Moot Camp

International Law students can choose to compete in various international moot court competitions for class credit, including Phillip C. Jessup, ICC Moot Court, and Jean Pictet. However, these competitions are not for the faint at heart and not to be entered lightly! They are huge time commitments that will span several quarters, consuming at least two of them. It was my privilege to serve as coach for this year’s ICC Moot Court team, and I am awed by the team’s heroic effort and dedication to excellence. 

The team assembled in the first quarter, and the three briefs – prosecution, victim, and defense – were due near the end of the second quarter. The third quarter featured first national qualifying rounds and then, at the very end of the quarter, the international rounds. All in conjunction with class work, term papers and projects, and externship/clinical program demands. Even from my purely supporting role on the sidelines, it was a grueling race to the finish! Endless mooting and brainstorming sessions in the weeks leading up to the final rounds; then the week of the final rounds, the entire team sharing a rented apartment in The Hague, working day and night to prepare our three presenters, all non-native English speakers, for their submissions and rebuttals. It was a phenomenal experience to watch the team rally in the face of obstacles such as the belated receipt of opposing counsel briefs, and come out fighting – strong, resilient, and holding their own against the best teams in world. It was an exciting week, and an exhausting one!  

 

Deciding to enter such a competition is much like deciding to run a marathon. Anyone in good health can run a 5K, a distance easily managed in 30 minutes or so. Most can also manage a 10K; a half-marathon within reach of those willing to commit to a training schedule. But marathons are something else; they are definitely not for everyone. They require a long-term commitment to daily interval training. You must not only push yourself but pace yourself, develop an instinct for knowing when to take a break and when to push through pain and injuries. And in beginning such a race, you must see it through to the end. There can be no whimpering back to the starting line when you hit the wall; rather, you carry on and move forward, albeit limping and groaning every step of the way, to the finish line. The only losers are those who lose heart and give up. Everyone who crosses that finish line is a winner, because in the end it’s not about how fast you ran or who got there before you; rather, it’s about setting a goal and seeing it through. Your toughest competition will always be with yourself.  

Life is also like a marathon; not for the faint of heart! Setbacks, defeats, unexpected health issues, deaths, betrayals, and just plain weariness can at times make you want to give up. But after a good rant, a good cry, a good sleep, you realize you are no quitter, you get that second wind, and you push through to the finish. No matter what or who in life lets you down, you will always have yourself to fall back on. And, those very special team mates who will never, ever, let you down. They are out there, you will find them, and they will help you rally to the finish. Victory is sweet!

Here Comes the Sun

The good news, the sun has finally decided to make an appearance and stick around more or less consistently. And it has become quite the night owl! You emerge from a restaurant after dinner to find the sun waiting up for you, and query, “Shouldn’t you be in bed?” But you ask cheerfully, as it is rather nice to be accompanied by such a sunny disposition on your way home. And there is so much you can accomplish with all that extra daylight! Whether you work at home or travel to school or to your externship, you no longer start and end your working day in the dark. Somehow all those hours spent doing research don’t seem quite so onerous when you know the sun will outlast your attention span. At the end of your working day you can still follow the sun, here, there and everywhere! You can go running outdoors rather than on a treadmill at the gym, or go for a long bike ride in the countryside rather than sprinting through town in the dark. Late outdoor festivals, diverse water craft drift along the canal late into the evening, and the barbeque calls out for a light. Good day, sunshine!  

However, there is also some bad news. Although the sun is staying up later every night, it never seems to sleep in anymore; it just keeps getting up earlier! Now you ask, “What goes on in your mind?” You wake up in what seems like the middle of the night, and there it is, streaming through your window, more audaciously insistent than a hungry cat. Golden slumbers indeed! You pull a pillow over your head, groaning, “I’m only sleeping!” Sure, you could use a sleep mask, but the problem is that the sun has awakened the birds and those birds can sing; it’s Blue Jay Way outside your window. Ok, make that a sleep mask and ear plugs, and pretend they are singing in the dead of night. And in the end, you finally just get up; nothing to say but it's OK. Thinking of all you can accomplish on what promises to be a very long day – if you can stay awake, that is! On such a hard day's night, the Sun King can wear out his welcome. Mr. Moonlight, come again please! 

 

Ah well, that’s a day in the life in the Netherlands, always the tradeoffs. No free refills of coffee or tea, but always a cookie or piece of chocolate served alongside. No hot water in the W.C.’s, but heated towel racks in the bathroom. All those rules and regulations, yet with respect to personal choices always letting it be. No place to park but a ticket to ride on always-timely public transport. Because, there is always something. It’s all right!

Water, water everywhere, and lots of drop and drink!

American Henry David Thoreau wrote, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation, and go to the grave with the song still in them.” And according to Pink Floyd, “Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way.” Evidently, it is not the Dutch way! According to the UN World Happiness Report, the Netherlands is the fourth happiest country in the world. It is ranked by the OECD as the third-best country for work-life balance and highest in terms of overall well-being. Why? Perhaps it is more a matter of attitude than amplitude.

First, the Dutch value free time. They work an average of 30.6 hours per week, as compared to the EU average of 37.5 and American average of 46-50 hours. This leaves quality time for doing things, rather than keeping one’s nose firmly to the grindstone simply to buy things. Even students trying to keep up with the insanely-paced quarter system always find time to have some fun. Utrecht has so many pubs and cafes to choose from, all with inexpensive and fabulous beer, wine and coffee, not to mention one cultural event or another happening on any given weekend!

Second, the Dutch like to live simply and self-sufficiently. Take the biking culture. Everyone bikes everywhere, regardless of weather or destination, in whatever attire the destination requires – without a lot of concern over arriving with wet hair or shoes. Practicality is far more important than appearances, which is quite liberating!

Third, the Dutch are at heart egalitarian. The notion of “keeping up with the Joneses” is not a factor for the simple reason that “the Joneses” are frowned upon as pretentious anyway. The only pecking order one need concern oneself with is that of the road. And that is simple: bikes, pedestrians, and then cars. (But trams trump all!)

Fourth, the Dutch are both very organized and very tolerant, qualities likely arising from many centuries of reclaiming land from the sea. Historically, all factions living in the same polder area were forced to cooperate, even if at war with one other, to fulfill a greater common purpose – literally keeping their heads above water! The complexities of maintaining dykes and sluices, coordinating ships passage through the locks on all those canals, all require the ability to forge a consensus and get along. This explains perhaps the large degree of organization and planning in Dutch society – juxtaposed with tolerance for drugs, prostitution, and controlled chaos such as the Utrecht phenomena of, for example, raucous, police-led skate nights through the center of town!

But, at the end of the day, it’s the drop. I am talking about black licorice, of course, which comes in more varieties than Belgian beers. Sweet, minty, and salty – and double salty! Hard, soft, chewy, or crusted, formed into every shape imaginable, coins, animals, even cars. There are stores with bins that cover entire walls, each filled with different types of drop to scoop up, mix and match. Yes, there is the chocolate, the breads, and the cheeses, all so good you will go home thinking your local fare tastes like sawdust. But drop, and the love of drop, is as uniquely and quintessentially Dutch as it gets. Dutch people eat more black licorice than any other people in the world, on average 5 pounds per year per person! And that, my friends, is why the Dutch are so happy!

If it ain't Dutch, it ain't much!

Local proverbs can either fall into the “lost in translation” category, or present a whole new way of looking at things! Here are some Dutch proverbs and metaphors along with a literal English translation. I shall leave it to you to discern the true meaning!  

“Waar de zon schijnt, is de maan niet nodig.” – Where the sun shines the moon is not needed.

 

“Heb je geen paard, gebruik dan een ezel.” – If you have no horse, then use a donkey.

“Bitter in de mond maakt het hart gezond.”  – Bitter in the mouth makes the heart healthy. 

“Wie twee meesters dient moet tegen een beiden liegen.” - Who serves two masters must lie to both.

“Als twee honden vechten om een been, loopt de derde er mee heen.” – If two dogs fight over a bone, a third will run off with it.  

“Lachen als en boer met kiespijn.” – Laughing like a farmer with molar pain. 

“Wie boter op het hooft heft, moet uit de zon blijven.” – Who has butter on his head should stay out of the sun.  

“Wat de boer niet kent dat eet hij niet.” - What the farmer doesn't know, he doesn't eat.  

“Als de hemel valt, krijgen we allemaal een blauwe pet.” - If the sky falls, we'll all get a blue hat. 

“Als je ontbijt op bed wil, slaap je mar in de keuken.” – If you want breakfast in bed, then just sleep in the kitchen.  

“Bij hem komt de maan al door de wolken.” – With him the moon already comes through the clouds. (An allusion to baldness!) 

“Zo de wind waait, wsait z’n jasje.” – As the wind blows, so blows his jacket. 

“Als het regent in September, valt kerstmis in December.” – If it rains in September, Christmas will fall in December. 

“Gebraden duiven vliegen niet.” -  Roasted doves don't fly. 

“Als apen hoger klimmen willen, ziet men al snel hun blote billen.”  – If apes want to climb higher, you will quickly enough see their naked buttocks. 

“Waar het hart vol van is, stroomt de mond van over.” - What fills the heart streams from the mouth. 

“De molen gaat niet om met wind die voorbij is.” – The windmill does not turn on wind that has passed.  

“Waar de dijk het laagst is, loop het eerst het water over.” – Where the dyke is lowest, the water runs over first. 

“Wie zichzelf niet belangrijk vindt, doet zijn werk niet goed.” - Who doesn't find himself important, doesn’t do good work.  

“Praatjes vullen geen gatjes.” – Talk fills no holes. 

“Vuil water blust ook een brand.” – Dirty water also extinguishes a fire. 

 “Drink zonder zorgen, de kater komt morgen.” – Drink without worry, the hangover comes tomorrow. 

“Buren zijn leuk, als je neit te vaak ziet.” – Neighbors are nice if you don’t see them too often. 

“Men can van een kale kip geen veren plukken.” – You can’t pluck feathers from a bald chicken. 

“Beter hard geblazen, dan de mond gebrand.” -- Better to blow hard than burn the mouth.  

“Wie op twee hazen te gelijk jaagt, vangt geen van beide.” - Who goes after two hares at once will catch neither. 

“Zachte heelmeesters maken stinkende wonden.” – Soft healers make stinking wounds. 

“Een ezel in het algemeen stoot zich niet tweemaal aan dezelfde steen.” – A donkey generally does not knock himself twice on the same stone. 

 “Doe maar gewoon, dan doe je al gek genoeg.” – Just act normal, then you’ll act foolish enough. 

“Als alle gekken konden vliegen hadden we een permanente zonsverduistering.” - If all fools could fly, we’d have a permanent eclipse of the sun.

Faux Paas

The public holiday calendar in the Netherlands is a bit lopsided in that apart from the Christmas holidays, the holidays are all clustered in the months of Spring. Queen’s Day (soon to become King’s Day) is on April 30, Liberation Day is May 5, and Good Friday, Easter Monday, Ascension Day and Whit Monday vary from year to year with the church calendar. So for the student, Spring brings a welcome respite not only from the cold weather but also from months on end with no holidays to break up the intense academic routine. Easter, “Paas” in Dutch, brings an especially welcome four-day weekend. This year it is March 29 through April 1, just after Spring’s formal debut and coinciding with daylight savings time. A fine forecast for the Paas weekend!

But, what is the MATTER with Spring? Have you seen it lately? “One swallow does not make a Spring make, nor does one fine day,” indeed! First sunny afternoons, chirping birds and blooming flowers, then an icy cold shoulder! Snow flurries give way to bright, inviting sunshine that turns out to look much warmer than it actually feels. Is Spring just a heartless tease? Is it menopausal, blowing hot and cold? Is it having a fickle and faithless midlife crisis? Is it bipolar and off its meds? Or is it being held hostage by Winter and suffering from a touch of Stockholm Syndrome? It certainly feels like Stockholm around here lately! As observed by Mark Twain, “In the Spring I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.” But then the weather in the Netherlands is unpredictable at best in any given season; perhaps Spring comes by its impetuous mood swings quite honestly. So bear in mind, “To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with Spring.” (George Santayana must have been lamenting a Spring fling in the Netherlands!)

Although it’s a real pity that Spring has custody of all the holidays, perhaps there is a silver lining to all this icy sunshine. Academic advisors caution that you must do as much work as possible before nice weather and the accompanying siren call of picnics, festivals and outdoor revelries becomes irresistible. When Spring finally makes up its mind, settles down and starts dropping hints about Summer, the last thing you will want is to be stuck indoors doing research. So rather than moaning about being stood up by Spring for the umpteenth time, perhaps best to ignore its antics and get back to work. Or try going a bit Zen: “Sitting quietly, doing nothing, Spring comes, and the grass grows by itself.”

Zalig Paasfeest to all! Have some ice cream and hot chocolate, and like the Paashaas, don’t shed your winter coat just yet. After all, tomorrow is April Fool’s Day!

BYOB

When it comes to groceries, the Dutch do not “stock up” like Americans. Americans tend to buy in bulk at enormous supermarkets that sell not only food for dinner, but microwave ovens for cooking it, something to wear while making it and perhaps a dining table at which to sit and eat it. The Dutch shop more frequently, buying smaller quantities from many smaller, specialized stores and markets. The super-size mentality has never caught on in the Netherlands; as ever, the Dutch prefer the small and cozy. Perhaps it is  also a function of less distance to travel for groceries, less storage space for bulk quantities, and the limitations of what can be carried home on a bike or on foot! Such practicalities shorten your shopping list considerably, and make you prioritize and think about quality rather than quantity.

Less is also more when it comes to choices. Consumer choice in America can be downright paralyzing, with aisles and aisles of different versions of the same product. With or without seeds? With or without pulp? With or without added calcium and/or Omega 3? Organic? White or brown eggs, from free range or cage free chickens? Which of 10 different scents and color schemes?  So much easier to just grab something from amongst two or three options, toss it in the cart and reserve the existential anguish of life-changing decisions for the local baker shop, with so many degrees of delectable to contemplate!

Speaking of carts, they are not free. You have to put a coin into a slot that releases the cart from the nest, which you get back when you return the cart. Perhaps a practical solution to the phenomena of forced shopping cart disappearances and the ubiquitous orphaned shopping cart adorning American parking lots, streets, alleys and even remote places like river beds! However, most people just use shopping baskets, which are always free. I was quite puzzled at first by the very long extra handle on these baskets, until I saw someone unfold one and then use it to tow the basket. This basket-cart hybrid is the Smart Cart of the grocery store!

Bags are not free, either. No query of paper or plastic, it is strictly BYOB – bring your own bag. No idly standing by while a chatty cashier asks about your day and a bagger sacks up your purchases. Cashiers here are friendly enough but strictly business, quickly scanning items and piling them on the counter. You must pay for your groceries and then quickly scoop them into your bag before the next person’s items start piling up behind yours. Like bicycling in traffic, you are flustered at first, proceeding clumsily and annoying everyone behind you. (Thankfully, no pinging bells!) And, you have no one to blame but yourself when inartful bagging results in your bag  breaking at an awkward moment or getting home and finding that your (generic) eggs have broken and made a mess of your (generic) box of cereal. Oh well, tomorrow is another shopping day. Don't forget your bag!

Bringing your cake and eating it, too

Certain occasions celebrated the world over have a distinctly different flavor in the Netherlands. Take birthdays. The standard birthday greeting, “hartelijk gefeliciteerd met je verjaardag!” does not translate into “happy birthday!” Rather, it means “hearty congratulations for your birthday!” Not a celebration of your birth, but congratulations for surviving another year? Upon reflection perhaps not a bad sentiment! And, not only are you supposed to congratulate the person whose birthday it is, but also that person’s family and friends! Another difference is that at birthday parties the honoree, rather than being feted and served, scrambles around serving guests with drinks and snacks. In fact, at birthday parties and in workplace and school birthday celebrations, the honoree is expected to bring his or her own birthday cake. Which is then served by the honoree to the guests – with luck the honoree will get to eat it, too!   

A traditional “verjaardagskalender” helps in remembering birthdays. Like a normal calendar, there is a page for each month. But instead of each page containing blocks of weeks and days, the days are listed vertically with a line next to each in which you inscribe the names of people born on that day. Since they are yearless, you can keep using the calendar year after year, continually adding names. The original birthday app! You will never find a Dutch W.C. without one. (Why the W.C.? Who knows! This is a Dutch bathroom mystery in the same category as why is the toilet always located in a different room (the W.C.) than the bathroom, and why do sinks in W.C.’s have only cold water?)  

There are traditional special birthdays, like “crown birthdays” at ages 5, 10, 15, 20, 21. But best of all is the “Sarah birthday,” celebrating a woman’s 50^th birthday. (“Abraham birthday” for a man.) This celebration honors a woman’s age and hard-earned wisdom; a major event to look forward to, not the usual “over the hill” birthday celebrated in the USA and elsewhere. Traditional Sarah birthday celebrations entail a Sarah cake in the shape of the female figure, a Sarah doll in the front yard dressed or decorated by family, and visits by guests and well-wishers dressed as Sarahs.  

And then there is the most celebrated birthday of the year, Koninginnedag – Queen’s Day! Queen’s Day is celebrated on April 30, which was Queen Juliana’s birthday. Queen’s Day began in 1891 to celebrate Queen Wilhelmina’s eighteenth birthday, which was in August. It was rescheduled to April 30 to commemorate Queen Juliana’s coronation on her birthday. Queen Beatrix, whose birthday is in January, continued the April 30 tradition to honor her mother but perhaps also in recognition that January is not the best time to hold the largest outdoor celebrations of the year!  

This year will be the last Queen's Day in that Queen Beatrix is going to abdicate in favor of her son, who will be crowned King Willem-Alexander on April 30. It will then become King’s Day, and as his birthday is on April 27, no reason to change the date!  I wonder though, as we all offer each other congratulations on the King’s birthday, will he have to bring his own cake to the party and will he get to eat it?