Just like European politics and the current world order, the agenda of the EU Study Abroad Program is ever-changing. We voted as a group to change the date of the simulation, that was originally scheduled for today, to take place in Paris. The postponement allows for us to have a free day in Berlin. The day, however, would remain just as busy and educational. Since we only have a week in Berlin there is so much to do. My advice to anyone trying to see as much of a city in a certain amount go time is to look up an itinerary online according to how long you have. It will create an efficient schedule based on proximity, high-traffic times, and importance. Since rain looms in tomorrow’s forecast, I wanted to do all of the outside attractions. 

First up on the list was to travel to the East Side Gallery. It is a long expanse of the Berlin Wall on the Soviet-controlled side that has been preserved and transformed into an art exhibit. Most of the art is symbolic of a warrant as to why the wall was such an awful idea. Hands of peace, people flowing out of the wall as soon as they were reunified, and the infamous kiss of brotherhood are just a few of the murals that are featured on the wall. It was, also, impactful to see the small placards on the ground where people were killed trying to cross over the wall to escape to democracy. It was not just young adults; it was entire families. This really struck me because conditions have to completely atrocious in order for a mother to risk her children’s lives. 

We then traversed our way over by S-Bahn to see East Berlin’s “pride and joy,” the TV tower at Alexander Platz. It was such a modern peak in the bland East Berlin skyline. Kids were I was jumping on trampolines happily with my brand new pair of Birkenstocks, it was hard to imagine that this place used to be under such oppression. I think that was the hardest concept for me to wrap my head around in Berlin. This city that appears completely gentrified and modern, has such a deep history. An art exhibit in the Jewish Museum displays it perfectly. Everywhere you walk in Berlin has been walked on by billions of others: Hitler, other Nazis, Soviets, people being sent to concentration camps who were murdered, and modern normal citizens. You see it when you are casually walking on the street and you can see bullet holes in the walls, parts of churches blown off, statues missing their ligaments. We have seen such evidence of history in other cities before, but the majority of historic buildings in those cities have been preserved, Berlin had a lot rebuilding to do. 

We then walked towards the museum island. As a museum nerd, I was beyond excited that there was an entire island dedicated to just museums. We chose to go to the Kunst museum that had a special exhibit dedicated especially to ‘Wanderlust’. Each piece of art has to have at least one ‘traveler’ or ‘wanderer’ featured in it. I think this sums up the program nicely. Personally, this is the largest amount of traveling and experience of culture, I have ever done. As much as I have tried to see the most I could in every city that we visit, there is no possible way that it will be my last time in that city.

 A quote from Friedrich states, “On the beach, walking deep in thought, is a man in a black robe.  Gulls circle him anxiously as if to warn him not to venture out on the rough sea. And if you pondered from morning to evening, from evening to the sinking dead of night, you would still not comprehend, not fathom the inscrutable Beyond.” If I may, I wish to divulge upon you my interpretation of this quote as it relates to this program. The man deep in thought in the black robes are our students in professional attire deep in thought. The gulls are all of the looming conflicts in the world that we learned about during our site visits; these conflicts could seem like too much to handle at times. It is hard to discern looking at the future if this could be a suitable career path because even if you spend ten hours or more a day on such topics there still is not an evident solution. Nevertheless, this program has made me realize that I can not wait to ‘wander’ further around the world of international relations.

For our second day in The Hague, we got to experience Dutch culture and history. We started out at the Binnenhof which is the Dutch word for Inner Court. This historical complex of buildings houses the Dutch Parliament. We were lead by our wonderful guide into the main square of the Binnenhof where we could take in the beautiful architecture. 

Binnenhof

We went inside one of the buildings to watch a brief video about the Binnenhof and to be exposed to some Dutch history. We learned about the Hall of Knights, a castle that is part of the Binnenhof. It was originally built to be a hunting lodge because the surrounding dunes and woods are ideal for hunting. Construction began with Count Floris IV of Holland and was completed under the reign of his grandson, Floris V. It was interesting, after focusing so much on European integration as a whole to zoom in on the history of The Netherlands specifically. 

After watching the video, our guide took us into the Hall of Knights. When you walk in you can really see the beauty but also the humility of the building. There is a throne in the center for the King to sit in that’s large, but not incredibly ornate. Our guide explained that it’s very Dutch for this style to be more simple. She also pointed out small facial sculptures all along the ceiling that each have one large ear. This is meant to show that someone’s always listening to what goes on in the Hall of Knights and that what is said travels through their ears and up to the heavens. While being comedic, these sculptures also stress the importance of the work done in the Dutch government. We learned about how this room is used for Prince’s Day every year, a very important holiday in the The Netherlands. On this day, there’s a grand procession from the palace to the Hall of Knights where the King rides in the Golden Coach. All of the citizens of The Hague come outside to wave to the royals. Kids even get the day off from school to watch the parade! When the King gets to the Hall of Knights he makes a speech outlining the government’s plan for the upcoming year. This is more or less a formality given that the King does not have a lot of power in government. However, it’s an important symbolic moment for the country each year. The Hall of Knights isn’t only used for Prince’s Day, it’s also the place where heads of state are welcomed to the country and it’s the site of official royal receptions and conferences. 

Hall of Knights

After the Dutch Parliament, we had a quick break to get ice cream, a coffee, or to try the Dutch specialty of raw red herring. I stuck with ice cream, but I heard from those who were brave enough to try the red herring that it was really good! After our snack break, we were off to the Peace Palace. Given that it’s difficult to get a visit inside the actual building, we only went to the visitor’s center. Right outside the entrance was a tree where people could tie notes about their own wishes for peace in the world. We all stopped for a moment to read some of the hundreds of notes tied to this tree. It was moving to see various messages in so many languages about the hope people of all nations have for a more peaceful world.

“Peace in the world”

We then went inside for an audioguide tour of the visitor’s center. We learned about how the Peace Palace houses two different courts:  the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the International Court of Justice. Between visiting the International Criminal Court and the Peace Palace, it’s been interesting to see how The Hague is such an integral city for institutions that stand for maintaining peace and human rights in the world. 

Peace Palace

After our visits, we were free for the rest of the day to explore The Hague. Some went to the Mauritshuis museum to see the infamous Girl with a Pearl Earring painting. Victoria and I decided to enjoy the beautiful weather and did some reading on the terrace of a cafe behind our hotel. In the evening we got dinner at the pier and enjoyed the sound of the waves crashing while watching the sunset. A great ending to our second day in The Hague!

This morning we all jumped on the tram in Brussels and headed over the brand new NATO building with Dr. Markley. It was a great way to celebrate the United States and its contribution to peace in the world.The beautiful architecture depicts two hands coming together and symbolizes unity as well as cooperation of sovereign states in the world working together for a common defense. After walking around the perimeter, we took a picture in front of the building and returned back to Brussels to enjoy the rest of our free day. Everyone then went their separate ways for one last waffle or fries, to visit any last museums and/or to relax in one of Brussel’s many lovely parks and soak up the sun.

After going home to pack up, we all regrouped at 7pm for our Fourth of July party at Kwint in the city center. We had a beautiful view overlooking the Park Mont des Arts, especially when the sun started to set, which made for beautiful pictures that many took with their host families to remember this great experience by. The venue was also located right next to the Royal Library of Belgium which I got the opportunity to visit earlier on in the day.

It was an interesting experience to celebrate a holiday not as widely recognized  as it is in America. It gives us as Americans a new global perspective as every country has its own unique history that has great importance to its citizens. Given this experience I am excited to celebrate Bastille Day or Fete Nationale in a couple weeks which is the French equivalent and compare how the French celebrate their national holiday.

After all host families, special guests, and students had had the chance to have a bite to eat and get refreshments Dr. Birchfield honoured us with a speech. She spoke of the importance of unity in a time where it is seeming easier and easier to pull back the hand of friendship and hide behind borders. She also touched on the importance of a program such as this that aims to educate young Americans in the hopes of continuing the transatlantic relationship and supporting peace projects through partnerships and cooperation. And last but by no means least, I was touched by her emphasis on loving our country regardless of the fact that some might not support our current administration. I believe political rhetoric and the current media sometimes make it easy to forget that the United States has also done so much good throughout history to safe guard democracy and help others. We shouldn’t lose sight of the hope and opportunities the United States continues to generate despite bumps along the road and setbacks.

After our fearless leader’s speech, we then proceeded to sing the Georgia Tech fight song loud for all to hearand continued to mingle around until we all sadly had to go our separate ways once more around 9:30 PM to get ready for our early train to The Hague that next morning.

I will end with a quote from an article I read this afternoon: “I will celebrate not because I’m ignoring the stains in America’s past, but because I have an undying faith in those who struggle to weave a new fabric, one where families are cherished, and diversity is celebrated.”                    – Hannah Nguyen

Happy Independence Day!