4.43 pm

I am sitting at my desk with a stack of law review articles in front of me, waiting for the water on the stove to boil so that I can make a cup of tea. I now have twelve weeks in which to research and write a forty page paper suitable for publication in a law review. Despite the fact that I am supposedly writing this under the guidance of a faculty member, the fact that I'm in the Netherlands makes it difficult to have conversations of any sort about the paper. I think I've got the skeletal form worked out - now all I need is to decide what I want to say. The course is two credits, which means about eight hours a week of work, although I'm not sure if that will be enough to actually write the darn thing.

4.52 pm

Work is going smoothly. I'm going to a fair number of trials, and finding that I really enjoy watching and then reporting on them. Perhaps because it contains a bit of story telling. I'm also doing some policy-type work that I find really interesting. I met up with one of the other girls from Boalt last night, and we had a fun dinner at this Italian place in Centrum. They hand you a card when you walk in - like a credit card, or hotel room key. Then you go to the various stations - pizza, salad, pasta, bar, etc - and order your food. The people you order from either make it there or give you a restaurant beeper for when it's ready. You don't pay until right before you leave. It was lots of fun - communal tables, and a bunch of different languages spoken.

As much fun as the kids in my apartment building are, i'm really glad there are other Boalties here this semester. I work in an office with only four people, including myself, and they're all much older than I am, with families. So socializing after work is probably not going to happen. I tried to get some of the girls in the apartment to come out to dinner with me last weekend, but they were all studying for exams or had already eaten. So last night was the first time I've really gone out since I got here, and it was lots of fun.

5.01 pm

Things that I have found in The Hague:

a tailor (who hemmed my pants for a very reasonable price and got them back to me the same day)
stroopwafels
where to buy tram tickets
bad Thai food
really yummy Chinese food

7.05 pm

The highlight of the last two days has most definitely been going to the Lubanga trial. I promise I won't go into the boring details, for all the non-lawyers reading. The important thing is that this trial is going to set the stage for the future of international criminal trials in many ways. The international community is really still in the baby-steps phase of this whole thing, so it will be interesting to see what lessons from the previous tribunals have (and have not) been learned. Other than that work is going well - they're keeping me on my toes. I'm learning that government lawyers tend to work the same sorts of hours as BigLaw lawyers - long! They're good about letting me keep to an eight hour day. Which is nice, because I need to start working on my writing requirement soon. And of course, I'd like to pretend that I can have a life and be in law school at the same time.

7.11 pm

In non-law news, I went to my second pancake dinner with the kids here. It seems to be the meal of choice - I think because it's easy to make, and sweet. The don't actually make pancakes, it's more like crepes. Tonight the choice of toppings was chocolate, white chocolate, bananas, syrup, and some sort of cherry jelly thing that was gone before I got there. When I got home, there was a note that one of the Spanish boys had slipped under my door, saying that since he always invited me to breakfast and never made it, he was inviting me to a dinner he was making tonight. So I thanked him for the pancakes when I sat down - and everyone started laughing, because one of the girls had made them. His punishment for claiming credit for the dinner? Washing all the dishes.

6.39 pm

The kids in my building partied hard last night, and set off the smoke detector around three in the morning. Which proceeded to go off about every five minutes for the next hour. When I went next door to ask if they could please put out the cigarettes so at least the smoke alarm would stop going off, they told me that once it triggered, it kept going for the next hour or two.

"But," one of the guys told me, "it goes off, I push this button to stop it. See. How about I make you breakfast tomorrow? Yes? You like strawberries, cream? What's your favorite, I'll make it?"

I asked what the connection was between the alarm going off at three in the morning and breakfast. He shrugged. The girl next to him explained to me that he was Spanish, and the Spanish consider breakfast to be the most important meal of the day. So I went back to my room, and read a book until the alarm finally stopped going off.

Which may explain why, when I got up to go to the bathroom around six in the morning, I didn't really wake up all the way. Which shouldn't have been a problem, except that there is a door between my bedroom and the bathroom, which I keep closed because it cuts down on the noise from the kids next door. I also leave a night light on in the bathroom, so I can tell at a glance if the bedroom door is open or closed. But, as I said, I was still half asleep and rather confused. So when I got up and only saw black in front of me, it didn't immediately register that the door was closed and I needed to open it. Instead, I somehow decided this meant the door was open.

I walked into it full speed and promptly woke all the way up. The intense pain of smashing your nose into the door and the warm feeling of blood running down your face will do that.

Luckily, I had a bag of peas in the fridge (they're now in the freezer, in case of future emergencies) and so my nose is not nearly as bruised and swollen as I thought it would be.

On rain

7.42 pm

If this cold gets better, it will be despite the weather, not because of it. This morning began with a slow, misting sort of drizzle. The kind of weather where the air feels wet, but you're not quite sure if it's actually raining. From the window in my office I watched it progress to a steady rain with intermittent gusts of wind. By the time I got out of the building, the rain wasn't coming down so hard, but the wind was blowing in just about every direction simultaneously. My cute, red, 2 euro umbrella, which had looked so cheerful this morning, was quickly bent and warped. The wind would be blowing from behind me, then all of a sudden switch so that my umbrella was turned inside out. It seems that a good umbrella here is a must.

7.57 pm

Things that I have been unable to find in The Netherlands, so far:

Mint tea
Dryer sheets
over-the-counter drugs

10.13 pm

I started work yesterday. It seems like it's going to be a good semester. Everyone in the office is really friendly and helpful - I must have gotten half a dozen "and if you have any questions or need anything, come by anytime"'s from people I met. I'll be working mostly with the international courts - I get to go to the Lubanga trial next week, and report on the first day of trial. When I mentioned that I'll be doing my writing requirement this semester, on UNCITRAL and ICSID, my boss mentioned that they might have some UNCITRAL work I could do. So that would be great.

10.20 pm

I am getting used to the cold. It's the worst right after I go outside. Like being slapped across the face, repeatedly. And it hurts to breathe. Then after I've been walking for about five minutes I can pull my face up from where it's been hunched over my scarf. After about ten to fifteen minutes I'm usually warm enough to undo a button or two. Mornings tend to not be so bad, but for some reason the walk home from work is killer. Maybe it's that it's close to dark, or that there aren't that many people out, or maybe it's just colder. Everyone keeps telling me that this week is much, much warmer. Apparently it was about 6-8F, and all the canals froze over enough for ice-skating. In a way, I'm sorry I missed it. Ice skating is about the one winter sport that I really enjoy, and I don't get a chance to do it near often enough.

4.24 pm

My internet is back, after a brief hiatus where the modem was on "standby." I kept waiting for it to turn itself back on, tried resetting it a few times, and finally went into the rental company's office this morning to ask them to call for me since I don't have a phone. Turns out I'd accidentally hit the "standby" button on the top of the modem, and that was why my internet was out. Why there would be a standby button on a cable modem is beyond me, but the internet is back up and running again. Which is most wonderful, since that means I don't have to sit on the floor in the hallway to try and find a wireless signal.

I seem to be living in a party house. Meaning that there are loud parties in the common room, which shares a wall with my apartment, every night until 4, 5, 7 in the morning. On the upside, the building is dead quiet between 8am and about 11 pm. I'm rather curious as to how any of them actually manage to attend class. I asked the rental agency if they had any apartments in a quieter building that I could move to, but they said they're booked full and they'll send a letter to the other tenants reminding them that parties are not allowed in the building. I feel rather like Arthur Dent, at the moment the party smacked him in the back. As I recall, that party didn't go away, either. There's always the wear headphones all night and make sure they're connected to something with an alarm solution.

4.31

It is another cold, rainy day. Despite my utter loathing for cold weather, it's not so bad as I thought it would be. I put on three layers of shirts, a coat, a scarf, a hat, and gloves. The cold isn't so bad if I walk fast, and once I warm up a little I stop feeling it so much. The hard part is after I come out of a store - and they turn the heat in the stores way up. It's only a fifteen minute walk to work, and there's a tram line on the way. Although unless the tram comes exactly as I'm passing the stop, it's quicker to go ahead and walk. The really nice thing about the tram is that it goes right by the embassy - so I can't get lost going to work if I follow the tracks. And for a girl who couldn't find her way out of a paper bag if there were glowing neon signs pointing the way, that's quite a relief.

7.21 pm

When I got dressed today, I put on one of the pairs of knee-high socks that Adam gave me, more because I missed him than anything else. Then I went outside to get some breakfast, and I was ridiculously glad I'd put those socks on after all. Cold, biting cold, with little drops of rain and wind that blew up, down, and sideways all at once. I'd planned on finding my way to work today, but I couldn't stand the thought of walking that far. I'll have to do it tomorrow though.

7.31 pm

Since leaving home, I have lost one stick of deodorant, two socks belonging to different pairs, and a right hand glove. Although I found the glove, so I'm not sure that it really counts as lost. I had taken it off this morning to eat my hand and cheese croissant. The lady at the bakery put it in the oven, and it was hot enough to keep my hand warm. Which is good, because trying to do anything with gloves on is ten times more difficult than it needs to be. So I had my left glove on, my right glove in my pocket, and my breakfast in my right hand.

I went into the same little home goods store as yesterday to pick up a towel and more bottled water (the internet says the tap water here is safe, but I know better than to trust the internet). Took my left glove off to pay, put that in my left pocket, bagged up my purchase, buttoned my coat, took my gloves back out, put the left glove back on, and did... something ...with the right glove. Because I still had half a croissant left, and I couldn't keep my glove on and eat, you see.

I then wandered across the street, to where a girl in the first store had told me there was a supermarket. Went down a flight of stairs to a level of shops below a street, threw out the empty croissant bag, and went into the grocery store. As I was getting ready to come out, I went through the button up the coat/put on my hat/pull my gloves out of my pockets to put them on ritual - except that the right glove was missing!

I checked my coat pockets - nothing. I checked my bags - nothing. I thought briefly about going home and writing an email to my mother, asking her to send several pairs of gloves, then figured it had to be at the first store. At this point, it had gotten decidedly colder and rainer, and my gloveless hand was getting quite cold. And I had another pair of gloves back at the apartment. Still, I figured it would be easy to check out the store, since it was on my way home, so I went in. After much pantomiming (point at hand with glove, point at hand without glove) the clerk figured out that I was missing a glove and they didn't have it.

My next thought was that I must have been holding onto it when I threw out the empty croissant bag and that it had gone into the trash. Yuck. Still, these gloves have seen worse than a little garbage, and I figured it would have to be near the top of the can, since it hadn't been that long. I went back to the grocery store and found the trashcan. I took a deep breath. And another. I'd never actually reached into a trashcan before. Then I stuck my arm in, gingerly, trying not to touch the sides of the can. It was one of the round ones, with a few cut outs near the top for garbage and a closed top, so I couldn't actually see inside. I felt the croissant bag and pulled it out. No glove. I felt around a little more - mostly paper trash - and pulled my hand back out, feeling totally gross.

At this point, I figured the glove was gone for good, and I had better go back home. I crossed the street, looking down to keep my face out of the wind and the rain, and there was my glove. Lying right on the street where I had walked by it twice already.

I'm thinking maybe I need some of those mitten clips that parents use to attach kids gloves to their jackets.

Arrival in Den Haag

6.41 pm

Mostly settled into my apartment in Den Haag. I'm right in the center of the city, about a fifteen minute walk from work. There's a big shopping area about five minutes from my apartment - everything from little food stands (I had lunch at the falafel place) to discount home good stores to designer clothing stores. I'm in a place with a bunch of other student interns, so even though I don't have a roommate, there will be lots of people around.

7.06 pm

Getting here was an adventure. People in the Netherlands are so, so, so much nicer than they are back home. There is no way I would have made it to my room in one piece if it wasn't for all the people who helped carry my massive suitcases and gave me directions. The next time I see someone wandering around looking confused, I'm going to stop and help them rather than just walking past.

I had to take the hotel shuttle back to the airport, get on a train, transfer at Leiden, then go to Den Haag HS. Traveling with two giant suitcases, one smaller one, and a backpack makes getting on and off trains difficult. I missed my stop the first time around, too. I got myself and all my luggage to the train doors as the train was rolling into the station - and the doors didn't open. There weren't instructions or anything, just two buttons - yellow and blue. I pushed the yellow button and nothing happens. I pushed the blue button and the doors made some noise, and then the train started moving away. Then, at the next station, I had to get all the way to the other end of the platform (luggage and all), down a set of stairs, and up another to get into the right place to catch the train. Luckily, a janitor stopped what he was doing and helped me get everything to the other platform. This time, the train I got into had instructions for opening the door. In pictures!

I made it to the rental office, even though the cab driver didn't really know where it was going. The lady gave me the keys and a map of the city, then told me to get on the tram outside the office to get to the apartment. The tram driver was really nice and told me which stop to get off at. I got directions from a girl in a clothing store. Then when I got to the street, I couldn't find my apartment building. I was looking for 257, and the only apartments were 3a all the way to 3m. After wandering around a minute and trying my key in all the doors, a girl came up to me and asked if she could help. She called the rental agency, but they said it was the right street, and they didn't know where the apartment was. So then we figured out that the street turned 90 degrees and continued, sans street signs, another two blocks. And there, at the very end, was my building. I could have hugged her.

So here I am, in a studio apartment with a bathroom and a tiny kitchen that's about 9 feet by 20 feet, not including the bathroom. And there's laundry machines in the building, no charge. So I figure, even though it's way more than I wanted to pay, it's a nice enough place, and no roommates is a bonus.

7:16 pm

Off to find some dinner, and somewhere I can buy tea. It's a balmy 37F here, warming up to 44F by Sunday. Brrr.

Amsterdam

8:22 pm, local time

I got into Amsterdam around 2 this afternoon. It's like the "royale with cheese" scene from Pulp Fiction - it really is the little things that are different. For instance, the bed in my hotel room doesn't have a comforter, and the bottom sheet is flat, not fitted. And the shrimp bisque I ordered for dinner tonight was pretty good, but it was not the type of cream based bisque I was expecting. Even so, I don't think it's quite hit me that I'm in another country for the next four months. I start work on Tuesday, since Monday is a holiday, which gives me a long weekend to get settled, figure out how to get to work, and all that.

Duckie and I had a wonderful fun time in Vegas. We didn't really do that much gambling - maybe only an hour or two at some low-stakes craps tables. Instead we spent most of the first day just wandering up and down the strip. The inside of Paris was way cute. I had expected it to be tacky, but the way it was decorated I felt like we were walking around outside instead of in a hotel. And the Bellagio was stunning, of course.

Maybe I've been in California too long, but I kept thinking, the whole time we were there, about the incredible amount of waste that goes into that city. The light on top of the Luxor, the golf courses, even the fountains at the Bellagio. All gorgeous in their own way, but completely unsustainable. Even Adam got a little upset when we went somewhere and the cups were all styrofoam. Methinks, however, that we will most definitely go back - and next time on a Friday/Saturday night trip.