Today was our last day in the Netherlands, and we took a day trip to the Hague. The Hague is not the capital of the Netherlands (that title belongs to Amsterdam) but it does house the Dutch government, parliament, and royal family, and it serves as the global center for international law and justice. We took a brief walking tour, led by our trip tour guide, Enno, and he taught us about the intricacies of the Dutch government and politics.
The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy, and a parliamentary democracy. Essentially, there is one prime minister who is in charge of the council of ministers, and the States General, or Parliament, which consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The monarch of the Netherlands does not harness much political power, and primarily has ceremonial and representational responsibilities. Enno also taught us that the Netherlands has many more political parties than the United States, and each of these political parties typically gets at least some representation, since the elections are based on popular vote. For example, a party just needs 0.67% of the nation’s vote to earn one seat in the 150-person parliament. I think that this system makes a lot more sense than the electoral college because it seems more representative of the general population.
After learning about Dutch politics, we stopped for lunch at a small Indonesian restaurant. As I mentioned in one of my previous blog posts, I had been told to try Indonesian food in the Netherlands, but so far I had only tried loempias. This time, we had a real sit-down meal, and it did not disappoint. I ordered fried rice, beef stew, and green beans, and the food was definitely worth the wait. While in the Hague, we also experienced first-hand how sustainable it was. There were so many modes of public transportation, and biking (as always) remained one of the most common modes of transportation, in addition to walking. This was interesting to me because, although the Hague was rebuilt after World War II and after cars had become very prevalent, it was still rebuilt in a people-centered mindset, rather than a car-centered one. I wish that the US had taken this approach too, as many cities were still developing as cars became popular.
I am so grateful to have had this opportunity–it was truly the highlight of my year. I have learned so much and I am excited to take my knowledge back the US and apply it to my future work as an engineer. This trip also made me think more about studying abroad for an extended period of time, which I hope to do in the future! It wouldn’t have been possible without Dr. Kerzmann, Dr. Dukes, and our tour guide, Enno, and I am very thankful for all of their tireless work in making the trip so wonderful.