Rachel Goes to Washington!

Belgium

2009-12-05T22:47:00.001-08:00

World War I Memorial

The Trenches

Brugge

Michelangelo - Madonna and Child

Frites!

Brussels!

The Golden Statue - Supposed to be lucky....

Um...probably the best sausages ever

The Atomium

Trier, Germany and The Hague, the Netherlands

2009-12-05T22:42:00.001-08:00

Trier

The Peace Palace

The World Peace Flame

The International Court of Justice

Luxembourg City

2009-12-05T22:39:00.001-08:00

France

2009-12-05T22:29:00.000-08:00

Alsasce

Le Chateau de Haut Koenigsbourg
(The Castle)

Strasbourg

The European Parliament

The European Court of Human Rights

Strasbourg

The Cathedral

Geneva Pictures

2009-12-05T22:11:00.000-08:00

The PlaneThe Lighthouse on Lake Geneva

The United Nations
The Three-Legged Chair - Built to Commemorate the Land-Mine Ban Treaty

The UN Flag and the Globe

The General Assembly room

Pretty Switzerland

The Red Cross

At the United Nations

The Switzerland Countryside

Europe!

2009-12-04T13:36:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the posting delay. It has been a busy week back from the trip.

So from November 7 through the 24, my class as well as the other international law and organizations class traveled to Europe to learn mostly about the "organizations" part of international law. After a long over-night flight, we arrived in Geneva, Switzerland. Geneva is not quite what I was expecting. The old part of the city across the lake from where we were staying was very pretty with old churches, cobblestone streets, and cute little restaurants, but the newer part was actually pretty ugly. Cable lines for the "light-rails" crisscrossed every intersection, and the city was very mismatched. We spent about five days there, visiting primarily United Nations institutions. We went to the United Nations Development Program, the International Red Cross, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Organization for Migration where we learned about the number of refugees and displaced people climate change will cause. We also visited UN Watch, which is an independent organization that monitors and reports on how well the UN is following its Charter. Finally, we visited the International Telecommunications Union which couldn't give us a good answer as to why our cell phones do not work in Europe : ) In the evenings, we explored the city, we walked out to the lighthouse on the lake, where one of my classmates nearly fell in, we ate delicious creme brulé, and admired all of the fancy swiss watches in the majority of the store windows. Our accommodations where adequate but by no means luxurious. The hotel only had one elevator, so it took about an hour for 60 people to make it up to their rooms, which themselves were tiny. Moving in a group of 60 is always a challenge. Geneva was probably the most intensive part of the trip academically because there were so many organizations to visit. Plus, we were all still getting over jet lag so those first few days we were all in bed pretty early. Our final night in Geneva, a few of us went to Tse Yang an incredibly fancy Chinese restaurant of which there are apparently only 3 in the world (I kept the chopsticks). The food was delicious.

The next morning, we boarded the bus early to head to Strasbourg, France. The drive through Switzerland was quite beautiful with the mountains and valleys and fall foliage. Along the way, we stopped in a beautiful little town in Alsace, which is surrounded by vineyards and famous for their wine. We had lunch, a delicious mini quiche and a glass of the local wine. After lunch, we drove up the mountain to a castle called the Chateau de Haut-Koenigsbourg that overlooks the town. The castle was used throughout the middle ages until the 30 years war when it was abandoned for a time. It has now been restored. We got a tour of the castle, but the best part was undoubtedly the gorgeous view of the countryside.

We arrived in Strasbourg rather late that evening, and had group dinner at Au Pont St. Martin. There was more pork on my plate that evening than I ever wish to see again I think, but it tasted very good. In Strasbourg we visited the Council of Europe, which unlike the European Council is not a part of the European Union. Confusing, I know. The Council of Europe's mission is to promote human rights, democracy and rule of law. It is supplemented by the European Court of Human Rights which we also visited. Our speaker there was a judge who sits on the court from Poland. The court allows individuals to bring cases against their governments if they feel their human rights have been violated. The court is actually overwhelmed with cases at this time - there are over 100,000 pending cases, and 90% of applications get dismissed. But, the number of cases speaks to the effectiveness and integrity of the court. According to our speaker, countries are usually willing to accept the judgement of the court and pay reparation to the victim, and in some cases, countries do attempt to change or better implement human rights laws. I enjoyed both of these visits very much, and the institutions are located across the street from a picturesque little park where we ate lunch. Strasbourg is quite a lovely city, and its most prominent feature is the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg which is located right in the heart of the city. It is a very gothic building - the outside and inside alike are incredibly ornate.

The next day was our three-country day. We drove from Strasbourg into Luxembourg City where we stayed for 4 or 5 hours. Luxembourg City has a odd mix of your modern American clothing stores and class European restaurants and little open-air food markets. We bought honey roasted peanuts and almonds from a street vendor, the most delicious grapes I have ever tasted from a tiny food market, and warm wine (interesting taste) from a local cafe. After Luxembourg, we headed into Trier, Germany where we stayed for the weekend. On our day off in Trier, we just wandered around the city. Unfortunately it was Sunday, so a lot of shops were closed, but I did get to go to church at the Cathedral that morning. The mass was in German, but it was very nice. The church was pretty but extremely cold inside. I guess they didn't have insulation back in those days.

Monday we had a long drive from Trier to the Hague in the Netherlands. This was probably my favorite leg of the trip academically. We got to visit the International Criminal Court, the Peace Palace where the International Court of Justice is located, and the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. At the ICC is also the Special Court for Sierra Leone. While we were there we got to see Charles Taylor on trial. He is the former president of Liberia and is responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sierra Leone during the civil war there. We also saw a trial at the ICTY of people being accused of exploiting, torturing, and killing prisoners of war. While depressing in many ways, being able to actually see the trials was really fascinating. We often talk about international law as having no enforcement mechanisms, and as being a vague set of rules that countries generally don't follow, but the international court system that is set up shows that more and more, countries and individuals are being held responsible for violations of international law.

Our final stop was Brussels where the European Union institutions are located. On the way to Brussels, we also stopped at SHAPE which is the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe - the military headquarters and base camp for NATO. Later in the trip, we also visited the political headquarters of NATO which is located near Brussels. Both of these visits were very interesting. We learned a lot about the war in Afghanistan, as well as NATOs operations in Somalia combatting piracy. In Brussels, we visited the European Parliament and the European Commission where we learned about the structure of the EU, the new reforms that will take place due to the adoption of the Lisbon treaty, and about the challenges facing the EU. On the Saturday we were in Brussels, we took a day trip up to Northern Belgium to visit Hill 62 and Brugge. Hill 62 is a World War I memorial that has preserved some of the actual trenches that the soldiers used during the war. We were able to walk through the trenches, and visit the museum where remnants of the war are kept. It was a pretty powerful place, and adding to the mood was a man walking around playing the bagpipes. As we were driving there, it was very erie to look out the window and think that only 60 some years ago, all of the pristine looking farmlands were ravaged by the war. Our professors told us that the farmers still today, every spring, uncover bullet casings while planting their crops, and you can see piles of them along the roadside. After Hill 62 we went to Brugge which is a beautiful city. Belgium is of course famous for their waffles, chocolate, and frites (french fries) all of which we consumed probably in excess while there. We took a boat ride along the canal in Brugge, ate some of the best frites I have ever tasted, bought some of the best chocolate I have ever tasted, and enjoyed the sites and sounds of the little city as it was being decorated for Christmas.

On Tuesday, we departed for home, and after a 23 hour day (due to the time difference), finally made it back to our beds. I enjoyed a quiet Thanksgiving break during which I slept a lot and tried to catch up on homework. On Thanksgiving day I went with my friend to her family's house in Maryland where we had a very nice meal. Monday and Tuesday I had my last two days at my internship. Our class load this week has been light because we do have a final next week. My professor was able to get us a tour of the White House today which was very cool. It wasn't a special tour, just the regular one, so we just saw the East Wing, but it is very beautiful inside, and even more so because everything is decorated for Christmas. There was also a lovely string quartet playing which got me into the Christmas spirit.

So I have about a week left here and then I will be coming back to Minnesota! It has been an excellent semester to be sure. I have learned quite a bit about international law of course, but also through my internship about the domestic legislative process and environmental issues, and through my experiences in general about the Washington DC culture. I am very excited to return to Minnesota, and to St. Olaf and see all of my family and friends. I am also excited to see how my experiences this semester shape my future plans!

Thank you all for reading. I will most likely post one last blog upon my return home, and pictures from Europe will be up tomorrow!

Au revoir!

Pictures

2009-11-05T19:27:00.000-08:00

Vietnam War Memorial

Korean War Memorial

Lincoln!

World War II Memorial

Washington Monument

The Capitol

St. Patrick's Cathedral

The Museum of Modern Art, New York

Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty

New York!

The Ferry

The United Nations

The General Assembly Room at the United Nations

The Secretary-Generals of the United Nations

Seal the Deal!

The Chrysler Building
The National Zoo

Happy November!

2009-11-03T11:01:00.001-08:00

Good morning from DC! It is a beautiful fall day, the sun is shining, and the Environmental and Public Works Committee is meeting to mark-up the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act S. 1733. Well….they would be meeting to mark up the bill except that the seven Republicans on the committee are planning to boycott the mark up, and so it is expected that the Democrats will show up, give opening statements for the benefit of the press and the avid environmentalists, and leave. Politics at its best. I know what you are thinking, why are the Republicans attempting to stall the political process and prevent the United States of America from responding to climate change 20 years after it has been determined that this is a problem that requires our immediate attention? Well you probably don’t want my own opinions on the matter, but their reason is that the Environmental Protection Agency has not conducted a complete economic modeling of the bill, and so they have no idea what impact cap and trade will have on the average Americans pocketbook. Actually, they may have a point. The democrats say that while a complete modeling may not have been done on this bill, the House bill, which is in many respects similar, did have a complete economic modeling done on it. They also may have a point. Of course the real reasons behind the Republicans delay may be quite different, and even if they were here, they would be offering 100 different amendments attempting to weaken the bill and protect their interests, fueled and funded by the natural resources industries who are not excited about being shoved out of business by wind and solar power, despite the fact that that is unlikely to happen anytime soon. So, what are our chances for passage? It all depends (the classic answer in any of the social sciences). Hopes were raised the other week by the editorial published in the New York Times by John Kerry and Lindsey Graham. For those who just want a bill passed, the public acknowledgement of the importance of this issue by a prominent Republican raised hopes that some other moderate Republicans might get on board with the bill. For those further on the left, there were concerns that Kerry was bowing to the opposition by giving in on nuclear power, “clean” coal, and offshore drilling. Inevitably, some of these concessions will have to be accepted if we are to get a bill passed, but hopefully the integrity of the bill will not be overly compromised. Regardless, it is unlikely that this bill will come to a vote by the end of the year. A difficult fact to reconcile with, especially because of the international conferences in Copenhagen that are coming up in December, and many were hoping both at home and abroad that the United States would be able to come to the negotiations with some concrete proposals. Anyway, it is an exciting time to be here. Keep watching for news!

In other areas of my life, my preparations are underway for Europe! We will be leaving on Saturday the 7th and staying through the 24th. Our travels will take us to Geneva, Switzerland, Strasbourg, France, Trier, Germany, the Hague, Netherlands, and Brussles, Belgium, with stops along the way in Luxembourg, Bruges, and Amsterdam. So basically a whirlwind tour of a large part of the European continent. It will undoubtedly be a hectic two and a half weeks, but I am very excited to go. I have not been out of the country since 2003, so I am looking forward to traveling again. I am hoping that we hear some good speakers, and I am especially looking forward to visiting the International Criminal Court, where, if we are lucky, we may be able to see a trial actually underway.

Last week in class we talked a lot about free trade and fair trade. It was interesting to learn that according to some, these are the same thing. Who knew!?!?!? That was meant to be sarcastic if you didn’t catch on. Free trade and fair trade are certainly not the same thing, but there is no reason why we cannot enact policies that make free trade fairer. This week we will be talking about the European Union in preparation for our travels. After we get back, it will be Thanksgiving, and then I will be back in Minnesota on the 13th of December!

Thanks for reading! I promise to upload pictures before I leave for Europe!

New York!

2009-10-13T12:16:00.001-07:00

Wow, I cannot believe that I am halfway through the semester already!!! Here are some updates from the past couple weeks.

Last week, my class traveled to New York City to visit the United Nations. After a long bus ride and getting stuck in traffic (it took us a hour to go 12 blocks) we arrived at the upscale Grand Hyatt Hotel in the heart of the city. After a brief respite during which we all found our rooms, unpacked, and ironed suits for the next day, we headed out as a group of 60 for dinner. New York City is by all accounts a shock to the senses. I had been there before in 2006 but had forgotten the intensity of the lights of Times Square, the incredible number of people on the streets (even on a Sunday night), and the overpowering smells of street venders and pollution from thousands of cars. By the time we finished dinner at 9, I was ready for bed.

On Monday, we were dressed and ready to go by 9. We walked over to the UN, where we passed through rather stringent security, and waited another 30 minutes for our tour. After the beautiful architecture and elegance of Washington DC, the plainness of the UN was a bit surprising. The buildings are rather run down and the decorations are decidedly 50s style. I guess the architects did not want to cater to any one nations’ style of architecture or design, but if you think about it, the inelegance of the building reflects the nature of the UN perfectly. Our tour was interesting but fairly superficial. I don’t think our tour guides knew how much we already knew about the UN and its structure and organization. We were able to see the General Assembly room, which has the weirdest paintings on the wall, but unfortunately the Security Council building was under reconstruction. Whatever my feelings about the tour, lunch in the Delegates Dining Room, provided for us by the Dean of the Washington Semester program, completely made up for it. They had dishes from all over the world and it was delicious. Dessert was even better.

After lunch we heard from a number of speakers. The first was a representative from the United Nations Environment Programme the headquarters of which are located in Nairobi, Kenya. He was a very good speaker and talked about global climate change and the international and domestic efforts that are being made to address the problem. While I was familiar with most of what he talked about, it was a very interesting session, and I am glad that my classmates were engaged in the presentation. Another interesting, but rather frustrating speaker that day was a ambassador from Cuba who was unapologetic about his country and their economic, political, and social conditions. All the blame was placed on the United States and referred to the country as a socialist republic and did not even mention Castro. He claimed that Cuban citizens enjoyed “free and fair elections”, that everyone belonged to the same party, and that any opposition was due to interference from the United States government. I was a bit surprised, because as an ambassador, you would think he would have a broader view of the world, but I guess not. Other speakers that day and on Tuesday included a woman from UNICEF who talked about child poverty around the world. She impressed upon us the importance of using indicators other than just income to measure poverty, and that it is necessary to talk to children themselves, and to ask what poverty means to them. We also visited the Division for the Advancement of Women’s Rights where we heard from a woman who talked about the international efforts to define and uphold the rights of women and how the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women has not been signed by the United States. We also heard from representatives from the US Mission to the UN, so these are people that work for the General Assembly and the Security Council. The primary focus of these talks was the need for reform in the United Nations. Currently, the Security Council is structured so that the US, the UK, France, China, and Russia have veto power over all resolutions. Many calls have been made for expanded representation or the elimination of the veto power. However, all of our speakers seemed to indicate that this is unlikely to actually happen anytime soon because of course reform measures would have to be voted upon by these countries, and none of them are going to want to give up that power.

Perhaps our most interesting speaker was a young man who came here from Palestine. Given that here in the United States we are inundated with pro-Israel news, it is incredibly important to hear the other side of the debate. In addition to telling us his story about how he was finally able to come to the US to study, he outlined for us the history of the Israel/Palestinian conflict and the demands that both sides are making in the “peace” process. Clearly, the fault lies with both sides and in the actions taken by the United States and the European countries, so it is necessary that any solution requires cooperation from all the parties involved. This, however, seems unlikely given the irreconcilable demands being made by both Israel and Palestine. A two state solution seems necessary, but how are Palestinians supposed to travel between Gaza and the West Bank? Will Israel actually stop building settlements on Palestinian land? Does the Palestinian government have the capacity to rule? Will the creation of a Palestinian state even stop the fighting? Finally, and perhaps most importantly, what are they going to do about Jerusalem? It seems like no one has the answers. Yet, Obama’s recognition of fault on the part of the Israeli’s as well as the Palestinian’s is an important part of the process.

In the evenings, we headed out to various restaurants around the city. It’s amazing that the streets are packed until late weekdays and weekends alike. On Wednesday we were able to do some sight seeing. Our professors bought us tickets to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. It was a pretty choppy ferry ride to the island, but it’s always cool to see Lady Liberty. We also tried to visit Ground 0 but they are rebuilding so the whole area is closed off. In the afternoon, we went to the Museum of Modern Art. In addition to all the sometimes crazy looking really modern pieces, including some interesting pieces of furniture, they had Monet on exhibit as well as a few Picassos and Van Goghs. Before heading back to the hotel, I also stopped by St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which is really quite beautiful.
We got back late Wednesday night, and we are back in full swing until we leave for Europe on the 7th of November. Midterm this week, and rough draft of research paper due at the end of the month. It feels like I have a lot of work, but then I remember what the work-load is like at St. Olaf. Adjusting back is going to be fun….

This weekend should be pretty good. It is “Fall Break” which means we have Friday off – pretty pathetic break in my opinion. I am using the day to write my paper and visit Georgetown Law School, which should be good hopefully. It feels like I just applied for college, I am not looking forward to beginning that process all over again. Friday night we are going to tour the monuments, so I will finally see Lincoln. Sunday we’re going apple picking which will probably make me feel like I’m in Minnesota again. Speaking of Minnesota, I hear that the snow has come! It has been cooler here, but it was 80 on Saturday. Yesterday was in the 50s and I and my fellow Midwesterners out here laughed at all the people who were wearing Uggs already : )

My internship is also going very well. The climate bill is hopefully going to be passed along to the EPA for review, and that will take between 2 and 5 weeks, and then hearings will start. It is unlikely that we will have anything in place by Copenhagen, which is unfortunate, but at least things seem to be moving forward, if slowly. Last Thursday I was able to attend a meeting with representatives from all the major environmental groups in DC. It is good that we are all tailoring messages and working together to pass this legislation!

Pictures will come tonight or tomorrow!!

PICTURES!!!!!!!

2009-09-21T19:10:00.000-07:00

OBAMA!!!!!!
OBAMA!!!!!!!!!!

OBAMA!!!!!! and lots of people...

STABLE AND SECURE HEALTH CARE! YAY!!

PRESIDENT OBAMA RALLY SHUTTLE!!!!

Pro Health Care RallyHealth Care Rally

The Organization of American States

The Peace Tree at the Organization of American States

The International Monetary FundThe International Monetary Fund

The National Symphony Orchestra

Weeks 4 and 5

2009-09-20T18:35:00.000-07:00

I saw Obama!!!
Ok, I didn't get to meet him, but I got to see him speak! We left at 5:45 this past Thursday to travel to the University of College Park in Maryland to hear the President talk about health care. We actually arrived rather late compared to many people who got in line at 5... yikes. But we actually got better seats because the people in the front of the line were seated behind him. Media stunt to make it look like the place is full. We "latecomers" had a nice side view : ) We waited in line for a couple hours before getting to go in, and then waited another 2 hours or so before the rally began. He mostly reiterated what he has been saying all along about his health care plan, but he geared the speech towards students. He is an amazing speaker as we all know, but he was also very engaging and quite funny. I'm very glad I had this opportunity and hopefully some more come up!

Class has been quite busy. Our trip to the International Monetary Fund and World Bank were very interesting. Our speakers talked quite candidly about the successes and the failures of these two organizations, and how they are trying to reform and become more effective. I was a little surprised, but also happy to hear them acknowledge so openly that some of their past policies were ineffective and in some cases, detrimental to the countries and people they were trying to help. We also visited the Organization of American States which is not much heard of, and admittedly, is quite lacking in capability. It was interesting however to hear them talk about the current situation in Honduras. Everyone is pretty uncertain as to how that situation will be resolved, and unfortunately the OAS can do little but suspend Honduras' membership, which they have done.

This past week we went to the Holocaust Museum. In addition of course to feelings of sadness and horror at the brutalities that were committed, walking through there mostly made me angry. Not only at the perpetrators of the genocide, but also at the inaction on the part of the rest of the world, and particularly the United States, even when we knew what was happening. What is worse is that genocide has occurred multiple times since then, and the international community has in general stood idly by. The museum's mission is to bring some meaning to the phrase "Never Again"; a goal which clearly we have so far failed to achieve. From an international law perspective, genocide is a very difficult issue to deal with. According to the law, the international community must respond if a situation is declared a genocide, however, this requires a resolution from the Security Council of the United Nations. This is problematic because the United States, France, Great Britain, Russia and China are the five permanent members of the Security Council and furthermore, have veto power over any and all resolutions. Political and economic concerns it has been shown frequently take precedent over all else, so if one of those countries does not want to call something a genocide for whatever reason even when all evidence points to genocide (which was the case with Darfur) then the international community does not have to respond. Certainly a flaw in the system. On the other hand, it would also be inadvisable to allow countries to take unilateral action to address a situation, because then you get into issues of sovereignty and abuse of power. A country might decide to invade another and say it was because genocide was occurring. Obviously, there are many who would not want to give countries this kind of power. I don't have a solution, and my class didn't come up with one either, but as it stands, the current system has failed to prevent these atrocities and certainly some remedy must be found.

My internship also continues to be good. I was able to attend a US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing on Tuesday. The hearing was "To explore potential costs and price volatility in the energy sector as a result of a greenhouse gas trading program". In other words, what will happen to energy costs if we sign a carbon cap and trade program into law. The Senators heard statements from six witnesses who are experts in the field, and then each Senator was able to ask questions. It was very interesting, and also made me nervous about our chances of success. The problem is that everyone is talking about costs, but I have read multiple articles now that say the benefits, short term and especially long term, far outweigh the costs. Unfortunately, these studies about the benefits are not nearly as widespread as the studies that outline the costs. Furthermore, many of the benefits are not easily quantifiable. How do you put a price on cleaner air for instance?
If anyone is interested in watching the hearing, here is the website:
http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Hearings.LiveStream&Hearing_id=9f3597e7-a135-e397-f850-b22b300d4b24

Looking forward to another exciting week! The time is flying by. I leave for New York two weeks from today and I will be in Europe in 7! Time to get moving on that research paper I guess : )

I promise to upload pictures tomorrow!!!

Until next time!

Rachel

Week 3....and a half...

2009-09-10T08:11:00.000-07:00

Updates are here! Sorry it has been awhile, things have been pretty busy.

First, I have an internship! I am working with Environment America, which is a non-profit environmental advocacy organization. They have offices all over the country, and if you've heard of them it is probably because they knocked on your door or solicited you on the street. The DC office does more to lobby government officials than campaign in the neighborhoods. I am working with the Global Warming Team which is working hard to get the American Clean Energy and Security Act HR 2454 through the Senate. You may recall that it barely passed the house (219-212) back in June, and it is certainly going to be a fight to get the 60-40 vote needed in the Senate to block a filibuster. I've worked two days thus far, and have mostly been familiarizing myself with the issue, how the organization approaches the issue, and what their fall campaign looks like. I have also had the opportunity to attend two meetings on the Hill with my supervisor - we met with legislative aids to Senators Mikulski from Maryland and Kohl from Wisconsin. It was fascinating to observe the lobbying process - the formalities, the diplomacy. It certainly requires some skill and finesse on both sides. I will also hopefully be attending congressional hearings, and in the office, I will be doing research on the issues, drafting campaign materials, and working do progress this campaign!
One final note on this issue - PLEASE! Call or write your Senators and tell them to pass this bill with one MAJOR change - HR 2454 repeals a section of the Clean Air Act from the 1970s that allows the EPA to regulate emissions from existing coal plants. WE DO NOT WANT THIS!
I know the health care debate has taken over our representatives' lives, and for good reason, but starting to fix climate change is not something that can wait! And we would love to see a bill passed before the international climate change negotiations to renew the Kyoto Protocol in 2012 take place this fall in Copenhagen!

Moving on, class continues to be interesting and engaging. We heard speakers last week talk about foreign policy and diplomacy and the need for the United States to work more with our allies on the issues that shape our world today such as terrorism and extremism, nuclear proliferation, and environmental degradation. We also talked about genocide in Darfur at the Holocaust Museum. Finally, we discussed state formation and self-determination as it pertains to the Tibet/China case. This week we are going to the IMF and World Bank and the Organization of American States all of which I am very excited about.

Outside of class and work I have continued to explore the city. On Sunday night, we went to the Capitol to hear the National Symphony Orchestra play in honor of Labor Day. We brought blankets and picnicked there before the concert. There were hundreds of people there which was pretty cool. How often can you hear the National Symphony Orchestra free? And at the Capitol? They started out with the National Anthem and everyone stood up to face the Capitol. It was a very patriotic moment, I must say. The orchestra was amazing of course. They played familiar pieces including Star Wars and ET. Unfortunately, right when the director called intermission, it started to down pour, so we left, but it was still a great night.

I must of course mention the President's address to the joint session last night which I hope everyone had the chance to watch! While I was disgusted by the outburst of YOU LIE! and the Republican response (which actually WAS full of lies) I was very happy with Obama's speech. It reminded me of his campaign days. I hope very much that this issue can be resolved and we can finally ensure that everyone in this country has health care!

Pictures will be coming soon!

Feel free to facebook, write, or email me as well as comment here!

Until next time,
Rachel

Week Two

2009-08-31T17:43:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been here two weeks now, although it feels like much longer.
This past week was pretty busy, but I saw and experienced some amazing things!

Last Friday we went to the Newseum, which was a really really wonderful place. Some highlights included the Berlin Wall exhibit, where there is actually a portion of the Berlin Wall - see picture below. Around the room there are other pictures and information about how the press/media influenced the situation and how despite the physical barrier of the wall, the media was able to bring information to East Germany. Another highlight is the 9/11 exhibit. In the middle is a piece of an antenna from one of the towers, and there is a time line of the events that occurred on that day. Most impressive, however, is that one of the walls is covered with the front pages of 127 newspapers from around the country and world. Again, see pictures below. It is certainly a powerful display.

Many other pretty great exhibits exist in the Newseum including the Pullitzer Prize exhibit where the two Pullitzer prize winning photographs from every year are displayed. There are some very heart wrenching pictures up on the wall in this room - from the genocides in Rwanda and Sudan, to the hurricanes in Haiti and Louisiana. Other exhibits feature the front pages from major newspapers all over the world, one exhibit displays a large map (see picture below) of the status of the press all over the world. We are reminded that the United States was the first country to grant freedom to the press, and while we often take that right for granted, there are many countries in the world that put restrictions on the press. In some areas, journalists even face physical danger - arrest, detainment or worse, for reporting controversial stories. One could literally spend hours in this building. If you are ever in DC, I highly highly recommend that you go to the Newseum. I know that unlike the other museums it does cost money, but it is very much worth it.

On Saturday, some friends and I decided to go over to the Capitol to see Senator Kennedy's funeral procession. I could barely believe that I was standing with 5000 other people outside the United States Capitol watching one of our greatest Senators pass it by for the last time. Truly a unique experience. It was very moving to see the steps of the Capitol filled with his staffers and colleagues and to be led in the singing of America the Beautiful as the procession arrived. The crowd was pleased when the Kennedy family and other notables such as John Kerry stepped out of the cars to wave to us and listen to the prayer, and to hear Kennedy's son thank the staff for their commitment and hard work over the years. I am very grateful that I had this opportunity. I hope to make it over to Arlington in the next few weeks to visit the grave site as well.

Another busy week is ahead. I will update soon!
Enjoy the pictures, and again feel free to comment on anything!

Until next time,

Rachel

Senator John Kerry

Pictures

2009-08-31T17:24:00.000-07:00

The United States Supreme Court

Freedom of the press around the world
(Green - Free; Yellow - Partly Free; Red - Not Free)

A portion of the Berlin Wall at the Newseum

The Bill of Rights at the National Archives

The Constitution of the United States at the National Archives

The Declaration of Independence at the National Archives

The Museum of Natural History - awesome place!

Settling In

2009-08-26T16:18:00.000-07:00

To begin with, I was very sad to hear today that Senator Kennedy has died. He was truly an inspiring figure and he undoubtedly was one of the greatest Senators the United States has ever seen. I hope that we can push through the health care legislation, and perhaps they will dedicate the bill to Kennedy given his commitment to the issue throughout his career.

I have spent the past week settling into my dorm, learning how to navigate the metro system, and searching/interviewing for internships. It is very odd going through all of this orientation. It really makes me feel like a freshman again, which is not something that I was expecting. I must say it's not the greatest feeling in the world, but oh well. The internship search is going pretty well, I had two interviews yesterday, so I put on my new suit and heels and made my way to the offices of these organizations. Both interviews went pretty well I think, and hopefully I will hear back from them early next week. I also started class officially today. My professor and classmates seem great, and there is a rather large number of international students here, so the different perspectives will, I'm sure, add greatly to our conversations.

Today in class we had an "Introduction to International Law and Organizations" lecture, but tomorrow and Friday we are heading into the city to hear some speakers. Tomorrow we will be at the Library of Congress to hear a speaker talk about International Law, Sources, and Resources, and Friday we are going to the Newseum, which is supposedly really cool, to hear about International Law in the news and how it affects our daily lives.

I spent a little more time wandering around the Mall this past week. We went to the National Archives and saw the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights. Of course, we watched National Treasure later that week : ) It is very impressive that these documents remain pretty much intact. We also went to the White House Visitor Center and the National Gallery of Art. Unfortunately both days we got rained out so didn't see as much as we would have liked. The weather is still pretty hot and humid.

All in all, things are going very well. I'm excited to jump into my class, I think that our professor will do a great job balancing lectures with speakers and outings, and we should be studying some interesting things. I'm also eager to settle an internship and start working. I think this program is perfectly balanced because it includes both class time and "real world" experience. I've also met some great people from all over the country and world for that matter, so I expect it to be an excellent semester!

More pictures will be coming soon!

Until next time,
Rachel

First Impressions

2009-08-18T18:01:00.000-07:00

Well today was my first full day in Washington DC, and my mom and I spent the day doing the tourist thing before I move in to the dorms at American tomorrow. After successfully navigating the buses from Georgetown to downtown, our first stop was the Library of Congress

This really is a beautiful building. We went on the tour and learned that the library owns 140 million items and accepts 3000 more every day. Few of these items are actually stored at the library though...which was interesting to hear. Besides the ornate decorations and the Gutenberg Bible (which we weren't allowed to take pictures of) the most fascinating part was an exhibition called "Creating the United States". On display are early hand-written drafts of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights complete with cross-outs, inserts, and notes in the margins. Next to these documents were dozens of letters and speeches written by our Founding Fathers including the Federalist Papers, Washington's First Inaugural Address, and a letter from Jefferson to Reverend Samuel Miller on the Separation of Church and State, as well as early copies of manuscripts and essays by notables such as Locke and Paine. It is amazing to think that the hands of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin moved over these pages. Did they know they were in the process of creating a country that would become the most powerful on earth? What would they say to us today about the state of our Union? I've never really been a huge American history buff, but it was really exciting and rather awe-inspiring to look at these documents that contain our essential values, rights, and ideals.

After the Library, we stopped at the Capitol for lunch and pictures, then walked down the Mall, attempting all the while to stay in the shade as it was incredibly hot out. We spent some in the Natural History Museum. The place was pretty packed when we got there with families and little children, but we saw the dinosaur and mammal exhibit and got a look at the Hope Diamond. We continued on and saw the Washington Monument, and managed to see the back side of the White House. I expect to return to most of these places during the course of the semester to explore them more fully.

Tomorrow we head over to American University, orientation starts Thursday, and classes start next week! I hope also to be settling my internship at some point towards the end of next week.

I think I will plan on blogging once or twice a week, depending on what is happening. Again, feel free to comment on anything!

Until next time,
Rachel