≈On the 26th January 2012, 21 Australian law students descended onto the small city of Maastricht located in the Limburg province of the Netherlands.
Many students who arrived from p
revious travels and tours were still recovering from “overexertion”, while the few who travelled straight from their hometown, like myself, were suffering up to 48 hours of sleep deprivation associated with torturous long-haul flights. In short, the majority of the group was dreary-eyed and sluggish at the 3.30pm meeting with Aude Collioud, the program co-ordinator, in the eco-friendly budget hostel, Stayokay Maastricht, which would be our humble abode for most of the next 3 weeks. We were all quite aware though that this study trip would be an astounding and enlightening experience.
Well, it’s been 10 days since the program commenced and so far it has been nothing short of amazing. Our little group of 21 has grown exceptional close and we are keen to take on everything this beautiful little country will throw at us, whether it be intensive study, coffeeshops, hostel hiccups, freezing snow or aggressive cyclists.
Our first couple of days in Maastricht consisted primarily of exploration and exhilaration. Aude and Kyra were there to guide us, and keep us in line, and have been painstakingly brilliant in their support. On the first Friday, some of us were audacious enough to visit a coffeeshop and a few pubs and celebrate a belated Australia Day in a tiny pub full of inebriated locals.
The first weekend was official free time, which did not deserve to be wasted. Many students voyaged to the German city of Aachen, a few girls being so bold as to make the trip by bicycle. We were all relieved that they survived the arduous expedition. One boy went all the way to London to reunite with Contiki cohorts. A small group of us journeyed to another German city, Köln (aka Cologne) via Aachen, and enjoyed the gargantuan cathedral that lies at the heart of the city. We explored a couple of the local beer-houses where they serve a special geographical-restricted and patented style of beer, exclusive to Köln, called Kölsch. If you want to rile up a Köbe (Kölsch waiter) you should definitely ask them if Düsseldorf (Köln’s rival city) makes a better beer.
Our first week commenced brilliantly, that is, it SNOWED. Hallelujah! We were greeted in the morning with a significant layer of powder snow, which made our historic city tour that little bit more magical. Lakes were frozen, ducks were slipping around on the icy surfaces, doggies were adorned woolly jumpers and paw-shoes. Our first week was jam-packed with snowy experiences and plenty of dining out.
Our first two days of classes were rather intense and demanded a high level of student participation. Most of us were not habituated to comprehending and analysing law above the domestic level. However, it was effortless and comfortable to communicate, discuss and debate within our tight-knit group.
The remainder of the week was dedicated to a short trip to Amsterdam for 2 nights in a nice, warm hotel which had adequate showers and heating. What a relief. Each day was action-packed and we visited fascinating locations like the Vredespale (the Peace Palace) in Den Haag (The Hague) which houses the International Court of Justice, Permanent Court of Arbitration, The Hague Academy and a library. Next, we stopped over at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment and were given two exhilarating lectures by their dedicated staff. Some of us took the free time at night to party it up in this cold, sleazy and vibrant little city, coffeeshops and clubs were visited, sex shows were attended, bananas were eaten, and embarrassing memories were forged.
The following day we ventured to the offices of Greenpeace International which was especially interesting, particularly hearing their justification for some of the acts they commit in the name of the environment. Subsequently, most of us traipsed to the Heineken Experience, a large interactive tour of an old Heineken brewery which concludes with free beer. Naturally, quite a large amount of free beer was imbibed.
It was a heartrending experience leaving our lovely Amsterdam hotel to return to our eco-friendly barebones establishment. Our return was met with confusion as administrative matters left us locked out of our rooms on arrival.
It is currently our second Sunday in Maastricht and most of us are keeping our heads down to catch up on study, as we have a big week of readings and oral presentations ahead. The Stayokay hostel is not the ideal place for study due to loud backpackers, frequent group meetings, bands and limited services, but we are all managing quite well with what we have, and are making most of the hostel bar, snack service and free wifi.
I will end this blog with a list of uncanny observations about the culture and life of Maastricht:
- The Dutch eat a large amount of sandwiches, but toast is hard to find.
- You generally pay at the end of the meal rather than before it.
- The Euro currency is very confusing.
- Dogs are treated like babies over here, they get special clothes and no one seems to mind if their owners take them into a store, supermarket, cafe or restaurant. Also they don’t bark, I’ve seen dozens of dogs in the last 10 days and have not heard a single bark.
- Dutch people are taller than average and are, generally speaking, super attractive, good-natured, educated and well-dressed (I come from Adelaide, so this is all a surprise to me).
- Alcohol is as cheap as chips. Beer, in particular, is not only cheap but of a considerably high quality.
- Mayonnaise is put on everything!
Tot ziens! (Goodbye!)
Michael Goh is
participating in our January 2012 International Environmental Law Program at Maastricht University, the Netherlands. Michael is going into his 3rd year of a Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice degree at Flinders University. He is also an avid enthusiast photographer and some of his captures can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/serapheus/sets/
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