Kenny In Euro

[kennyineuro]

6 August 2014 - THE LAST JOURNAL ENTRY  Above is a set of pictures I took throughout Benelux that intrigued me for its political and rebellious nature. Some of the pictures evoked my feelings of disapproval others empowered me. Throughout the world there are people who want to to address societal injustice--so do I. This is my last week with the program and I even have a final on Friday. The fifth week just snuck up on me but even though it feels like time has gone by very fast, I recall so many long days and how much I've learned on this study abroad experience. Visiting and getting the opportunity to study in the Low Countries was one of the most fulfilling trips I have ever taken. I've traveled to a number of places and even studied in Southeast Asia. However, I can not say that any of the places I traveled to before was as insightful and meaningful as the Low Countries. The reason for feeling this way is because I've learned so much and everything I've learned contributed to my academic knowledge, my personal growth as a human being and further perspective of my interest in social justice. The way the Professor approached this program really resonated with me. A lot of the days, in the mornings I would learn about history, government, politics, society and culture from the professor or guest speakers between different countries and different provinces. I was able to learn so much about these ranges of topics and I attribute this to Professor Dewulf's ability to present his material in a easy-to-understand and interesting manner. A lot of the material I learned was very interesting to me and gave me the satisfaction of understanding the low countries more and even beyond that more about Europe and the context of the world in relations to the Benelux countries. As a whole, I can confidently say I understand the world much better than before.  After that, we would visit sights that related to what we learned that very morning. In this manner I was very engaged with the places I saw because I understood the context of where I was. I never had a connection with the Benelux countries Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg before so I'm glad I traveled here.  After participating in this trip I will treasure what I've gotten out of it--it was definitely eye opening to me because I don't know when else I would be able to immerse myself in Europe and study about the Low Countries. I don't have a favorite memory but I have a few favorites. I met the Prime Minister of Luxembourg and a mayor of a Kortrijk in Belgium who was former Secretary of State. It was a great opportunity to meet these two people because it gave me another perspective on politics. Since high-school I've had doubts and I also had times of optimism in government. These feelings toward the political process was always volatile but now I'm confident change can come out of it--there's no perfect method of governing in my opinion but there's the potential for a fair and just society. Another experience I enjoyed was just learning about the history of all these places. A lot of history that was taught between grade school never stuck. Though the class focused on history and art because history overlaps with so many topics I was able to learn about colonialization, political systems, controversy, culture and everything in between which made it all interesting. So really that's been the best thing for me: learning. I'd say this was a really fulfilling trip because this trip has made me feel that I'm gaining a lot of insight rather than posing in front of monuments for the sake of it. This trip has inspired me to appreciate traveling more. Instead of a touristic approach, taking a student approach has been many times rewarding. This trip has helped me outside of learning about the Dutch Countries in understanding my visits of other countries and states on my impressions of them. Like I wrote before, studying in Southeast Asia the motherland of my roots did not have a big impact on me. I definitely think a large factor was my learning experience did not take a big role on my journeys over there. In this sense, the Low Countries has helped my self-growth and for that I appreciate my experience so much.

[kennyineuro]

5 August 2014

Today we got to explore Louvain. One of the things we did was visited a cathedral where a missionary named Damiaan was buried. We had a tour of the city of Louvain where we learned about the different aspects of the city between the church and the government. At the end of the day we went to the University Library of Louvain and had the opportunity to walk up the University's bell-tower and learn about the history of the building. At the very top of the 280 step walk up, our tour-guide surprised us by playing three American songs on the bell tower's carillon. 

Learning that Louvain held a significant college student population, reminded me of the Berkeley college town. Learning from the reader and on the tour that there was so much rich history made it exciting to learn about.  One of the things I learned today was that the old industrial part of town was being destroyed in order to for apartment complex's to be built. On one of the images portraying how the future apartments would like, I read in spray painted words "Yuppy Bullshit". I asked the professor if he thought that this city could reflect the gentrification happening in the Bay Area, California. In terms of the population living there he said no because the population was not historically working class or poor however the spray painted words led him to agree upon the fact that there were disgruntled people in the community that did have conflict with the ongoing construction of the apartments. This was interesting to know that a college community like this one has so many similarities with Berkeley.  

On our tour we were able to go up to oversee the city of Louvain. There I saw the back of a giant statue that I learned was Mary the Holy Virgin. What was unique about this particular statute was she had a crown and was portrayed as a strong figure. According to our tour-guide, she was meant to represent the power of God and was there as a protection of the castle and the monastery on top of the hill overseeing the city. She was there to protect the monastery against the influence of the city. I've never seen her portrayed as a mighty figure and in retrospect it makes me think how religion varies in ideology and practice. Many wars were the result of religious differences which led up to conflict. To see this statue reminded me further how religion can be.

Arriving at the Catholic University of Louvain's Library, I continued comparing the city with Berkeley. According to the reader, I learned that this university was officially founded by the Pope and remains the largest Catholic university in Europe. However, going on a Louvain city tour, Professor Pisture told us that it is a common misconception of people to believe that the church influences the university today because in actuality, the university is independently ran. Another part of the reader that caught my interest was reading how there were students back in the 1960s who would stir up unrest and formed student unions to demand things like secularizing the university and that classes be taught in Dutch. In that sense, the political activism that went along here happened concurrently as students back in Berkeley mobilized for things like Ethnic Studies and Organic Food.  Going up the bell tower of the university, I learned that during both World War I and World War II, the Library was destroyed. In World War I, German troops burned down the city. In World War II, it is unclear who burned down the city but arguably it was between the English and Nazi Germany. It was very fascinating to me to learn that the University Library was a "political building" according to our tour-guide. The architecture of this building post-World War I, after the first time the building was destroyed, was reconstructed by the renown architecture Whitney Warren known for his work in designing the Grand Central Terminal in New York City. The building was significant in terms of being political because Warren attached political symbols to the building. The first symbol I learned was of all the  American Universities that were engraved throughout the building which honored their contribution of books to the University. Another symbol I learned about was a statue of the Virgin Mary wearing a helmet and holding a sword stepping on a German Eagle alluding to the first World War. Such a statue portrayed in such a militant and strong manner was definitely a interpretation that was also new to make like the previous statue of Mary I saw today. Throughout the building there were images and statues of bald eagles and lions which represent the United States of America and Belgium. Never have I thought that architecture could hold political value and to me this is great to know and respect the amount of work and thought that goes into making a building such as this. Clearly, this building stood for the liberation of the country during World War I and to me it makes me think how strong of a role a building like this has on people. 

Going around Louvain today was really informative. I really appreciate being able to see sights that are politically and socially intense. Looking at the industrial part of town being destroyed for high-end apartments in contrast to the messages written with spray paint indicating their dislike of the "yuppies" moving in gave me more of a sense of the community's issues. Furthermore, being able to go to Louvain University's Library was a enlightening experience for me in regards to the political value architecture can hold. 

This is a pillar with the word "CALIFORNIA" engraved on it to represent the donations that UC Berkeley contributed to the reconstructed Library.

This is the Louvain University Library. In the middle is the statue of Mary with a sword and helmet stepping on a German Eagle.

[kennyineuro]

4 August 2014

Today we took the train out of Ostend to make our way to our last hostel destination in Louvain. On our way there we went to Cassel which is considered to be French Flandres. After that we went to Kortrijk and got the opportunity to see a Medieval Benguinage where a sisterhood of lay people once lived. We also had the great opportunity to meet the Mayor of Kortrijk and a former Minister of Belgium. At the end of the day we visited a Church that preserved the golden spurs from fallen French knights that Belgians would collect as proof for their victory.   

Going to Cassel, the French Flanders, I learned that it was formerly a province of the Low Countries but was later annexed by France in the mid-seventeenth century. Though it was seized by France, it still preserve some of its Flemish identity even today. Originally we were scheduled to see the local Museum, Musee de Flandre which is dedicated to the Flemish history of French Flanders, however we were unable to since it was closed. However, it was a nice experience to visit this historically unique city that was once part of Belgium. We were able to walk up a hill where we got a great view of the city. At the sight, we saw a statue of a man on a horse named. We learned that he was the General of the Belgium army during World War I. We learned about how he was celebrated as an iconic hero that liberated the Belgians by beat the Germans and ending the war. However, we also learned about controversies that surrounded him were questionable. His war tactic of leading thousands of troops to their certain deaths to win the war is seen as an un-honorable and selfish decision because this led to so many deaths in order to ensure he'd receive glory and credit for the war that was won. I really like learning about people and history through a critical lens. History is taught as if its factual but there are always perceptions written within history that influences how one understands history. It's important to be cautious of what you learn because even today's recorded history e.g. articles and publications are found out to be incorrect and biased.

Going to the Beguinages was interesting after learning about it in the reader from class. The Beguinages was a closed community where groups of women led a religious life but did not want to partake in full holy orders or could not gain admission to a monastery (Andre De Vries. "Flanders" 128). It was amazing to learn that the last Beguine passed away just several years ago and had a statue made in her honor. 

Going to Kortrijk we were also surprised to learn that we would have the opportunity to meet the Mayor of Kortrijk: Vincent Van Quickenbourg. I personally thought it was a great experience being able to hear from the Mayor since policy and government interest me. He was a former Minister of Finance of Belgium so having national experience and local experience was insightful. I thought it was interesting how the Mayor mentioned a major current issue was how once young people of the community moved out (e.g. college) they did not move back in and how the city is trying to promote the city for young people. This made me think of my own community on how those who attain higher education are able to move out of the working-class community and contribute to the few numbers of professionals within the community by perpetuating the inequality gap. Young people are important for a community because they are the base of the community for the future.

The mayor made it clear that working at the local level made it easier to see projects and policy get implemented. For a long time I always thought government in general was very slow and unproductive. However in retrospect, government at the local level can make a lot of influential change that may get national attention. Last summer I worked in Chicago, and the Mayor was able to implement an unprecendented project and campaign that protected the community against aggressive Big Tobacco. Now thinking about this, being innovative and the first to implement something new is important in the progress of a country. If a project succeeds there's a chance that it'll gain attention by the national government and be implemented across the country as well. At the end of our brief question and answer session with the Mayor, I asked him what are some rejects he's excited about. He listed a bunch of things: a new museum, a new high school, wireless internet for the city, a new water system. This brief encounter with the Mayor of this small city in Belgium gave me a new perspective on government--something that I've been highly critical of since high school. 

After visiting Kortrijk we settled in a hostel in Louvain. Slowly as this program comes to an end, we hear less information about the places we go to since we learned it previously upon arriving to them. Neverthless I feel like I'm still able to learn a little more about something each day and it has been rewarding to do so.

Controversial General of Belgium during World War I

City view of Cassel towards the direction of the Low Countries. 

[kennyineuro]

1 August 2014

Ghent was the Belgian city of today. Starting early and ending in the evening, we took the train to Ghent from Ostend and were taken on a Ghent city tour by Professor Dewulf's former professor: Walter Prevenier . (How cool is that right? Your professor's professor!) After that we went to the St. Bavo Cathedral, formerly St. Petersburg Cathedral where the famous paneled painting "Adoration of the Mystic Lamb" by the Van Eyk brothers was located. We then went to a museum on Ghent and were free to look around until we were picked up by a host family who prepared dinner for us. During the tour by Mr. Prevenier, he told us how Ghent was previously one of the biggest cities in Europe during the middle ages--it was even bigger than London and was second only to Paris. I asked how large the population was today and there are 240,000 inhabitants compared to back then's 100,000. To think this was one of the greatest city's in terms of population size and wealth just made me think a bit. It's incredible a city can have on the world and how easily a city can fall from that prestige. In addition to this, as a result of industrialization this city was known for its textile production. The exportation of textiles was what gave revenue to the city. In return they would import meat, fish and grain as some of their trades. Furthermore further income for the city came out of taxes levied on ships who loaded and unloaded. Along with the ability to levy taxes on warehousing "guaranteed a steady income" (Andre De Vries. "Flanders" 67). Reliance on other countries was a key characteristic of this city because they did not grow their own food. This just shows how important codependency is. Mr. Prevenier also regarded Ghent as one of the few cities that preserved its authentic Medieval architecture. It was really fascinating to hear all the interesting facts he had to tell us. One of them was definitely when he showed us the location of where they sold their meat produce. Apparently the roof was an inverse ship. The person who owned the meat produce site had experience with ship building and so the roof of the meat distribution center was topped off with an inverted ship! By far that's one of the most interesting roofs I've ever witnessed. At St. Bavo's Cathedral it was great to see the painting of the "Adoration of the Mystic Lamb". Though honestly the first time I've heard of this piece was during class a few weeks ago, that alone made it an interesting experience. Also, knowing the story of the theft of the panel made it quite a precious piece worth looking at. The strongest memory I had at the end of the day was with the host family that invited us into their homes. This Belgian family from Ghent that four of us were hosted in their house was such a pleasure. It was such a great opportunity to have time with locals of Ghent. Our host's name asked us to call him Ghee. He drove us to his lovely home and there we had a typical Flemish meal that Ghee's wife Hilda made. The meal was a raw fish, cherry tomato and cheese appetizer, a chicken meatball pie with french fries, and vanilla ice-cream topped off with chocolate and whipped cream for dessert. By far, this beat all the outside restaurant, market and fast food I've been eating. I'm glad to have eaten Belgium food--especially with a Flemish Family. The family taught me some things I never knew. For one, depending on the beer, there's different ways of pouring the beer. Another thing I learned was the education in Belgium was incredibly low compared to the states where tuition for University is practically free with a couple hundred dollars as payment per year. To think how a few years ago students in Europe rioted as a result of tuition increases while in the United States for the most part there's conformity. At the end of the day it was a great opportunity to visit this historic city. In terms of trade and wealth, it's incredible to see how time changes the scenery. Like how though many buildings preserve the former middle age style, the buildings are now reused for other purposes such as the Marriott Hotel, restaurants, markets. Also during the evening it was humbling to meet a family from Ghent. They were very welcoming and made insightful conversation. This just made me think of my upbringing how talking about social issues, politics, history wasn't the norm. There wasn't the educational and language compatibility for me to do that with my parents but with a Belgian family it was. That just made me think. Opportunity isn't equalized for all that's for sure. Even the city of Ghent was humbled through history

This is the canal in Ghent that is used to export and import goods. The orange brick building on the left was a fish market and the building on the right was a meat market during the middle ages since it made easier to transfer these goods from imported ships to the buildings.

[kennyineuro]

31 July 2014

Antwerp was at one time an important developed and wealthy city in Belgium. Today it still remains an important site due to it's key location in Belgium and it's port that allows the city to export but also import from many different countries. Like Andre De Vries said in "Flanders: A Cultural History","Antwerp was the world's cultural capital and greatest port, something that Antwerpers remember"(193) This is the city we visited today where we were able to visit a cathedral, walk under a river, tour some historical sites, go to a museum and visit a well-known Chocolate Brand. At the church, Professor Dewulf told us that an image of Pocahontas was present. She was supposed to be a symbol as a result of her conversion to Christianity. When Professor Dewulf pointed me out to Pochahantos and several others out to the statue, I had to ask again where she was because she looked like any other figure. He then reaffirmed himself by saying "with the feathers". Here I saw a carving of a woman with feathers, the thing though was she looked European. She looked like any other European woman portrayed at the time. I was thinking one of two things. First, maybe this was how she looked. Two, she definitely did not look like this. I trusted my latter thought. Here was a clear case of assimilation at its best work. Pocahontas was converted to Christianity and the statue in this cathedral misrepresents her appearance. Learning from the Professor, I finally figured out what the statue of a man throwing an object was. I had seen it at a tourist souvenir shop once before but I did not know what the statue represented. Finally seeing it today in person, I immediately recognized it. It was the same statue of a man throwing some object. It turns out that this statue was a symbol of Antwerp. In Dutch, "ant" means "hand" and "werp" means "to throw". Now after hearing that, I thought "oh that's what that was: a hand". After that I just thought about how bizarre that was, a chopped off hand being thrown. I did enjoy when the Professor told us about the myth of this statue where a man cut off a giant's hand and that made me appreciate the statue and the symbol of Antwerp however. Antwerp was and still is a key location for business because of the ports that operate there. After Bruges lost it's prestige, Antwerp became the  new big city of the time. As a result, the city of Antwerp built a church and intended to have two bell towers right next to the other--one more than Brussels to show how great it is. However, the city didn't have the funds to finish the second tower and so it was never built. I understand grand architecture is indication that a place or individual or whomever, is wealthy. I don't understand why visual grand architecture is an immediate first. Antwerp ended up not even building the second tower. To me, I just think of how it wasn't the best choice of investment. However, it still serves as a nice monument of the past. At the museum today I was only able to visit a couple of exhibits. The ones I did saw were pretty interesting and took a lot of time to appreciated. One exhibit focused on the concept of power. Before I found that this exhibited the concept of power, I first entered a room that had a group of television screens side by side one another making a circle around the room. On the television screens were different images, video clips and audio bits. I saw a painting of the French Revolution, the famous statue of American soldiers pushing the flag pole, Obama, Ho Chi Minh, a group of men cheering on the streets of a possible protest, the man who stopped the rolling tanks in Tinammen Square, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King. There were dozens of other figures and events that I saw but weren't familIar with but after learning that it was an exhibit on power, I could see this piece was made to show a collection of different events and figures that symbolized power dynamics throughout history. I wasn't able to watch it all but watching this piece was very powerful to me. Throughout history there's always been a struggle for power. At one point Antwerp had that power and after that it didn't. Power is very destructive such as how one image was of Ho Chi Minh which reminded of the Vietnam War. Power can also heal people such as how Martin Luther King healed people's struggles with his hope for equality. Throughout this course and history as a whole, I think in one another power is present. It is desired, infectious, and a source of human history.

This is an image of Pocahontas from the church in Antwerp that I thought looked misrepresented

[kennyineuro]

30 July, 2014

Today we went to Bruges which was only a 15 minute train ride from Ostend. We went to the city's archives and were able to see significant old documents that dated back to the 13th century. We toured the city throughout the day and learned a little bit about  the different sites we saw such as buildings, sculptures and monuments. Then we went to a church and as a surprise addition to today's schedule from the professor, we were able to see Michelangelo's renowned Madonna statue. At the end of the day we went to Bruges well known museum: the Groeninge Museum.

Upon arriving to Bruges all I kept thinking about was a movie. I was trying to recall this movie "In Bruges" because like the title says, takes place in Bruges and I wanted to try to remember if I recognized any buildings. Unfortunately I didn't but at the very least by the end of today, I was able to appreciate the true Bruges and not the  Hollywood portrayal of Bruges. When I watched the movie I mentioned in high school, I did not know Bruges was located in Belgium and I definitely did not know it was specifically located in the northern region of Flanders. After today as soon as I was able to walk around Bruges it was clear that it had architecture that dated back to the middle ages. The professor made notes of old buildings that retained its original wood so I was able to recognize how the retrofitted buildings differed from the buildings of back then. For the wealthy at least, from the outside their houses seemed as good as houses today. A key symbol of this city is the Belfrit which is the prominent clock tower of the city. Like other clock towers in the Low Countries, it represents freedom and was a sign of the city's wealth.

I noticed right before every hour music would play. This seemed a bit odd to me because I've been accustomed to hearing the ringing of the bells signaling the hour first and then after music would follow with other clock towers--this was a first for me.

At the City Archives it was really notable to me to learn that the city transitioned from Latin to writing in Dutch centuries ago. To have learned that other archives in other countries were being written in other languages than Latin made me think about how fast this change was for Bruges. I would think that this was one of the reasons Bruges was one of the most influential cities in Europe back then. Different approaches to the norm is always acknowledged by others.

Hearing from the Professor that we were going to get to see the Madonna was exciting. I had heard of the Madonna before I knew it was a famous sculpture. I found out that Michelangelo sculpted the Madonna. While most of his art is located in Italy, this rare exception located in Belgium is the result of wealthy Church owners who purchased the Madonna for their church. I recently saw the movie "Monument Men" while on my flight to Europe. I learned that one of Hitler's goal was to steal all the famous and prestigious art work in the world and have it all placed in a private museum for himself. towards the end of the war because he knew the war was lost, he ordered that artwork be destroyed. In the movie, one of the artworks that was rescued by the Monument Men was the Madonna so that it was really interesting to have had the opportunity to see it in person.

At the end of the day in retrospect, I learned a lot of small details about Bruges. However, I think if I learned more about the city's history I would have appreciated the city much more. For example, just like when we visited Ypres yesterday, we were told that this city was a reconstruction as the result of the First World War, Bruges was too a reconstructed city as introduced in Andre De Vries’ “Flanders”:  “Bruges owes its appeal to its homogenous medieval appearance--and it is precisely an appearance, for much of the city was reconstructed in the nineteenth century” (119).  That information alone reveals a lot about a city. It's struggles, it's history, it's culture--these are key themes I want to further explore  a little more about Bruges. Furthermore, not only am I going to learn more about Bruges, from now on before I visit a new place, I am going to make an effort to learn about it--even a little. If this class has taught me anything, history is extremely fascinating and can offer a lot of depth in understanding the world as it is today. However, for history to be fascinating, their needs to be a suitable medium. For me, boring history books aren't my calling but I know there are other avenues to learn from and that’s what I’ll do.

This is an image of Michelangelo's famous Madonna statue. It is one of few of Michelangelo's works that is outside of Italy. 

[kennyineuro]

29 July, 2014

Today we went to Ypres, a small city that holds a lot of historical value of World War I. We went to In Flanders Fields Museum that served as reminder of World War I. Today a man named Wouter served as our guide on this day dedicated to World War I. He started off giving a presentation of World War I and spoke of war weapons, war clothes as well as talking about histories of people during the war. After that we explored the museum and was able to learn a little more about the war of trenches. Then Wouter gave us a tour of the city which was reminiscent of World War I wherever we went. At the end of the day we were able to see the evening ceremony that occurred every day in remembrance of the perished lives from the first world war.

Ypres is a city that is recognized as a symbol of peace today because of the importance that is attached with the city's history. Even though Belgium has been known for its neutrality because of the region’s advantageous positioning across neighboring countries, Belgium had the unfortunate experience of being brought into the War/ This is what happened in World War I “when the German crossed the frontier on 4 August 1914” (Andre De Vries: “Flanders” 282). Upon arriving we learned that the entire city was destroyed during World War I. It was then reconstructed as it was pre-World War I to preserve how it was before the war instead of constructing an entirely new modern city. This is very interesting because upon entering, the architecture could easily be confused as one created during the middle ages. Winston Churchill proposed that the remains of Ypres after World World I should be preserved as a monument to the war and the consequences as a result of it. However the people of Ypres thought else wise and reconstructed the city by making a carbon copy of the original. I think a decision like this is important. In a war so detrimental, it was important to preserve the history and memory of what happened. Though the ruins were not preserved, the fact that a museum, monuments, cemeteries were built in commemoration of World War I reveals the thought placed into the redevelopment of the city. Known as the war that would end all wars, this certainly wasn't true as many wars have manifested. With present day conflict in the Ukraine and Israel, violence and death is still a recipe of war. It doesn't seem like modern day has learned from the past--that or greed and sovereignty doesn't measure up to the deaths of people of the world in the eyes of modern states.

During the presentation Wouter gave, I learned different aspects of World War I. This new introduction exposed me to the the uniforms' soldiers wore between different countries, the weapons they used, inventions that came out of the war and responses to new weapons such as protection and even more destructive weapons. I've been reading a book recently that discusses America's food industry and the origins of the foods eaten in the U.S. In one chapter I learned about pesticides that were invented to address the growing issue of diseased and insect-eaten food. To my surprise the inventor of this was also the man who invented the war gases during World War I and the gas that mass exterminated Jewish people. Wouter brought this same man up and just like he said, in reflection the invention of these gasses were unprecendently destructive for years to come. With these gases, countries down history were given reason to create deadlier gases such as Napalm and Agent Orange by the United States. These gases even affect the entire food industry today. Heavily influenced by pesticides, fruits and vegetables grown on artificial soil turns into artificial foods and translate into "artificial" nutrients. War, without it I wouldn't be here, my friends wouldn't be here, unions wouldn't have been created (e.g. The E.U.). On a personal level, it's a kind of mixed feeling but logically repeated war is incredibly foolish.

I don't recall much about World War I other than it was a war of trenches. Now after learning more, World War I was definitely something that shouldn’t have been missed. It set precedent for all the wars that came after it and was a warning for the future. For me at least, I got the hint--no thanks war   

This is a picture of the Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres. As with all the buildings in Ypres, it is a reconstruction of a pre-World War I context. In addition, I learned that this was previously used for textile production.

[kennyineuro]

28 June, 2014

My last day in Luxembourg included meeting the Prime Minister and having the great opportunity to hear him briefly talk about Luxembourg involving topics on who he is, Luxembourg’s beauty, politics and a little bit about everything in between. Shortly after we got on a bus and made a stop in Wallonia in the city of Dinant where the Belgian inventor of the saxaphone, Adolphe Sax, was born. The rest of the bus ride finally took us to Ostend where the Professor gave us a brief tour where we would begin our remaining time in Belgium.

Today started off bright and early with drying laundry and packing--getting ready for the next city. Soon after, we were scheduled to meet the Prime Minister of Luxembourg. This was a great opportunity meeting a public official of the country we visited.  Not any public official either--the Prime Minister! We all got to meet Prime Minister Xavier Bettel who has been in office for 7 months now after succeeding Jean-Claude Junker. When he was talking, he explained how Luxembourg’s a great place to visit if we had a weeks time. He named several various sites and asked if we’ve been but many of us didn’t--I suppose even if it is a small country, there’s still a lot to see.

One of the points that Mr. Bettel said that resonated with me was when he was said when it comes to being a politician, he can not please everybody. He said even though there are still unpopular opinions out there, he believes what he is doing is the best for the country and that really stuck out to me. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a politician say so bluntly that they can not please everyone. I really like this, because it is very practical. I feel that in Luxembourg, because of the smaller amount of citizens and the smaller amount of representatives, in terms with politics, things get done much quicker than were it in a bigger government system.  

Luxembourg has a population of 500,000. In the capital city there’s 40% foreigners residents and during work hours I’ve been told throughout my stay in Luxembourg that half the population of the capital multiplies 2-fold. Knowing this information made compare this similarity back at home with the United States. I appreciate how diverse the country is, especially with how both countries have been independent countries for only several centuries. With the diversity of the country, there is also a diversity in opinion. Knowing this, it is important to know the voices of the population as “Luxembourg’s politicians are fully aware of the fact that a society with foreign residents making up more than 40% of its population cannot afford to exclude these people from political decision-making, processes” (“History of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg”; 247). If you’re living and working in a country, it definitely makes sense for you to get your opinions expressed and represented. I know this morning Mr. Bettel briefly discussed his interest to give foreign residents the power to vote. He recognizes that there is opposition but believed this was a step towards advancing the country especially knowing that a large portion of the population are foreigners who work full-time in Luxembourg.

Visiting Luxembourg really gave me a new world perspective. The country has a unique history and offers unique insight such as: having formed its national identity through an anti-Nazi stance, consisting of a multi-lingual constituency, holding hundreds of diverse nationalities and cultures, offering unique means for foreign investments.  Luxembourg certainly has an unprecedented nation worth looking at.  It’s great to have learned and visited this non-traditional small country and know what a great role it has on the world.   

"We want to remain what we are" spotted in Luxembourg City. A written remnant of when the people of Luxembourg denounced the Nazis and embraced their nation.

[kennyineuro]

25 July 2014

Today was my first full day in Luxembourg and as a class we were able to cover a lot of grounds. First we had an introduction to the history of Luxembourg and learned that Luxembourg had a similar history with Belgium.  It was in the formation of a new country that their histories began being independent of one another.  I went to the Luxembourg City Museum and learned more about the history of the country. Later on in the afternoon, we received a tour of Luxembourg with Sonja Kmec, a historian at Luxembourg University. She showed us different historical sites, monuments, and key buildings in Luxembourg which made the beautiful sights even more impressive with their contexts. We ended the day going to the Luxembourg Modern Art Museum which featured a lot of unique and bizarre contemporary artwork that didn't make sense--but it was entertaining.  

It was truly different to learn that the country of Luxembourg’s sense of national identity was not a result of their royal family, flag, or any typical national markers but out of their experience with the Nazis of World War II. Like in the writing of "Inventing Luxembourg" (Kmec, Majuers, and Margue) it was the result of years of political tension that gave Luxembourg and their people that their history was being threatened: "World War I…the Nazi regime…the 'four centuries of foreign domination…[was a] threat to Luxembourg" (11). In addition to previous histories, without Hitler, the country probably would not be thriving as it is today. Hitler’s desire to impose German ideology and culture upon Luxembourg was met with refusal when the people of Luxembourg chose to actively disobey. It was definitely out of need that the country created this national rebirth.  It's incredibly outrageous that without the terrible occupation of Hitler that maybe today there might not even be a European Union. Luxembourg after all played a big role in its manifestation. Furthermore, Luxembourg's noriety might not have been so acclaimed as Juncker is about to be the next European Union Commissioner. Nevertheless all of this has happened and Luxembourg has definitely played a massive role in world history. 

It was notable to learn about the fact that what makes Luxembourg so special is that the country has three national languages: German, French and Luxembourgish. Also, I've never heard about a country that was so dependent on its languages as a big factor in running its economy. Learning that by the age of 18, the citizens of Luxembourg are fluent in four language is amazing. It makes me wonder why I couldn’t have an education that taught me 3 more languages than English. Though technically I did take Spanish for three years, in my opinion, I do not believe at all that the United States has any success in teaching our students even just one foreign language. I really wonder what makes European students so well equipped in learning their languages. I think because English has such a dominant presence in today’s world, it is easy for American citizens avoid any conflict knowing just English and I think it is a terrible shame. Perhaps Luxembourg is able to produce such fluency in its population in four different language because the language of instruction often changes through a students educational experience. If a foreign language was the language of instruction in the in the United States, say for middle or high school, I'm sure that students would catch on much faster. At this point though, there isn't the resources or much concern about this as far as I am aware of.

Another aspect of Luxembourg that I found to be fascinating was about the secret bank. People could link their money to the bank in Luxembourg and the details of who the client are is kept confidential from everyone. This concept of the secret bank in Luxembourg definitely seems like one involved with corruption. I definitely see why this is a controversial issue. I wonder just how much illegal money is funneled into Luxembourg through this the secret bank service that country's around the world flock to.

I can't believe I didn't know any of this about Luxembourg. To be honest, the only fact I knew about Luxembourg was that it was a European country and that's saying something. It's clear to me now that despite being the smallest country I have ever heard of, Luxembourg plays a huge role on world economics and politics.

This is a map of Europe at the Luxembourg City Museum showing Schuman's European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). I think Schuman's Plan to avoid future wars through arms regulation was an ingenious one.

[kennyineuro]

24 July 2014

Today we went to the Bastogne War Museum in Bastogne, Belgium while we we were on our way to Luxembourg. After that we arrived in Luxembourg and went on a city tour in the evening.

The museum experience was awesome. I think that was one of the few museums I've ever been in where I wanted to soak in every text, every image, film, audio bit. The way the museum presented World War II was very engaging and interesting. The key features that made it very engaging was the audio guide, the concise amounts of text on the displays, the large photographs marking key events, places and people, and the short movie screening they had about the War. The audio guide gave brief historical information before sections in the museum and also had testimonials of people who experienced the war voiced out by actors so that was very engaging to hear about. I really enjoyed learning the testimonial aspects of the people through the audio guide. Some people testified from a German perspective, others an English perspective, and this gave a holistic impression on the emotions and thought process behind people from different countries involved during the war.

I don't know why, but today looking at the picture of corpses as the aftermath of the Holocaust really touched me. I've seen similar images dozens of times before but today it was different, today this images irked me and sent chills down my spine. I knew that this picture was real and captured all the corpses of the innocent people of the War.

I appreciated one exhibit that taught me about the Belgian Resistance. The Belgian Resistance was a group of people that participated in actions to support the anti-Nazi effort. This ranged in many different forms such as listening to banned radio stations, reading illegal newspapers, hiding people whose lives were at risk and in danger. I remember in lecture I learned about a radical group of collaborators originally from the first World War that sought out linguistic reforms. This same group would later attempt to work alongside with the Nazis as Professor's Dewulf writes in "The Flemish Movement" that "Anti-Belgian resentment prompted these radices to revive the old dream of uniting all Dutch speakers" (199). Ironically, they collaborated with Hitler although he prohibited this pro Dutch speaking country dream from ever manifesting itself .

In one of the testimonials, a woman described about how she could not believe that some Belgians collaborated with the Nazis and betrayed their own people. She followed up her feelings on this by saying she was asked to join the Belgian Resistance and she actively participated by coding messages. This Resistance kind of group to me is seen in such a heroic and glorified light, knowing there are people who are loyal to their fellow people is uplifting. Then in retrospect when I think about this, I think people should be loyal to the people of the world and that World Wars are a hazard to humanity.  

Learning about content from this museum was one of few times that learning about history of World War II--yet alone any history- that touched me emotionally. For some reason, though I know this history existed, a lot of times learning about history I feel so far removed from it that it almost seems irrelevant and seems like a very boring story. Going to this museum really shared the history of World War hat any of these people could have been my family, friends, loved-ones. All this history felt more tangible than through how I once learned it. This feeling I got made me think of how come when I learned about World War II, I hardly remember  much of it. The museum really appealed through the emotions through different sensual stimulants ranging from sight to hearing. This got me thinking that emotion really plays a big role in the interest and empathy when it comes to learning. If learned about the information I learned today through this interactive museum, I definitely would have retained interest.

After going to Bastogne we were able to arrive in Luxembourg and go to the Luxembourg Parliament for a presentation by the staff as well as a very unique Question and Answer experience with the youngest and current member of Parliament of Luxembourg.

I think learning a lot about the content of the sites we’re visiting on this trip makes it very rewarding. This is the first time that I’ve learned so much while getting to see relevant sites to the histories I’ve learned. This has been the most worthwhile part of the trip--learning and appreciating. A quote by Winston Churchill that gave another perspective.

I knew Hitler wrote "My Struggle" while he was in prison but I had no idea it contained the ideologies of what would be the "Nazi Bible" 

[kennyineuro]

23 July 2014

Today we covered a lot of ground. There wasn’t lecture today since we covered the material on Monday. As a result, our class spent time mostly outside doing a lot. In the morning we went to the Magritte Museum and got to look at Magritte’s work which we learned about in class as well as other Surrealist artists. Later on, we went to the European Parliament today and were given a presentation about the European Union. After that we were taken to the European Parliament’s hemicycle (debating chamber) and were give a brief summary of how the process works when it came to debates. At the end of the day, our last visit was to the Parlamentarium, which is a museum on the European Parliament’s history.

Going to the European Parliament and the Parlamentarium taught me a lot. Even though I felt like I learned a lot about the European Union the other day in lecture, this trip proved to tell me otherwise. In addition to learning about the European Union some more, I even learned some more about the United States Government indirectly. First, with the European Union, it was great to clarify that there were three institutions that were involved in the Union’s legislative process. The other day our Professor told us about the structure of the European Union but after learning more today, I realize I did not catch some key distinctions. With the three legislative institutions: 1. European Commission: representing the European Union, 2.  Council of the European Union: representing nation-states and 3. European Parliament: representing the interests of the European citizens. There is also a separate institution called the European Council [not to be confused with the Council of the European Union] acting as guide in providing the union with political direction and priorities. After that it was really clear to me how this system tried to balance its power amongst the nation-states, the union itself and the citizens of the union. That’s what I really appreciate, the spirit of democracy--that people took time to think about how democratic systems should be run. Now, in practice, that’s a whole other issue. However, it is clear that there are people who believe in this idea of a democracy in terms of its values and I think that proves very hopeful to humanity.

Further learning about the Parliament, I learned about how political ideology and representation is important to the union. Though countries have different population sizes, this union knew the importance of representation and opted to favor ideological representation before population representation. When I talk about this I’m talking about the numbers of representatives for each country within Parliament. Because there are smaller populated countries, if there was true population representation, the smaller countries would not be able to have realistic representation of its country. For example, Malta is one of the smallest country in the European Union in terms of population size, therefore it is assigned 6 seats in Parliament. If political representation wasn’t factored in the European Parliament, Malta would not have those 6 seats. This is a factor that really interests me because this is something I’ve never really seen being used to the United State’s two party system. If this was in the United States, any party outside the main parties would not have any say or play a big role in impacting the government norms.

Learning about this made me appreciate the ideology of Democracy. I know it’s not perfect but in theory, it is noble in its cause and I believe it’s one of the most ideal systems in history.

A representation of the European Parliament by political party and gender. I learned that 35.8% of women are represented as MEPs.

[kennyineuro]

22 July 2014

Today was centered around the topic of ‘Belgium in the Congo’. I learned about the history of the Congo in terms of its relationship with Belgium. I learned about Leopold II and how it manipulated Europe to conquer the Congo and exploit the Congo, its people, culture, and land for profit. I would later go on to the Royal Museum for Central Africa with our class and we met up with the staff to learn more about their museum and collection.

Prior to learning anything about Leopold II and the Congo, I was exposed a little bit about the Congo’s exploitation. I learned about this in 10th grade for my English class, so it’s been awhile back but I do remember learning about the Congo through reading Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”. To my surprise in class today I learned that Joseph Conrad wrote this book to expose Leopold II and his cruel practices of the people of Congo. It never occurred to me that this was written during Leopold’s reign and rather I just read the book like another piece of literature. Honestly I do not remember much about the book other than the fact we read it for it’s literary merit because I remember learning about a variety of literary devices used in that book. There was a lot of mis-information between what I learned back then and now. I did not know most of the history that was presented today like learning about the man who explored the untouched parts of the Congo: Henry Morton Stanley. I did not know Leopold was the King of Belgium back then. I didn’t learn about the International African Association that was used as a scientific and research based organization to legitimize Leopold’s actions. I didn’t learn about the cutting off of hands of the native Congolese people. I know for sure I did not learn any of this or I do not remember--either way, If I was taught this for me to not remember this information for whatever reason is a serious issue.

Patrice Lumumba, the first elected prime minister of the Republic of Congo. He had a vision of a united Congo

As I was learning more about the history of the Congo, I learned about post-Leopold and how Belgium took over in control colonizing the Congo. The dominant narrative of Europeans not seeing the Congolese as equals further led to Europeans forcing their culture, way of life, language among other aspects of Westernization upon the people. However this would soon stop when “the cruel system of exploitation provokes an indignant outcry” and leads to Leopold II handing over the  Congo to the Belgian state in 1908 (Petra Gunst, “Belgium: A Historical View”). I would have chills once again on this trip, where this time the professor told us about  “one bright Congolese” (22 July 2014, Professor Jeroen Dewulf) who becomes leader of the Independence Movement in the Congo. The reason this was so crucial when I heard this was right before the Professor told us about this, he said just as we learned about the Dutch colony in Indonesia, as soon as you give people access to education and the brightest to higher education, you end up with a group of Indigenous people who have access to materials that allow them to question the whole idea of colonization. This means that it was possible to fight back against the oppression and that it was possible to find justice.

This one bright Congolese was Patrice Lumumba the man who started the independence movement and the man who would become the first Prime Minister of Independent Congo. Unfortunately he was brutally tortured and later murdered by Katangan and Belgian officers. Regardless he is known as a hero and martyr in the end goal of Africa’s unity and liberation. When I looked him up online, I learned that he was largely attracted by the French Enlightenment and read the works of Voltaire and Rousseau. When I learned about the colonies of Indonesia last week, the reason the natives of Indonesia revolted was because of similar reasons, the natives got educated and learned about the French Revolution amongst other historical rebellions. It’s amazing how history shares so many common struggles and the past has so much to teach times throughout history, the present and the future.

Today I got another history lesson well worth learning--this time around it was about the Congo through a Belgian context. And today I learned more about the strength of the human will, the human belief, and the human’s love for their own.

[kennyineuro]

21 July 2014

Today we had two lectures. First lecture I learned about the culture of Belgium and then a bit about artwork pertinent to that time. Mainly for culture I felt like I learned about colonializaiton, dominance, or oppression in some way or form of Belgium. Second lecture, I learned about the European Union. I learned A LOT about the European Union. There was a time--before today--that I knew the European Union existed, yet what I knew was very limited. I knew that all across Europe the Euro was used and it was during my lifetime that certain country’s currency’s changed to the Euro. However, there was a lot I did not know and I greatly appreciate learning about the European Union in class today because it is very important and relevant, even for a recent grad from California. Today also happened to be Belgium’s independence day so that was exciting, especially because the night of independence day in the United States, I had to board a plane for this trip.

It was really interesting to me to learn about the European Union. Being in Brussels it’s very nice to learn about history that occurs in the place I’m learning. For example, “Brussels has grown to be the ‘capital of Europe’” (Belgium, A Historical View”, Belvue Brussels, 2005 pg. 73). A lot of the affairs that revolve the different European representatives of different nation-states travel to Brussels as members of the European Commission and the European Council. I felt a connection to learning about the European Union at some points--during one moment I had even had chills. When I learned about the conversion of European Countries to the Euro, I immediately thought of my own experience with the French Franc. I would visit France every couple of years as I grew up because my mom had family over there. In the past years I recalled the new currency of the Euro. In fact I was in France about a month ago and realized I was using the Euro. I knew that the Franc didn’t exist anymore, but now I knew why: the European Union.

The moment I believe I got chills was when I learned about the Pan-Europe Movement (Even if It was this moment, I still felt a strong connection to this). The Pan-Europe Movement, the oldest European unification movement was a pre-European Union. It was time where diplomats, intellectuals and others from different countries got together with strategies to get European together. The Pan-Europe Movement flag was actually the precursor of today’s European Union Flag. That just shows how large a tribute the Pan-Europe Movement had towards today’s unity across Europe. I think the reason I believe I got chills was because a movement to have one collective whole with a peaceful agenda for the progress of all societies was something that was unprecedented among modern countries to my awareness. This movement to me is a strong global statement, that people believe in humanity, that believe strive for a better and peaceful world. To me, this resonates a lot. I guess with that much passion and faith in humanity is just uplifting as I am someone who wants to contribute to the world in my own way by helping humanity with whatever I can give back.

I was talking to one classmate and asked him for more information about the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. He told me the reason there’s conflict between a group of Pro-Russian rebellions and Ukraine's is because Ukraine's are supportive of the European Union. My classmate explained to me that it was a matter of identity politic, that because Russia was not a part of the European Union it did not want Ukraine with some Russian allegiances to collaborate with the European Union. Putting this into context, I now understand a little better about what’s happening over Ukraine--this information is all so relevant!

To learn that the European Union is stagnant at this time is so unusual. To have just learned about this information and be told just days before that the European Union met up to discuss its future plans, it is a humbling experience because I don’t really remember that the history I learn is truly tangibly real until it happens to me and happens during my lifetime. The fact that the European Union met up a few days ago and could not solve the issue of who to appoint as the spokesperson of their union means they have to meet in the near future. This means this will happen in my lifetime most definitely. The European Union plays a big role on the world economy as well as world economics, to not pay attention would be living in ignorance. Knowing such information is liberating in a sense but I believe it is also a huge responsibility. With this new acquired knowledge I hope to make use of it in my future studies and everyday life.

The original Pan European Movement's Flag. The cross has since been removed as the movement believed they should be open and welcoming to all religions and not strictly representatives of Christianity.  

[kennyineuro]

18 July 2014

Today during lecture I learned about the history of Belgium as well as a bit of Belgium's political system. I learned about the tension between citizens of Belgians in terms of two different groups: Northern Belgium and Southern Belgium. Prior to going on this trip to the Low Countries of Europe, I found myself not ever thinking about the diversity of other countries and tended to homogenize them with my limited knowledge if any at all. As I’ve been learning on this trip and in class today, it was interesting to learn about how divided the country was and how diverse it was in religion, languages, economic, political and social values. To think of a country as homogenous is naive; I sure did not learn much in high school that’s for sure. After going to lecture today we went to visit the Belgium House of Representatives and the Belgian Senate. For me it was a trip that brought up feelings of nostalgia.   It was really weird for me to learn that currently this country did not have an active Prime Minister or government and held the longest record with a country without a government a couple years ago. Even though there is an interim administration, it’s very strange to have one’s entire country ran without full understanding of what truly is happening and who holds the power. When I think of a country without a government, I think of anarchy and when I think of anarchy I think of cars being lighted on fire, shops being pillaged for their food and resources, chaos ensuing a city as everyone runs around. However, this was not the case as Brussels is “just like any other place [at least any other developed place]”.  

Visiting the Belgium House of Representatives and the Belgian Senate made me recall back my senior year of high school when I participated in a program called the Asian Pacific Youth Leadership Project (APYLP). This was my first (at least memorable) exposure to the American legislative system. Passing through the committee rooms, seeing that the Belgian Senate and House were modeled after Britain and the United States, and seeing the Senate Chambers and Chamber of the Representatives brought back memories of my experience with APYLP. I kept recalling how I learned how the legislative process worked in a state level in the United States and all this looked once more familiar.

The fact that struck out to me was when I heard a conversation between a student and the professor. The student asked what was the point for the Senate because they could not vote. The professor responded with hesitation as he was looking for words but soon after he did confirm that the Senate did not vote. I did not know that the Senate could not vote and I was very confused about this. Compared to the legislative process in the United States, the House and the Senate would vote on bills. Since I was confused I looked up this information and struggled to find out why they could not vote. Finally I was suggested to look at the pamphlet we were given at The Belgian Federal Parliament which gave additional detail to the tour we were guided on. I read a section that headed “What is the role of the Senate” (The Belgian Federal Parliament, Open House - Vistor’s guide) and basically the Senate is able to amend a draft of law while the House makes legislation by passing it. It seems to me that one chamber has more power than the other with the final decision. Though I have limited knowledge on the process, from a first glance I don’t feel like there’s a balance of power. Seems like there’s always going to be concerns about a political system. I know there definitely is in America.

Today was an easy yet informational day. It’s great to have more understanding and depth for the country I’m visiting. Just like in G. van Istendael's own experience in "Brussels"where he's encountered many Flemings who are Belgium that "assume without any further consideration that Brussels is French-speaking," even to the locals, the city has "hidden bilingualism". If not for learning, I’m sure I’d be asking myself “huh?” when natives of Brussels talk French as I just assumed everyone talked Dutch. Ironically this is kind of opposite from G. van Istendael's experience. Learning all about these political issues has re-sparked my political interests and I really want to look into the political atmosphere as of late.  

I passed by this earlier tonight and thought it was a beautiful view of nature's sky and people's civilization--nature created and people created. This is the eternal flame in Brussels which commemorates the lives lost in gaining independence for Belgium in 1830.

[kennyineuro]

17 July 2014

Amsterdam was a great place to visit in knowledge and experience. As today was our last day in the Netherlands as we headed to Belgium in the afternoon, I wanted to reflect about my experience in Amsterdam in general and touch upon some new things I learned in Brussels today.

I learned so much while staying in Amsterdam and the Netherlands. I really appreciated getting to expand my knowledge about these European countries in all aspects of their culture, society, politics, and values. I must say that I appreciated learning about the progressive policies and practices within the Netherlands along with the reality that some of these policies and practices were simply tolerated out of pragmatism. This gave me further perspective in realizing that even with policies and values I agree with, in practice sometimes there may be controversy and that there are always multiple sides that believe something else. For example, when I believed the legalization of prostitution was a solve-all, be-all solution, it wasn’t until I learned from the Professor that legalized prostitution could give way to further exploitation of undocumented workers in the underground black market of trafficking. Also, in terms of tolerance of multiculturalism, as the result of 9/11 there's been backlash against the Muslim community. Wijnand Mijnhardt concludes in "A Tradition of Tolerance,": "Dutch tolerance and permissiveness today seem to be in a quandary" Muslims now are seriously advised to adopt Dutch tolerance and to restyle their Muslim religion accordingly. Full understanding and acceptance is hard and sometimes next to impossible, but it's reality.  

Another new appreciation I had learning in Amsterdam was on the politics within the Netherlands and how there are so many different parties that have a significant say in governing the nation. Furthermore, personally for me many of the parties lean to the left and generally believe in issues I believe in as well. For example, like how some parties believe that the wealthy members of society should be taxed more to provide for the social welfare of Netherlands or even from the views of a smaller political party like the party that strongly advocates for animal rights, it’s amazing that 7 or so different parties can have a say in the nation of the Netherlands. Compared to the 2-party system in the United States, this is on another new level.

The last week and a half in Amsterdam I’ve learned a lot. Learning about the Dutch during World War II, learning about Dutch colonialization of Indonesia or learning about the tensions with the Islam community within the past decade--all these topics I feel are relevant to me and everyone as all these issues are important issues in other societies such as my own in the United States. Whether or not these issues are talked about or discussed, it is still a matter of importance and I believe no matter what society, subjects such as history, culture, values should continue to be discussed.

To change gears now, I want to talk about today. In the morning on our way to Belgium, we made a stop at the Bosch Art Center and learned about the artwork of the artist Bosch who were contemporaries of Leonardo De Vinchi and Michelangelo during the medieval time period. It was interesting that someone was quoted saying that what made Bosch so different from other artists was how he was known to paint someone’s insides: as in their character, and not their exterior: their physical appearance. Many of his paintings were unusual and outright creepy to be honest such as his portrayal of people having deformed bodily and facial features. I suppose this artist who had such ideas must have had an impact as the city he got his name off of honored him with a gallery of his art.

Despite being in Brussels for a brief period of time, I’ve learned more about Belgium in this short amount of time then the span of my life. During our short tour of the city of Brussels, our Professor briefly talked about Brussels and the sites we visited so it was insightful to get an introduction to the city. One of my major qualms of visiting new cities, new countries, new anywhere is being a so-called “tourist”. When I visit someplace new I really want to learn about that place. It really bothers me that these days places of visit are commodified for the presence of tourist. With this culturally, social value is lost and disrespected from my point of view. I know if where I’ve grown up tourist commodified my home--I’d refuse their presence. Though I can’t speak for natives and locals of this country, this is my opinion.

Visiting the Neterhands was a new refreshing experience. Learning a lot I’m excited to bring back all this newly learned knowledge back home. Just as in the Netherlands, I’m excited for what Brussels and Belgium has in store.

  This was one of the first sites I saw upon entering Amsterdam. 

This was one of the first sites I saw upon entering Brussels. I suppose tension is always there between authority and its people. It's global. 

[kennyineuro]

16 July 2014

Today's day was themed around the topic of ethnic minorities in the Netherlands. This topic was especially interesting to me because back in the United States issues of race and ethnicity is something I studied in school and also something I am invested in learning about. In terms of today, I got to learn from the professor about different minority and immigrant groups along with important historical events and key players in the discussion of immigrants within the Netherlands. Later today, I also had the opportunity to learn from two Indo guest speakers at Amsterdam University on Indo history and issues in relations to the Netherlands. 

In reflection of today, what stood out to me was when our professor taught us about contemporary Islam discussion within the Netherlands. The reason this stood out to me was because of how controversial the issues, the ideas and the key figures brought up were. In the instance of learning about Pim Fortuyn, his strong and radical views on those of Islam backgrounds were ridiculously controversial. When I was reading the subtitles of Pim Fortuyn speaking in the videos we saw, when he was talking about why Islam was dangerous made sense. The values of the country were being threatened and according to him they were incompatible. When it comes to issues such as sexism, gender equality, and homophobia to name a few, in the extreme case of conservative Islam, progression on those issues are definitely not comprisable and like Pim Fortuyn said, the ideologies are in fact opposite. However, after learning about muslim Ahmed Aboutaleb who is the Mayor of Rotterdam, it is believable that acceptance of Islam and Muslims is possible in this progressive country. I think when it comes down to it, this really depends of how extreme the views and values of a group is. Conservative Islam in terms of not accepting homosexuals in society and having women submissive to men is never going to mix with gender equality of contemporary society. Therefore, to an extent I agree with some of Pim's belief. Like the professor said, the way Prim presented his ideals were too provocative and aggressive which gave way to his downfall and unfortunate death. Rhetoric and presenting ideas is tricky when it comes to controversial issues. I believe that understanding and patience is necessary for opposing ideas to compromise with one another. If not, all you get is politics where ideas turn in to a war of rhetoric, tact, and foul play. 

Learning about all the different ethnic groups within the Netherlands was a great educational experience. When it comes to the topic of race in the United States, often I recall how when I was young I did not know much about the meaning behind ethnically different people being in one place. Now I know the demographics of an area is the result of opportunity, immigration, colonialization, and oppression. From recalling my own history and presence in the United States and learning about other ethnically diverse people's roots is like painting a story of what happened in the past which explains why people are where they are. It's fascinating to me and the more and more I'm exposed to different patterns of migration, I learn how oppressive people, groups and nations have been to others. In the instance of the black population here in Netherlands, they are descendants of African crop-workers in Suriname--and so they are the product of oppression. Some Jewish communities are in the Netherlands as the result of racial intolerance by the Nazis. Muslim communities, mainly native Moroccan and Turkish groups, are in the Netherlands from poverty in their home country's, motivated by opportunity of being guest workers. There is a common theme between all of these groups, they all have came to the Netherlands one time or another as the result of some form of disadvantage or oppression. 

Later on learning about the Indo people with the guest lecturers. One of the presenters named Ingrid mentioned how the Indo "wanted to be white". This made me think about how oppressive such thinking was. From what I've learned about race in America, people of color who discredit their ethnic and cultural identity in favor of western ideals is a systematic form of oppression and racism inherent in Western society. Ingrid's mention that Indo people were quick to assimilate to me painted a picture of masterful colonialization--making the native people of Indonesia willing to quickly denounce their Indonesian heritage. 

I like to conclude with a passage from Han Entzinger's "Immigration and Multicultralism". At the end of the chapter, he writes how Aboutaleb has to be cautious in his actions: "In a socially, ethnically and politically polarized city [maneuvering very skillfully] like Rotterdam this certainly is a challenge". There is so much to learn in terms of different cultures and people. Learning about all these groups and issues that come with them reminded me of the complexity in raising a society. There is no black and white, nor is there any easy-fixes. Resonating off similar message from Ayaan Hirsi Ali speaking about death-threats targeting her, progression comes with much sacrifice. 

Inspired to sample Indo-European cuisine after today's trip I went to a restaurant called "Sara Citra". Here is a plate of yellow rice, Sateh (chicken skewer w/ peanut sauce), Sayur lodeh (mixed vegetable curry w/ coconut accents) and Rendang (spicy braised beef from Sumatra).

[kennyineuro]

15 July 2014

Upon arrival to Den Haag, in my head I was thinking about how modern this city looked. Immediately I thought of downtown Los Angeles and downtown San Francisco. However after looking at the city some more, I realized how different the architecture of the city was from the streets to the buildings. Looking at some of the buildings was like a contemporary art museum. Although incorporating features of a globally modern metropolis, the city retains its traditional Dutch architecture and patterns.

From what I learned, Den Haag is known as the hub of Netherlands's Politics. This means that a lot of political activity occurs in this city such as the location of national ceremony's, political discussion and debate amongst the House of Representatives and the Senate. The first visit on this trip to Den Haag was visiting the site of the old house of representatives. Going to the former house of representatives there was a book encased in glass that listed the names of the fallen from World War II next to a statue of the former Queen during World War II. Immediately again, like I wrote yesterday, this made me think of how World War II has a tendency to present itself in the Netherlands. Here once more was a tribute to the history of World War II. This just makes me think of how noble it is to preserve these names and history of this important event because of the huge impact it had on the Netherlands and the world. Knowing the queen was next to this book reminded me of the other day when I learned from lecture the day of the Anne Frank museum that the Queen was revered for hosting Orange Radio during World War II. This separated the propaganda of the German Nazis with the voice of the Netherlands' royal family. And once World War II ended the queen became even more popular--I don't know for sure but to me it makes sense why the queen is immortalized as a statue at the former House of Representatives.  

Another site today was going to the Dutch Language Union. There a woman representing the Dutch Language Union gave us a brief presentation on the Dutch language and discussed the organization with us. One fact that stood out to me was how the presenter mentioned that the English language was integrated in all kinds of technology and that it was not a problem to be worried about. She then compared English with the Dutch language to inform us that this language wasn't as largely integrated with technology such as automated voice machines when you call a service or in video games. This one example really resonated to me because when it comes to language, I never really think about how it plays a role in the technological sector primarily because as an English speaker, I am privileged to not give it a second thought as most technology is provided in English. This brief presentation made me reflect of my own mother tongue of Vietnamese and think again about how important this language is to me. Furthermore like our speaker told us, in the reader I read that Dutch people who encounter foreigners trying to speak Dutch will "relish the opportunity" and instead speak to the foreigner in English. (W. Daniels: Talking Dutch; 49) In retrospect this makes me think of how of a dominance the English language has on the world. In a sense, this language dominates and imposes itself onto other countries such as the Netherlands. From my perspective, I find it insulting for people outside of the Dutch nation for people to automatically assume one speaks English--to think of it like that, is thinking in an oppressive manner. 

Today in retrospect, I've come to think that I don't need to know everything about the Netherlands if I forget things, that's what books and the internet are for if I had to revisit a topic. The important matter to me at least, is the human connection I have visiting these places: what I think of, how I feel.  This is a seat map given to me today at the House of Representative showing the array of political parties represented. Definitely different from the US' two-party system.