Bye bye summer. Hello Den Haag.
Welcome back to my travel blog!
This summer I'm working (well unpaid interning, yet again...) at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in the Hague, Netherlands. I arrived on Sunday and will be working until August 7.
So far the Hague is... cold. It feels like it is early April! If I was riding a bike home from work today, I definitely would have wanted mitts! It's also quite windy because we are right on the North Sea and it rains frequently... soooo there goes any idea of summer. Pretty sure the 3 pairs of shorts I brought will not see daylight within this city. I've decided the weather in the Hague is the anti-Kampala and I miss UG weather dearly.
However, I will say the biggest benefit is CHEAP CHEESE!!! I can get Steph's favourite Boursin cheese for less than 2 euro. I've been to the grocery store twice now - yesterday and today (I can't carry much in my backpack and it's right around the corner...). Yesterday, my first time, the grocery store was PACKED - like Costco on a Saturday! I couldn't understand a single word in Dutch and didn't know the lay out of the store at all. Result - completely overwhelmed. So embarrassing and pretty funny. Oh well it'll get better in time I'm sure.
In my apartment there are 3 other girls. Effie (or Efrat) is from Israel and is interning at the ICC. Natasha is from Bosnia and she works in the Registry at the ICC. Christiana is from Italy and is interning the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) with me, which is nice because she's been there 2 months or so already. My room is kind of small but it's okay because I have a nice big window that looks out onto the gardens in people's backyards below. I even saw a beautiful heron yesterday.
I had my first day of work today and it went really well. I met a bunch of other interns and met those interns who I will be working with for the summer. They are from all over the world and seem like a really great crew to work with! I'm actually looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. Right now my supervisor just has me reading stuff to get familiar with the case, but I'm a little nervous as to what happens next. Another intern Victoria said once she finished reading they had her writing a motion - something she's never done and she just had to figure it out on her own! Definitely not the kind of handholding I think a lot of my friends will be getting back home.
Anyways, that's all I feel like writing right now. I'll write more soon (probably). Oh and just fyi: won't really be able to be as open about my work as I was last summer due to the high level of confidentiality required by OTP.
This summer I'm working (well unpaid interning, yet again...) at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in the Hague, Netherlands. I arrived on Sunday and will be working until August 7.
So far the Hague is... cold. It feels like it is early April! If I was riding a bike home from work today, I definitely would have wanted mitts! It's also quite windy because we are right on the North Sea and it rains frequently... soooo there goes any idea of summer. Pretty sure the 3 pairs of shorts I brought will not see daylight within this city. I've decided the weather in the Hague is the anti-Kampala and I miss UG weather dearly.
However, I will say the biggest benefit is CHEAP CHEESE!!! I can get Steph's favourite Boursin cheese for less than 2 euro. I've been to the grocery store twice now - yesterday and today (I can't carry much in my backpack and it's right around the corner...). Yesterday, my first time, the grocery store was PACKED - like Costco on a Saturday! I couldn't understand a single word in Dutch and didn't know the lay out of the store at all. Result - completely overwhelmed. So embarrassing and pretty funny. Oh well it'll get better in time I'm sure.
In my apartment there are 3 other girls. Effie (or Efrat) is from Israel and is interning at the ICC. Natasha is from Bosnia and she works in the Registry at the ICC. Christiana is from Italy and is interning the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) with me, which is nice because she's been there 2 months or so already. My room is kind of small but it's okay because I have a nice big window that looks out onto the gardens in people's backyards below. I even saw a beautiful heron yesterday.
I had my first day of work today and it went really well. I met a bunch of other interns and met those interns who I will be working with for the summer. They are from all over the world and seem like a really great crew to work with! I'm actually looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. Right now my supervisor just has me reading stuff to get familiar with the case, but I'm a little nervous as to what happens next. Another intern Victoria said once she finished reading they had her writing a motion - something she's never done and she just had to figure it out on her own! Definitely not the kind of handholding I think a lot of my friends will be getting back home.
Anyways, that's all I feel like writing right now. I'll write more soon (probably). Oh and just fyi: won't really be able to be as open about my work as I was last summer due to the high level of confidentiality required by OTP.
Well it definitely sounds different from Uganda. The weather , the work and yes the food. I suspect that they are cutting the apron strings to see what you are made of ... don't be afraid to go out and start asking questions from EVERYONE. Knock on doors, catch people at coffee!
ReplyDeleteYou will learn a lot, meet some amazing people who are willing to help you as they get to know you.
Keep up the good work.. Does it mean that I need to pick some Dutch before I come to visit?
DAD
Hi!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like your adventure has started out really well! If it makes you feel any better, this week we've had temperatures go as low as 4C...it's not really feeling too much like summer here either.
I bet you anything by the end of this trip you'll be a pro at working your way through the grocery store - I know I would with great cheese prices like that!
Have you had a chance to explore much yet? What's your neighbourhood like? Do your roommates all speak English?
Can't wait to hear more!
xo
Rachel