Hello all,
So, for the past two weeks I've been in Krakow, studying out of an organization called eFKa. I didn't update all that much because, well frankly, I didn't have a very good time there. The state of feminism and of the LGBTQ rights movements are startlingly beak. Abortion is illegal except in the case of rape, or threat of health to the mother, but even these exceptions have been challenged and thereby narrowed. Violence against LGBTQ folks is common, especally toward gay men. Pride parades are literally stoned by "counterprotestors." Racism, too, is rampant, and I found much anti-semitism as well. Pics will be up on facebook soon, but right now I'm in an internet cafe and I can't figure out how to upload them. So, without further ado, the Krakow pros and cons!
Pros:
Dirt cheap: this actually had kind of a negative effect because I ended up spending more money than I wanted to, but I got a lot of good stuff in exchange, so it was worth it
the Krakow mall: absolutely gorgeous
lots of nice tea places, suitable for a tea snob like myself
pretty archetecture and a REALLY COOL castle
Cons:
every -ism you can possibly think of is really rampant
we stayed in a very touristy part of town, so there was lots of noise and annoying people
no cool museums
everyone got sick at the same time, but that really has nothing to do with Krakow itself
So now I'm in Prague, staying with a host family. They are really chill and have an awesome flat. Katy A and I are staying in the daughter's room (she's gonna be staying with her grandparents) and we have already fallen in love with her via her room. She has a sick stereo system and we're gonna ask her next time we see her if we can use it. Also, best part is THERE'S A KITTY! It's name is Iggy and it's kinda grouchy, but I still like her.
Well, that's about all, until next time
Leila
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Final Reflections on Utrecht
Okay, yeah, I've been a bit derelict in updating, but that's mostly because stuff was pretty run of the mill. I went on this gorgeous bike ride out into the countryside along the Udegracht (last part pronounced the way you say yacht, though I'm not positive on the spelling here) which is an old old canal that runs through Utrecht and eventually flows into a river that flows to Amsterdam. So, theoretically I could have biked to Amsterdam, however the fact that everyone in The Netherlands is a giant precluded
me from finding a rental bike that was small enough for me, so I struggled along on a bike that was a bit too big because, damnit, I wanted to go on a bike ride. I only made it a couple miles out before I had to turn around because I was really thirsty and I couldn't find anyplace to get water. In anycase, it was lovely. Here are a few highlights:
-The complete and total gorgeousness, as seen in the picture to the left. Also, the paths were flat as hell, so it was really stress free biking (except for the fact that I couldn't get a handle on the brakes and I was on my tiptoes pedeling). There were few places to look that weren't just plain beautiful. It was a sunny day and that just made it all the better.
-the amazing houseboats and with them
-houseboat window prostitutes! Some woman came out and started yelling at me for taking this photo, a reasonable reaction, to be sure. However, I took special care to not have any pictures that showed people themselves in it, but just the stretch.
Apart from that, I went to Amsterdam twice. Once was just with friends, and the second was to get a lecture from the founder of Women on Waves and the founder of the Prostitution Information Center. Also, a bunch of drunk tourists. Ewww. It made me thankful to be staying in Utrecht and not Amsterdam.
So now, my boiled down list of pros and cons of The Netherlands:
Pros:
drinking age (though that's true all over Europe)
other illicit things...
gorgeous archetecture
great conceptual museums
nicest people I have ever met
everyone spoke english
NOISE program
biking everywhere
french fries for lunch every other day
Cons:
shelf toilets (I don't need to see my poo that up close)
always in danger of being run over by overzealous bikers
narrow streets where you couldn't tell where the road stopped and the sidewalk began
the Euro
me from finding a rental bike that was small enough for me, so I struggled along on a bike that was a bit too big because, damnit, I wanted to go on a bike ride. I only made it a couple miles out before I had to turn around because I was really thirsty and I couldn't find anyplace to get water. In anycase, it was lovely. Here are a few highlights:-The complete and total gorgeousness, as seen in the picture to the left. Also, the paths were flat as hell, so it was really stress free biking (except for the fact that I couldn't get a handle on the brakes and I was on my tiptoes pedeling). There were few places to look that weren't just plain beautiful. It was a sunny day and that just made it all the better.
-the amazing houseboats and with them
-houseboat window prostitutes! Some woman came out and started yelling at me for taking this photo, a reasonable reaction, to be sure. However, I took special care to not have any pictures that showed people themselves in it, but just the stretch.Apart from that, I went to Amsterdam twice. Once was just with friends, and the second was to get a lecture from the founder of Women on Waves and the founder of the Prostitution Information Center. Also, a bunch of drunk tourists. Ewww. It made me thankful to be staying in Utrecht and not Amsterdam.
So now, my boiled down list of pros and cons of The Netherlands:
Pros:
drinking age (though that's true all over Europe)
other illicit things...
gorgeous archetecture
great conceptual museums
nicest people I have ever met
everyone spoke english
NOISE program
biking everywhere
french fries for lunch every other day
Cons:
shelf toilets (I don't need to see my poo that up close)
always in danger of being run over by overzealous bikers
narrow streets where you couldn't tell where the road stopped and the sidewalk began
the Euro
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
NOISE week 2: Posthumanism
I absolutely LOVED the academics this past week. In addition to just that, I got to know a lot of the NOISE students better and just generally had a good time.
Before this week, I had no clue what posthumanism is. Frankly, I'm still foggy on the concept; most philosophical theories that begin with post- are just a bitch to get a grasp of (except for postfeminism [the idea that feminism is no longer necessary] and postcolonialism [dealing with the aftermath of political colonialism], those are pretty much straightforward). In anycase, posthumanism is the concept that the idea of the human as a separate, unitary being is flawed. Rather, humans can be thought of as cyborgs (cybernetic organisms) that have human, animal, and technological components (for an awesome essay on the topic here's a link). This is already a reality, what with pacemakers and norplants, and we've known that humans were animals since Darwin, so that's nothing new. However, we all still have a tendency towards "human exceptionalism" or the idea that humans are better than animals. This idea of human exceptionalism not only because it justifies cruelty towards non-human animals, but also because it allows for more oppression to exist. For example, if someone characterizes certain race, or ethnic group, or gender as animalistic or closer to animals, that group is rendered inhuman and thus not deserving of human rights. In short, it's yet another way of rationalizing the -isms. Because of this, trying to shake the idea of human exceptionalism is key. The only problem is, that would mean I'd have to be vegan. I've already pretty much gone veggie, but I really want to enjoy the cheese and pastries and such here. So for now, I think I'll be a hipocrite. When I get back to the states, though, I'll re-evaluate.
Anyway, my tutor group (GO GROUP YELLOW!) created a game of the Sims that had all of our group members in it in Sim form. I had to be a kid because it was the version that couldn't adjust height (bah on that). It was a lot of fun, and just plain awesome, to play the Sims and claim it as work time.
Also this past week we had a feminist pub quiz at an Irish pub in town. Even though our team got 3rd place, it was loads of fun and hey, we still beat two of the teams :P. Without a doubt, though, the most fun of the week was the make some NOISE party last friday. Lots of dancing, amazing food, and really really really good music. Also, as a whole, the NOISE students are just really cool people and I met many an awesome individual. A lot of them are going to school at Universeit Utrecht so we are still hanging out with them as long as we're in Utrecht.
For the next week and 1/2, we'll be recieving lectures from Iveta as well as other scholars from the Universeit Utrecht women's studies department (it's supposed to be one of the best in Europe!). I have a lot more free time now, which allows for wandering and such. Honestly, the more I see of Utrecht, the more I love it. One of these days I'm gonna rent a bike. I'll be sure to fill y'all in on that when the time comes.
Until then, Adios!
Before this week, I had no clue what posthumanism is. Frankly, I'm still foggy on the concept; most philosophical theories that begin with post- are just a bitch to get a grasp of (except for postfeminism [the idea that feminism is no longer necessary] and postcolonialism [dealing with the aftermath of political colonialism], those are pretty much straightforward). In anycase, posthumanism is the concept that the idea of the human as a separate, unitary being is flawed. Rather, humans can be thought of as cyborgs (cybernetic organisms) that have human, animal, and technological components (for an awesome essay on the topic here's a link). This is already a reality, what with pacemakers and norplants, and we've known that humans were animals since Darwin, so that's nothing new. However, we all still have a tendency towards "human exceptionalism" or the idea that humans are better than animals. This idea of human exceptionalism not only because it justifies cruelty towards non-human animals, but also because it allows for more oppression to exist. For example, if someone characterizes certain race, or ethnic group, or gender as animalistic or closer to animals, that group is rendered inhuman and thus not deserving of human rights. In short, it's yet another way of rationalizing the -isms. Because of this, trying to shake the idea of human exceptionalism is key. The only problem is, that would mean I'd have to be vegan. I've already pretty much gone veggie, but I really want to enjoy the cheese and pastries and such here. So for now, I think I'll be a hipocrite. When I get back to the states, though, I'll re-evaluate.
Anyway, my tutor group (GO GROUP YELLOW!) created a game of the Sims that had all of our group members in it in Sim form. I had to be a kid because it was the version that couldn't adjust height (bah on that). It was a lot of fun, and just plain awesome, to play the Sims and claim it as work time.
Also this past week we had a feminist pub quiz at an Irish pub in town. Even though our team got 3rd place, it was loads of fun and hey, we still beat two of the teams :P. Without a doubt, though, the most fun of the week was the make some NOISE party last friday. Lots of dancing, amazing food, and really really really good music. Also, as a whole, the NOISE students are just really cool people and I met many an awesome individual. A lot of them are going to school at Universeit Utrecht so we are still hanging out with them as long as we're in Utrecht.
For the next week and 1/2, we'll be recieving lectures from Iveta as well as other scholars from the Universeit Utrecht women's studies department (it's supposed to be one of the best in Europe!). I have a lot more free time now, which allows for wandering and such. Honestly, the more I see of Utrecht, the more I love it. One of these days I'm gonna rent a bike. I'll be sure to fill y'all in on that when the time comes.
Until then, Adios!
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