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.