We’re halfway through the program and this is the part of the semester where we begin our independent research project! I plan on studying the gender inequality in sports, specifically women’s soccer in the Netherlands. In the Dutch culture it is very uncommon for women to play soccer, or voetbul, because it is a male dominated sport. I found this unusual because I was under the impression that Amsterdam and the Netherlands were a very liberal country, however, there are still many issues surrounding gender inequality. I can’t wait to work with local soccer clubs and begin my research.
The next couple of weeks I’ll be traveling abroad to Paris, Rome and Prague! I definitely have fallen in love with Amsterdam but I’m excited to see new cultures and travel with friends. I’m sad that this is the last half of the program, because Amsterdam is finally feeling like home. I know my way around and have found all the short cuts on my bike. The city center is easy to navigate minus the obnoxious tourists who go crazy with all the clubbing. But getting to know the local Dutch people has been quite the experience. They’re all way too tall and very quiet and to them Americans are crazy and outgoing.They also love making fun of our elections. For the elections they have parties all night long to watch the American election and for our program, they set up a party at the University of Amsterdam to watch and debate. So we’ll be supporting from abroad:)
