Our class, went to Amsterdam last week to, fittingly, study prostitution and human trafficking. I had to keep a travel journal of the week (I'm honestly super proud of it), but that means that I might skim here because I've already written about it extensively!
Also also, for my internship here I am taking video clips of just about everything. Here is a link to the GoogleDrive folder to view them if you like! They are mostly only a few seconds each and would take far too long to upload here.
The flight over was stunning. The Netherlands are legit criss-crossed by canals and the sun was reflecting off them and the clouds were fluffy and perfect and the grass was literally greener.
On the first day, we settled into the hotel, ate a plate of hummus for lunch, and had dinner at an old gate to the city. It was a three course meal and took hours and hours!! After that we went to the Red Light Secrets Museum of Prostitution, where they had turned an old brothel into a tourist trap. It was really really interesting to actually see the red light district - there are a lot more kinds of bodies and a lot more disgusting men than I had imagined!
On Monday we went to the Prostitution Information Center, where a super passionate women told us about the views of all sex workers and took us on a tour of the RLD in the daytime. It was raining and I couldn't hear very much so let's move on.
In the afternoon we went to the Anne Frank House. It was really really weird knowing that I had tried to go in 11 years ago, and it was really really weird having flashbacks to eighth grade when our class read the diary. It was also really really weird not having the emotional response that I expected to, and really really weird that we didn't do anything as a class afterwards to talk about it. Long story short, it wasn't as moving as I was expecting/hoping because it was pretty crowded and was kind of sparse.
That night though, I visited another dear friend of mine from Colby: Anahita! She is doing her Masters in Leiden, an hour south of Amsterdam by train, so I met her there to make dinner! We got a sushi kit and k i l l e d it. It was so nice to see her and Leiden was even cuter and quirkier than Amsterdam!
Tuesday we heard from Prostitution & Health Centre 292, a joint organization run by a government worker and a social worker that helps sex workers with health care, entry strategies, and 'social wellbeing.' It was pretty neat to see an organization like that that's halfway between GO and NGO!
We then met with Not For Sale, which is an anti-trafficking social enterprise. That have a super interesting (and definitely not perfect) set up, where women who were trafficked can stay in a safe house if they work at this soup kitchen. The ingredients are sourced from Hungary, where many sex workers in Amsterdam come from, to fight poverty there. The women are also trained by specialists and get certificates for different work skills in the soup kitchen/restaurant. And finally they have partnered with businesses who will employ or let-intern some of the women. This was the first time we heard about loverboys (guys who 'woo' a girl, isolate her, psychologically abuse her, then prostitute her). It was pretty terrifying and sad but then we were off for the rest of the day. I watched a lot of BTS (@Emma @Divanna).
Wednesday we met with CoMensha and I'm still a little confused about what they do. But they are anti-trafficking and meet with the UN I think as well as other nationally based organizations. As I understood it, they mostly put people in contact with each other.
That afternoon we went to the Van Gogh Museum and it was just alright. I didn't have a very fun day because I was writing a research grant application.
Thursday though we went to the Hague! We started at Humanity House, which is like a museum but more like a haunted house honestly. It is supposed to simulate how a refugee feels/goes through, so you walk through abandoned rooms and mock-up government organizations. It was overall a little questionable, but the final part where we got to see videos of refugees telling their stories was definitely the most moving. (Nobody was wearing a headscarf and they actually covered some of the conflicts in Asia and Africa @USMedia!!!)
After that we heard from a woman with What You Will, a group that meets with middle-school aged girls and boys to prevent trafficking. They talked more about the loverboys, and about some of the stuff I do with Hardy Girls!
In the afternoon we listened to another person who I'm unsure exactly what they do, but they are called a Rapporteur. He talked to us about things we had already heard, so it wasn't my favorite.
We then headed back to Amsterdam for our final group dinner at an incredible Indonesian restaurant!!!
Anahita met up with me in Amsterdam that night and we went to a place called Foodhallen, which is super hipstery/gentrificationy. It is an old tram station that's been converted into a 'street food' market thing.
Friday morning we packed up and had our final talk with a man from the UK who is a sex tourist in Amsterdam (aka he goes there to see prostitutes). It was definitely a little uncomfortable listening to him fetishize Japanese women and describe his photo project. But he was more 'normal' than I think most of us expected.
Anyways after that we went to the airport and flew back to Copenhagen!! As you are probably feeling right now, the whole week was just a ton of information with no clear answers. Nobody in Amsterdam could agree on numbers, not ever how many windows are in the RLD. I'm really interested to see where the class leads now, because it is starting to feel like we have heard all sides!
Also also, for my internship here I am taking video clips of just about everything. Here is a link to the GoogleDrive folder to view them if you like! They are mostly only a few seconds each and would take far too long to upload here.
The flight over was stunning. The Netherlands are legit criss-crossed by canals and the sun was reflecting off them and the clouds were fluffy and perfect and the grass was literally greener.
On the first day, we settled into the hotel, ate a plate of hummus for lunch, and had dinner at an old gate to the city. It was a three course meal and took hours and hours!! After that we went to the Red Light Secrets Museum of Prostitution, where they had turned an old brothel into a tourist trap. It was really really interesting to actually see the red light district - there are a lot more kinds of bodies and a lot more disgusting men than I had imagined!
On Monday we went to the Prostitution Information Center, where a super passionate women told us about the views of all sex workers and took us on a tour of the RLD in the daytime. It was raining and I couldn't hear very much so let's move on.
In the afternoon we went to the Anne Frank House. It was really really weird knowing that I had tried to go in 11 years ago, and it was really really weird having flashbacks to eighth grade when our class read the diary. It was also really really weird not having the emotional response that I expected to, and really really weird that we didn't do anything as a class afterwards to talk about it. Long story short, it wasn't as moving as I was expecting/hoping because it was pretty crowded and was kind of sparse.
 |
| This was the first time the sun came out! |
That night though, I visited another dear friend of mine from Colby: Anahita! She is doing her Masters in Leiden, an hour south of Amsterdam by train, so I met her there to make dinner! We got a sushi kit and k i l l e d it. It was so nice to see her and Leiden was even cuter and quirkier than Amsterdam!
Tuesday we heard from Prostitution & Health Centre 292, a joint organization run by a government worker and a social worker that helps sex workers with health care, entry strategies, and 'social wellbeing.' It was pretty neat to see an organization like that that's halfway between GO and NGO!
We then met with Not For Sale, which is an anti-trafficking social enterprise. That have a super interesting (and definitely not perfect) set up, where women who were trafficked can stay in a safe house if they work at this soup kitchen. The ingredients are sourced from Hungary, where many sex workers in Amsterdam come from, to fight poverty there. The women are also trained by specialists and get certificates for different work skills in the soup kitchen/restaurant. And finally they have partnered with businesses who will employ or let-intern some of the women. This was the first time we heard about loverboys (guys who 'woo' a girl, isolate her, psychologically abuse her, then prostitute her). It was pretty terrifying and sad but then we were off for the rest of the day. I watched a lot of BTS (@Emma @Divanna).
Wednesday we met with CoMensha and I'm still a little confused about what they do. But they are anti-trafficking and meet with the UN I think as well as other nationally based organizations. As I understood it, they mostly put people in contact with each other.
That afternoon we went to the Van Gogh Museum and it was just alright. I didn't have a very fun day because I was writing a research grant application.
Thursday though we went to the Hague! We started at Humanity House, which is like a museum but more like a haunted house honestly. It is supposed to simulate how a refugee feels/goes through, so you walk through abandoned rooms and mock-up government organizations. It was overall a little questionable, but the final part where we got to see videos of refugees telling their stories was definitely the most moving. (Nobody was wearing a headscarf and they actually covered some of the conflicts in Asia and Africa @USMedia!!!)
After that we heard from a woman with What You Will, a group that meets with middle-school aged girls and boys to prevent trafficking. They talked more about the loverboys, and about some of the stuff I do with Hardy Girls!
In the afternoon we listened to another person who I'm unsure exactly what they do, but they are called a Rapporteur. He talked to us about things we had already heard, so it wasn't my favorite.
We then headed back to Amsterdam for our final group dinner at an incredible Indonesian restaurant!!!
Anahita met up with me in Amsterdam that night and we went to a place called Foodhallen, which is super hipstery/gentrificationy. It is an old tram station that's been converted into a 'street food' market thing.
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| This beer was brewed by sisters and had elderflower how perfff!!!!! s/o 2 anahita for this pic ty <3 |
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| This was on the drive back from Den Haag! |
Friday morning we packed up and had our final talk with a man from the UK who is a sex tourist in Amsterdam (aka he goes there to see prostitutes). It was definitely a little uncomfortable listening to him fetishize Japanese women and describe his photo project. But he was more 'normal' than I think most of us expected.
Anyways after that we went to the airport and flew back to Copenhagen!! As you are probably feeling right now, the whole week was just a ton of information with no clear answers. Nobody in Amsterdam could agree on numbers, not ever how many windows are in the RLD. I'm really interested to see where the class leads now, because it is starting to feel like we have heard all sides!
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