Politics & Culture Intersections

World Government students kicked off Session II ready to experience as much of Amsterdam as possible.

In just the first few days, students explored the local neighborhood of Oost, Dam (city centre), and the unique Artis Zoo.  Our guides, Jan and Azam, have introduced us to Oosterpark, the Hidden Church, Dapperstraat Market (street market) and an overview of the canal system which is larger than Venice’s! The streets are buzzing with bikes, trams, and a few cars which keep us on our toes as we walk from the hostel to the Study Center at Amsterdam University (UvA).

In Dutch class, students tackle learning phrases to use in their explorations. Our instructor, Jordan, guides our practice by modeling pronunciation and providing a ‘cheat sheet’ of vocabulary students can take with them when practicing in the community. Greetings such as “Hallo” (Hello), "Alstublieft" (Please) and “Dank je wel” (Thank you) help our students connect with the local community.

To prepare for our trip later this week to the Hague, Amsterdam’s government, our teacher David led lessons about international politics.  During one lesson about the many political parties in the Netherlands, local representatives of two different parties (Elisabeth IJmke, GroenLink and Dinah Bons,BIJ1)  shared their experiences with students.  Profound civic discourse centered on the nuances of politics occurred during our lesson about the role of the United Nations. Energy is high as we dive into preparing our presentations for the end of the session.