First impressions and friendly translators

        They say first impressions are vital, and once you have made up your mind it is pretty hard to undo what's been done. Having said that, lets just hope this virtual space will give me a hand with that and help me out. As you all might figure, I am a student in Utrecht, particularly,Master Student in LLM Law & Economics. I will try my best to give you a proper view of what it is like to study here in Utrecht (And living in Holland!).
      My name is Maria Laura, and I come from the other half of the world (Half and then to the left, and then to the south), Argentina. I arrived to Holland on the 2nd of April of this year. Knowing that a lot of changes awaited me, I decided to travel early. This adventure (I still feel like it is one) had most of my friends puzzled. Mainly because of my choice of the country, and some of them were worried about the language. Little did they know I had undertaken a 4 months course of dutch in Buenos Aires and after all that time I can proudly say... I can count. And that´s about it. Somehow numbers came easy on me. The rest.. well.. geen idei.
      My relationship with Utrecht started with a trip and ended up with my enrolment to the University. I had my doubts regarding studying abroad, primarily because I was scared about the system, I do, in fact come from a very different environment. Luckily, (although I do not particularly believe in luck, there must be a reason under this) I sent an email and I got myself an appointment in the university. After my meeting nothing could stop me. My fears were not vanished but the hope and confidence became palpable. There is something about the way the staff treat you, like you are somehow important and valuable as a student and frankly, I never felt that from an educational institution in my life. Of course, my day dreaming about changing the world was struck by reality, as the deadline for inscription was closing 48hs after my meeting. Emails and buses and trains passed by and I became a Utrecht Student.
      During a personal research I found that Holland is one of the most welcoming countries of the world. English is spoken by the majority of the population (except for my 85 year old neighbour and his wife, with whom I had long and completely incomprehensible-at least on my end- talks). So technically language is not a problem to be very worried about. One of the things I love is that the dutch curiosity makes then very sociable when you try (and try and try) to speak their language. They are instantly drawn to ask you where you are from, and how they can assist you. Once, not so long ago, I was trying to get a special breakfast in a supermarket and the girl at the counter spoke no English at all (I failed even at the word breakfast; since it's not a number the word escaped me). A woman that was passing by, literally on her way to the isles decided to step by and become my personal translator (very United Nations style). She basically ordered me breakfast, and continued with her shopping.
    Since I did not know where I was going to study, of course, I found a house and a job before I found Utrecht. So currently I I'm living in Haarlem (delightful little city, you should visit and I could give you a very limited but enthusiastic tour) and working in Amsterdam. As far as cities go, Amsterdam can get crazy, loud and then act completely normal about it. When the sun comes out (and yes, sometimes it does! Or so I've heard) boats appear from the canals and as summer comes to an end, loud students appear and sing inexplicably 'beautiful' songs; families pass by with no hurry whatsoever and tourists gather to snap 437 pictures of the surroundings.
     As an international student I know how difficult and challenging it can be to live far away from home, let alone study. The pressures, the fears and insecurities seem to erupt from within, but please do not worry. We are in Holland, we are in Utrecht and there's a lot of us out here. Every time I feel I have doubts I figure no one was ever born knowing everything, we are here to learn and make mistakes. There is no evil in mistakes, they are choices and to make them (and to have the courage to take them) is the only way to succeed. If we hadn't walked out of the door and went to the airport, things would be different (not good or bad, better or worse). But this was our choice and we can definitely make it through.
     In this blog I wish to share what is going on in my head as a student. I'm not perfect nor I intend to be, and this is going to be a challenge.I'm happy to be able to share at least part of my journey with you all.

Netherlands v. Chile/ Procrastination v. Thesis

Hi everyone,

Unlike the usual monotonous Mondays, today is an exciting day in Master’s land. Today is the third Netherlands game in the World Cup (and the third day of football-induced madness) topped off with the first of a series of final thesis deadlines.

Students in our LLM, depending on who is your assigned supervisor, are doing small jumps for joy and happy dances as they submit the final draft copy of their thesis to be graded. Submitting the thesis (otherwise known as the small *fingers crossed* masterpiece you have been working on for weeks) today means you can get it back with corrections, receive a provisional grade and have the opportunity to edit it one last time to go up a maximum of one grade point. For those who are highly organized, avoid procrastination and are immune to the many distractions of summer, it is a good opportunity to receive feedback. For me, I will be steadily plodding along to the final deadline of July 14^th, working out the nooks and crannies of my arguments on the insanity defense at the ICC and hoping in vain that my footnotes will magically edit themselves during the night.

Among the many distractions of summer, it is hard to ignore the thrills of the World Cup, even for those who only find themselves drawn to football once every four years. The Netherlands is truly a football-crazed nation, and the World Cup is certainly no exception. Walk through the streets on a World Cup match day and you will find outdoor TV screens, decorations that rival the national holiday and (of course) people dressed head-to-toe in bright orange.

The excitement grows with every game as the Netherlands claimed victory against both Spain and Australia and are marching on to the next round, with the remaining game against Chile to be played out tonight. It is hard to escape the infectious cheers of HUP HOLLAND! that spread across the city after every goal. If there was ever a moment to see the party spirit of the Dutch, it had to be the celebrations following the Netherlands 5-1 win over Spain, a sweet revenge against the team that took the finals four years ago.

Fans cheering as the Dutch team scores a goal in the World Cup

For those who don’t like football, there is still plenty of distraction. Many of my classmates have managed to sneak in a quick holiday (or two) over the past few weeks, sharing pictures of sun-soaked places while I enviously work away at my thesis. My consolation is that my flights for summer holidays are booked and I will soon have a few weeks back in Canada after being away for an entire year. It’s just enough time to get a taste of all my home favourites before returning to the Netherlands - my new home away from home.

The joys of getting to the end of the programme and handing in the thesis are also met with the reality that most of the people in our programme come from far away and it’s just about time to return home. Some people have already gone home early (because you can write your thesis from anywhere) and most are planning to leave this week. The class is set to have a final dinner on Wednesday, a final hoora to a year well spent and good friends made along the way. There will certainly be many promises of reunions with those good friends we wish would find a job in the Netherlands and stay well past this year.

While others jet off to start new jobs, travel, or spend the summer celebrating before continuing with law school back home, I will be happily continuing my student assistant work at the university and looking forward to staying in the fairytale city of Utrecht long past the end of the programme. Aside from very studious ICC-related reading, I am reading the many adventures of Foeksia de Miniheks (Foeskia the mini witch), a popular Dutch children’s book. Learning language and culture is a continuous process here and there is always something new and unusual.

This week, I thought the sight of a schoolbag hanging from a flagpole outside a house was the result of beer-fuelled World Cup antics, only to be informed a school bag is placed on the flagpole of the house to signify that someone has just successfully graduated high school. It’s just another long-held tradition that you bump into along your way as an international student.

As the Dutch say “Doe maar normal, dan doe je al gek genough” –  Just act normal, then that’s already crazy enough!

Tot de volgende keer/Until next time,

Erin

Moot Mayhem, Family Visits & Marvelous Weather

Hi everyone,

This morning marks the end of the latest much-loved visits from my family, my second official day of work at the university as a student assistant and the true beginning of thesis time (perhaps best referred to as crunch time).

Last week was nothing but moot, moot and more moot as the Utrecht University team took part in the much-anticipated ICC Moot Court Competition 2014. After a few last-minute mooting sessions with guest judges, we packed our bags (filled to the brim with our smartest business clothes) and headed to The Hague for the start of the competition. After receiving the legal problem in November, submitting our written arguments in February, and practicing our moots until May, it all came down to the week of the competition.

The sun beamed all week as teams from 50 universities descended upon the Leiden University campus located in the center of the Hague to take part, network, and of course show off their extensive knowledge of international criminal law.

The competition is set up so that all 50 teams participate in the initial main rounds of the competition. Several mock court rooms are lined with three desks for each counsel – Prosecution, Defense, and Government – and a panel of three (inevitably intimidating) judges listen to pleadings and pose questions to test your ability to be flexible with the material and back up your point of view.

I acted as counsel for the Government of Southeros (the fictional country to which I’ve spent so long reciting a speech about that it’s hard to believe it’s not real) along with my researcher. The pleading of 20 minutes (including questions) is followed by a 10-minute rebuttal, with a short sticky-note infused scramble to prepare in between. Luckily, my researcher not only knew every piece of information, but had a colour-coded system to make sure I did too.

After three excellent oral rounds, well worth all of the work we had put in, we waited in anticipation for the results. Unfortunately, only the top 9 teams can advance to semi-finals (based on both written and oral rounds), and we didn’t get the chance to move forward. The exhaustion of late study nights combined with the competitive spirit of the competition made for a mixed reaction to the news – one part relief for not having to prepare all night for the next round and one part disappointment for not being able to show more of what we can do. It’s amazing how invested you can become in a fake legal problem.

Last minute preparation before the judges arrival in Court Room 2 - ICC Moot Court 2014

I was very lucky, on my day of speaking, to have our wonderful coach, my former teacher/thesis supervisor, my teammates and my parents backing me up. The feeling of delivering a practiced speech and dealing with off-putting questions as planned is one that can’t be beat. As an added bonus, I not only got to show my parents the beautiful cities in the Netherlands, but also got to celebrate at a the competition's beach-side barbecue event, enjoying the sunshine and meeting teams from all over the world. Once the initial competitive stiffness fades, the competition presents the opportunity to meet new people, make new contacts and dance the night away.

Utrecht University ICC Moot Court Team 2014

With the competition finished, I was able to spend the remaining days with my family, biking around Utrecht and showing off some of my favourite spots including the local jazz bar Oude Pothuys, a canal-side venue with free live music every night of the week. The city is in full swing for summer and pop-up music stands and festivals take place all over the centre of town so there is no shortage of things to do. On my student budget, as long as the sun is shining, I can be found in the park reading away the day with a book.

Fun festivities aside, the next few weeks are set to be a blur of work days and thesis deadlines. The final deadline is just shy of four weeks away, and those of us who did the Moot Court are feeling the pressure to make up for some lost time. Between now and the final draft, we get the opportunity to submit one chapter for review and in the meantime we must stitch together the issues promised in our thesis outlines.  As a final act of procrastination, I headed to my local Hema (a one-stop shop for everything you could need) yesterday afternoon to pick up a healthy supply of highlighters, pens and notebooks. Now, it really is time to buckle down and get to work.

It’s hard to believe it is only a few weeks away from the finish line and there is only one task left to complete. The official invite for graduation was sent this week, an extra piece of motivation to meet the thesis deadline and be able to graduate with the class I have spent all year studying alongside.

The usual rainy weather has settled back over the city, which is probably for the best as I focus on thesis and settling into my new job. Working at the university gives me the chance to study EU policy (a new subject area for me) and to take a break from my thesis research. Not to mention, I’ve upgraded my email address from @students.uu.nl to @uu.nl – officially making me a member of staff (at least for a little while).

Until next time/Tot de volgende keer,

Erin

King's Day and Laptops Astray

Good afternoon everyone,

It’s hard to believe that today is the beginning of May and that Block 4 of the Master’s programme is in full swing. It has been a rollercoaster over the last couple of couple weeks of final deadlines (marking the end of Block 3), Dutch celebrations, dreaded laptop mishaps and unexpected job opportunities.

The final essays have all officially been submitted and the grades for our work are slowly trickling in, leaving one last puzzle piece to this Master’s: the thesis. It is certainly bittersweet to be at the end of classes and not to see all of the usual faces during the week, but the class group is already busy organizing (much-needed) park dates away from thesis time and planning a fundraiser traditionally arranged by students of the LLM.

Over the weekend, the streets of Utrecht flooded with a sea of orange for the celebration of ‘’Koningsnacht’’ (King’s Night) and “Koningsdag” (King’s Day), the Dutch national holiday which began in 1885 in honour of the birth of Queen Wilhemina and has continued annually ever since. This year marks the first celebration for King Willem Alexander after his mother Queen Beatrice stepped down as monarch last year, passing the role to her son. The celebration is a mish-mash of street vendors, outdoor music stages and all things orange. The feeling in the streets of Utrecht is electric and it is certainly not something to be missed.

Like any enthusiastic international student, I headed into the city centre to soak up the spectacle of outrageous orange outfits and walk the streets closed for pedestrians, stopping at different music stages and randomly running into friends. You know it is a celebration in Utrecht when it is even impossible to ride your bike right into the city. Instead, you park your bike at the nearest spot and join the large crowds walking towards the action.

Unfortunately for me, the not-to-be-missed thrill of Koningsnacht means it is known that most people are not at home during the night. Not long into the celebrations, I received the call that my apartment had been broken into and that my laptop had been stolen. Of course, this is the dreaded moment any student can imagine when you realize you have (very naively) not backed up the files on your computer. Luckily, sending assignments by email and dropbox means I have a portion of my research, but it is certainly a lesson learned.  I am just happy that this did not happen closer to the thesis deadline. Now, it is time to change the locks, call the insurance company and make a solemn promise to myself to back up all future files.

Even though I missed the full experience of Koningsdag this year (luckily I have had the privilege to celebrate the full weekend over the past two Queen’s days), the week offered an unexpected silver-lining. I have been given the opportunity to work as a paid student-assistant for the university, starting right away and working throughout the summer. It is a great way to meet new faces at the university, build my CV, and continue to do in-depth research after my thesis is finished. It is a wonderful feeling to be chosen for a job opportunity based on your student work, and I’m looking forward to starting my first ever job in the Netherlands.

The start of May brings with it the countdown to the ICC Moot Court competition taking place at the end of the month in the Hague. The pleadings are written, the moot sessions are scheduled, and there’s nothing left to do but practice, read and then practice some more. This week we received the schedule for the Moot Court along with the memorials of the opposing teams we will face in the first rounds of the competition. It’s going to be tough work, but with regular guest judges for our practice sessions, we are gearing up to handle anything that is thrown our way.

Tot de volgende keer/Until next time!

Erin

The Final Countdown

Good morning everyone,

It’s official: I have survived the final week of classes of the Master’s program. Last week was the toughest to get through because I had a big final group essay to finish, a presentation, Moot Court practice- all with a side dose of a very poorly timed throat infection. Thankfully, I am no longer sick and I have my sights set on the final essay to be submitted this Friday.

I have never been so happy to see a Monday morning. One essay to go until all I have to worry about is thesis deadlines and Moot Court nerves. This week is a short break from everything and I have five full days to focus on finishing my last essay of the year. It’s a rare occasion to only have one project to focus on so I am happy for the semi-retreat. Once this Friday deadline has passed, my first mission will be to buy a book to read – the first book of the summer that does not come from a syllabus – and I’m sure it will be a welcome break from the mountain of thesis reading heading my way.

Easter is approaching and this weekend will be ‘First Easter day’ and ‘Second Easter day’ in the Netherlands, or what some might call Easter Sunday and Easter Monday. I will be heading back to Ireland for a short visit home while others head away on holidays across Europe to enjoy one last break before the start of thesis mode. After Easter Monday is over, there is exactly 63 days (or a little over two months) to complete the thesis, with a week of that spent in the Hague representing Utrecht University at the ICC Moot Court competition. Slightly daunting, but as the Dutch say ‘Waar een wil is, is een weg’ (Where there’s a will there’s a way!)

Tot de volgende keer/Until next time,

Erin

ICJ and Trips Away

Good morning everyone,

It’s been a busy couple of weeks in Master’s land, complete with presentations, Court visits and weekend trips. To start with, our SIM clinic program wrapped up our final research project with a cool fifty-page report to show for it – the culmination of two weeks intensive work filled to the brim with group meetings and short deadlines. It is a bittersweet ending to one of my favourite parts of the program. I’m happy to have the final deadline out of the way, but I will certainly miss the interesting research work and collaborating with the members of the team.

As timing would have it, I got the chance to celebrate the end of the Clinic program with a short weekend away in Brussels. When you live in Utrecht, it is entirely possible for classmates to have rented a car for an impromptu weekend road trip to a nearby capital and if you’re lucky, for you to join in the fun.  Since integrating into Utrecht life, I’ve heard plenty about the ultimate debate between the Belgian and Dutch: who has the better mayonnaise? Yes, they take their fries seriously and the mayonnaise is very, very important, so of course I had to check it out. The verdict is still out on that one (although I am starting to see what all the fuss is about), but I can say for certain the ease of travelling to other cities is just one more thing I love about living in the Netherlands.

As beautiful as the Belgian capital is, the highlight of last week definitely has to be a trip to the International Court of Justice. The students in our LLM were able to attend part of the hearing of Serbia v. Croatia (a longstanding case at the ICJ) at the Court in The Hague, just ahead of the nuclear summit that is going on in the city at the moment. After a quick lunch in the majestic building, we had the privilege of meeting Judge Cancado Trindade to talk about the progress of the case to date (with no opinions, of course), the workings of the ICJ and certain aspects of international law. An afternoon well spent, and just one more piece of motivation, meeting those whose jobs many of us might someday aspire to have.

Monday afternoon marked the second last presentation required of our final Master’s classes. The presentations gave us a chance to outline our in-progress final essays to the class, judge each other’s work and receive feedback. Soon after, many of my classmates headed to the airport for flights home, making the most of the fact that there are no classes for the rest of the week. After the pang of homesickness that St. Patrick’s celebrations brought about, I was happy to be on a morning flight to Ireland. The course work comes with me, but it’s nice to have the comforts of home and a change of scenery every once in a while.

While I make the most of home life, I look forward to a few busy weeks ahead as the finish line approaches (of required courses, at least). Moot practice will begin properly next week as the ICC Moot Court team gears up for the competition in May. The many desktop folders on my computer are slowly dwindling and I will soon be left with one entitled “Moot Court” and the ever-so-daunting “Thesis” folder that has yet to be opened.

Until the next time/Tot de volgende keer!

Erin

Outside the Peace Palace in The Hague

LLM Human Rights and Criminal Justice students and teachers with Judge Cancado Trindade