusingly enough, Lenin and Stalin impersonators dotted the square, as well as people dressed as cartoon characters. We then went to see an immense Marx statue, Moscow State University, and a picturesque platform overlooking the city skyline.
Upon our return to Red Square, we met up with some students who attend Moscow State University and broke into small groups to disperse ourselves around the city. Three Russian girls named Nina, Anastasia, and Marcia joined my group of four Americans, and we went to see some of the more obscure sights of the city including an immense square filled with grand architecture dedicated to the working people of the Soviet Union. The square seemed to have been, at one point, used as a form of consulate of the USSR’s component republics; now, it is an amusement park and hangout of teenagers and young adults. The place touched me in a way, forcing me to realize that the Soviet Union was indeed taking action to empower its people, and has left a strong impression on the minds of future political leaders and the people of Russia. We then took the monorail to a small shopping and dining center to have dinner at a restaurant called Moo-moo’s, where we had extremely cheap yet quality food. Afterwards, we went to one of Moscow’s walking streets where we bought some beers and talked in a small park.
The conversation with the students served a function that I am at a loss of words to describe. I met three typical Russian students, who attended a university and went about their daily lives in a city that was regarded as the source of all evil by the American government. They had lived through the fall of the Soviet Union, yet they seemed to harbor absolutely no hostility or even uneasiness towards the United States. In fact, many of them wanted to visit the US, though they said that they still want to call Moscow home for the rest of their lives. I shared a meal, a walk, some metro trips, my interests, my dreams, their interests, their dreams, lots of laughs, and even a talk about our love lives with people and not former citizens of the “evil empire.” Similar to my first encounters with my fellow students at Grinnell, I have again realized that our world is first and foremost composed of people and not Americans, Russians, Jews, Christians, etc.
I now have a human face to evoke whenever people talk about “the Russians,” an absolutely invaluable experience that, I feel at least in this moment, breaks away my stereotypes and mental images to open my consciousness to the experiences of other people.
The next day was certainly a climax of political, cultural, and historical importance, the day where we visited the Kremlin. After a thorough security check, we were allowed onto the grounds of the Kremlin, where we had a guided tour. We saw the office building of President Putin, as well as his administrative building, as well as the Czar Cannon and Czar Bell, two amazing metal masterpieces that were actually never fired or rung. We then saw the three churches that were crucial to the daily lives of the czars, including the church where the czars were baptized and married, the church where they were crowned, and the church where they were buried. All Russian czars are buried here up until the 17th century, when Peter the Great moved the burial location to St. Petersburg. As could be expected, the churches were absolutely beautiful, housing both golden decorations and artwork that are national treasures to the Russian people. We also were given some free time to walk around the gardens and viewing platforms of the Kremlin, though we were explicitly told not to step on the street on threat of being arrested immediately.
After leaving the Kremlin through the gate where Lenin entered to take power in 1918, we then split up to explore the city on our own. I then headed off back to Red Square to meet up with Annie Brothers, who is currently studying abroad in Moscow. After a hug-filled reunion, we took a tour to see a few more sights that my study tour has missed. We went to building that housed the former KGB headquarters, as well as the Soviet Polytechnic Museum. Afterwards, we visited two memorials that were set up in honor of the people who died from the terrorist bombings early Monday morning. We then said our farewells, and I took the metro back to the hotel to shop at a large souvenir mall near the hotel. I then hopped on a bus at the hotel to head back to downtown Moscow for our farewell dinner, where we had an excellent meal and plenty of good vodka. Our newfound Russian friends also attended the event, and we shared a few laughs and stories about ourselves in a slightly inebriated dialogue. With that, the official stops of the tour had ended, and we got back on the bus to crash at the hotel.
Once we arrived at the hotel, however, not everyone got off the bus. After a good meal and a few shots of vodka, I was incredibly tired and fell asleep in the back of the bus. Unbeknownst to him, the driver left the hotel with me still sleeping in the back seat. I then woke up to the driver yelling at me in Russian, and he was extremely confused as to why I was still on the bus. Apparently he was in the process of cleaning the bus, and he stumbled upon a “sleeping man” in the back. I was extremely embarrassed and more than a little worried about how to get back to the hotel. The driver then took me in his car to a nearby thoroughfare, where he hailed a taxi and gave directions to the driver to get me back to the hotel. The trip went without a hitch (the driver’s smoking was a bit annoying, but I couldn’t complain), and then I met my professor out in front of the hotel at about 2:00 AM. I apologized profusely, and he simply laughed and said that he was glad that I did not spend the evening in the bus barn and miss the plane the next morning.
Our group packed up after a rushed breakfast the next morning, and got to the Moscow airport without any major problems. The plane left on time, and even arrived a bit early to Copenhagen, with the “sleeping man” on board.
This trip to Russia was undoubtedly one of the most memorable experiences of my life, and I believe that it will prove incredibly useful both in telling stories in the Grinnell Dining Hall in the future and in giving me a real notion of what is meant when one speaks the word “Russia.”
Well, that’s my Russia trip. I hope that you have enjoyed the read. Here are a few memorable quotes that will hopefully provide some merriment. Now, I need to pack for my trip to Rome!
Jon = Tour leader Anna = Russian tour assistant Dmitri = Russian Orthodox monk
Jon: “You don’t want to eat traditional Russian food. Traditional Russian food is salted fat on bread with salt on it.”
Jon: “This is a country that has won wars with its weather.”
Jon: “Moscow is very clean: of trash, of illegal immigrants, of dissent…”
Anna: “This is Russia: nothing’s weird” (in reference to the fact that you can get almost any medication at the pharmacy without a prescription)
Anna: “The US is too fair; it’s too hard to get arrested.”
Dmitri: “Until the age of 25, women are attracted to men with strong arms and teeth.”
Dmitri: “We see Protestants as little children who refuse to do their homework.”
Hairdryer sign: “Do not by wet hands touch hair dryer.”
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Mussels, Genocide, and the Prostitution Info Center: Brussels / The Hague Study Tour Part 2
Hey all.
I am sorry to keep you in anticipation for so long. As compensation, I will do TWO blog posts today! That's right! Two blog posts for the price of one! You're not going to get a better... okay, I'll give up on that.
Anyway, the study tour continued. We went to the US Mission to the EU at the Maison du Dragon hotel (which was a very amusing location because everything was in Chinese, including the exit signs. Then again, it kind of makes sense, since there are probably multitudes of individuals from China visiting Brussels for some reason or another). There, we listened to two speakers present about the US's role in working with the EU, and got some of their opinions as to the future of the Union. While the discussion was rather safe and reaffirming things I had already heard, they did point us towards some Department of State internships that we can apply for in order to get started in an international career for the US government. I might have to look into that. From there, we got lunch (I had a very tasty ham sandwich that was a fraction of what it would cost in Copenhagen) and then walked to the European Parliament building. My group and I got a little lost on the way there, but we eventually found the correct location.
Put simply, the Parliament building is awesome. There are flags from all of the EU countries around, there are people starting petitions and awareness campaigns right in front of the building, the building itself was immense and certainly official-looking. We had a very brief tour of the Parliament room itself, looking at the 768 (or was it 786?) seats of the Parliament and the translation booths nearby. The amazing part about this institution is despite their size, they seem to get significantly more agreement in general than in the US. Now, this is certainly comparing apples and oranges, from what I have learned so far this semester, but the amount that this body is actually able to get done is amazing to me.
We then had a lecture from one of the Danish parliamentarians. Despite the fact that he was discussing some of the same issues that we had heard about in the other lecture earlier today, his talk was much more interesting in that he gave his own opinions and analyses, even if that might not be the official opinion of the Danish state. This was a sharp contrast with the Americans from earlier today, as they very stated very clearly that they could only speak on behalf of the American government. The Danish speaker did give some amazing insights into the current workings of the system, including that he works a lot with other Social Democrats rather than with his other Danish parliamentarians. A centerpiece of his lecture was also on Joseph Nye's "Soft Power," which was a book that I had read for my US Foreign Policy class last semester. (On an amusing note, he also said that he laughed hysterically at US Senators that came over to Brussels and had notes that said "What is the EU?" He said that he certainly didn't have to bring notes that said "What is the US?" More amusingly, I had seen such documents created for Senator Harkin before while I was working there over the summer..."
Anyway, the day continued, and our groups fragmented again. I went off by myself for a while to go souvenir shopping and to get an authentic Belgian waffle with chocolate sauce, which was absolutely amazing, leagues better than Golden Malted "authentic" Belgian waffle makers that we have in the US, I am sorry to say. Anyway, then we went to Chez Leon, which was a cozy restaurant where we had the famous mussels, which, as my professor said, "Mussels is famous for its Brussels." I think that it was the first time that I had had mussels and, despite the fact that they looked absolutely disgusting, they tasted okay. I think I prefer crab though. Afterwards, we spent our last night in Brussels, and I went to a bar called Delerium where I got a cherry beer. It was very very tasty, though many people joked that it was a fake beer.
The next day was certainly a memorable one. We started the day by leaving the hotel early and heading off to NATO. Consistent with America's paranoia about potential attacks, NATO is not on any GPS service, nor is it marked on any online map website. Most hilariously, when we finally were able to find it, the place was an absolute fortress with 10-15 foot chain link fence topped with a few feet of barbed wire. This was apparently only the temporary NATO headquarters, though they have been there for 40 years. This entire scenario was absolutely hilarious...did anyone really think that not having NATO on Google Maps would do anything to prevent someone from finding the barbed-wire surrounded complex in the middle of Brussels?
Anyway, we had two lectures here, the former of which was fairly typical and not particularly interesting. He did give a few good points about the purpose of NATO post-Cold War, and he detailed the great lengths to which NATO troops had gone to ensure some form of security in Afghanistan. (I should note that, between lectures, I got a little confused and went to the bus instead of the location for the second lecture, and was thoroughly embarrassed about having to go through security again. The second lecture, however, was from an American working at NATO who, amazingly enough, was the most blunt and opinionated person that I we had heard yet, sometimes saying opinions that even I would not have expressed in public. This again was incredibly different from the Americans yesterday, this particular speaking going so far as to take off his microphone and shout out a few opinions to the crowd. He said that NATO is pretty much dominated by the United States, and that the rest of the European countries are not pulling their weight militarily. He made the amusing analogy of Snow White and the 27 dwarves, which was absolutely scathing. It should also be noted that, just prior to the beginning of these lectures, I was absolutely astounded by finding Christina Hu, which inevitably resulted in a few great hugs. What amazing chance that I would find another Grinnellian while on a study trip to NATO!
After leaving NATO, we went to certainly one of the more unique locations for our tour: the La Trappe Monastery and Brewery. The monastery had been there for over 800 years I believe, and, after running into financial trouble in the late 19th century, the monastery started producing beer. This immediately solved the financial problems, and has put Trappist monasteries as some of the most famous beer exporters in the world. We had a tour of the beer-making facilities, as well as the grounds of the monastery, and also learned about how the monks had devoted their entire lives to working at the monastery, one man doing this at the age of 27. The monastery produces about 3-4 million L of beer annually (about 1 million gallons), and we were fortunate enough to have both a nice dinner at the monastery and given the opportunity to taste six different Trappist beers. Afterwards, we got back on the bus and arrived at our hotel in The Hague, which was an absolutely beautiful hotel.
The next morning started with an equally beautiful breakfast, having every type of breakfast food you could imagine and then some, including a salmon buffet. My roommate and I agreed that we had done nothing so far on this tour to deserve such lavish treatment, though we both thoroughly enjoyed the food, me eating two plates full and him five and a half.
We then went to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. As expected, this place also had some pretty stiff security, as there were two security checkpoints. After a brief wait, we were actually allowed to go into the viewing room for the courtroom and were able to witness the proceedings against one of the generals of the Yugoslav Army, who is charged genocide. He was sitting only a few feet in front of our group. While at the time the gravity of this situation did not really sink in, now, chills run down my spine when I think about the court case that I had witnessed. After given a decently long time to view the proceedings, we had a lecture from one of the prosecutors at the facility, a American woman who had previously served as a prosecutor for child abuse in Texas. Despite her "twang," she gave an incredibly powerful speech about the important of bringing justice to the Balkans, and not in the style of the "cowboy justice" of an eye for an eye but instead focusing on restorative justice by allowing the victims to express themselves and sending those responsible for the horrible actions to prison for what will likely be the rest of their lives.
After such a grave event, our last study tour stop was possibly of equal importance though certainly more exotic. It was in Amsterdam, and, for starters, I should discuss some of their laws. Put simply, lots is legal in Amsterdam, including the sale of marijuana and "magic mushrooms." Prostitution is also entirely legal, even going to far as to be institutionalized with specific buildings built for the prostitutes to show themselves in the window to prospective customers. We visited the Prostitution Information Center, an organization in the heart of the Red Light District. There, we spoke with the founder, a former prostitute, who helps to distribute information both to tourists about the sex business in Amsterdam and to prostitutes themselves to ensure that they do their jobs safely for both themselves and their customers. She strongly pushed for the legalization of prostitution worldwide, as it would allow these women to come out of the shadows and assert both their rights as sellers in this market and their right for respect from the general community. Even as a Grinnellian, this was an absolutely flooring experience, and, IO must admit, I did not leave the lecture or the tour of the Red Light district entirely unsympathetic. There is a lot to these arguments for legalizing prostitution and, even if it is not something that is morally palatable to the rest of the world and especially not in America, it is certainly an interesting counterargument to all those pushing for cutting perceived vices from our modern society (and this is coming from someone who has spoken many times on the evils of alcohol).
Anyway, we broke up into groups for dinner: I had a nice salad and finished a few other peoples' pizzas, and then the tour concluded. We hopped on the bus and took the 10 hour or so drive back in two long sessions. The tour was great, incredibly thought provoking, and I feel that it has helped me develop a more international mindset.
That's the blog for now. I will be back this evening for another update.
I am sorry to keep you in anticipation for so long. As compensation, I will do TWO blog posts today! That's right! Two blog posts for the price of one! You're not going to get a better... okay, I'll give up on that.
Anyway, the study tour continued. We went to the US Mission to the EU at the Maison du Dragon hotel (which was a very amusing location because everything was in Chinese, including the exit signs. Then again, it kind of makes sense, since there are probably multitudes of individuals from China visiting Brussels for some reason or another). There, we listened to two speakers present about the US's role in working with the EU, and got some of their opinions as to the future of the Union. While the discussion was rather safe and reaffirming things I had already heard, they did point us towards some Department of State internships that we can apply for in order to get started in an international career for the US government. I might have to look into that. From there, we got lunch (I had a very tasty ham sandwich that was a fraction of what it would cost in Copenhagen) and then walked to the European Parliament building. My group and I got a little lost on the way there, but we eventually found the correct location.
Put simply, the Parliament building is awesome. There are flags from all of the EU countries around, there are people starting petitions and awareness campaigns right in front of the building, the building itself was immense and certainly official-looking. We had a very brief tour of the Parliament room itself, looking at the 768 (or was it 786?) seats of the Parliament and the translation booths nearby. The amazing part about this institution is despite their size, they seem to get significantly more agreement in general than in the US. Now, this is certainly comparing apples and oranges, from what I have learned so far this semester, but the amount that this body is actually able to get done is amazing to me.
We then had a lecture from one of the Danish parliamentarians. Despite the fact that he was discussing some of the same issues that we had heard about in the other lecture earlier today, his talk was much more interesting in that he gave his own opinions and analyses, even if that might not be the official opinion of the Danish state. This was a sharp contrast with the Americans from earlier today, as they very stated very clearly that they could only speak on behalf of the American government. The Danish speaker did give some amazing insights into the current workings of the system, including that he works a lot with other Social Democrats rather than with his other Danish parliamentarians. A centerpiece of his lecture was also on Joseph Nye's "Soft Power," which was a book that I had read for my US Foreign Policy class last semester. (On an amusing note, he also said that he laughed hysterically at US Senators that came over to Brussels and had notes that said "What is the EU?" He said that he certainly didn't have to bring notes that said "What is the US?" More amusingly, I had seen such documents created for Senator Harkin before while I was working there over the summer..."
Anyway, the day continued, and our groups fragmented again. I went off by myself for a while to go souvenir shopping and to get an authentic Belgian waffle with chocolate sauce, which was absolutely amazing, leagues better than Golden Malted "authentic" Belgian waffle makers that we have in the US, I am sorry to say. Anyway, then we went to Chez Leon, which was a cozy restaurant where we had the famous mussels, which, as my professor said, "Mussels is famous for its Brussels." I think that it was the first time that I had had mussels and, despite the fact that they looked absolutely disgusting, they tasted okay. I think I prefer crab though. Afterwards, we spent our last night in Brussels, and I went to a bar called Delerium where I got a cherry beer. It was very very tasty, though many people joked that it was a fake beer.
The next day was certainly a memorable one. We started the day by leaving the hotel early and heading off to NATO. Consistent with America's paranoia about potential attacks, NATO is not on any GPS service, nor is it marked on any online map website. Most hilariously, when we finally were able to find it, the place was an absolute fortress with 10-15 foot chain link fence topped with a few feet of barbed wire. This was apparently only the temporary NATO headquarters, though they have been there for 40 years. This entire scenario was absolutely hilarious...did anyone really think that not having NATO on Google Maps would do anything to prevent someone from finding the barbed-wire surrounded complex in the middle of Brussels?
Anyway, we had two lectures here, the former of which was fairly typical and not particularly interesting. He did give a few good points about the purpose of NATO post-Cold War, and he detailed the great lengths to which NATO troops had gone to ensure some form of security in Afghanistan. (I should note that, between lectures, I got a little confused and went to the bus instead of the location for the second lecture, and was thoroughly embarrassed about having to go through security again. The second lecture, however, was from an American working at NATO who, amazingly enough, was the most blunt and opinionated person that I we had heard yet, sometimes saying opinions that even I would not have expressed in public. This again was incredibly different from the Americans yesterday, this particular speaking going so far as to take off his microphone and shout out a few opinions to the crowd. He said that NATO is pretty much dominated by the United States, and that the rest of the European countries are not pulling their weight militarily. He made the amusing analogy of Snow White and the 27 dwarves, which was absolutely scathing. It should also be noted that, just prior to the beginning of these lectures, I was absolutely astounded by finding Christina Hu, which inevitably resulted in a few great hugs. What amazing chance that I would find another Grinnellian while on a study trip to NATO!
After leaving NATO, we went to certainly one of the more unique locations for our tour: the La Trappe Monastery and Brewery. The monastery had been there for over 800 years I believe, and, after running into financial trouble in the late 19th century, the monastery started producing beer. This immediately solved the financial problems, and has put Trappist monasteries as some of the most famous beer exporters in the world. We had a tour of the beer-making facilities, as well as the grounds of the monastery, and also learned about how the monks had devoted their entire lives to working at the monastery, one man doing this at the age of 27. The monastery produces about 3-4 million L of beer annually (about 1 million gallons), and we were fortunate enough to have both a nice dinner at the monastery and given the opportunity to taste six different Trappist beers. Afterwards, we got back on the bus and arrived at our hotel in The Hague, which was an absolutely beautiful hotel.
The next morning started with an equally beautiful breakfast, having every type of breakfast food you could imagine and then some, including a salmon buffet. My roommate and I agreed that we had done nothing so far on this tour to deserve such lavish treatment, though we both thoroughly enjoyed the food, me eating two plates full and him five and a half.
We then went to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. As expected, this place also had some pretty stiff security, as there were two security checkpoints. After a brief wait, we were actually allowed to go into the viewing room for the courtroom and were able to witness the proceedings against one of the generals of the Yugoslav Army, who is charged genocide. He was sitting only a few feet in front of our group. While at the time the gravity of this situation did not really sink in, now, chills run down my spine when I think about the court case that I had witnessed. After given a decently long time to view the proceedings, we had a lecture from one of the prosecutors at the facility, a American woman who had previously served as a prosecutor for child abuse in Texas. Despite her "twang," she gave an incredibly powerful speech about the important of bringing justice to the Balkans, and not in the style of the "cowboy justice" of an eye for an eye but instead focusing on restorative justice by allowing the victims to express themselves and sending those responsible for the horrible actions to prison for what will likely be the rest of their lives.
After such a grave event, our last study tour stop was possibly of equal importance though certainly more exotic. It was in Amsterdam, and, for starters, I should discuss some of their laws. Put simply, lots is legal in Amsterdam, including the sale of marijuana and "magic mushrooms." Prostitution is also entirely legal, even going to far as to be institutionalized with specific buildings built for the prostitutes to show themselves in the window to prospective customers. We visited the Prostitution Information Center, an organization in the heart of the Red Light District. There, we spoke with the founder, a former prostitute, who helps to distribute information both to tourists about the sex business in Amsterdam and to prostitutes themselves to ensure that they do their jobs safely for both themselves and their customers. She strongly pushed for the legalization of prostitution worldwide, as it would allow these women to come out of the shadows and assert both their rights as sellers in this market and their right for respect from the general community. Even as a Grinnellian, this was an absolutely flooring experience, and, IO must admit, I did not leave the lecture or the tour of the Red Light district entirely unsympathetic. There is a lot to these arguments for legalizing prostitution and, even if it is not something that is morally palatable to the rest of the world and especially not in America, it is certainly an interesting counterargument to all those pushing for cutting perceived vices from our modern society (and this is coming from someone who has spoken many times on the evils of alcohol).
Anyway, we broke up into groups for dinner: I had a nice salad and finished a few other peoples' pizzas, and then the tour concluded. We hopped on the bus and took the 10 hour or so drive back in two long sessions. The tour was great, incredibly thought provoking, and I feel that it has helped me develop a more international mindset.
That's the blog for now. I will be back this evening for another update.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Quintessential study abroad: Brussels/The Hague Study Tour part 1
Long time no ... um, read?
At the crack of dawn yesterday morning, I returned from my long study tour. In as succinct and meaningful writing as possible, I will attempt to describe a few of the interesting, humorous, annoying, unique, and culturally-charged aspects of the trip. Here I go.
We started our tour on a bus at 8:00 on Sunday morning. Part of the trip was by ferry, just like the last trip, and I would say that my stomach managed significantly better than last time. After the ferry trip, we watched a handful of movies including the infamous Borat and Dr. Strangelove. We stopped at a few largely unremarkable rest stops, including one Burger King where the food was almost identical to its American counterparts (creepy!). We also got stuck in traffic for about two hours due to a road closure, for which DIS compensated by giving each of us a free beer. Upon arrival in Brussels, Belgium, we went directly to the Hotel Ibis at about midnight and subsequently crashed. The rooms were small but nice, though I only cared about the bed at the time.
The next morning, we started the day with a well-balanced, buffet breakfast, and then headed off to our first academic visit. Given that I was significantly sleep-deprived upon our arrival, Brussels in the daylight was beautiful. It was very modern and clean, a stereotypical bustling European metropolis. We went to the building that housed the Council of the European Union, and were given a brief lecture and question and answer session from a representative of the General Secretariat. While the lecture was rather unremarkable, it did give us some insight into the daily operations of the European Union (as a side note, all of the floors have a 0 after them, so the 8th floor is marked with 80. The speaker said that this was done to impress visitors with the immense quantity of floors in such a small building).
Our next stop was of a very different though more delectable nature. We stopped at Planet Chocolate, a private chocolateering company that makes all manner of world-famous Belgian chocolate. We had a lecture about the health benefits of eating chocolate (ahem), and then were given the opportunity to make our own pralines. As could be expected, the chocolate was wonderful, and the incredibly detailed process that goes into making each individual piece is absolutely mind-boggling. We were each given a few pieces to take home, of which I was very appreciative.
The next few hours consisted of free time, of which we were given the opportunity to participate in a three hour bike tour of Brussels. Despite my knee pain and lack of confidence in bike riding, I decided to give it a go.
And how I did not regret it. Imagine: biking down the bustling city streets of a European city, surrounded by immense, historic buildings, having a brief stop for some cherry juice, the wind in your face, and beautiful blue sky above. We saw the huge Palace of Justice, one of the world's largest buildings in the 18th (i think) century. We saw Manneken Pis, a statue of a small boy urinating that has become a symbol of Brussels. We visited a courtyard surrounded by statues representing each of the guilds of historic Brussels, constructed on top of an old burial ground. Despite getting cut off by a garbage truck and losing the rest of the tour group for about 15 minutes or so, this experience will certainly be something to remember for years to come. After the tour, we had a meal at the Drug Opera, which had great food finished with an authentic Belgian waffle with cream.
Afterwards, we went to Belgium's most famous bar, appropriately called Delirium. The bar is home to over 2,000 kinds of beer, many employees not actually aware how many different types of beer are on tap due to the ever increasing number. They have dark beer, light beer, heavy beer, cactus beer, cherry beer, beer in a glass boot, beer in a glass goblet the size of a water pitcher, you name it. I ordered the Chimay, which was a famous local beer. Sadly, it was rather unremarkable. The evening ended with me completely exhausted and crashing at the hotel at about 1:00 or so. Despite the relative disappointment at ending the day with a mediocre beer, the day was still spectacular on the whole.
On the whole, Tuesday was much less spectacular. For one, I woke up with a sore throat, likely the result of either being crowded on a bus with about 30 other people for two days or taking a sip from someone else's beer in a crammed, smoke-filled bar.
In any case, the day began with my group's political actor interview. Each group of three or four students were given the opportunity to interview someone who has had extensive experience with lobbying the EU, and it was our responsibility to get an understanding of how lobbying works for such a politically-odd organization as the EU. My group's subject was from the Dutch Product Board, and he told us how he got into the field and where he attempts to exert influence to product the interests of farmers in the Netherlands. The interview went fairly well but was also fairly brief; I hope that I have enough material to write a 2-4 page essay on the subject matter.
The rest of the day was rather humdrum. We went to the Musee Magritte, a museum dedicated to the famous modern artist Magritte... well, at least everyone else said he was famous. I don't know much about art, let alone modern art, though I will admit that he was very talented. We then went to the Permanent Representation of Denmark to the EU where we received a basic lecture as to the workings of the European Union, specifically focusing on how member states interact with the supranational organizations. We then walked to a bar where we were supposed to meet former DIS students and faculty, but they were nowhere to be seen. So, I trekked off with a few other people and had a nice French/Italian dinner and then crashed at the hotel.
That's the first three days. To be continued...
At the crack of dawn yesterday morning, I returned from my long study tour. In as succinct and meaningful writing as possible, I will attempt to describe a few of the interesting, humorous, annoying, unique, and culturally-charged aspects of the trip. Here I go.
We started our tour on a bus at 8:00 on Sunday morning. Part of the trip was by ferry, just like the last trip, and I would say that my stomach managed significantly better than last time. After the ferry trip, we watched a handful of movies including the infamous Borat and Dr. Strangelove. We stopped at a few largely unremarkable rest stops, including one Burger King where the food was almost identical to its American counterparts (creepy!). We also got stuck in traffic for about two hours due to a road closure, for which DIS compensated by giving each of us a free beer. Upon arrival in Brussels, Belgium, we went directly to the Hotel Ibis at about midnight and subsequently crashed. The rooms were small but nice, though I only cared about the bed at the time.
The next morning, we started the day with a well-balanced, buffet breakfast, and then headed off to our first academic visit. Given that I was significantly sleep-deprived upon our arrival, Brussels in the daylight was beautiful. It was very modern and clean, a stereotypical bustling European metropolis. We went to the building that housed the Council of the European Union, and were given a brief lecture and question and answer session from a representative of the General Secretariat. While the lecture was rather unremarkable, it did give us some insight into the daily operations of the European Union (as a side note, all of the floors have a 0 after them, so the 8th floor is marked with 80. The speaker said that this was done to impress visitors with the immense quantity of floors in such a small building).
Our next stop was of a very different though more delectable nature. We stopped at Planet Chocolate, a private chocolateering company that makes all manner of world-famous Belgian chocolate. We had a lecture about the health benefits of eating chocolate (ahem), and then were given the opportunity to make our own pralines. As could be expected, the chocolate was wonderful, and the incredibly detailed process that goes into making each individual piece is absolutely mind-boggling. We were each given a few pieces to take home, of which I was very appreciative.
The next few hours consisted of free time, of which we were given the opportunity to participate in a three hour bike tour of Brussels. Despite my knee pain and lack of confidence in bike riding, I decided to give it a go.
And how I did not regret it. Imagine: biking down the bustling city streets of a European city, surrounded by immense, historic buildings, having a brief stop for some cherry juice, the wind in your face, and beautiful blue sky above. We saw the huge Palace of Justice, one of the world's largest buildings in the 18th (i think) century. We saw Manneken Pis, a statue of a small boy urinating that has become a symbol of Brussels. We visited a courtyard surrounded by statues representing each of the guilds of historic Brussels, constructed on top of an old burial ground. Despite getting cut off by a garbage truck and losing the rest of the tour group for about 15 minutes or so, this experience will certainly be something to remember for years to come. After the tour, we had a meal at the Drug Opera, which had great food finished with an authentic Belgian waffle with cream.
Afterwards, we went to Belgium's most famous bar, appropriately called Delirium. The bar is home to over 2,000 kinds of beer, many employees not actually aware how many different types of beer are on tap due to the ever increasing number. They have dark beer, light beer, heavy beer, cactus beer, cherry beer, beer in a glass boot, beer in a glass goblet the size of a water pitcher, you name it. I ordered the Chimay, which was a famous local beer. Sadly, it was rather unremarkable. The evening ended with me completely exhausted and crashing at the hotel at about 1:00 or so. Despite the relative disappointment at ending the day with a mediocre beer, the day was still spectacular on the whole.
On the whole, Tuesday was much less spectacular. For one, I woke up with a sore throat, likely the result of either being crowded on a bus with about 30 other people for two days or taking a sip from someone else's beer in a crammed, smoke-filled bar.
In any case, the day began with my group's political actor interview. Each group of three or four students were given the opportunity to interview someone who has had extensive experience with lobbying the EU, and it was our responsibility to get an understanding of how lobbying works for such a politically-odd organization as the EU. My group's subject was from the Dutch Product Board, and he told us how he got into the field and where he attempts to exert influence to product the interests of farmers in the Netherlands. The interview went fairly well but was also fairly brief; I hope that I have enough material to write a 2-4 page essay on the subject matter.
The rest of the day was rather humdrum. We went to the Musee Magritte, a museum dedicated to the famous modern artist Magritte... well, at least everyone else said he was famous. I don't know much about art, let alone modern art, though I will admit that he was very talented. We then went to the Permanent Representation of Denmark to the EU where we received a basic lecture as to the workings of the European Union, specifically focusing on how member states interact with the supranational organizations. We then walked to a bar where we were supposed to meet former DIS students and faculty, but they were nowhere to be seen. So, I trekked off with a few other people and had a nice French/Italian dinner and then crashed at the hotel.
That's the first three days. To be continued...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)