Fall 2009 post
November 22, 2009 by Veronica Armendariz
In Berlin last week, a huge celebration occurred which brought out thousands of people as they celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Prominent leaders from around the world made an effort to attend and join in the celebration as the west marked a time in history of liberation, celebration, and above all change. The streets were alive with music and people joining together to remember what happened here 20 years ago and the prospect of a continuing and peaceful future. At the same time in another world capital, the streets were wet and icy from the melting snow which had roared through like a bear the night before. The weather was significantly colder and gray as people hurried on their way to work or home. You would never know that a celebration of such a historic and significant event was occurring elsewhere. While the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall reflected back on the course of positive change in the western world, here it also reflected on how things either changed for the worse or didn’t even change at all. Here, life remains tough and the people are in a constant mode to just survive. While some parts did show great prosperity, others showed decline, depression, and corruption. Here, it is hard to celebrate. Here, it is easy to feel as though the world has forgotten how you seemed to stay behind as they moved forward. No one ever really speaks about how the fall affected the east. No one really knows what happened afterwards here in Moscow.
Last week I had the great opportunity to return to the city that served as my home for 3 years. When I lived in Moscow, I was working as a Director of Studies and a certified teacher of English for a private British school. Now I was returning for a different reason altogether; research for my master’s thesis. My master’s thesis idea was solidified in Strasbourg after our visit to the European Court of Human Rights. I knew that I wanted to concentrate on human rights and democracy, and of course focus on Eastern Europe. Gradually, the finalized idea moved to the process of democratization through human rights on the institutional and aggregate levels. While there are plenty of excellent sources here in Strasbourg, I wanted more. I made the decision to go back to Moscow to try and meet with organizations that worked or had experience in both areas. Not only that, but the short distance and low cost was too much to pass up in order to catch up with one of my favorite places in the world.
The trip was a success! I managed to meet with two exceptional groups in Moscow including the recently awarded group MEMORIAL. MEMORIAL is a Russian human rights NGO which was recently awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the European Parliament for their hard and fearless work and in memory of their colleague, Natalia Estemirova, who was murdered this past summer in the Chechen region of Russia. The prize will be given to them in a formal ceremony here in Strasbourg next month. They allowed me the honor to sit with one of their lawyers who also works with bringing forward complaints to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg for about two hours. The lawyer was able to answer my questions regarding the more institutional aspects of my thesis. The other group was a German organization, The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom. This organization was able to address my questions regarding the aggregate side of my thesis ideas as part of their mission is to create dialogue and forums for the people to help them realize that they do not have to stay silent with regards to human rights and democracy in Eastern Europe. I came out of both organizations loaded with useful information and a new energy to continue with my thesis. When I wasn’t doing work in Moscow, I was able to catch up with old friends, former colleagues and the city itself that was my home for so long.
I’m not sure who said it, but I once heard a quote in Russia which translates as “if you want to truly know and understand how you’ve changed, go back to a place which hasn’t.” In the two years that I have been away, Moscow has changed very little. Yet this trip served as a reminder of why I love this part of the world and studying it. It has helped to re-spark my interest and has instilled a new feeling of inspiration and eagerness to go forward. While it may be evident that many things in Russia and most of Eastern Europe have changed little in the last 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, there are people within it that see the potential and refuse to give up. It is this element of the human spirit that I find truly impressive and poignant. Without the bravery of such men and women, the world would be stuck in an atmosphere reflecting on what could have been rather than on what could be.Cross-Country Escapades
Fall 2009 post
October 15, 2009 by Katie Keyzis
Bonjour! My name is Katie Reyzis and I am a senior at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. So much has been going on in the last few weeks, I don’t know where to start! After only two months (not even!) of living in Strasbourg, we’ve done more exploring than many people hope to do in a lifetime. While our weekdays are well occupied with classes and excursions, our weekends are open for the most exciting way to spend our free time…TRAVELING!We love taking day trips to Switzerland and Paris and often go shopping in Kehl, Germany or spend the weekend on the beautiful stone beaches in the south of France. My personal favorite was two weeks ago when my roommate Kelly and I ventured to Germany’s world-famous beer festival, Oktoberfest, in Munich and tasted some of its finest brews (Ok, ok! Maybe we had more than just one taste…).
Then, last weekend we spent our Sunday afternoon in Europa Park, the biggest amusement park in Europe, where we had a little blast from the past riding roller coasters and eating cotton candy…and who ever said we’re too old for a haunted house ride?As you can see, we really enjoy traveling. And yes, it actually is as easy as it sounds! At the beginning of the semester, many of us invested in the Eurail pass, which serves as a ‘3-month train ticket’ and allows travel to 21 countries throughout Europe. Now, with our fall break coming up in just a few weeks, we are ready for even bigger and better adventures!
Eurail passes in hand, our group plans to set off all over Europe and beyond during our autumn vacation – from the ancient ruins of Athens and Rome to the Kremlin in Moscow’s famous Red Square, we seem to have the world at our fingertips. Personally, I cannot wait to visit the Colosseum and eat some Italian gelato in the heart of Italy’s capital city. Not to mention, I am looking forward to soaking in some sunshine in Greece and getting a break from the chilly Strasbourg temperatures! Although we don’t always travel together as a group, stories of our adventures fuel many lively dinner conversations at the Chateau. Next up on the agenda for this weekend: Prague!Until next time…Au Revoir! Ciao! Do Svidanya!
All of This Politics is Almost too Much!
Fall 2009 Post
October 5, 2009 by Veronica Armendariz
What a great time to be in a political center such as Strasbourg! Among the many institutions and visits that we have had so far, Europe and the world are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. I may only have been 7 years old when the wall fell, but I do remember seeing it everywhere on the news. I remember my parents glued to the TV as the news showed the infamous footage of people hammering and finally helping to bring the physical wall to the ground on that fateful autumn night. Soon another extremely important event would follow; the fall of the USSR, and the course of history would forever be changed. Among the many key leaders who were essential in the workings of this time was the President of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev. Many Americans would probably remember the famous line delivered in 1987 by then President Ronald Regan declaring “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
The Council of Europe is celebrating both the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the 60th anniversary of the council by holding a series of talks entitled “Dialogues de Strasbourg.” Along with the City of Strasbourg, the dialogues are designed to include the citizens of the city in discussions about critical topics such as democracy and human rights, and the future of Europe as a whole. This past Friday was the kick off to these dialogues and the first guest of honor was none other than Mikhail Gorbachev himself. I had only heard about his upcoming visit a couple of days before, yet as a grad student in political science who concentrates on Eastern Europe, I was NOT about to miss it! Not even an extremely persistent cold was going to stop me! That morning, I jumped out of bed early, ran down to breakfast, ran back upstairs to get ready, and was ready to go two and a half hours before the event started (an extremely rare occurrence for me in the morning). I was beside myself with excitement about this rare opportunity to see such an important man in person! 
The event was fascinating! Mr. Gorbachev opened the dialogues with a well-thought out speech and then sat down to have a more intimate talk with his audience. The press in the front asked most of the questions, but the floor was opened up to the rest of the audience (mainly students). I really, really, really wanted the chance to ask a question to a former leader of the Soviet Union, yet because of time constraints only two students had the chance to ask a question. Mr. Gorbachev seemed to be a little scattered when answering his questions, going off in tangents and in the end never really answered anything. A lot of what he said particularly about Russia today was nothing new, yet he continued to stress the importance of dialogue between European countries and the need to cooperate in order to address and face problems concerning the world today. All in all, say what you will about him, it was absolutely amazing having the opportunity to see the Former President of the Soviet Union in such a small and intimate setting! Never in my life would I think to have the opportunity to witness such an event, and it’s all because of being in the right place at the right time! Indeed my time in Strasbourg is proving to be more valuable than I could have ever imagined!
Here is one of the videos I took of Gorbachev making his opening speech (he is speaking in Russian. Sorry!):
In this clip, he made a joke about good lectures not being able to happen without water (the hostess runs off and puts a glass under his podium), and if you listen carefully you can hear my pathetic congested laugh in the background (I tried so hard not to cough so much during this thing!). The audience shares a delayed laugh because they were listening to the translation.
I can’t wait to see what’s next in this amazing city!
Link to Gorbachev’s speech delivered at the Council of Europe on Oct. 1st
Academia and Adventures
Fall 2009 Post
November 3, 2009 by Corrine Hauth
Hello all!
Well, we survived our first French final! We had it two weeks ago from today. It was 5 short answer questions about European Integration. We haven’t received grades yet, but the general consensus is that we all studied hard and did well! The grading system in France is different, however. They grade on a 0-20 scale, with a 14 or above being considered “really good” or an A by our scale. I, not being used to lower numbers, will probably still be upset at seeing a “14″ or anything resembling that on my paper! Hopefully our grades will show the effort we put into it. It’s hard to believe we found time to study with all of our travels
Upon arriving in France, our apprehensions about class were great. Despite the assurances that they would all be in English, we wondered at the format of class, the language barrier that still seems to exist between cultures, despite speaking a common language, and the grades/tests. All of our worries were in vain, however, because our professors are generally easy to understand, and are more than willing to clarify until we understand. Plus, they have cute French accents! In all seriousness, we have found that the professors genuinely want to help. Our European Integration classes were designed around a desire for debate; the notes Professor Kreitz provided were outlines of the direction he wanted to go, but the class centered around our discussions. In a class full of students from all over the world, it was always interesting to hear the opinions and afflictions of other cultures, regions, etc. (It is worth mentioning here that the University of Strasbourg is a huge school, but the part we are enrolled in is primarily for foreign exchange students. The classes are predominantly taught in English, but we have classmates from Slovenia, Russia, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Great Britain, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Brazil, Colombia, Australia, Korea, and many more I am sure. The debates are often as diverse as the students themselves.)
Dr. Dollat’s class (EU Citizenship) is similar, but more research based. We get assigned topics on his syllabus to prepare a paper and presentation for the class. He is interested not only in informing the class, but understanding the United States similarities and differences as well. For example, Justin and I are to present information on the free movement of workers: we have to present the EU laws, and the different sections of those laws, how it is applied, etc. He also wants us to compare it to the movement of workers between the different states in the US. Accordingly, we have found similar laws in place, but the Europeans utilize the freedom to move much less than Americans do.
With all of the studying, we find it useful to experience the European Union first hand. Collectively, the GSU students on this program have visited (or will have visited by the end of the program) Belgium, the UK, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Greece, Germany, Russia, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Romania, and Austria. We don’t advise traveling completely independently (although Chris seems to ignore that warning often), so we travel together. We of course have academic excursions planned with the program which we all attend, but Katie, Kelly, Justin, Nikki and I went to Prague together; Kelly, Abby and Nikki are going to Transylvania together. The week break from school was the perfect time for us to travel further away from our home base. Justin and I went to a small town in the Swiss Alps, Cinque Terre, Florence and Rome. Our favorite was Cinque Terre. Rome and Florence were fascinating because of the history and ruins, but Cinque Terre offered unbeatable scenery and amazing hiking! We were most sad to leave there. I am proud to say that I am one of the blessed to have been able to do yoga along the Italian Riviera!
As a whole, I love to travel- but this experience has taught me so much more. Not only am I seeing all these iconic, amazing things, but I am beginning to understand the cultural aspects. We talk to locals on the trains to all of these places (language permitting), and it’s amazing to hear their opinions and stories that coincide with what we are hearing in class. We talked for almost 2 hours on the way back from Rome to a native Roman who now lives in France. One of my favorite topics is health care, since that is my concentration. I’m sure others don’t share my affinity towards it, but I just love hearing the Europeans talk about it! Each country has a different, independent system- there isn’t one system for the entire EU or anything. Some are similar, while others are vastly different. However, they all share the same shock about the failures of our system, and are eager to tell me why their country has the “best” system. I don’t mean to bore everyone; I’m merely trying to show the willingness (and even eagerness at times) for the Europeans to talk to us Americans. The French, we have learned, do not live up to the rude, unhelpful stereotype they have been given. We personally have had no problem getting around or help when needed; the most we have had to deal with is angry looks on the bus for being loud (which we really can’t help, since the French are completely silent while on public transport; being a group of predominately girls, this is impossible for us.)
Well, I must go finish part of an assignment for a professor at home. I am doing the directed readings class with a professor back home at GSU in addition to the classes in France (which I highly recommend!)
