This morning we woke up to a presentation on immigration by newly arrived professor Kari Fangel. We discussed issues that the Netherlands has had to deal with as well as the common perception of immigration in the country. It surprised me that many locals have expressed that they don't believe the people of the Netherlands are as tolerant as some think they are. Many countries in Europe have become more conservative in their thinking. One government official was assassinated, allegedly because his opposition to immigration (i.e. Pim Fortuyn).
Our second, though related, topic of the day was globalization. To learn about it we walked through two different street markets and observed what was being sold, who sold them, who was shopping, and where people and products were from. I couldn't believe the range of things that were offered. They had food, clothes, music/videos, flowers, and even chocolate private parts. It was like a Wal-Mart, but outside. As far as people and products, I lost count of how many different cultures I observed existing side by side on one long, narrow street.
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