Today we took a bus over to Zaandijk Zaanse Schans. There, we learned about the Netherlands’ history and some culture, including windmills, cheese-making, and clog-making. The windmills were an early power source for the Dutch; they harnessed wind power to run saws, grind grain, and more. The wind served as an electrical power source back then and helped drive the Industrial Revolution in the United States; it was also an early form of sustainable energy. Windmills are still very important to the Netherlands, but the ones we looked at were not functional; they were only for aesthetic purposes. They helped create the windmills used today and the ones we will see on this trip. I wonder what would have happened if the states had also taken this approach, and if we would have been more committed to sustainable energy and reached the industrial revolution a little earlier. Then we learned about different cheeses and how clogs are made with modern technology, compared to the old way. With technology, a clog can be cleared in less than 10 minutes, but it will still need to dry out after being soaked, compared to the 2-4 hours it would take by hand. It is very interesting to see how technology has had such an impact on an old tradition like this.

After this, we went to the Anne Frank museum. This was an amazing museum; it was very educational and highlighted the significance of the war on Amsterdam and everyone else affected by it. The museum was held in the house where she was hiding, so it really helps you understand what they went through while hiding. It also highlighted other people; there is an entire section dedicated to the Jewish schools. This had stories from people who attended Jewish schools and their struggles with fear, as well as how these schools gave them something to distract them from everything happening around them. Later in the night, we had an alumni dinner. It was very interesting to see how some of our alumni adjusted to Dutch culture after living in America. It was also nice to compare their experience at Pitt to mine, and learn about each of their jobs and how they ended up here. It was also nice to hear their advice on the job market, interview strategies, what employers look for, and how you can end up overseas for a job. Overall, the alumii dinner was a very fun and cool idea for this trip, and it helped students realize that there are jobs everywhere.