An Introduction

Well I'm finally here. Europe--the motherland of Western culture and history.
Well, more specifically I'm in the Netherlands--the motherland of windmills, blue pottery, and liberal values.
This Sunday, I will be taking a train from Delft to Leuven, Belgium to begin my two week course with Huron University College.

This is the reason I've decided to call this blog "Benewandering." I'll be spending a week wandering around the Netherlands and two weeks exploring Belgium.

In this course, we will be exploring human rights in the European Union. I'm particularly interested in learning about how the functioning of the EU bureaucracy works and learning about its strengths and faults. Call me boring but I find that fascinating. I'm also interested in looking at EU Policies regarding the integration of the Roma peoples across Europe and discussing whether integration for them is even a good idea (which is my personal view. I'll expand on that in a later post). Also, I'm curious on discussing the future role of Turkey in the EU. Will Turkey continue to reform to meet the Acquis or will they get fed up with the double standard that they've been shown?

Later today, I'll fill you guys in on my day in Amsterdam tonight when I get back from my day in Delft with the Steenbakkers/Engelands.

Cheers!

Aaron