My evaluation of the European Union Policy minor is in general that it was rather good. I quite enjoyed the classes with Mr. Frencken and Mr. Vermanen, the lectures were instructive and well built up. The classes in itself were easy to follow, if you did your homework. This was one of the things I really appreciated, if a person did not read his chapter than this would not become bothersome for the rest class because the teacher did not start explaining what is written in the chapter. If a teacher does start explaining, it motivates students for not reading their books and the classes will become really boring for the students who did read their chapters.
The minor in itself was well built up, because first we looked at the problem from all different angels, then we made questions to answer the original problem. When answered a discussion was made to see what everybody had found as an answer. The only thing that I found annoying was that it was not always clear to me which answer was right. Fore all students had some sort of answer yet none knew if theirs was alright. So debates could start from that point on and from that point on I always lost track, for I did not know which answer I should believe. I have asked Mr. Frencken why the classes are done this way and he told me that he would explain the difficulties that arose during those debates in the next lectures. Often he did, yet I still had difficulties placing his answer with all the previous answers given. Maybe their aught to be some answer forms so that all students know what a right answer is.
What I really liked were those small extra subjects like: debating, negotiating and looking back to it, I also liked the ethics. The reason why I enjoyed all these subjects was because it had nothing to do with the European Union so it gave some diversion to it all. Also because you could practise it right away and see if it had any result for you. While following the classes of negotiating we learned that you should always ask “if I do this than you do that”. I can tell you it really works, I tested on my parents some friends and even my boyfriend and I came to the conclusion that I got al lot more things done the way I wanted it. The same goes for ethics while writing the report I hated everything about the subject, but it got me thinking and talking about it. It resulted in some really interesting conversations with my friends, and maybe even a better sense of what I find you can and can not do. And debating was just fun, it was like putting on a show. The bigger the show the better your arguments started to be, even if your arguments were weak. So it was just fun watching it. The classes reminded me a lot of the movie called Chicago. It’s all about the way you present yourself your case and then your arguments, also in this order.
My conclusion is that if I should mark this minor I would give it an 8. I always enjoyed going to school, I even started watching the news seriously, because I would hear what was happening in Europe. What I really liked was when I heard something and I knew what was going on and what the difficulties would be. Fore example when president Sarkozy set that he wanted to support the car industry, I knew that this was not allowed in the EU.
Points that may be improved is that there could be a bid more help for the report.
Another thing that has to be improved is the exchange information you get, this should be better. The information you get is minimal and to late, we already knew for two years that we had to find an exchange school, we should be informed earlier than one week before we have to hand in our school choice and the subjects that we would like to follow. Maybe students could get a coach who helps them in the process, from the beginning until the end.
maandag 29 december 2008
zondag 28 december 2008
Antwerp
When my friend Amrutza came to visit me from New York, this was the night that she told me she enjoyed the most. On a Friday night there is nothing as good as going to the movies in Antwerp in the movie theatre called Kinopolis. It is the second largest movie theatre in Europe and I only live twenty minutes from Antwerp. So we left the house around six o’clock because before the movie we wanted to eat something. You have a great and relatively cheap restaurant next to the movie theatre, this is a Turkish restaurant. On the outside it does not look much because it is extremely orange and it is all decorated very modern and with big televisions which I personally find irritating while eating. Yet when you are inside you find out that the orange light is not irritating in fact it is kind of relaxing and that the modern interior is nice and comfortable and to my relieve that the music of the television is switched of. And the food is absolutely delicious, if you ever decided to eat there you ought to go for the menu Kabab ore shuarma. You can not miss the place it is next to the Kinopolis.
After we ate we went to the movie and watched the latest Harry Potter, which I found a bid disappointing. The movie ended around half past eleven, we took the city bus number 12 which stops practically before the Kinopolis and went to Antwerp city centre. If you have never been to Antwerp before you should just walk around a bit enjoy the scenery, for Antwerp is beautiful in the night especially the fountains and the old bars. And it is always fun just walking their, because all people just want to have a good time.
We went to a cafe / discotheque which was a sea ship but the rebuilt it in a club. It is great club I only am incapable of remembering its name right now.
Afterwards we both drank to much to be able to even think about driving home by car so we let the car stand by the movie theatre. (By the way you can park there for free, its the only spot in Antwerp were you can still park for free.) And we went to my sister who has an apartment in the centre of Antwerp. We slept there until we were sober and because we were still in Antwerp we went shopping the next day and ate by a Panos and order a sandwich ´ broodje smos`.
Those are the best sandwiches that you can by.
After we ate we went to the movie and watched the latest Harry Potter, which I found a bid disappointing. The movie ended around half past eleven, we took the city bus number 12 which stops practically before the Kinopolis and went to Antwerp city centre. If you have never been to Antwerp before you should just walk around a bit enjoy the scenery, for Antwerp is beautiful in the night especially the fountains and the old bars. And it is always fun just walking their, because all people just want to have a good time.
We went to a cafe / discotheque which was a sea ship but the rebuilt it in a club. It is great club I only am incapable of remembering its name right now.
Afterwards we both drank to much to be able to even think about driving home by car so we let the car stand by the movie theatre. (By the way you can park there for free, its the only spot in Antwerp were you can still park for free.) And we went to my sister who has an apartment in the centre of Antwerp. We slept there until we were sober and because we were still in Antwerp we went shopping the next day and ate by a Panos and order a sandwich ´ broodje smos`.
Those are the best sandwiches that you can by.
My favourite book is “Crusade in jeans” it has been for as long as I can remember.
It is written by Thea Beckman, and it is a childerens book.
It is all about bravery, heroics and loyalty but above all its about using your brain to overcome obstacles.
The story itself is quite simple; Rudolf of Vega is a fifteen year old boy, who was able to persuade two scholars to sent him in a time machine to the twelfth century. But as all good stories this goes wrong, for trhe time machine breaks down and Rudolf can not be brought home. Rudolf ends up in the middle of a children’s crusade led by Nicolas the shepherd boy, who was counselled by two false priests Dom Ansulmus and Dom Thadeus. Nicolas together with the priests start to preach in the big cities of old Germany about his holy mission to help save the holy land of Jerusalem with the help of the innocence of children. God told Nicholas that he had to gather as many children as he could and bring them to Genoa and there god would split the sea for Nicolas just like he did for Moses.
So when Rudolf came in contact with a children’s crusade of eight thousand children he was shocked by the disorder. Because non of the leaders of the crusade took it upon him to take responsibility for all those children, so a lot of children died because of lack of food ore by illness for none helped them. This was the reason that Rudolf decided to help those children, and because he was a child of the twenty-first century he had wisdom that none of them had. He had divided the group of children in smaller groups all with their own tasks, some had to hunt others fish and others take care of the ill. This made the crusade a lot better organised and less children died. And Rudolf became the unofficial leader of the crusade.
Along their travels threw Germany over the Alps and threw the low lands of Italy, all kinds of adventures happened. Yet Rudolf did not believe in the holy mission of Nicolas to save Jerusalem neither did he believe that the sea would split ore did he understand why they were heading to Genoa. He figured this out the day before Nicolas was supposed to split the sea in Guano. Dom Thadues did not want to go own with the original plan, which he then told Rudolf was to sell all those children on the slave market in Africa. He and Dom Ansulmus would get rich, and all the had to do was say that the sea did not fall dry yet God had sent them boats to bring them to Jerusalem. But instead of bringing the children to Jerusalem they would be brought to Africa. When Rudolf heard this he talked to the city council and with the help of his friends and the council he stopped this evil plot. Later in the book Rudolf gets a massage from the future because the time machine is made and the scholars are leaving notes for Rudolf to find. One of these notes gets to Rudolf on this note is written, that he has to be before the church tomorrow at precisely twelve o’clock. This all happens and so Rudolf gets home end all ends well.
It is all about bravery, heroics and loyalty but above all its about using your brain to overcome obstacles.
The story itself is quite simple; Rudolf of Vega is a fifteen year old boy, who was able to persuade two scholars to sent him in a time machine to the twelfth century. But as all good stories this goes wrong, for trhe time machine breaks down and Rudolf can not be brought home. Rudolf ends up in the middle of a children’s crusade led by Nicolas the shepherd boy, who was counselled by two false priests Dom Ansulmus and Dom Thadeus. Nicolas together with the priests start to preach in the big cities of old Germany about his holy mission to help save the holy land of Jerusalem with the help of the innocence of children. God told Nicholas that he had to gather as many children as he could and bring them to Genoa and there god would split the sea for Nicolas just like he did for Moses.
So when Rudolf came in contact with a children’s crusade of eight thousand children he was shocked by the disorder. Because non of the leaders of the crusade took it upon him to take responsibility for all those children, so a lot of children died because of lack of food ore by illness for none helped them. This was the reason that Rudolf decided to help those children, and because he was a child of the twenty-first century he had wisdom that none of them had. He had divided the group of children in smaller groups all with their own tasks, some had to hunt others fish and others take care of the ill. This made the crusade a lot better organised and less children died. And Rudolf became the unofficial leader of the crusade.
Along their travels threw Germany over the Alps and threw the low lands of Italy, all kinds of adventures happened. Yet Rudolf did not believe in the holy mission of Nicolas to save Jerusalem neither did he believe that the sea would split ore did he understand why they were heading to Genoa. He figured this out the day before Nicolas was supposed to split the sea in Guano. Dom Thadues did not want to go own with the original plan, which he then told Rudolf was to sell all those children on the slave market in Africa. He and Dom Ansulmus would get rich, and all the had to do was say that the sea did not fall dry yet God had sent them boats to bring them to Jerusalem. But instead of bringing the children to Jerusalem they would be brought to Africa. When Rudolf heard this he talked to the city council and with the help of his friends and the council he stopped this evil plot. Later in the book Rudolf gets a massage from the future because the time machine is made and the scholars are leaving notes for Rudolf to find. One of these notes gets to Rudolf on this note is written, that he has to be before the church tomorrow at precisely twelve o’clock. This all happens and so Rudolf gets home end all ends well.
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