Important Links

You can view the following important links to learn more about our experiences:
Daily Diary is a group blog where we took turns posting commentary and photos.
Our Flickr page has combined photos from various students in the group.
Our research wiki shows each group's final research project. Mine is called the Dutch Muslim Community

Presentation Photos

Presentation and Coming Home

Our presentation on Saturday morning was very successful; we had probably fifteen audience members not associated with our group coming in and out- about half a dozen stayed for the entire session. Considering there were twelve other sessions going on at the same time, and that it was at 8:30 a.m. in the morning on the final conference day, we felt good about that. Each group presented a really focused talk about their research, experiences, and findings. I will post the link to our powerpoint slides and research wiki sometime when I get home. One audience member talked about this type of interdiscipinary/cross-cultural research as spreading "seeds of peace" and said it was "moving". In my mind, that was the highest compliment as many of us were discussing controversial issues (our group presented on Dutch Muslim relations). It feels great to be done, and I will be coming home in a day!

And then there was cheese...

I am writing about Friday, Aug. 25. I woke up and had breakfast of coffee, juice, and a fresh apple tart from the corner Boulangerie. Then Chris, Engy and I walked to the train station to catch a train to Veytaux-Chillon to tour the Castle of Chillon. On the way to the train station, I stumbled upon a "G-string stand" which was new to me (and very funny), but I guess normal in this different culture...anyway, the castle environment was stunning...Lake Geneva was clear and expansive, surrounded by mountains and vibrant flowers. The castle, from the 12th and 13th century, was very cool to see as it was my first one. The tour was well organized and I enjoyed exploring, especially seeing the crypt and climbing around between each chamber. It felt surreal, like a movie set. Several paragliders were visible in the sky during our time there, doing somersaults in the air. We saw a couple of swans and a really cute miniature brown lizard on the way out- of course, hitting the ultra-touristy shop there before our departure!

And then, there was cheese...we headed to Gruyeres on a fancy train with plush green material on the seats, gold trim, and tables that folded down so we played a game of "Go Fish" on the way. Beautiful scenery from the train! I felt like there were about ten different shades of green among all the hills, trees, and little lakes we saw. The landscape was ripe with brown, black and white cows. We arrived at Gruyeres and immediately purchased a late lunch of fresh bread, cheese, and salami. One of the best cheeses I have ever tasted in my life! We went on a cheese tour which was actually geared toward young children ages 6-12 (nice of them to leave that piece of info out)...the audio tour was told from the perspective of a very silly female British cow named Cherry. One of my favorite bits was her saying "Hot, isnt it? Just like when the milk comes out of my udder- all warm and frothy! It takes 400 liters of milk to make a 35 kilo cheese!!" I did learn that cows have four stomachs, so I guess the tour was worth it(?)

Finally we headed back to Lausanne for the group BBQ with Paul. On the way, I found an interesting beverage- iced tea with Swiss cannabis flavor- which I quickly consumed without any unfortunate side effects (or any pleasant ones, for that matter!). The group dinner was fun, and we gave Paul a card and bottle of scotch with our thanks and appreciation. Went to bed early to get enough rest. What a lovely day in Switzerland!

Switzerland

Tonight is my last evening in Amsterdam before heading to Lausanne, Switzerland for the conference where we're presenting the research projects. I plan to eat at a favorite restaurant, an Italian one around the corner from my dorm, which serves delicious food at cheap prices. I have been there the past couple days so they recognize me!

We leave at 6:15 a.m. to get to the airport and catch an Easy Jet flight to Geneva, then take a train from there to Lausanne. The conference begins Wed or Thurs, and we have to present on Saturday morning. We did a "dress rehearsal" this morning, and it went very well. It's amazing how much progress we have made in only three weeks time. Last night my group went to have dinner with an Iraqi woman and her two wonderful teenage daughters in their home. The homecooked traditional meal was very tasty and we talked education, politics, etc- Engy did much translating from Arabic to English. The woman had been a high school science teacher in Iraq and now cannot even volunteer here because she wears a headscarf. It seems ridiculous to me. I've learned much about what the "Dutch tolerance"means in reality vs. on paper...and from this perspective, many things re: ethnic populations & prevalence of discrimination here echo the U.S. environment for African Americans during the 50's and 60's.

Time to go. I am really looking forward to visiting Switzerland before heading home. I miss everyone and wish you could all be here to directly share the experience!

View of Utrecht

Visit to Utrecht

On Saturday, we traveled to Utrecht, which is a half hour away by train. We visited the Dom, an beautiful church with a bell tower...went on a guided tour, climbing over 400 steps to get near the top. What a stunning view of the city!

Dinner with Trish

Last night I met up with Trish and we had a delicious dinner at an Argentinian steak house- had a big steak with bleu cheese topping, a baked potato, salad, and a Hoegaarden beer. It was lekker (delicious)! It felt so good to have a break and spend a few hours with her. The evening was beautiful and as I walked home to my dorm, I felt like I am just starting to feel more comfortable here. Today I plan to sightsee and RELAX as much as possible! Tomorrow we are going to Utrecht for a day excursion.

Group Dinners

Every Wednesday we have had a group dinner at a different restaurant in Amsterdam- this photo shows about half of the participants in the trip, there are four graduates (all in LIS) and about twelve undergraduates, plus the two instructors, Julie and Clifford. We have a Dutch University of Amsterdam advisor who answers our questions about culture, politics, etc. and keeps us from getting really lost.

More pics

Church in The Haag
Guy dressing the window dummies
Chris, Kathleen & Engy
(Here are a few more in The Haag!)

Photo attempt

Hopefully you can view these photos from The Haag day trip!

Update

Yesterday was a gorgeous sunny day and I got to do some shopping and walking around. We met with the lecturer who presented last week on Islamic extremism and he was very helpful to discuss our resesearch issues with. We had coffee/tea in a very nice student cafe which had canal side seating and plenty of comfortable space inside as well. Today I hope to spend some time with Trish, who I have hardly seen since I arrived here due to our busy schedule!

Photos from the last week

Fun in The Hague! Note: after trying to upload these photos 3x I gave up!

Updates

It has been extremely difficult to find time to blog here. Everything- lecture, transportation, meals, etc takes about twice as long as expected. It is very hard to find enough time to do the research although we have had success with meeting subjects through a snowball technique and have really been enjoying learning about the culture here through their eyes. We hosted three Dutch Morrocan Muslim guys last night at the dorm, feeding them Mexican and Egyptian cuisine (I did the clean-up!) and discussing pop culture and political issues. They are taking us to another mosque tomorrow and showing us around their neighborhood, which is a non-touristy area in North Amsterdam.

Engy and I have merged our research focus to study the information needs and patterns of the Muslim community. (Much more information science based!) Our instructor from the iSchool, Trent, was here for a week and really helped us to figure out a new direction. We had a great time hanging out with him and eating an amazing Indonesian meal one night.

One of the biggest frustrations here is the rain. Other than a few mostly sunny days, we have had PDX winter type weather and going out into it and getting drenched is getting old! Today has been beautiful though so maybe a change is coming...

Gay Pride

Here are some lively photos of the Gay Pride parade!

More photos

Gay PrideDinner for Engy's b-day
Interesting architecture in Amsterdam Statue in Brussels
My Breakfast

More photos

Yum- my first Belgian waffle! Kathleen and IHome Sweet Home

Hi, I am finding myself very busy so for now here are some more photos of my adventures in Amsterdam.

First pics

Here are my first pics of Amsterdam!

Hoi

Hoi (hi) from Holland! It is my second full day here, and I am having a great trip so far. The flight went smoothly, although I didn't sleep a wink...Lufthansa has tasty airline food and high quality service (i love those hot steamy towels they give you to clean your hands)! I admit I did have a few moments of being overwhelmed upon arriving, thinking 'what have I gotten myself into'? But thanks to Trish- who picked me up at the airport, gave me my first Strippenkart (bus ticket) helped carry my luggage and got me to my dorm (she even made up my bed!)- I felt very welcomed. It is great to re-connect with an old friend.

Kathleen, Engy and I got up early this morning and walked to a cafe- very cool, cozy atmostphere, kind of a cafe/thrift store-with used dishes, light fixtures, and records around- I had a cappacino and croissant with strawberry jelly. It is true that everyone is fluent in English and it's challenging to practice Dutch since immediately when you begin speaking they switch to English. I have learned just to say "U.S." when people ask where I'm from- being as specific as Portland, OR results in puzzled looks. It's also true there are bikes everywhere- you see parents wheeling two kids around in a passenger bin attached to the front of the bike. I haven't seen one bike helmet, as compared to home where almost everyone has one.

The main challenge of my research at this time is finding contacts to interview. We have some professors to talk with so hopefully they have good suggestions for us. I am surprised not to see more women with headscarves walking around town, but it seems to be a lot of Dutch and then the tourists. I have heard there is a large Morroccan population in East Amsterdam so we may venture there soon. Well, almost time for dinner, so I will sign off for now...