Hi everyone,
I'm so sorry I haven't been writing as much as I'd like. The days here are so long and it's been difficult to find time for internet-ing! Also, I've been having some troubles with my outlet converter, so I somtimes don't even have an outlet for my computer to charge on! It's been crazy!
The week has been very fun, but very exhausting. Luckily we have had some good long bus rides for us to sleep on! All of our speakers have been great. We spent a good amount of time in Geneva at the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Then we went on to Strasbourg to visit the European Court of Human Rights and the Council of Europe. We spent the weekend in Belgium, visiting Brussels, Bruge, and Ghent. Tomorrow we are headed to The Netherlands--on our way to the Hague, but stopping in Antwerp. The Hague is the home to internatioanl courts like the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia. that's the focus of our time there. THEN we are headed back to Brussels in the middle of next week to spend time at the European Union.
I wish I could give a more detailed account of what's been going on, but my brain is not really functioning right now and I only paid for an hour of internet (which is almost up!). Just know our group is having a great time--I really like most of my classmates and the trip has been incredible. I will try to write more later this week, if possible. If not, I will write some reflective entries about Europe when I return to the U.S. and the land of free internet. :-)
Take care!
~Katie
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
Arrival in Geneva
We have safely arrived in Geneva! So far we’re having a great time.
The trip got off to a rocky start—not all of the shuttles we requested arrived. So…we crammed as many people/suitcases into the vans that DID come. My van was the last to leave, and we still had at least 10 people standing on the sidewalk, waiting for the others to arrive…yikes. Well, our van ride didn’t go much better. We were all sitting in the van but had the doors open for some fresh air, while we waited for the others to board. All of a sudden, our driver jumped in the van and started it, so I leaned over to shut the doors right as he took off. I almost fell out of the van! A great omen, we all thought. Then, after driving about 10-15 minutes, our driver thought to ask us if we were going to Reagan or Dulles (we just assumed our teachers had given that instruction!). We still aren’t sure whether we were headed in the right direction, or if we drove several minutes out of the way. Finally, we arrived at the airport but none of the others from our group were in sight. It turns out we WERE the last ones to arrive (even behind the ones we left standing on the sidewalk). However, we still were there plenty early and got through security and boarded the plane without any difficulties.
The plane ride was uneventful. The flight to London was about 6.5 hours. I was lucky enough to get about 2 hours of sleep, more or less. I actually was trying to stay fairly awake, so that I would be exhausted when we arrived in Switzerland, could sleep a full night, and adjust to Europe time. We had about a 3 hour layover in London, and then a short (less than 2 hour) flight to Geneva. We finally arrived in Geneva around 10 am on Saturday in DC time, and around 4 pm on Saturday in Geneva time. All in all, our journey was about 12 hours of travel…exhausting.
We checked into our hotel and then were on our own out in the city. We wandered for a pretty long time in search of dinner but eventually found a really good pizza place. We are starting to discover that Swiss culture is really a mix of Italian, French, and German. So far we’ve had some good Italian food! I am really resentful of the fact that I speak NO French and wish that we had been given at least some survival preparation. I am lucky to have been hanging out in groups with at least one fluent French speaker, but it is quite embarrassing to not be able to communicate as well as I would like. However, I knew this would be a problem for me before I even came, I just didn’t realize I would be this uncomfortable with it. After a GREAT meal we walked around a bit more and got a feel for the city, but then turned in pretty early—we were exhausted!
Today we went to the International Red Cross Museum. I really enjoyed the museum and really learned a lot more about the history of the Red Cross. We were surprised to find just how NEUTRAL the Red Cross is. When covering the events of World War II, the museum would reference the genocide of World War II, but never mention the country that committed the genocide. The tour guide stated that it was not the position of the Red Cross to place blame. They also had a display of a prison cell that we could tell was from a pretty modern conflict. The cell was probably about the size of my bathroom at home and had no furniture and one solitary light. The museum stated that the cell held 17 prisoners! Once again, we were not told what country used this cell or during what conflict, but we were told that the prison was later shut down.
After the museum, we were free for the rest of the day to enjoy the city. We split off into smaller groups again. First we went down near Lake Geneva and took some really great pictures. The morning started out rainy, but it was starting to clear then and we could just begin to see the peaks of the Swiss Alps emerge from the clouds. We found another good Italian restaurant for lunch and then headed into “old town.” There we enjoyed some of the architecture, took a carousel ride, and walked around the Cathedral of St. Pierre which, when undergoing renovation in the 1970s became the site of many arachaelogical findings. The cathedral left a lot of the dig site preserved underneath the cathedral, so you could still see the findings. They had some little clay pots from the 1st and 2nd centuries, and the remains of a baptismal font from the 6th century. It was very cool. We then went into the present day cathedral and found a chair on display that was John Calvin’s. It’s so cool to be so up close to history! We also wandered back to a courtyard that we found last night, but that had really creeped us out in the dark. Back in daylight we discovered that the site was actually the place on which the First Geneva Convention was signed! Our international law professors would be so proud. ☺
We then had dinner at a British Pub and headed back to the hotel. It’s been a long, fun day but we have to get up early tomorrow. We are leaving for the UN at 8:00 am! We don’t have time any more to be jet lagged.
Hopefully I’ll find a place to get on the internet tomorrow and post this. I hope you are all doing well.
~Katie
The trip got off to a rocky start—not all of the shuttles we requested arrived. So…we crammed as many people/suitcases into the vans that DID come. My van was the last to leave, and we still had at least 10 people standing on the sidewalk, waiting for the others to arrive…yikes. Well, our van ride didn’t go much better. We were all sitting in the van but had the doors open for some fresh air, while we waited for the others to board. All of a sudden, our driver jumped in the van and started it, so I leaned over to shut the doors right as he took off. I almost fell out of the van! A great omen, we all thought. Then, after driving about 10-15 minutes, our driver thought to ask us if we were going to Reagan or Dulles (we just assumed our teachers had given that instruction!). We still aren’t sure whether we were headed in the right direction, or if we drove several minutes out of the way. Finally, we arrived at the airport but none of the others from our group were in sight. It turns out we WERE the last ones to arrive (even behind the ones we left standing on the sidewalk). However, we still were there plenty early and got through security and boarded the plane without any difficulties.
The plane ride was uneventful. The flight to London was about 6.5 hours. I was lucky enough to get about 2 hours of sleep, more or less. I actually was trying to stay fairly awake, so that I would be exhausted when we arrived in Switzerland, could sleep a full night, and adjust to Europe time. We had about a 3 hour layover in London, and then a short (less than 2 hour) flight to Geneva. We finally arrived in Geneva around 10 am on Saturday in DC time, and around 4 pm on Saturday in Geneva time. All in all, our journey was about 12 hours of travel…exhausting.
We checked into our hotel and then were on our own out in the city. We wandered for a pretty long time in search of dinner but eventually found a really good pizza place. We are starting to discover that Swiss culture is really a mix of Italian, French, and German. So far we’ve had some good Italian food! I am really resentful of the fact that I speak NO French and wish that we had been given at least some survival preparation. I am lucky to have been hanging out in groups with at least one fluent French speaker, but it is quite embarrassing to not be able to communicate as well as I would like. However, I knew this would be a problem for me before I even came, I just didn’t realize I would be this uncomfortable with it. After a GREAT meal we walked around a bit more and got a feel for the city, but then turned in pretty early—we were exhausted!
Today we went to the International Red Cross Museum. I really enjoyed the museum and really learned a lot more about the history of the Red Cross. We were surprised to find just how NEUTRAL the Red Cross is. When covering the events of World War II, the museum would reference the genocide of World War II, but never mention the country that committed the genocide. The tour guide stated that it was not the position of the Red Cross to place blame. They also had a display of a prison cell that we could tell was from a pretty modern conflict. The cell was probably about the size of my bathroom at home and had no furniture and one solitary light. The museum stated that the cell held 17 prisoners! Once again, we were not told what country used this cell or during what conflict, but we were told that the prison was later shut down.
After the museum, we were free for the rest of the day to enjoy the city. We split off into smaller groups again. First we went down near Lake Geneva and took some really great pictures. The morning started out rainy, but it was starting to clear then and we could just begin to see the peaks of the Swiss Alps emerge from the clouds. We found another good Italian restaurant for lunch and then headed into “old town.” There we enjoyed some of the architecture, took a carousel ride, and walked around the Cathedral of St. Pierre which, when undergoing renovation in the 1970s became the site of many arachaelogical findings. The cathedral left a lot of the dig site preserved underneath the cathedral, so you could still see the findings. They had some little clay pots from the 1st and 2nd centuries, and the remains of a baptismal font from the 6th century. It was very cool. We then went into the present day cathedral and found a chair on display that was John Calvin’s. It’s so cool to be so up close to history! We also wandered back to a courtyard that we found last night, but that had really creeped us out in the dark. Back in daylight we discovered that the site was actually the place on which the First Geneva Convention was signed! Our international law professors would be so proud. ☺
We then had dinner at a British Pub and headed back to the hotel. It’s been a long, fun day but we have to get up early tomorrow. We are leaving for the UN at 8:00 am! We don’t have time any more to be jet lagged.
Hopefully I’ll find a place to get on the internet tomorrow and post this. I hope you are all doing well.
~Katie
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Election Day
Lizzy and me in a victory hug as Barack Obama is declared the next President.
I headed into work yesterday morning, where a lot of work wasn't getting done. Our office had set the TV up to the projector in the conference room, popped popcorn, and had various other refreshments. People filtered in and out all day to watch the "results" (though not much was going on, since California was still sleeping soundly at 9:00 eastern time!). There was a lot of commentary and "whatifs" being thrown around, but I enjoyed listening to all of it.
Eventually I returned to campus and prepared for what I knew would be a long night. Around 6:00 I headed over to Tenley Cafe, where there were TWO big screen projectors set up. I ate my dinner and proceeded to set up camp in a very good spot in front of the TV. I was in it for the long haul!
We watched the initial results come in--Vermont, New Hampshire, etc. There was a big sense of relief as Pennsylvania went blue--I wasn't too surprised, but it was definitely a much needed win. I held my breath as the electoral number kept creeping up. Ohio coming in for Obama was a highlight. At that point, I think we all knew it was coming. We laughed as the commentator tried to show on the map what McCain had to do to win now--as he selected states he would say things like "I wouldn't bet more than a dime on that one" and "I just can't give him that" or simply just shake his head. But still, there was a feeling of anticipation--we don't readily forget 2000 and 2004. Some key states still weren't in--Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, ALL of the west coast. I was betting on California's glorious 55 votes and knew we really only needed one more substantial state to have it set. I had a sense of pride when Iowa rolled across the screen--our great 7 votes! It was really interesting to see people watch their home states, since we have people here from all over the country. When Iowa came in, I clapped and cheered, and others joined me. The little state that started it all, we said.
THEN....
VIRGINIA! Oh my goodness Virginia. Perhaps one of my most favorite states now. As Virginia came in, the room just erupted. We watched the electoral count hit 220, even still without the west coast, and we all knew it was set now. People were cheering and screaming, jumping up and down. I was just frozen in time, unable to believe that it was really here, this was really it, and it was really TIME! My friends here forget that for me and other Iowans, this process started years ago...I saw my first Presidential candidate in December of 2006! And the last two years were all leading up to that moment last night.
CNN made their projection, declared Obama the victor, and things went nuts. We were all screaming and cheering, shouting, chanting "Yes we did!" and "Obama, Obama, Obama!" Even the relatively few McCain supporters in the room (I would say about half a dozen!) remained quiet and respectful, letting us enjoy the moment. More than once I had tears come to my eyes, so proud of Americans for voting, of young people for actually caring, of my country for letting this monumental day take place.
We watched McCain's concession speech, one that I felt was sincere and heartfelt. I even had a bit of sympathy for the old man...you can't say he doesn't put up a good fight. But this is the way the election was supposed to be, and America chose its next president.
The room waited for Obama's speech and watched the crowd at Grant Park go nuts. We waited for a very long time, it seemed, and enthusiasm and energy were beginning to drop--it had been a long day for many (some of my friends were up at 4:30 to go work the polls).
Then he came out on stage--our next President. Tears came to my eyes at the sight of this man--a man who came from nothing, who worked hard, who inspired millions, who became a U.S. Senator and the next President of the United States in just a few short years, and who made history last night. His speech was quite good (though our stupid projector did shut off in the middle of it...there was a frantic moment as 60 people tried to crowd around laptops, while I stood on a chair trying to get the darn thing to work again!). When Joe Biden came out on stage the whole thing really hit me--this was it. This was the next leading team. These are the two men I will look to to guide my country for the next four years. I'm so confident in their abilities. At this point I looked around the room and saw many people full of tears, some laughing with joy, everyone in awe of how far our country has come.
At the end of the speech, I headed back to the dorm with Ruthie and was surprised to find it raining in DC. I didn't even care--I ran out on to the lawn and screamed "Obama is our next President" and Ruthie and I started shouting and cheering, running around in the rain.
It seemed a let down to go to bed last night, but I fell asleep listening to a few stragglers out in the streets, cheering and screaming still, and cars passing by honking with joy. Last night I didn't even care how loud DC was. These streets will never be the same.
This morning I woke up and went in search of a newspaper. I couldn't find a Times or a Post anywhere, but I did manage to snag the last Wall Street Journal from the Metro Station. It's not my usual periodical, but I don't care. The headline reads, "Obama Sweeps to Historic Victory" and that's all that matters. I'll show my kids this paper some day.
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