Another week in Den Haag!

Hi Everybody!

Hope you all are well in your respective corners of the world! I am continuing to love life. Everyday I feel more and more certain that this is where I am supposed to be. I am relishing the fact that I am in a group of likeminded peers, from all pockets of the world, representing 60+ countries and 200 distinct viewpoints, all concerned for making this world a better place through International Development. Amazing! There is such a respect for each other and one's distinct worldview. I feel this community is reflective of how societies were supposed to be, how we as humans are to focus our energies towards each other and the common purpose of improving our world. My head is still spinning at the fact a place like this exists, and I'm in it! :)

A good illustration could be Friday night. We had a welcome dance for all the new students in our school's atrium. They were mixing world music from Reggaeton to African to Punjabi Indian beats to the infamous macarena or "Cotton Eyed Joe" square dance song. Sooo cool, it reminded me of my itunes playlist (minus the macarena and square dancing of course) haha! Roughly 200 people from all over- Pakistani, Ethiopian, Nicaraguan, Sri Lankan, Italian were all completely living it up shaking it, showing off their unique dancing talents and skills... I had SO much fun. Now THAT is how we should work out world conflicts, not shows of arms but dance offs! My personal highlight was when they played the "Cotton eyed Joe" song, I took it as my American liberty to show a little doe-si-doe or whatever it is called as you "swing your parter round and round"... I'd say by the end of the song I had about 80% of the dance floor doing it... go USA haha!

Outside of the dancing and introductory orientation duties I've been really enjoying meeting new friends, exploring the Hague, absorbing my new home. I feel like Europe is SO refreshing. From the non-chemically altered food, delicious beer options, to the walking lifestyle, cafe culture, elegant but enduring classical architecture, to the educated but openminded people... I really feel like they've captured so much of what it means to truly LIVE not just survive or gain more for yourself.

For the first time I've realized that in the United States we are commercially oppressed. On billboards, radio ads, street signs, public decorations, architecture, all media, schools, restaurants, churches... it is nay to impossible to evade the logos, the advertisements, the sense of "buy buy buy, you neeeeed this, your life is so much better with that". You don't even notice it while being there, but after being in a place where buildings are buildings, restaurants are primarily locally owned, the few public posters you see are advertising concerts or community events you realize... Hmmm perhaps we've seriously lost control of our lives. I do consider it an oppression! When it comes to the point that it's normal to be screamed at, to be constantly demanded of, maybe, just maybe, there is a different, better way. (*Of course there is some commercial influence here, and I am relatively sheltered from it w/o a TV or radio, but the difference in the rest of my daily life is so significant- it's like night and day!)

Anyways, that is about it from Den Haag! This week our school is going to "Zaanse Schans" a traditional old Dutch village with working windmills, cheese factories, wooden shoes and the rest! Afterwards we'll do a boat tour in Amsterdam. Then school starts... but I am quite excited for that as well. I'll give you all the details soon!

Have a great new week! Also, 1 month from today, October 7th (also Becky's 26th bday, happy bday sissy!) is the World Day for Decent Work (http://www.wddw.org/-About-the-day-). I came across it when doing some research for possible Thesis topics. Apparently there is a relatively new worldwide campaign for "Decent Work", basically a push for a globalization that respects the basic human dignities of fairness in employment, rights at work, solidarity, and job creation as a tool to combat poverty, etc. October 7th is a day to get the word out! Check it out!

Love, Peace & Unity!
Ruth :)