Working in The Hague
I’ve started to adjust to living in The Hague: picking up on Dutch phrases, feeling comfortable with the public transportation system, and staying out of the way of all the bike lanes. I spent a day wandering The Hague where I got to see the Binnenhof view in front of the International Court of Justice. There happened to be an international festival by the Binnenhof that day, too, so I enjoyed looking at lots of local art and crafts for sale.
I also got to spend some time in the lovely park near my apartment in Voorburg. There are willow trees everywhere and even a giant slide for the local children. I like seeing the canals everywhere and they keep the climate cool. There’s a community garden, too, and an outdoor gym!
For work, International IDEA’s office is in “The Passage” which is a beautiful mall-like corridor. My coworkers are all very kind and invested in their work on constitutions. Many of them have assisted in writing constitutions around the world, too. I have coworkers from Scotland, England, Myanmar, Ethiopia, France, and other countries beyond that. The Hague is truly an international city and IDEA is a great representation of that.
For my work, I continued gathering data on constitutional differences between Moldova and Armenia and their transitions from semi-presidential systems to parliamentary systems. Then, I finished my background research on the Georgian constitutions. My boss also had me read part of a handbook, “Semi-Presidentialism as Power Sharing, (Constitutional Reform After the Arab Spring)” by International IDEA (with NYU law) so that I would have background knowledge about semi-presidentialism. Concepts like a president’s ability to dismiss the legislature are difficult to wrap my head around coming from the American perspective. Getting to learn about constitutions written in Egypt, Tunisia, Sri Lanka, France, Ukraine, and Russia helped me see how the structure of the government can strengthen or weaken the foundation of democracy.
Anna (the other intern and my roommate) and I took an after-work beach trip with the tram to The Pier. The wind made the beach colder than I expected, but the giant Ferris wheel and sunset on the water were great to see. The Pier looks a bit like a giant boardwalk. There were tourists everywhere even on a weeknight, but everything was spread out well. Also, the sun doesn’t set until about 10 p.m. here—which makes after-work trips much better.
Later in the week, I continued my research on transitions from semi-presidential to parliamentary systems and after work, I sat by the Binnenhof to read. Walking around that area, I also got to see a palace nearby, too. The architecture everywhere is amazing and all so close to wear I get to work each day. I also like how many parks are in The Hague where I can get a break from the bustle of the city.
My parents also came to visit me this week! It is their 25th wedding anniversary and they wanted to take a trip to celebrate anyway, so the Netherlands became their destination. I was able to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner with them most days and got to hear about their adventures around the city.
At work, I got to join a meeting with the Secretary General of International IDEA. I appreciate how my boss includes Anna and me in everything. Getting to see how the organization is governed from the top was a cool midday opportunity. I finished up the week with dinner and drinks with my parents. We went to a wine bar that my boss recommended and had a great time. We planned a trip to France for the weekend to visit my friend and her father who lives there—I can’t wait!