My loves,
I had my first day of class, today, and it went well enough, I suppose, but I promised you a post about my first impressions of The Netherlands, so, first things first.
My first thoughts flying into Amsterdam, as soon as I could see land from above the Black Sea, were, "ohhh, there's a beach! LAND, HO!! And there's a... is that a rice paddy...? Where am I?" Then, I had a headslap moment and realized that, of course there would be a water EVERYWHERE, this entire country is below sea level. That information was back there in the recesses of my brain, it just took a little time to show up because of everything I've piled on top of it lately, you know how it is. Apparently, this part of the world is under drought conditions that are ruining their crops and forcing food prices up (I learned that watching BBC One, this morning, while I was getting dressed), but I would not have guess that, with the amount of water in the fields and canals running along some of the roads between the coast and the airport.
From that moment on, though, my impression of this beautiful country went from fairly neutral to increasingly positive. The people here are wonderful. Nice is not the right word, because they are more than that. They are truly friendly, and I don't mean that in a "hi, there, li'l darlin'" (which is perfectly charming, too, don't get me wrong), I mean, no one is a stranger here. I've made friends with literally everyone with whom I have had a conversation, from the guy who helped me get my luggage onto the train from Amsterdam to the guy who sold me a meatball sandwich, yesterday. I feel like I'm among my own kind, here, haha.
Seriously, it amazes me how much you can learn about people in a short amount of time when you are traveling. Yesterday, a very nice man helped me get my luggage on the train from the Airport to Amsterdam, then I sat down in one of those 4-butt seats that face each other (it's a commuter train, so, like Metra, it has a row of seats in each car where one faces forward and one backward) with a sweet older man who told me about his adventures living with the Inuit in Canada for a year, his grandkids, and his 4-day excursion down the coast of Holland to see a WWI site for the week. Then, there was my Iraqi cab driver from the train station to my hotel, who told me about working for an American oil company in Iraq for 15 years, before he moved to The Netherlands and his wife and kids who live in London. He doesn't like London, so he lives in Den Haag and goes to visit them on the ferry.
The front desk clerk (and maybe owner? the jury is still out on that one) in my hotel is a total gem and I has told me all kinds of amusing stories about American law students of the past. Another amazingly nice person I met as I was on my way to class, who lives down the street from my hotel saw me looking for the ear piece for my headphones (I knew it was only a matter of time til I lost it, luckily, I brought the extra ear pieces), told me that she'd keep an eye out for it and would return it to my hotel if she found it (she, also, was an American, but that's just how things are done, here). This morning, at breakfast, everyone greeted me as they walked into to the room or past my table and I don't mean the staff (because, as far as I can tell, it's the front desk clerk and one maid, and there's no one else who works here), I mean the other guests. It was kind of weird, but in a delightful way. This woman sitting a table near me hummed as she prepared her toast, then, when her husband left the room, she asked me if this was my first time in Europe (she had heard me speak to the front desk clerk, so she knew I am an American), and when I told her that it was my first time in The Netherlands, but that I was already falling in love with it, she told me that she fell in love with a Dutchman, first, then the country (she's from London). She figured that was kind of backwards, but I can't think of a better way to fall for a country then to meet your soulmate and fall for HIS homeland, personally. :P
Another thing that I have found interesting about this trip is that not one person has identified me as an American (except that one woman, and she IS British) until I've told them. Which is really odd, because there seem to be a lot of Americans in Den Haag. Everyone and I mean EVERYONE speaks English here. One of the prosecutors from the ICTY came and talked to us, this morning, and then had dinner with us, tonight, and told us that he's lived here 15 years and doesn't speak Dutch. How crazy is that?!?! I asked if his kids do and he said that his son does, for sure, and he's certain his daughter does, as well, but she won't do it in front of him. He also told me that this is great place to raise kids. Don't worry, Dad, I'm pretty sure I'm not falling THAT hard for this place.
Anyway, that's going to have to be it, for now, because I still have homework to do and it's going to be an early morning. More on the class, itself, later. ;)
Hugs and Kisses!
Emily
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of... well... Something
Friends, Neighbors, Countrymen,
First of all, I want all of you to know that I made it to Den Haag, safe and sound, and am, even now, sitting in my charming hotel room, which, btdubbs, has a mini fridge, a clothes steamer, and a BALCONY! Oh, and did I mention that it has breakfast included, is a 5 minute walk from class, and about a 5 minute walk from the North Sea. I mean, okay, it has a twin size bed, is the size of a shoe box, and is on the top floor of a 3 story walk-up. But it's a lovely walk-up. :) I did work in hotels, once upon a time, so I SHOULD know a thing or two about choosing a good one, but even so, I think I've hit the jackpot on this one. Oh, and the staff is delightful.
Anyway, now that I've gotten that out of the way, I can get down to what I really want to tell you about. I had a lot of time to think on the plane, since 8 1/2 hours is a long time to sit and do anything, and the guy in front of me had his seat leaned back pretty much the whole way, and the plane I was on didn't have the tilt-y screens, so I couldn't have watched a movie if I wanted to. Jerk. At any rate, since I couldn't really blog from the plane (sorry, this trip is costing WAY too much as it is, I can't afford to pay for airplane wifi, too, I have to draw the line, somewhere), I wrote some stuff down to share with you (and for myself, which I will not be sharing, haha), like, on paper. Shocking, I know, but I have to get used to it, since it sounds like taking my computer with me to the ICTY is a big no-no and that's where I will spending most of my time, here, in The Hague. Here it is:
23 May 2011, 5:30 or 6:30AM, local time, somewhere over the Atlantic, less than 1,000 miles from Amsterdam:
The sun is up and so am I, despite the fact that it's 12:30AM in Chicago. It would seem that pure exhilaration might just get me to my hotel in Den Haag, after all (it, and the kind help of some very generous strangers, did, in case you were wondering).
In the early pre-dawn as I was trying to sleep, I felt a wave of loneliness wash over me at the realization that pretty much everyone I will see in the next two 2 1/2 months are currently complete strangers to me. I am not proud of the fact that that was my reaction, and it felt kind of foreign to me (and yes, I appreciate the irony of that), because I've been feeling so much like my adventurous, dare I say fearless? 17-year-old self, lately. I guess I have settled down, some, in the past 10 years. Instead of the new friends I would have been DYING to meet, back then, I found myself longing for the comfort of familiar faces. What's really bizarre about that is that the friends I wanted to share that sunrise-at-35,000-feet moment with are people I have known less than a year, but law school makes fast friends of people you spend all of your time with, I guess (it's one of my favorite things about law school, in fact).
As I was saying, the sun is up, and I have some good, think-big music on the Pod and I'm FINALLY on my way to following my passion (or obsession, whatever) with international affairs/law, again. It feels like coming home and starting something complete new, all at the same time, which, in my opinion is the best feeling in the whole world. The very fact that I have trusted my instincts enough to take the risk of spending my summer doing something totally unconventional for a law student, in a place where I've never been, where I don't speak the language, with people I've never met feels REALLY good. Am I nervous about what's going to happen in the weeks and months ahead? Sure, a little. But that, in itself, is a bit of a thrill.
I think as much as anything, I really needed to prove to myself that I still have what it takes to pursue that which makes me deliriously happy, that which gives me drive and purpose and fulfillment, professionally and personally, no matter what the odds.
The only way I can think of to describe the feeling I am currently experiencing in a way I think other (read: non-nerdy) people might understand is that it's kind of like not having been able to wear your favorite pair of jeans (because let's be honest, jeans are pretty damn unforgiving), because you put on a few pounds to get you through the those cold, Chicago winter months, and then losing it and having them fit like a custom-made glove, once more. I would tell you that I'll try not to stretch the analogy too far, but I'm going to fail miserably, so just bear with me for a hot second. I feel like right now, I'm at the point where I'm trying the theoretical jeans on in front of my mirror, at home, and desperately hoping that they do, actually, look as good as I think they do and I'm not entirely kidding myself. To take the clothing metaphor once step further, I expect I'll be a little self-conscious about putting my international-affairs-scholar hat back on, particularly with a bunch of strangers (like there's any other way to do it?), tomorrow morning at orientation, but hopefully it will sit pretty naturally soon enough, and I'll be completely back in my element.
Anyway, talk about your major overshare, huh? I also want to tell you about my first impressions of The Netherlands and the charming and delightful Dutch people, but that's going to have to wait, because it's already 1:20PM (or 13:20, as I'm going to need to get used to thinking of it) and I still need to shower, find some real food (not to worry, though, for those of you who know my study habits, I brought a large baggie of cheezits with me and some peanut butter m&m's, so I won't starve), and do the reading for class tomorrow. And so it begins...
Lots of Love!
Emily
First of all, I want all of you to know that I made it to Den Haag, safe and sound, and am, even now, sitting in my charming hotel room, which, btdubbs, has a mini fridge, a clothes steamer, and a BALCONY! Oh, and did I mention that it has breakfast included, is a 5 minute walk from class, and about a 5 minute walk from the North Sea. I mean, okay, it has a twin size bed, is the size of a shoe box, and is on the top floor of a 3 story walk-up. But it's a lovely walk-up. :) I did work in hotels, once upon a time, so I SHOULD know a thing or two about choosing a good one, but even so, I think I've hit the jackpot on this one. Oh, and the staff is delightful.
Anyway, now that I've gotten that out of the way, I can get down to what I really want to tell you about. I had a lot of time to think on the plane, since 8 1/2 hours is a long time to sit and do anything, and the guy in front of me had his seat leaned back pretty much the whole way, and the plane I was on didn't have the tilt-y screens, so I couldn't have watched a movie if I wanted to. Jerk. At any rate, since I couldn't really blog from the plane (sorry, this trip is costing WAY too much as it is, I can't afford to pay for airplane wifi, too, I have to draw the line, somewhere), I wrote some stuff down to share with you (and for myself, which I will not be sharing, haha), like, on paper. Shocking, I know, but I have to get used to it, since it sounds like taking my computer with me to the ICTY is a big no-no and that's where I will spending most of my time, here, in The Hague. Here it is:
23 May 2011, 5:30 or 6:30AM, local time, somewhere over the Atlantic, less than 1,000 miles from Amsterdam:
The sun is up and so am I, despite the fact that it's 12:30AM in Chicago. It would seem that pure exhilaration might just get me to my hotel in Den Haag, after all (it, and the kind help of some very generous strangers, did, in case you were wondering).
In the early pre-dawn as I was trying to sleep, I felt a wave of loneliness wash over me at the realization that pretty much everyone I will see in the next two 2 1/2 months are currently complete strangers to me. I am not proud of the fact that that was my reaction, and it felt kind of foreign to me (and yes, I appreciate the irony of that), because I've been feeling so much like my adventurous, dare I say fearless? 17-year-old self, lately. I guess I have settled down, some, in the past 10 years. Instead of the new friends I would have been DYING to meet, back then, I found myself longing for the comfort of familiar faces. What's really bizarre about that is that the friends I wanted to share that sunrise-at-35,000-feet moment with are people I have known less than a year, but law school makes fast friends of people you spend all of your time with, I guess (it's one of my favorite things about law school, in fact).
As I was saying, the sun is up, and I have some good, think-big music on the Pod and I'm FINALLY on my way to following my passion (or obsession, whatever) with international affairs/law, again. It feels like coming home and starting something complete new, all at the same time, which, in my opinion is the best feeling in the whole world. The very fact that I have trusted my instincts enough to take the risk of spending my summer doing something totally unconventional for a law student, in a place where I've never been, where I don't speak the language, with people I've never met feels REALLY good. Am I nervous about what's going to happen in the weeks and months ahead? Sure, a little. But that, in itself, is a bit of a thrill.
I think as much as anything, I really needed to prove to myself that I still have what it takes to pursue that which makes me deliriously happy, that which gives me drive and purpose and fulfillment, professionally and personally, no matter what the odds.
The only way I can think of to describe the feeling I am currently experiencing in a way I think other (read: non-nerdy) people might understand is that it's kind of like not having been able to wear your favorite pair of jeans (because let's be honest, jeans are pretty damn unforgiving), because you put on a few pounds to get you through the those cold, Chicago winter months, and then losing it and having them fit like a custom-made glove, once more. I would tell you that I'll try not to stretch the analogy too far, but I'm going to fail miserably, so just bear with me for a hot second. I feel like right now, I'm at the point where I'm trying the theoretical jeans on in front of my mirror, at home, and desperately hoping that they do, actually, look as good as I think they do and I'm not entirely kidding myself. To take the clothing metaphor once step further, I expect I'll be a little self-conscious about putting my international-affairs-scholar hat back on, particularly with a bunch of strangers (like there's any other way to do it?), tomorrow morning at orientation, but hopefully it will sit pretty naturally soon enough, and I'll be completely back in my element.
Anyway, talk about your major overshare, huh? I also want to tell you about my first impressions of The Netherlands and the charming and delightful Dutch people, but that's going to have to wait, because it's already 1:20PM (or 13:20, as I'm going to need to get used to thinking of it) and I still need to shower, find some real food (not to worry, though, for those of you who know my study habits, I brought a large baggie of cheezits with me and some peanut butter m&m's, so I won't starve), and do the reading for class tomorrow. And so it begins...
Lots of Love!
Emily
Monday, May 23, 2011
Leaving on a Jet Plane
Friends, Neighbors, Countrymen,
So, here I am, sitting in front of the TV in my living room, which, by the way, looks like it was hit by a minor tornado, with an overstuffed suitcase and dufflebag full of most of the worldly possessions I will have with me over the next 10 weeks, and I have to admit, I'm starting to get really pumped for this trip. Hopefully I will get the living room cleaned, before I leave tomorrow, so my poor roommate, Kate, who has the patience of a saint, doesn't have to deal with it, while I'm gone.
It's weird to me that I'm watching the last English TV I am likely to see for the next 2 and a half months, and I'm a little apprehensive about not sleeping in my wonderful bed for all of that time, but, somehow, I think I'll get through. Do you think it's too much to expect that I will be so busy getting my geek on and making new friends to notice that those things? Probably, but then, I've always had high expectations and it's never really been a problem. ;P
I am all checked in for my flight and I even gave in and bought the upgrade so I will be sitting in 27A on the 6PM flight to Amsterdam, tomorrow. The upgrade puts me in Economy Plus, which as I recall from the one time I've flown United (for work) is pretty nice. Here's hoping, right? I figured an extra 6 inches of space on an 8 1/2 hour flight was worth $89, so I splurged. I'm sure I won't regret it, haha.
I spent much of tonight printing out the study materials for International Criminal Law in The Hague and International Organizations, Public, and Human Rights Law in Geneva. Looking at the topics and the schedule for those classes is what finally made me feel like this is EXACTLY what I should be doing, this summer. The International Orgs class will cover, among other things, the International Atomic Energy Agency, The International Committee for the Red Cross, and the World Trade Organization. It's going to be like being back in Model United Nations, but for real. I. CAN'T. WAIT. Hopefully, my classmates will be as nerdy as I am and we will all have a fabulous time exploring the Peace Palace and visiting the International Labor Organization. Even if not, maybe I'll inspire a little super-geek in them. It certainly wouldn't be the first time. :{D
I'm really glad that I'm finally getting legitimately excited about spending the summer in Europe, because I feel like, if I stayed, this would the first summer that I would enjoy as much as other people seem to here, in Chicago. I went out for a friend's birthday, last night, and had a really, really good time for what may have been the first time ever at a bar in Lincoln Park. I didn't even think that was possible, but I'm very happy to have been proven wrong. It just goes to show you that anything can be fun with the right people.
Anyway, I could go on and on about how amazing and awesome my friends are, but I need to get some sleep, because I still have to finish packing my school supplies and clean the living room before I leave for the airport. Yikes.
By the time I make my next post, I will be 3,500 miles and 7 time zones away, but, thanks to the magic of technology, I'll be able to stay in touch with all of the important people in my life, which is amazing, when you think about it. The fact that I can be anywhere in the world and still share a picture with my roommate that I know will make her laugh or a story with my best friend just because I thought he would enjoy it kind of makes anything seem possible.
Alright, time for all the little redheads to go to bed. Big day tomorrow. ;)
Hugs and Kisses!
Emily
So, here I am, sitting in front of the TV in my living room, which, by the way, looks like it was hit by a minor tornado, with an overstuffed suitcase and dufflebag full of most of the worldly possessions I will have with me over the next 10 weeks, and I have to admit, I'm starting to get really pumped for this trip. Hopefully I will get the living room cleaned, before I leave tomorrow, so my poor roommate, Kate, who has the patience of a saint, doesn't have to deal with it, while I'm gone.
It's weird to me that I'm watching the last English TV I am likely to see for the next 2 and a half months, and I'm a little apprehensive about not sleeping in my wonderful bed for all of that time, but, somehow, I think I'll get through. Do you think it's too much to expect that I will be so busy getting my geek on and making new friends to notice that those things? Probably, but then, I've always had high expectations and it's never really been a problem. ;P
I am all checked in for my flight and I even gave in and bought the upgrade so I will be sitting in 27A on the 6PM flight to Amsterdam, tomorrow. The upgrade puts me in Economy Plus, which as I recall from the one time I've flown United (for work) is pretty nice. Here's hoping, right? I figured an extra 6 inches of space on an 8 1/2 hour flight was worth $89, so I splurged. I'm sure I won't regret it, haha.
I spent much of tonight printing out the study materials for International Criminal Law in The Hague and International Organizations, Public, and Human Rights Law in Geneva. Looking at the topics and the schedule for those classes is what finally made me feel like this is EXACTLY what I should be doing, this summer. The International Orgs class will cover, among other things, the International Atomic Energy Agency, The International Committee for the Red Cross, and the World Trade Organization. It's going to be like being back in Model United Nations, but for real. I. CAN'T. WAIT. Hopefully, my classmates will be as nerdy as I am and we will all have a fabulous time exploring the Peace Palace and visiting the International Labor Organization. Even if not, maybe I'll inspire a little super-geek in them. It certainly wouldn't be the first time. :{D
I'm really glad that I'm finally getting legitimately excited about spending the summer in Europe, because I feel like, if I stayed, this would the first summer that I would enjoy as much as other people seem to here, in Chicago. I went out for a friend's birthday, last night, and had a really, really good time for what may have been the first time ever at a bar in Lincoln Park. I didn't even think that was possible, but I'm very happy to have been proven wrong. It just goes to show you that anything can be fun with the right people.
Anyway, I could go on and on about how amazing and awesome my friends are, but I need to get some sleep, because I still have to finish packing my school supplies and clean the living room before I leave for the airport. Yikes.
By the time I make my next post, I will be 3,500 miles and 7 time zones away, but, thanks to the magic of technology, I'll be able to stay in touch with all of the important people in my life, which is amazing, when you think about it. The fact that I can be anywhere in the world and still share a picture with my roommate that I know will make her laugh or a story with my best friend just because I thought he would enjoy it kind of makes anything seem possible.
Alright, time for all the little redheads to go to bed. Big day tomorrow. ;)
Hugs and Kisses!
Emily
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Here goes nothing...
Friends, Neighbors, Countrymen,
For those of you who stumble upon this and don't actually know me, my name is Emily and I am just finishing my first year of law school. Because I didn't study abroad as much as I should have in college (I was an International Studies major, it's kind of ridiculous that I spent a whole two weeks in Ireland during my undergraduate years) and I'm not ready to go back to the real world where people work in cubicles in offices, all summer long (obviously why I quit my job in the first place), I'm taking summer school classes in The Netherlands, Switzerland, and France, this summer.
For those of you who stumble upon this and don't actually know me, my name is Emily and I am just finishing my first year of law school. Because I didn't study abroad as much as I should have in college (I was an International Studies major, it's kind of ridiculous that I spent a whole two weeks in Ireland during my undergraduate years) and I'm not ready to go back to the real world where people work in cubicles in offices, all summer long (obviously why I quit my job in the first place), I'm taking summer school classes in The Netherlands, Switzerland, and France, this summer.
I mentioned to one of my friends that I was thinking about keeping a journal, during the trip (which I still intend to do, on paper) and she suggested that I start a blog. Between her suggestion and the fact that my brother's blog on Buddism as a Beginner has been such a wild success in Houston, I figured I'd give it a whirl. (Check out his blog at http://dharmacook.blogspot.com/, I'm so proud :P). Nevertheless, as a baby lawyer, I feel compelled to drop in the disclaimer that it may not be worth your time to read this, but I feel like writing it, so I will. In any case, continue at your own risk.
Don't get me wrong, I haven't been this excited about anything in a long time. I'm really looking forward to the classes I'm taking and making new friends and, seeing the Peace Palace, and the UN facilities in Geneva and generally getting my geek on, but trying to finish up finals and get everything in order to be out of the country for that long has been an interesting experience. I'm also finding that, as the time to leave draws near, I'm a little sad at the opportunity costs associated with being away from Chicago (where I have lived for 9 years and go to school), all summer.
I sort of feel like I'm going to summer camp, for the first time in my life. That's right, friends, I never really went to summer camp. Here I am, 26 years old, one successful career behind me, starting another, lived across the country from my family for 9 years, moved across the country, twice, and I have never been to summer camp. What's more, I'm not going to any summer camp, I'm going to observe the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague and spend a month with practitioners on the cutting edge of international human rights in France. I never claimed to be conventional.
My point, though, is that I feel like I'm going to have this amazing experience, but I'm going to come home and I'll have missed a lot of goings-on right here in Chicago. It's weird, because that's never been something that concerned me before. I've always been impatient to move onto the next thing and ready for the next adventure, but now, I'm really happy right where I am and doing exactly what I'm doing. I guess it just means that I have some pretty exceptionally awesome friends, now, and I don't want to miss a minute with them. Which also probably means that I should A) stop worrying about it, because they will still be here and be awesome when I get back, and B) shut up and be grateful that I have such amazing people in my life. Or maybe my mother's right and this is what growing up feels like. At any rate, I like it and I don't, at the same time. Kind of like the way I feel about needing to stop here and go to bed, because that Civil Procedures final isn't going to take (pass?) itself, tomorrow.
I'm not really sure where this is going, yet, but I'm hoping it'll develop some kind of theme, some time in the near future. I chose the name, because it has become something of a mantra for me, since starting law school, whenever I start grumbling to myself about quitting my cushy day job for this nonsense. I'm not much of a planner, so I'm just diving into this blog stuff and I figure it'll end up being useful/purposeful, eventually. :) We'll see, I guess.
Hugs and Kisses!
Emily
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