Stick in til you Stick out!

It's the time of year to spend with family and friends, enjoying the traditions of the season. I am very fortunate enough to have made it home for Christmas, especially considering all of the mayhem in Europe over the weather.

Boxing Day is a special one in the Morrison household as we all get up early and make Tatty Scones or Potato Pancakes, a Scottish tradition. We were rolling, frying and flipping potatoes this morning for 2 hours before we sat down for a feast and stuck in til we stuck out. This afternoon marks the start of the World Junior hockey tournament, which brings back some great memories of Christmases past. Its that time of year when you reminisce and remember, yet also look to the future. With 2011 right around the corner, new opportunities and experiences will come forward and I can't wait to see what is in store for me.

I hope my flights back to Europe are as smooth as coming here and if so I will be ringing in the New Year in Amsterdam.

Best of the Season to all and I hope that you are surrounded by loved ones who help make this time of year so special.

Laura from home in Sault Ste. Marie

Tis the Season!

It's the most wonderful time of the year, at least in my opinion. Christmas is 2 weeks away and I could not be more excited. Getting into the festive spirit is my favourite thing about December, I have been playing Christmas music on repeat for the past two weeks. Adding to the atmosphere was the snow on the ground for the past couple of weeks, but it has all melted now.

Last weekend I went to Munster in Germany with some friends to visit the Christmas Market. It was amazing being back in Germany and shopping for Christmas presents, eating lots of great German food and let's not forget the Gluhwein :)

Last Sunday was another Dutch Holiday celebrated in December called Sinter Klaas. It's a traditional celebration where Sint comes and leaves candy, treats and toys in children's shoes. But the most interesting part of the Dutch tradition is that you write poems for your friends and family. Many of the students in my program got together last Monday night and we celebrated Sinter Klaas where we each wrote a poem for someone else. It was really fun celebrating this Dutch tradition with people from around the world.

This weekend I am in Amsterdam finishing up some assignments before leaving for Canada via Belgium for the holidays. Tonight I am going to go volunteer with the Amsterdam Rotaract Club in making Christmas hampers for homeless people in the city. Tomorrow there is a Christmas market here in Amsterdam and I will be going to compare to see if it measures up to the German variety.

Then it's back to work, humanitarian intervention discussions and deabtes on legality and legitmacy. The week will be gone before I know it and then it will be time to visit my host families and friends in Belgium and then home for a Morrison Christmas.

Best wishes of the Holidays to everyone!

Peace or Justice?

Today I had the amazing opportunity to visit the International Criminal Court in the Hague with some of my classmates. We attended presentations by people working at the Court and were also allowed to attend trials. The most interesting case before the Court started just last week and is on command responsibility. Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo who is a former vice-President and Senator of the Democratic Republic of Congo is on trial for the atrocities committed by the men in his group the Movement for the Liberation of Congo in the Central African Republic. The prosecutors were questioning a witness today, yet we were not able to see the woman based on confidentiality of victims.
My head is about to explode from all the new and interesting information I acquired today. It is so amazing to be able to go out and see in action that which we talk about on a daily basis in class. It is funny how for learning methods we never change, students will always get excited about a field trip!

Another particularly interesting point is that Amsterdam witnessed its first snow this past week. There is still a little on the ground now and it is only supposed to get colder over the next week. I didn't think -14 Celsius was possible in this country :( But, the weather makes it feel very real that Christmas is just around the corner. This past weekend added to the holiday spirit as I had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday with all the trimmings. With the 1st of December tomorrow it is time to break out the Advent Calendar to count the days until Christmas 24!! and until home 19!!

But before leaving I will have to hand in my final assignment for my central course the Changing Nature of War on the subject of humanitarian intervention. Here is hoping that the ICC today can help with some inspiration.

Ciao from Chilly Amsterdam.

Laura

Reunions

You can see the excitement on my face!

It has been awhile since I updated but life in Amsterdam got very busy as the past two weekends I had some good friends visiting. The nice thing about travelling all over is that you meet and make friends with people you might never have had the chance to otherwise. It was also really nice to reminisce with these friends about past adventures. This past weekend Terri from Scotland and Meike from Germany joined me in the city, both who I met while I was studying in Heidelberg. The weekend before Michele from Switzerland, who I met in Rome, was visiting. It is weekends like these that I realize how fortunate I am to have such an international network of friends.

What is also interesting is that when these visitors arrive it is like I become a tourist again in the city I live in. I want to show them all the interesting sites and take them to all the best places. We went on bike rides, on canal cruises to musuems and concerts and out for some very nice meals. This past weekend it was nice that the Christmas season officially kicked off so the city is alight with decorations which made for a nice atmosphere. Michele and I also went to Utrecht about 30 min south of Amsterdam and climbed to the to of the big Dom (over 400 steps!) All in all I was really happy to play hostess and have such good friends visit and see my life here in Amsterdam.

In between my visitors I saw the Canadian Cirque de Soleil show Totem, made two presentations about Rotary (one to my classmates :), went to see Harry Potter Pt.1. and tonight I am going to the Opera. Life just doesn't seem to slow down. This weekend I will relax and stuff myself with some turkey as some American friends celebrate Thanksgiving.

To any American readers have a Happy Thanksgiving! Christmas is just around the corner and here in Amsterdam temperatures are supposed to slip to a frigid -5 this weekend. With the winter feeling, who know maybe we will even get some snow.

So with my visitors now gone it is a return to real life, this means studying and preparing for the end of the Semester, which happens to coincide with Christmas. This is the next big thing to look forward to, I am definitely excited to be going home to see my family and friends.

Ciao for now!

Laura

Meike, Terri and I near the Amstel river.

Terri and I at Paradiso for Broken Social Scene!

Michele at the top of the Dom in Utrecht!

Michele and I inside the Houseboat Museum.

Susi in front of the Big Cirque Tent for Totem.

Lest we Forget

I want to take this weeks post to reflect on November 11th, Remembrance Day, which in Canada takes place this week. It is interesting that in my program, everyday I am studying and reading about war and armed conflict, and it is sometimes easy to forget, the people out there fighting and those who have in the past. I wish I could join everyone this week in wearing a poppy. When I was living in Belgium on my Youth Exchange I travelled to Ypres for the Remembrance Day Ceremony and when I was in Germany during University I travelled to Vimy Ridge to witness celebrations there. This year I will be unable to leave Amsterdam on the 11th as I have my most important seminar aptly titled "The Changing Nature of War". The Dutch don't recognize the holiday but I will take a few minutes at 11:00 to pause and reflect on the real affects of war.

After a couple of weeks of studying and writing I finally finished all my assignments. The new semester has started already and with that comes new classes and new challenges. I have a much heavier course load for the next 2 months so unfortunately I won't be continuing with Dutch classes at the moment. Though I did pass my exam with top marks.

When I handed in my last assignment last week I went out for a celebratory dinner with some friends. We went for Indonesian food and shared a bunch of typical dishes which were all really delicious. After the dinner we went to see The Social Network, which had my friends and I debating intellectual property and privacy rights the rest of the night.

Last night was also a unique opportunity in Amsterdam, as all of the city's 45 museum stayed open until 2am. The city was buzzing with activity much more than is usually the case. I went to see the Tropenmuseum, which has exhibitions on natural sciences, the Aquarium and the NEMO, one of Amsterdam's most popular museums, which has many hands on science exhibitions.

Today as the first Sunday of the month I returned to the Westerpark near my house to go to the Sunday Market and fortunately it was another great day. I can feel that winter is on its way though and I think it might be time to pull out my winter coat.

For now I will return to my readings on International Criminal Courts and Tribunals, one of my new classes that is really interesting. In fact at the end of the month we will be going to visit the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Den Haag which is really exciting.

All the Best from Amsterdam.

So very close to Flanders Fields.

Building Bridges - Between the Cultures

WOW and WOW!! I officially have a new favourite city.

My trip to Istanbul was great!!

There is so much for me to say that I know I won't fit it all in this one post.

First off Istanbul is the 2010 European Capital of Culture. I find this interesting in two ways because first off, it is definitely an amazing cultural centre. I was there for only four days and I hardly scratched the surface of all the interesting things to do and see.

Secondly, in this context Turkey is referred to in a European capacity. This is definitely a controversial topic as Turkey has been advocating for membership in the European Union for the past five years.

That is one thing that Istanbul definitely has going for it. It bridges the gap between West and East. With ties to both Europe and Asia, Turkey is able to find a balance between different peoples, cultures and lifestyles.

Turkey definitely fits the mold for this year's Rotary theme of "Building Communities, Bridging Continents", quite literally actually. I stayed in the Asian part of the city with my friend Melek who is Turkish. It was really nice to see her again and we both got to practice our Italian which was great. She was completely amazing in showing me around and making sure that my short time in Istanbul was full of amazing things to see and great things to eat.

One of my favourite things to do was just to take the boat across the Bosphorus from the Asian part to the European part. Most of the major tourist sites are in the European part. I was able to see many of the important places such as Topkap Palace, Sultan Ahmed Mosque (more popularly known as Blue Mosque), Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern, Galata Tower...

I also did some shopping at the Grand Bazar and the Spice Market. Both impressive in size and action, bargaining is a Turkish way of life. Also Melek and I were invited for tea when we were discussing prices with one group of vendors.

One of the big highlights of the trip was the relaxing Turkish Baths - Hamam. With the combination of humidity, hot water and a special turkish hand towel for getting rid of dry skin, I felt like a baby at the end of the afternoon.

Just walking around the city was also pretty amazing. There is so much life and tourists and locals blend together especially in the area around Taksim Square and also down the busiest street in Istanbul: Istiklal Avenue.

Lastly for the food, I can't even begin to describe all the wonderful things I ate. First off because most of them have turkish names and I can't remember what they are called. Secondly because I ate so much. Melek's mother had some really great meals cooked for us, stuffed pepers, cheese pastries, dolmas... We also had the traditional kebab and many desserts, the best being Turkish baklava :)

I arrived home yesterday morning to my subscription of the Economist with a 14-page special report on Turkey. I feel like it is meant to be, and I know I will find the perspectives as put forward by the journalists rather interesting having just come back from Turkey's biggest city.

Since this week is vacation I am still off school. But that doesn't mean I am not working. I have my papers to finish up and also my Dutch exam Monday night. Not to mention, new courses start Monday with a whole new stack of readings to go along with them.

So now it is back to reality, but after such an amazing trip I am sure to find some inspiration and motivation.

Ciao for now.

From the top of the Galata Tower

Melek and a friend with Baklava

Hagia Sophia Across the Golden Horn

Inside the Blue Mosque

The Spice Bazar

The Past, the Present, the Future

I just got home from Dutch class and we started learning the past tense this week. This is officially the last week of the first semester of my studies. Time is flying by. Just a brief update on the going ons in my life. It's in point form, because forming coherent sentences at this moment not relating to international law is difficult ;) I am very focused as you can tell.

The Past:

Seeing the Dutch national football team dominate the Swedes 4-1 at the Amsterdam Arena!!

Meeting up and eating Dutch Pannenkoeken with a past Rotary exchange student, Lukas, who had stayed at my house in the Soo, and his family.

Attending a Rotary Fundraiser Event of my Host Club, we had dinner and played Musical BINGO, which I WON!! All to the benefit of the IMC WeekendSchool, which benefits Dutch students from underprivileged neighbourhoods.

The Present:

Finishing my paper for Public International Law and starting my paper for the Changing Nature of War.

Studying for my Dutch exam.

Recruiting authors for the Amsterdam Law Forum's next issue - Health and Bio-Ethics.

Hard at work!

The Future:

TURKEY!!! This Friday I will be taking a little vacation to visit a friend of mine in Istanbul. I am really excited to be shown around the cultural sites by a true local and to eat all the delicious Turkish food!

When I return I will have to deal with submitting my papers and sitting my exam, but I know I will take the time while I am away to relax and enjoy all that Istanbul has to offer.

Back to work for now.

Daha sonra bakın (See you later in Turkish)

The Pre-Game ceremony.

Happy the Dutch Team won!!

Dinner with Lukas Zielinski and Family.

Me with my prizes from winning Musical Bingo.

My Rotary Counsellor Wilko and another Scholar Miao-Chien from Taiwan.

Happy Thanksgiving Canada!!

I hope that everyone having celebrated Thanksgiving this past weekend is recovered from the Turkey comas.

Unfortunately the Netherlands has no typical autumn celebration like Thanksgiving. But that didn't stop me from cooking up a storm with a Canadian friend of mine on Sunday afternoon.

We gathered with some friends of ours and gave thanks for many things, the great weather being one of them. Everyone is in shock over how nice it has been here lately. All weekend and even continuing to today. The air definitely has a crisp fall feel about it, but the sun is shining and the sky is blue. It is perfect biking weather :)

For our Thanksgiving meal we were not able to locate a proper turkey, so we had chicken instead. Served with carrot soup, mashed and sweet potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce and salad. And I even made Apple Crisp for dessert. One tradition we definitely followed, was eating until we were stuffed.

It was a busy weekend for me as I also visited a Dutch friend of mine I had met in Rome. Saturday she took me to a dutch them park called Efteling. We rode all the roller coasters and enjoyed an atmosphere or kids running around freely, which reminded me a lot of Disney World. I also had dinner with her family Saturday night and it was such a nice experience to sit around a table and be immersed in dutch language and feel part of the family. It brought me back to my experience as a Youth Exchange Student.

I attended my first Rotary meeting last week and was introduced to the small International Club here in Amsterdam. I will return to make a presentation in the new year. But, for tomorrow I have my first official presentation at my Host Counselor's club and I will even attempt to say some of the presentation in dutch.

Tonight though I will be going to see Holland play against Sweeden as a Qualifier for Euro 2012. I know it seems like a long way off, but they definitely take soccer that seriously here. Both teams are undefeated so far, so it should be an interesting game.

All the best from sunny Amsterdam :)

Laura

A relaxing weekend. Now back to work.

A rainy Saturday, led to the clouds clearing and one of the nicest days since I arrived here in Amsterdam on Sunday. I broke out a skirt and a tank-top for likely the last time this season.

Realistically who can stay inside and study when the sun is just calling you from the window. The nice thing also was that it was the first Sunday of the month and there is a Sunday Market at the Westerpark, close to my house, which sells handmade clothes, artwork and also bio-food. It was nice to go relax and eat lunch just sitting alongside of one of Amsterdam's canals.

Sunday was also a day or relaxation after getting all fancy on Saturday for a Rotaract Gala Ball, with Rotaractors from all over Europe. I attended the event with another Canadian and a previous Ambassadorial Scholar, Katrina and her boyfriend from Belgium. We had a great night, networking, chatting with people and dancing until our feet hurt. Tonight I will be introducing myself and making my first presentation at the International Rotary Club of Amsterdam, luckily this I can do in English :)

More good news, is that I applied and was selected for a volunteer position within the Faculty of Law as a Student Editor of the VU Law Journal. ALF - Amsterdam Law Forum, looks for scholarly articles or opinion pieces relating to different topics as they fit themed issues. I am currently looking for Professors and/or Researchers in the field of Health Law for our issue coming out in January. I am really excited for this opportunity of extra-curricular involvement!!

That just means that I am even busier now and that I better get back to reading for Public International Law as I am presenting the case study this Friday.

Hope everyone is doing well. Once again enjoy the pictures.

Drizzle :)

Is what it is currently doing outside here in Amsterdam. Which in a way is perfect. Tuesday is one of my days off in the week so when it rains I am more likely to stay inside and do some studying.

I am working on an essay on the Construction of the Wall by Israel in Occupied Palestine, which relates to current topics in the news which is always great.

This past week I have been especially focusing on school, but I did take a break on Saturday night and watched "The Hurt Locker" with some friends. The Oscar Winner from this year, really is worth checking out and it had us discussing the issues surrounding the War in Iraq and the everyday lives of soldiers affected by these conflicts. I guess in the end, considering what I am studying, this too related well with my course work.

With all of the readings and essays, it's a good thing I am really enjoying my program. This week we have a guest lecturer coming on Friday to speak about "Securitizing the West". Then on Saturday I am going to attend a Rotaract Amsterdam organized Gala evening. So hopefully next week I will have more pictures for you all.

Laura in Amsterdam missing the Fall leaves of Ontario

xoxo

Routines

"Routines" is the dutch word used to describe the new rules of the language that I need to learn in my dutch textbook. And I feel that after being in Amsterdam a month, that is definitely starting to be the case. The routine of University life is settling. As a student you always know your place and the comfort of studying is returning to me. Of course that also means that I have two 5000 word papers to write in the next month, but I will get to that.

Tuesday mornings have become a tradition of going for bagels with my roommate and friends in my building and today was extra special, as it is a friend of mine's birthday. It is nice getting to know all these new people. I always feel lucky that wherever I go, I am always fortunate to meet great people.

This past weekend a friend from the States came to visit. Erik studies in Maastricht and we met at a Pre-Departure Conference for the Ambassadorial Scholars in Kansas City. It was nice showing him around the city and also we visited Amersfoort and met with the other Scholars in the Netherlands. We are quite a diverse group. Saturday night we went out for Moroccan food with many of my colleagues from University. There are quite a lot of different ethnic restaurants in this city, and hopefully I will get to explore some more as well. Though there is always the typical Dutch pancakes to fall back on. Lekker!!!

One other big piece of news is that I have booked my first travel adventure for the end of October. I think I will keep you in suspense a bit to see where I will be going. Guesses left in the comments are welcome, I am interested to see if anyone will get it :)

Tot de volgende keer.

Laura

Fijne verjaardag!

Well even if I thought it wasn't possible, my weeks here in Amsterdam seem to keep getting busier and busier.

There definitely doesn't seem to be enough time in a day as I am trying to adapt to returning to school and having hundreds of pages to read in just days. I find it rather interesting in my program as it really is multi-disciplinary. Some students are from law backgrounds and some from political science backgrounds. We are really training are minds to think in a different way and to see conflicts or case studies in a different paradigm.

This past week I met with my host Rotary counsellor here in Amsterdam and he provided me with some resources and contacts to involve myself in the Rotary world. This is another learning curve as Rotary is different all over the world and seeing how all the different clubs and districts works is really interesting. This coming weekend I will have the chance to meet with other Ambassadorial Scholars, in a town called Amersfoort.

My dutch language course is also going well and my fellow students and I are learning how to introduce ourselves and others. The new phrase of the week is Fijne verjaardag! or Happy Birthday! I celebrated my 24th Birthday yesterday and I enjoyed celebrating it in a new city surrounded by new friends (even if I do miss all my family and friends from back home, thanks for all the birthday wishes everyone :)

Saturday night was the big party as around 30 people came over to my residence building with all different sorts of international food. We had Chinese dumplings, bean dip, potato fritters, curry...and I made some Tiramisu for dessert. It was a great evening with people from all over the world and it really brings into perspective the large international community in Amsterdam, though there were a couple of Dutch friends as well.

Saturday I also visited the Zaanse Schans, which is an area just outside Amsterdam with lots of Windmills. I am sure you will find some of the pictures really interesting. The dutch are quite resourceful and this is not more evident than when looking at the concept of the windmill. It was another gorgeous weekend and even though it rained a little bit on the morning of my birthday, anytime I was outside I managed to stay dry. I am still on the hunt for a nice pair of rain boots and I am starting to get the impression that the Dutch don't wear them much. Instead they have the dutch clogs :)

Well I will leave it at that for now. I am going to go finish my dutch homework, a short story about myself.

All the best :)

Laura

Water Cycling and Pancakes

Finally, the weather has taken a turn for the better. The past 5 days have been really gorgeous, and by gorgeous I mean sunny and 18 degrees. It made for a really great day Friday for 'Water Cycling' with all the students and professors in my program, the Law and Politics of International Security. They really have been rolling out the red carpet to welcome us.

Saturday was just as nice and I took a bike ride with a girl from my residence floor in Amsterdam's nicest park the Vondelpark. It was nice to sit and relax and have lunch on an outdoor patio and watch people go by.

Sunday I met with some of my colleagues from the VU 'foo' and we explored around the city. It really is interesting to get to know a new place, not as a tourist or a guest but as an inhabitant. I hope that the more I discover the more I can make Amsterdam my own, though it might take awhile before I stop getting lost, all the canals and bridges in the city centre look the same :)

Today is officially the first day of lectures and I start the most important mandatory class in my program "The Changing Nature of War". I am looking forward to discussing and learning from my 28 classmates who come from 14 different countries, ranging from South Korea, Afghanistan, Mexico, Hungary, Latvia...

Later today I will also have my first official dutch language course. We will see if I will start in 'absolute beginners' or just 'beginners'. Wish me luck....Veel Succes!!

Ciao for now. Enjoy the pictures.

Laura

Ik heet Laura. Ik woon in Amsterdam.

Time for Introductions.

I arrived safely in Amsterdam a week ago today. And everything has been a whirlwind since then. Almost literally. The shock of the weather here has been the biggest adjustment, fall has arrived with a bang and it is raining and windy and quite cold.

The VU (pronounced 'foo' in Dutch) has been very welcoming. I have met international students from so many different countries. I had the United Nations for dinner the other night, 8 of us, from Honduras, Peru, Germany, Romania, Lithuania, Estonia, Spain and myself. Most of the people I have met are Masters students like myself, and we are all studying in different fields.

I also attended a Dutch language session and start language classes next Monday night. This week my faculty has the introductory lectures and I will attend a meeting with the Supervisors and Professors. Not to mention 'Water Cycling'. I will let you know exactly what this entails, if I survive :)

Speaking of cycling, one of the first things I did after registering with the city and opening a bank account was buy a bike. Something in the Netherlands that is more of a necessity than anything else. It will just take some time getting used to the rules of the road, as everyone here takes it quite seriously.

I have spoken to my Host Rotary Counsellor and have been in touch with previous Ambassadorial Scholars, now actually settled in Amsterdam, one who is a Canadian. I hope to attend a Rotary meeting soon and introduce myself.

Now I am off with my South African flatmate to make our place a little cozier, namely a trip to IKEA.

Ciao for now.

Laura

Inspiration for New Background

Hi All.

I had inspiration to add this background to my Blog as I received a message from the Netherlands, letting me know that I should prepare for the rain waiting for me. So the first thing I did today in Toronto was buy a raincoat. I am here awaiting my departure for the Netherlands and spending some time with family.

Also today, I received a record number of e-mails all with details pertaining to my departure. The most exciting one being that my scholarship money has arrived in the Netherlands and is waiting for me. I also have course registration to take care of and a mentor group waiting to welcome me.

Everything seems to be fitting into place, though I can't say the same about my luggage. You would think I would be getting better at this packing business, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Only 3 more days until I leave! The next time I post I will be doing so from Amsterdam.

Veilige Reis!

Preparation for Departure!

Time is winding down before my Scholarship Year begins at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Excitement is building as I am organizing all the last minute details. I just hope I will manage in packing my two small suitcases with everything I will need for a year. Everyday brings more news from the university and I have never looked forward to going back to school more.

Tomorrow I will be making my first Pre-Departure Presentation at the Rotary Club of Petoskey.

As the year continues I will be keeping everybody updated on my adventures, so stay tuned.

Tot de volgende keer!

Laura