Climbing To the Top

One of my favorite tourest-esque activities in Utrecht is climbing the Dom Tower. This tower is the highest structure in the city. There was a rule, which I believe still stands, where no building was permitted to be taller. The Dom has 465 tiny, curving stone steps. My calf muscles are still sore from the last time I climbed, a few days ago. The best part is not the winding steps. The best part is the view. Unlike many church towers, the Dom lets you climb to the VERY top and peer over. Enjoy the view.












(pictures taken by Robbie Leung)

Other Rotary Scholars--Amazing Gals

The Rotary Foundation has funded the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship program for over sixty years. With this funding, thousands of students from over seventy nations have traveled to new places. Our vistas have been broadened, taste buds shocked (by raw herring and salty licorice) and pleased (by black grapes plucked from the vine paired with seasoned Dutch cheese.)We have had trepidity over language trouble, been challenged by new transportation (my first day on a bike here I collided with a curb and landed beneath an outdoor cafe table.)We have been frustrated by sometimes tedious classes (European Religion in the Middle Ages...)and happy beyond measure meeting new friends who hail from around the globe.

In a time of increased inward thinking, Rotary sends students around the world to have our views challenged and opened. Rotary wants us to learn how others live. By having friends from around the world, we learn to respect and understand other cultures better, as well as our own. By talking about West Virginia at other Rotary Clubs, I am reminded how singular and unique my own culture is, and I am able to share this pride with others.

There are roughly fifteen Rotary Scholars from around the world studying in the Netherlands. Four are in Utrecht. We are all girls and we hail from different corners of the world. It is notable that we are all girls, since women are still not invited to join some Rotary Clubs.

Here I will introduce the three other scholars studying in Utrecht:


From L to R, Sayaka, Paula, Leika, Robbie. A night spent making Thai and Japanese food (Thai summer rolls and Japanese chirashizushi (a rice and sushi dish shaped like a cake) and making crafts.


Robbie: Robbie is sponsored by a Rotary Club in Hawai'i. However, like the population of Hawai'i itself, Robbie is truly international. Her father is from Hong Kong and her mother is from Hawai'i. Since her parents work in the hotel business, Robbie has traveled around many, many times. She went to University in California and Germany, and spent some of her education in a program called "Semester at Sea," where students are taught on a ship, and travel around, docking in different countries. Robbie is studying Conflict Studies and Human Rights. Recently, she shared with me a story of her father's upbringing in Hong Kong, how, at the age of nine, he went to work as a child, and how food was scarce. Stories like these keep Robbie grounded and remind me how blessed I am.

Leika: I start off talking about weather with Leika, and by the end, we are talking about constitutional law. Leika comes from Japan. Her mother is from Maine, though she has spent most of her life in Japan now, and her father is Japanese. Leika is brilliant. She can tell me anything I want to know about laws and courts.

Sayaka: Also hailing from Japan, Sayaka is one of the most friendly gals you will meet. Sakayak is studying water management in Utrecht as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. She is in her third year of a PhD program in environmental studies in Japan. Sayaka has three qualities she shares with Robbie and Leika. It is something that I believe helps define Rotary Ambassadorial Scholars around the world: 1. She is a great communicator and a good people person. 2. Interested. Sayaka is interested in the world, and engaged by ideas outside the classroom, like opera and orchestras. 3. Smart. All the Rotary Scholars I know fuse passion and compassion for the world with intellect. Robbie is interested in humanity; Leika wants to use the law as a way to bring justice to the world; and Sayaka believes in the power of environmental justice. She believes that by looking at water management we can help the world. And I? I believe in education. I want to do something to help bring quality education to the world. I believe the mind is the greatest resource we own. And so, the four scholars--Robbie, Leika, Sayaka and I--bring our visions together in Urecht, so, when we return to our respective homes, we can make a difference.

Waiting for Spring

These days I have been drinking lots of black tea and espresso. I do not like the taste of espresso (which I always used to think was pronounced expresso...) I drink it for the caffeine. Everyone drinks it here and has their coffee black. You can tell an American by how much cream and sugar we dump into the mix--or maybe that's only me.

Lately, I have been
1. Star gazing
Holland is typically cloudy. Nonetheless, there is a fantastic star observatory and space museum near where I live. When one arrives at the museum, you can climb onto the museum roof. Here, guides have a special laser that can shoot all the way to the stars and point out constellations! I want to have one of those lasers! The observatory also features a giant telescope that is open to the public on weekends. The telescope is positioned in a room with a ceiling that slides open. Museum guides can tell one copious amounts on space and stars, moon and galaxies. Inside the museum, there is a video about space that plays on the ceiling. There are giant bean-filled cushions on the ground, which you lay on, to watch the movie. When I recently went star-gazing it was too cloudy for star-visibility, but I could see awesome craters on the moon through the telescope. And it looked like the moon had a serrated edge, like someone took a piece of paper and ripped it against the grain.

2.Picnicing
It is not warm enough for regular picnics, however, I did enjoy a rare meal outside this week. I had a swell dinner with friends, the three other Rotary Ambassadorial Scholars studying in Utrecht: Sayaka, Leika and Robbie. Sayaka and Leika are from Japan; Robbie is from Hong Kong and Hawai'i. We shared the cost of store ingredients and spilled our loot onto a blanket in the Wilhelmina Park--a park named after the former Queen of the Netherlands (she ruled during WWII.) At the store we purchased tortillas, canned corn, tomatoes, lettuce, hummus and cheese. We laughed and shared insights until the sun went down and it grew chilly. Our bikes were tilted against a tree, standing sentry over our little picnic.

3.Birthday Party-ing
One of my favorite things to do is to eat international food. The problem with me and Dutch food is that I adore spices and piquant flavors. And, except for a hint of Indonesian influence in Dutch food (due to the colonies Holland had in that country), Dutch food is bland. This is where my Asian friends come in! Recently, Leika, Sayaka and I threw a birthday party for Robbie. I made Thai summer rolls, one of my favorite dishes. I did this by wrapping mint, basil, cilantro, noodles, lettuce and carrots into rice paper, rice, pulverized into a hardened sheet, that softens and becomes clear when soaked in water. I made peanut dipping-sauce by combining coconut milk, peanut butter, lime juice and chili powder. Leika made a sushi cake. It was a block of rice, pressed into a spring-form cake mold made to look like a cake. She topped this gorgeous creation with shredded seaweed and fresh marinated salmon, fresh tuna and boiled shrimp. It was delicious. And Sayaka brought a fantastic vanilla cake sandwiched between layers of strawberry jam and cream. Lekker. (Tasty in Dutch.)
4. Classes

The pattern is eerily predictable: The warmer the weather becomes, the harder classes get, and, the more homework is given. Thesis time is around the corner. I still do not know precisely what to write on. Literature I have been assigned for this semester cover topics such as: 17th century Dutch painting, the Protestant Reformation, religious differences between the United States and Europe, the changing European identity, theatre in Shakespeare's day, gender and clothing and theatre, stereotypes and images representing the Netherlands in times of war....The topics are varied and exciting. Each day I learn a bit more about both the world and the United States. For example, today I read that the Statue of Liberty was a gift from the French...

5. Drawing
Watercolor paints are the perfect way to distract myself from university work. I did this picture in a few nights. The butterflies were the most intensive part to create. I painted each butterfly (about 50) on a seperate sheet of paper and then glued them onto the main picture.


6. Thoughts
I hope all are doing well in this time of world crisis. Disasters impact everyone. Some of us have friends and family in Japan at this time. Let our blessings be with you. And may the world find a way to create energy that does not destroy human life in explosions.

Peace.
Paula

Library Brightness

Everyday, the Dutch librarians set out fresh flowers for assiduous students to enjoy.

I AMsterdam

Friends and I in Amsterdam!












Though I am a short train ride from Amsterdam (around 40 minutes) I do not go into that city too much. When I did, yesterday, I was struck by the hurry and flurry of city life. Semi-small Utrecht made me forget what big cities feel like. Nonetheless, I had no problems finding my destination. Because of my love of art, I am impelled to see museums while in Amsterdam. Two museums, the Rijks and the Van Gogh Museum are right next to each other. (Here, Van Go is pronounced Van Ho, with the H being a back-of-the-throat sound that is hard to replicate in print.)A tip is to go on a weekday. The crowds are less. And, with a museum card, which costs 20 euros, you can see any museum for one-year in the Netherlands at no extra cost. Without this card, museum-going in Holland can be very expensive. I am struck by different museum charge policies in Europe and America. Some American museums are free, some are not. I always enjoy when they are free. In France, the museums are free to European Union students under the age of 26. At least in Holland we have the museum card.

I have been to the Van Gogh museum four times and never tire of it. Most of Van Gogh's more famous paintings, like his vase of sunflowers and self-portraits are in Amsterdam, which the exception of 'Starry, Starry Night,' which I believe is in New York.

Similarly, I adore the works of Vermeer. "The Milkmaid" is a favorite. Her skirt is a blue so vibrant it shimmers like liquid. In those times, all colors were made by hand. Apprentices ground precious minerals (like blue lapus lazuli) with a mortar and pestle until the stones became powder. Oils were added. And resplendent paints were made--paints made to last hundreds of years. Today, our paints do not have the intensity of color that Vermeer and Van Gogh’s shades possessed. I wonder if our modern artist’s works will last as long, since our materials are not of that old-time, fine quality.
(I would have posted pictures from the museums, but photography was not allowed.)

The. End.