Thursday we traveled to Utrecht to hear presentations on research in the area of human rights. The speakers were very interesting, but what I found most intriguing about them was that they were so humble. They seemed completely shocked and surprised that we were there to talk to them. Their presentation was short and mainly covered what exactly the organization does. The most interesting part to me though were the questions people asked afterwards, particularly the one Kari asked regarding President Bush and his withdrawal from the ICC (International Criminal Court) process. I was so excited to hear that one of the men who spoke to us - he specialized in law and women's rights - strongly believed that part of the reason Bush refused to remain a part of the ICC was because of the current situation in Iraq and the issue with Guantanamo Bay and the Geneva Convention, etc.. I completely agree with that and to hear that someone in such a high position feels the same way was...well I'm not sure how to describe it. Surreal perhaps.
The time I've spent here has been amazing. Amsterdam is wonderful and the amount of freedom granted to people in the Netherlands is something that restores my faith that the rest of the world can someday reach the same place. I think there is a notion in the United States that people couldn't handle the kind of freedom given in the Netherlands and that just isn't true. Yes there are some people who would abuse the rights given to them, but those are the people that are, more than likely, participating either way. Anyway, the U.S. has a long way to go before we can even compare our freedoms with those of the Netherlands.
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