Dutchification or what happens when Eve gets a bike

Over the weekend I bought a classic Dutch city bike. The main difference between mine and the one pictured above is that mine doesn't have hand brakes (you have to back pedal to brake, just like on a training bike) and on the back, it has a snazzy pair of hot pink saddle bags (waterproof of course). I promise a picture soon.

Luckily (and somewhat freakishly two weeks in a row), the weather was gorgeous this weekend so I was able to use my retro ride to explore the city a bit more. I spent the better part of Saturday afternoon cycling around the city center and along the tree-lined canals, while simultaneously trying a) to orient myself, b) to take in the sights, c) to avoid crashing into other (clearly more competent) cyclists, and d) to not kill pedestrians. In retrospect, I actually think that most of my brain power was spent on the latter, especially considering that a sunny Saturday afternoon is probably the busiest time of the week.

On Sunday, I biked all the way to the Scheveningen beach (about 6.5km from my house--13km round trip!) and my cycling confidence grew in leaps and bounds. Not only did I manage to not kill anyone but I got pretty good at gauging my back-pedal brakes and dealing with the fact that my bike has no gears. Ah yes, I forgot to mention that since this country is literally completely flat (and about 70% below sea level), they don't put any gears on their bikes.

After a lovely day at the beach, I got home feeling totally refreshed, rejuvenated, and relaxed... And then I woke up on Monday morning feeling stiff, sleepy, and saturnine. The overcast skies didn't help much either, but I felt better once I was on my bike with the fresh crisp morning air in my face, and even better once I warmed up and my initial soreness passed.
The advantage of biking to work is that it only takes 15min, it's a nice little work out, and I arrive about 10 degrees warmer. The disadvantage is that you get a bit sweaty and may have a couple of near-death experiences before 9am. In fact, as I pedaled along down the busy streets towards the Court, ringing my bell quite liberally like a true New Yorker, I realized that my two greatest fears in life are no longer spontaneous combustion and trucks that are too tall to fit under bridges and overpasses. Now my biggest fears are getting "doored" (that's cyclist terminology for what happens when stupid motorists park their cars and open the doors without checking for bikes) and getting trapped in the tram rails (which, I am told, have many expat casualties). Thankfully, since cycling in the Netherlands is so prevalent (it even has its own Wikipedia entry), most of my commute is on a bike path that runs parallel to the road. In fact, I can get almost anywhere in The Hague via bike path. They are like mini roads, complete with their own traffic signals.


However I have yet to perfect a smooth start/stop technique (mainly because my bike is slightly too high for me... Damn tall Dutch people) so usually I just try to gauge my speed so I never have to actually stop at a red light. My other remaining challenge is to figure out the best way to deal with the rain. I haven't actually had to bike in the rain yet, but it looks as though my dry streak will be coming to an end today. This morning though, I did fashion a rather stylish poncho out of a garbage bag...

Anyway, the entire point of this update is to let you all know that my Dutchification is on track: Step 1 of Dutchification is getting a bike. Step 2 is using the bike to go everywhere. Step 3, which I did yesterday, is cycling to work in a skirt and heels--though I am told that I will not be considered "legit" until I do that in the pouring rain. I think step 4 is learning to bike while holding an umbrella and chatting on my cell phone. Step 5 is growing 10 inches in height and eventually producing a very very blond child.

Me and Chuck T

This morning I had the opportunity to observe a status conference at the Special Court of Sierra Leone, part of which is housed here at the ICC in The Hague. The conference was in a courtroom and was regarding the trial of Charles Taylor which is set to begin in January.
And Charles Taylor was there. Sitting at towards the back of the courtroom, in a slate grey suit, gold-rimmed tinted glasses, and shiny gold cuff links. I was sitting in the visitors observation area, which is separated from the courtroom by a large glass partition, just like the courtrooms in Arusha. He was sitting maybe 15 feet away from me, surrounded by guards, looking smug and unconcerned. He reminded me exactly of the detainees at the ICTR.
Anyway, I can't believe I just saw Charles Taylor. Jesus... Ok, back to Lubanga now...

Charles Taylor back in the day

First day jitters...

I approached the glaring white towers of the International Criminal Court (ICC) with the classic “first day” jitters, an even mixture of excitement and trepidation. Yesterday was my first day at the ICC where I am working as a consultant in the Immediate Office of the Prosecutor for the next three months. Everyone was very friendly and helpful and my office orientation and set up was remarkably seamless—especially in contrast to my first couple of days at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) last year. I find myself constantly thinking back to and talking about my experience in Arusha. It is hard not to mention it frequently and compare the two, partly because my time at the ICTR is part of credibility and legitimacy at this new institution and partly because there are a lot of ICTR alums roaming the ICC hallways. However, I know that I must divorce these experiences and it will certainly be a challenge for me to balance the relevance of my past experience with my new role here.

Greetings from Den Haag

Well my summer in Boston ended last week and leaving was harder than I thought it would be. It had been 6 years since I spent a summer in the States and it was nice to be around for once. I had the opportunity to enjoy what New England has to offer during the summer--which, it turns out, is mainly lobster, baseball, and humid weather. Plus I got to spend some time with friends in Canada, Martha's Vineyard etc and visit my family in California. It was also nice to be close to home before leaving for another year of more international adventures.

I said a final goodbye to Boston with a going-away party on my beautiful roof deck and headed home to NY for a frenzied few days of packing. Despite my stress-induced exhaustion and grumpiness, I managed to unpack from Boston and repack my bags, not only for my first placement, but for my entire time abroad since I am not allowed to return home until the end of my Fellowship year.

So Friday was my last night in NYC for a while and some friends gathered downtown for a casual send off. I took off towards Europe on Saturday afternoon and got off to a lovely start when I was bumped up to business class on my flight from JFK to Amsterdam--certainly a better start that my sprained ankle at the beginning of the Boston placement. I arrived early on Sunday morning and took the train directly from the airport down to The Hague (only 30min--so convenient!). Then took a taxi to my new apartment, which, after the only non-English speaking taxi driver drove around in circles for 15 minutes, turned out to be only about 5 blocks away from the train station--classic.

One of my new roommates, Christine, was at the apartment to greet me and help me carry my suitcases up to our (so cute!) apartment. I decided I did not want to tackle unpacking right away, so she suggested that we go out for brunch. Since the weather was clear and sunny--apparently quite a rare event, we decided to walk. Christine has been in The Hague for a couple of weeks already, so she showed me around a bit. As we were walking past the Binnenhof, the Dutch Parliament building since 1446, we witnessed what appeared to be some sort of military parade, complete with a marching band and cavalry regiment. Christine and I had no idea what was going on, but we stood in the growing crowd and watched, bemused at the spectacle of these people literally marching around in circles. (You can read her description on her blog)I insisted that it was a bit excessive as a welcome parade for my arrival, but they persisted and even brought out the royal carriages. (When we got back home later, Christine discovered that it was actually a rehearsal for Prinsjesdag (Prince's Day), the day the Queen formally opens Parliament.)

I began my second placement on Monday, my first day at the International Criminal Court (ICC). I was feeling pretty anxious about starting, but everyone was very friendly and the whole process of my arrival went very smoothly. This was quite a change from my first day at the ICTR last year, when it took 2 days for me to get a security badge that worked and a week to get my computer and email up and running. Anyway, I am working in the Immediate Office of the Prosecutor (IOP) directly for the Chief Prosecutor. However, he is not in town this week, so I don't really have my work assignment yet. In the meantime though, I am starting work on a very cool project helping with the review of evidence for the case against Thomas Lubanga, the first person put on trial by the ICC. He was the founder and leader of the Union of Congolese Patriots, an armed militia group based in the northeastern province of Ituri in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Lubanga is implicated in numerous human rights violations against civilians, including conscription of child soldiers, murder, rape etc, as well as the murder of UN peacekeepers.

On a lighter note, life in The Hague is off to a great start. Despite the cold grey skies and seemingly constant drizzle, it really is a lovely city. I am pretty settled into my apartment and office, though I don't yet have a bike--the de rigeur way to get around in the Netherlands through snow, rain, heat, or gloom of night.

More soon from the 'international city of peace and justice'!