eatthepannenkoeken

[eatthepannenkoeken]

Split, Croatia before classes at LUC started!!

[eatthepannenkoeken]

Beautiful skies in:

1 & 2: the international firework festival at Scheveningen Beach (we watched China and France compete)

3: from my window

4. in Ancona, Italy (from the cathedral on the hill overlooking the port)

5. in Split, Croatia (at the non-tourist beach)

6. back in The Hague at the annual Embassy Festival (all the embassies in The Hague participate; I was excited to find the U.S. booth until I realized they were only selling things, unlike the food and music at most countries’ stands)

[eatthepannenkoeken]

Amsterdam Pride Parade (on the canal!)

[eatthepannenkoeken]

hello!!!! 1. Went to Scheveningen Beach last week with Brian and David. Ate mango and grapefruit gelato, found dead jellyfish, and watched very enthusiastic dogs play together on the sand. 2. There's a forest near LUC with rivers, ponds, and a small lake in it. A fun place to bike through, as evidenced by Rosie here (it's right by the Royal Gardens). If I remember at some point, I'll post some pictures of the deer that live here. 3. On Saturday, I went to Amsterdam for the first time this trip with Rosie and her friend Helen, who was visiting for a few days. We went to the Rijksmuseum and Amsterdam Pride, which I'll post pictures of shortly. 4. We also went to a market, where we watched vendors bake us stroopwaffels and poffertjes (the mini pancakes pictured). The Dutch are into waffles and pancakes of all kinds. Overall, we've been working hard in the seminar and exploring lots of new places-- especially markets. In a week, the seminar will be over and we'll be packing for Croatia and Italy. (hey Mom, just went to the asian market for miso soup makings ☺️☺️) Today, our group visited the International Criminal Court and will return Monday to watch court proceedings. Tomorrow, we'll have a debate on the ICC, which my group has spent tonight preparing for accompanied by copious amounts of pizza. Eventually, I'll figure out what to do with the dozens of pictures that I've taken. Didn't want to inundate you!!

[eatthepannenkoeken]

hello friends :) It’s been about a week since I got to The Hague which means...we’re already 1/3 of the way through our seminar! There are 10 of us from Macalester here together.

Recent discoveries: 

1. Dutch bike culture is wild. Supposedly, pedestrians have the right of way, then bikes, then cars, but really, bikes go wherever whenever and every single person has one. Haven’t been hit by a car yet! *knock on wood* We’re fans of riding in a big Macalester formation with our hotel bikes. 

2. Some things are super super cheap-- fresh fruits and vegetables from markets and little vendors are everywhere, croissants from De Haagse Markt are 3 for 1 euro, you can get tall boys for less than 1 euro from any shop, pots of flowers for 2 euros, etc. A shop across from LUC boasts that every food item is 1.80, whether a sandwich, a smoothie, or a muffin.

3. There’s a park next to our university that’s just chock-ful of deer???? 

4. LUC has a hitchhiking competition where an endpoint (often a hostel in another country) is decided and then students go off in groups of 2s and 3s to try to get to the destination first. According to Kevin and Melu, two LUC students, it’s particularly fun because LUC kids will randomly run into each other after 20+ hours of hitchhiking in a gas station in Germany, for example.

5. One former Macalester student actually transferred to LUC after studying abroad here. We hung out with him and several of his friends at a pub on one of the canals, where they have a boat w tables in case that’s more your speed than a regular restaurant. 

Yesterday, another Macalester professor in the human rights department guest lectured about the role of storytelling, language, and literary theory in human rights violations (specifically about torture and loss of agency), which was fascinating. Our group has been going on a bunch of little outings-- the market yesterday, pannenkoeken (pancake) lunches, boat tours (pictured), etc. This weekend, we’re having brunch with a Belgian Mac alum and I’ll probably head to Chinatown to go to the Asian market there. For now, I’m about to go make some food because I’ve been working on an essay about the liberal world order for the past few hours. #fun!