Work and Carnivale

So, I've been quite busy at work this week, as I helped to proof a witness for trial (which involves going over their original statement with them, and clarifying any issues), and then was actually in the courtroom for the examination of this witness, which was very interesting!! There is simulataneous translation in English, French (because our presiding judge is French, the Chamber actually works in French!), and BCS, which is the acronym used for Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian, the Yugoslav languages - there are slight differences between them, but there is a sort of central version known as BCS - sort of like the way Italian is used in Italy, but there are still vastly different dialects within the regions.

So it's much easier to understand the demeanour and reactions of the witnesses and the parties when actually in court, as often a lot gets lost in the translation, particularly when watching it on screen. There were some interesting confrontations between our prosecution side and the defence, also, but our witness held up quite well in the face of all the activity!!

Last weekend was Carnivale and Mardi Gras, which is basically when the Dutch and the Germans dress up and go crazy as a precursor to all the deprivations during the Catholic Lent. So after a big night out for my flatmate's birthday on Friday night, we had another big night out Saturday, for Mardi Gras, where we all dressed up and danced the night away! (See my little kid's faery costume below!)

In other news, I will be moving house next week - my current apartment is way too expensive for what it entails, including no living room, faulty electrics, and a hostile landlady, who moved 2 random guys in for 4 days, allowing them to smoke in the kitchen, our only common area! Considering she is treating it like a hostel, I have given her a week's notice, and am moving out at the end of the month, as I have found a much better deal! My new place is much cheaper, and has a huge living room and kitchen (including an oven!! and a couch!!), and even a garden out my window! I will be very sad to leave my lovely flatmates, but as they will be leaving at the end of March, and we work together, we will still keep in contact! My new flatmates are a French Canadian guy and a Dutch guy, both of whom are very nice.

So, that's me for the moment - tomorrow I go to Berlin for 3 days, so I will have lots to report on next week!!

Snowy Stockholm

I have just returned from a lovely three day weekend in Stockholm, Sweden! I travelled with a friend from work, Megan, and a friend of hers from college, Mike, who is studying in Madrid, and met us there.

So, on Thursday, it snowed all day in the Hague, which was very lovely to watch out my window at work (see pictures!) It also meant we could leave work at 2pm - the Dutch don't handle snow very well!! We were worried that the trains and planes wouldn't be running, and as we were catching a train to Amsterdam, and a plane from Amsterdam, we left work at 3pm, only to find that everything was running on time, so we were early enough to grab food and relax.


We arrived safely in Stockholm, found the hotel and Mike, and went for a drink in a funky pub nearby, enjoying the really cold weather - minus 5 degrees! The next morning we switched hotels (a long complicated story, our first place was a bit far out of town, so Megan had found a better deal in a more central location), and then went for a wander around the town. It was snowing, and very cold, but so pretty - Stockholm is a city made up of islands, so all the lakes were frozen, snow everywhere! And lovely old buildings and streets - such a nice city!







We went to the Vasamuseum, which is where a 15th century warship is housed - it was built to fight the Danes, but sunk after an hour on its first outing!! But it for some reason didn't rot under water, and is perfectly preserved - it's pretty amazing to see!



After lunch at a lovely little coffee shop, and some more wandering, we had a nap then headed out for the night. We had been given some good recommendations from one of Megan and Mike's friends who used to live there, so we went to the Blue Moon Club, which had a nice fancy dinner, and a floor show - 5 guys singing covers of well known songs, sometimes in English, sometimes in Swedish, with funky dance moves! They performed 3 times throughout the night, with a fun DJ in between, so a good night was had by all!!

On Saturday we went for brunch at Mike's cousin's place, who is Swiss, but married to a Swedish girl - very nice to have some traditional Swedish food, and see some photos of the country! Then we walked to City Hall, where the Nobel prize is presented, (past some lovely frozen lakes, strong enough to walk on!!), and then coffee in a converted prison!







After another nap, we went out for dinner at this crazy Thai place, where you wait for 2 hours for a table, in the bar, but then go into this fun huge decorated place, with waterfalls and lights and paintings everywhere - we ate dinner in a rickshaw!


Sunday was basically check out and wander around, and then we headed back home to the Hague - it was really nice to get away for the weekend, and have a relaxing time - and after minus 10 degree temperatures, it feels positively balmy to have 7 degrees here in the Hague!!

Training it around Holland

So, after spending a few weekends not doing a great deal during my days in the Hague except working, sleeping and chilling out, last weekend I began exploring the rest of the Netherlands. There's a great train discount pass which gives 40% off all train travel in Holland, for the bearer & 3 friends, so this has opened up a new world of travel options!

After celebrating Australia Day in style, with drinks at the Embassy, then lots more drinks in the town with the multicultural other interns, and not really getting much sleep, we headed to Amsterdam last Saturday for the day. We wandered around, soaking up the atmosphere, and getting in a bit of sale shopping! Amsterdam is only 50 minutes away by train, but so different from the Hague - much much busier, much more touristy! I then stayed and met up with Ryan and Leah for dinner, which was nice, before heading back for a couple more parties in the Hague - it's a busy social life!


Megan (US) and Bente (Norway)


Acadia (US), Emily (NZ), Frida (Sweden)

Then on Sunday I headed down to Utrecht, a student town about 40 minutes in the other direction from the Hague, to visit my friend Yu, who is finishing his exchange there. It's a nice little town, although I only spent a few hours there - but I don't envy their living arrangements - Dutch places in general are very small, and Yu shares a room the size of mine with another guy, with bunk beds with desks underneath - very compact!! It's funny when I mention to Europeans that I headed to Utrecht just for hte afternoon, for coffee basically, because for me, it's about the same distance as heading to the North Shore to meet someone, Sydney being so big, and I forget that it may seem strange to head to another city in the same way!

Last week at work became much busier, my assignments becoming more detailed - I will be helping to prepare witnesses for trial from next week, so that will be very interesting! We have also been getting quite a bit of general training in international law, with daily lectures as part of our induction training on various parts of the ICTY statutes, and general international law principles, which I'm really enjoying, as it gives a much fuller picture of how what we're doing each day fits into the general scheme of things!!

This weekend was a bit quieter, thankfully, as I went out almost every night last week - my friend James and I went to a play on Wednesday night (in English), called 'Copenhagen', which was about World War II and physicists discussing possibilities for the world - very well done, and always nice to get a bit of culture in!

Friday night, I benefited from my nationality, as a New Zealand judge at the International Court of Justice had invited all young Australian and New Zealand lawyers to 'eats and drinks' at his place - it was good to meet him, and the Australian Ambassador, as well as other ANZACs in the Hague! We then went out dancing, as per usual, so another late night!

Saturday we went to Rotterdam, only about half an hour away. It's a very different city to most of the rest of the Netherlands, much more industrial, less little cobbled streets, but still very nice! We visited the International Film Festival, watching a Danish film, 'AFR', in which a director has taken a pile of interviews with world leaders & Danish politicians and manipulated them into a story about the Danish prime minister being assassinated by his gay lover - very well done! We went for a nice dinner, then an early night!


The Euro Tower


James (Aus), Anamaria and Acadia (US) at the harbour in Rotterdam


Me and the harbour