Journey North

Now the "travel portion" of our program is really picking up. Thankfully, that means that the school portion is significantly declining. I returned from my crazy Spanish adventure on Monday, went to my internship on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then was off again Wednesday evening.

Pause. I just mentioned my internship. I haven't really elaborated on this so far, seeing as most of the posts are just about my weekend excursions. During the week I do real work. I'm interning at this company called FORATOM which is a trade organization that represents the nuclear energy industry to the European Parliament. Basically what I'm doing is writing reports on a few issues that they are going to give to their members. No bitch work involved. According to my supervisor, that's why they hired four secretaries for an office of 12.

Play. You all want to hear about my travels, not my boring work. Here's a little bit of both. Wednesday evening we boarded a train to the Hague and then had some speakers and visits on Thursday and Friday. The highlight was on Friday we sat in on a trial at the ICC (International Criminal Court). The ICC is basically a baby court for universal human rights violations and has recently finished its first trial. The trial we observed was for Germain Katanga who recruited child soldiers in his warpath through the DRC. Best part: Katanga was actually there testifying. I sat about six feet away from this war criminal who was, I might add, dressed in a baller ass African robe sort of thing. From what I could gather, this guy was a straight g among his own people.

We also took another Jerry walking tour around the Hague. It was short, but the Hague is definitely a cool city.
 

On to the main event- Amsterdam. My past two weekends at Oktoberfest and the Barcelona had me on the tail end of a party binge that may have contributed to why I didn't rage like a maniac this time around. Conveniently, Amsterdam is perfectly situated to accomodate such a dilemma. I simply enjoyed walking around the city admiring the quaint beauty of it.

That last sentence sounded like the most innocent of activities I could possibly engage in. But hold up. In Amsterdam, walking is a liability. There are hoards of bicycles everywhere, ready to flatten any unsuspecting tourist who dares venture into the bike lane. You think the Harley Davidson biker gangs are tough? These crazy Dutch people with their oversized, outdated two wheeled cruisers are menacing.

bikes on bikes on bikes

That's not the end of it. I don't know if it's the Dutch liberal drug policy or what but we saw some people do some pretty damn wild things. Exhibit A:

He's high. Off the ground.

Needless to say, this floating dude above deserved way more than the 50 euro cents I dropped him. Most European street performers suck. This guy was legit though. Another reason why walking around Amsterdam is not an innocent activity. Hint: They are female and cost 50 euro per 20 minutes. Yessir, the red light district. Windows on windows of barely clothed prostitutes trying to tempt you out of your money. Photos are strictly prohibited, thus I have no photos. Not sure they would really be appropriate for this site though. Two funny things about the Amsterdam hos. One. They are either tapping on the glass trying to seduce you or are casually smoking a cigarette, texting, or even eating a donut. If I'm in the market for a prostitute, not sure I want one who's simultaneously shoveling down a long jon (jokesjokesjokes). Two. These hos are legit. And by legit I mean they pay taxes on every uhh hard earned euro. Combining the fact that the Netherlands is a welfare state, these poor ladies probably don't walk home with very much moolah at the end of a busy night. 

The last component of Amsterdam that requires mention. Coffeeshops. That's the stupid euphemism for weed bar. You can walk into these places (provided you look 18) and purchase pot without having to feel bad that you are fueling the Mexican drug wars. They even give you recommendations on what kind to buy. Subsidiary effect of this "legal gray area" industry: an equally as thriving munchie industry. Every kind of food you could imagine from a good old Mexican burrito to some dank Asian noodles. And everything in between. I just wonder how the city is going to stay afloat once they begin restricting tourists from coffeeshops.

One more mention. While wandering around the city looking for a museum that cost less than 10 euro (bullshit if you ask me), we wandered into something I would have never expected. Occupy Amsterdam. Exactly the same thing as Occupy Wall Street except remixed Dutch style. When I say remixed Dutch style I mean pretty much the same bs but with a funny accent and way more bikes. I wish the site would let me upload this video clip I have of a Dutch guy arguing that the "1%" gains all their power by letting the asians (pronounced ay-see-ans) take all the Dutch peoples' jobs. Je ne sais pas.

I don't understand why anyone would complain about living in the Netherlands

Je ne sais pas 

Nice costume, bro

This is how I view the "Occupy" series of protests. Exactly how I view the "Jaws" series of movies. The first one was cool, the rest were a failed effort and really sucked. But they all were unrealistic. A 25 ft shark in New Jersey? come on.

Also, I turned 21 today. That doesn't mean shit here in Europe. Guess what I'm doing for my birthday? Well, I intern from 9-5 then board a bus for Luxembourg. How many Americans turn 21 in Luxembourg though?