Diary of a Rotary Ambassador
lalen
2011/06/23 06:47:43
I was awarded the 2010-2011 Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship to
pursue a Masters in the field of Public Policy & Human Development.
I've decided to join the world of blogging to share my adventures in the
Netherlands and my journey through this amazing schloarship program.
Honored to be representing District 5320, I'm very excited to be joining
District 1550 in Maastricht, the Netherlands!
In
case you don't know I am mathematically challenged. However, through
some serious studying and help from my friends I more or less survived
my first math quiz. Having the math quiz behind me I got to focus on the
things that actually interest me like my Governance class.
Class this past week was interesting. We're still going through "Kingdon" (as we all refer to it) Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies
by John W. Kingdon. The book gives insight on how the policy process
works and the actors that are involved using the United States as its
model. Having one of our main books be about the United States is really
intimidating for me. Not that there is any real expectation for me to
participate more in discussions that I already do, I've just felt like I
really needed to be "on the ball". However, I did get asked a couple of
questions that really stuck with me.
Three topics I was asked to comment on were Fox News, the environment,
and conspiracy theories. Fox News came up, because we were discussing
the role of media in government and policy making. I won't make any
comments for or against Fox News here, but is interesting to have a news
channel in your country be recognized and debated on an international
level.
We
also spoke about the environment. Now to be really honest , it's
difficult for most of the world to understand why the U.S. hasn't signed
the Kyoto Protocol or undertaken major environmental steps like other
developed countries. So I got to explain that lots of Americans do care
about the environment, a lot of us recycle and not everyone drives a gas
guzzling machine. However, I also admitted that, yes, the United States
is considerably behind some of their European counterparts in regards
to environmental policy and attitudes towards being environmentally
friendly.
I
also got asked about conspiracy theories, especially in regards to
9/11. Now as an American this is a very personal and tricky playing
field. There are an abundance of theories and opinions regarding events
since 2001 and for good or bad conspiracy theories are one of those
question marks. Due to the class time constraint I didn't have to
formulate an answer to this question, but it left me with so much to
think about. How objectively do all of us evaluate politics and our
perceptions of events in whatever country we may be from? It also made
me think, what role does government play in our evaluation of historical
events? And no matter how hard we try, is it possible to evaluate
history and politics without bias?
The
other thing my tutorial sessions left me with this week was a reminder
of just how big of a role American policies play in international
politics. I'm not trying to stand on a pedestal here, but I don't think
most of us (Americans) really have a full realization and appreciation
for how closely our domestic and international politics are evaluated by
the international community. How our perceived lagging attention to
environmental action really does tend to give the impression that
Americans just don't care about environment. Do I think all Americans
are this way? No, that would be a stereotype, and I know plenty of
people who care about recycling and being environmentally friendly. So
why is it that we seem to give the rest of the world this "I don't care"
impression? Is that really who we as Americans are?
If I put this into the "bigger picture" I can think of stereotypes for
every country, both good and bad. However, I am an American, so that’s
what I identify with, and what I am choosing to address here.
In any case, this week has left me lots to think about and of course
more "research" to do, because let’s face it I'm a nerd and if I can't
find an answer to something I bury myself in books. My challenge this
week: doing some conspiracy theory research to see what all the fuss is
about and form an academic opinion that's not bias. Sound impossible?
Probably, but we never thought pigs would fly until swine flu came
around so I better get started I've got a lot of reading to do.
Since
I’m in Maastricht (in the south), I started my day with a 6:50am train
ride to Wijchen (pronounced similar to Veechen) where I finally had the
pleasure of meeting my temporary host counselor Caspar Pompe. Caspar,
through countless emails has helped me get settled in Maastricht, get in
contact with past scholars, and basically been my “go to” person if I
had any questions. Which if you’ve every studied abroad, having a
contact like this with knowledge of the area and connections is a dream.
Have a great week everyone and thanks for your continued support!
I woke up this morning, turned on my computer, and was reminded that
today is in fact September 11, 2010. Of course, like every other person
and American especially, I thought back to where I was on September 11,
2001.
I was 14, getting ready for my second week of high school. I was running
late as usual and my mom ran out of her room and said "Amy look on the
tv, the towers, a plane went into one, the World Trade Center". She was
really shaken up, I was so confused. Embarrassingly enough at that time I
had no idea what the World Trade Center was, let alone any idea about
what was going on politically. We stood there and watched as the second
tower was hit. The rest of the day comes back in flashes for me. I
remember walking on campus and noticing the people who knew and those
who didn't. I remember people panicking, because they couldn't get ahold
of their loved ones in New York. We started worrying, thinking maybe
there was another attack coming to Los Angeles or Long Beach. My older
sister who was attending California State University, Long Beach stayed
home that day.
Let's fast forward 9 years. I'm now 23 years old, living in Maastricht,
Netherlands on a scholarship to study Public Policy and Human
Development. I now know about the World Trade Center, and I like to
think I have a good grasp of what is going on politically. I've been
blessed to travel quite a bit for my age, covering lots of western
Europe and visiting Jordan in the Middle East.
I've also just gotten through my first week of graduate school, where
the only other time in my life that I was so aware of my nationality was
in Jordan in 2006. For good or for bad the United States' policies have
influenced many people all over the world. It's a really
weird/intimidating feeling to sit in a room and know that my opinion or
input is taken more or less for an "American" viewpoint during class
discussions. It's not like I'm the only one , everyone to an extent
represents their respective countries as well.
I am fortunate to be surrounded by colleagues from all over the world;
Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America who all have
very amazing (and sometimes academically and professionally intimidating
backgrounds). Our governance tutorials are fascinating; having 14 or 15
people all from different countries try to dive into the issues of
governance and governments together. My favorite part is listening and
working with my colleagues, because I learn something new in every
discussion.
So as I think about 9/11 today, I give my utmost sympathies for everyone
who lost someone they love, it was a horrible, horrible tragedy. But, I
also feel so much for those that have been adversley affected in any
way over the last nine years. 9/11 and the past decade reminds me of our
imperative need to listen, to learn about other cultures and religions,
and to make sure that we do everything in our power to discourage any
atmosphere of hate and intolerance. At the end of the day , no matter
where we come from, how we were raised, and what we've experienced,
we're all human beings, and we're all in this together.
(Please Note: This was originally published on September 7)
I finally made it! After a beautiful four hour drive from Germany to
Maastricht, I am finally here and have officially started my year as an
Ambassadorial Scholar. Of course, like any normal 23 year old I did my
in depth Wikipedia research to get a general idea of the city before I
got here. I was expecting a "typical European" city with its
cobblestoned streets, elegant buildings, and plenty of outside cafes
(it's still technically summer).
I've traveled a bit for my age , and I must say I was astounded by this
city's beauty! The Maas river runs through Maastricht and in turn has
several bridges that connect the city. I really love bridges, so I enjoy
walking to class every day. I've been fortunate enough to meet lots of
nice people, and I am finally starting to recognize street names.
I started my Public Policy & Human Development program yesterday and
was anxious, excited, and slightly overwhelmed with the amount of
material we will cover in this short year. The program is VERY diverse.
There are about 120 students with 42 different nationalities. That's
means roughly 20% of the countries in the world are represented in the
program. Granted, we 're no experts yet; we still look like a bunch of
lost tourists or frehsmen in college, but I'm sure there will be plenty
of lively and unforgettable discussions to come.
Unfortunately, I don't have very many pictures to share. I'm waiting for
my camera cord to come in the mail so I can upload the pictures I've
taken. So, keep your eyes peeled there are more pictures to come!
(Please Note: This post was originally published on September, 5)
It's been about a year since I was awarded the Ambassadorial
Scholarship, so I thought I would give you a brief overview of what I
've been up to. Hopefully this will be helpful to anyone thinking about
applying or already in the process.
April/May 2009
- Started emailing with a family friend who happened to be a Rotarian
and mentioned that Rotary had some graduate scholarships available.
- Started my application to be sponsored by Fullerton Sunrise Rotary.
-Went to my first Rotary meeting and was pleasently surprised to see
such a lively and compassionate group of people at 7:15am. I gave a
short presentation and the club agreed to sponsor me!
- Interview/Orientation preparation. The Rotarians at Fullerton Sunrise
were kind enough to help me prepare, answer all of my questions, and
most of all calm my nerves!
June 2009
- The Scholarship Orientation was held on June 5, which happened to be
my sister Jill's high school graduation. I was torn, but after Jill's
approval, "it's ok Amy, I understand, this is a big opportunity", I got
ready to go. We were asked to prepare a short speech to introduce
ourselves to the interview board and the other scholarship candidates.
Boy, was I nervous!
- June 6, I went back the next afternoon for my interview. The interview
lasted about 25 minutes, and I was asked about my background, future
plans, and how I thought Rotary fit into that picture.
- About a week later I heard the great news!
October 2009
- I got an email letting me know I had been assigned to my first choice, Universiteit Maastricht in the Netherlands!
November 2009
- I moved to Oldenburg, Germany to teach English at and Adult Education Center. I had an amazing time and lots of fun!
May 2010
- Applied to Maastricht University.
June 2010
- I got my acceptance email to Maastricht University!!
- After my acceptance I spent the next couple of months completing all
of my visa, insurance, housing, and Rotary pre-departure documents.
August 2010
- I arrived in Oldenburg, Germany, my "home away from home"to visit before heading off to Maastricht.
View my complete profile
pursue a Masters in the field of Public Policy & Human Development.
I've decided to join the world of blogging to share my adventures in the
Netherlands and my journey through this amazing schloarship program.
Honored to be representing District 5320, I'm very excited to be joining
District 1550 in Maastricht, the Netherlands!
Conspiracy, the Environment , and Fox News
In
case you don't know I am mathematically challenged. However, through
some serious studying and help from my friends I more or less survived
my first math quiz. Having the math quiz behind me I got to focus on the
things that actually interest me like my Governance class.
Class this past week was interesting. We're still going through "Kingdon" (as we all refer to it) Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies
by John W. Kingdon. The book gives insight on how the policy process
works and the actors that are involved using the United States as its
model. Having one of our main books be about the United States is really
intimidating for me. Not that there is any real expectation for me to
participate more in discussions that I already do, I've just felt like I
really needed to be "on the ball". However, I did get asked a couple of
questions that really stuck with me.
Three topics I was asked to comment on were Fox News, the environment,
and conspiracy theories. Fox News came up, because we were discussing
the role of media in government and policy making. I won't make any
comments for or against Fox News here, but is interesting to have a news
channel in your country be recognized and debated on an international
level.
Wealso spoke about the environment. Now to be really honest , it's
difficult for most of the world to understand why the U.S. hasn't signed
the Kyoto Protocol or undertaken major environmental steps like other
developed countries. So I got to explain that lots of Americans do care
about the environment, a lot of us recycle and not everyone drives a gas
guzzling machine. However, I also admitted that, yes, the United States
is considerably behind some of their European counterparts in regards
to environmental policy and attitudes towards being environmentally
friendly.
Ialso got asked about conspiracy theories, especially in regards to
9/11. Now as an American this is a very personal and tricky playing
field. There are an abundance of theories and opinions regarding events
since 2001 and for good or bad conspiracy theories are one of those
question marks. Due to the class time constraint I didn't have to
formulate an answer to this question, but it left me with so much to
think about. How objectively do all of us evaluate politics and our
perceptions of events in whatever country we may be from? It also made
me think, what role does government play in our evaluation of historical
events? And no matter how hard we try, is it possible to evaluate
history and politics without bias?
The
other thing my tutorial sessions left me with this week was a reminder
of just how big of a role American policies play in international
politics. I'm not trying to stand on a pedestal here, but I don't think
most of us (Americans) really have a full realization and appreciation
for how closely our domestic and international politics are evaluated by
the international community. How our perceived lagging attention to
environmental action really does tend to give the impression that
Americans just don't care about environment. Do I think all Americans
are this way? No, that would be a stereotype, and I know plenty of
people who care about recycling and being environmentally friendly. So
why is it that we seem to give the rest of the world this "I don't care"
impression? Is that really who we as Americans are?
If I put this into the "bigger picture" I can think of stereotypes for
every country, both good and bad. However, I am an American, so that’s
what I identify with, and what I am choosing to address here.
In any case, this week has left me lots to think about and of course
more "research" to do, because let’s face it I'm a nerd and if I can't
find an answer to something I bury myself in books. My challenge this
week: doing some conspiracy theory research to see what all the fuss is
about and form an academic opinion that's not bias. Sound impossible?
Probably, but we never thought pigs would fly until swine flu came
around so I better get started I've got a lot of reading to do.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Rotary "Get together" in Amersfoort
This past Saturday I was invited by the Rotary
Foundation to meet my fellow scholars studying in the Netherlands in
Amersfoort. Amersfoort is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands,
roughly 775 years old. It is a beautiful city connected by an abundance
of bridges and canals.
Foundation to meet my fellow scholars studying in the Netherlands in
Amersfoort. Amersfoort is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands,
roughly 775 years old. It is a beautiful city connected by an abundance
of bridges and canals.
I’m in Maastricht (in the south), I started my day with a 6:50am train
ride to Wijchen (pronounced similar to Veechen) where I finally had the
pleasure of meeting my temporary host counselor Caspar Pompe. Caspar,
through countless emails has helped me get settled in Maastricht, get in
contact with past scholars, and basically been my “go to” person if I
had any questions. Which if you’ve every studied abroad, having a
contact like this with knowledge of the area and connections is a dream.
Caspar
and I drove from Wijchen to Amersfoort and he was wonderful enough to
bring a “kopje Kofi” with him for our drive to Amersfoort. After
freezing on the train hot coffee was so nice! Caspar is an engineer who
works a lot with water management and was able to spark an interest in
Physics in me that I never knew I had. (I would have sooner believed I
could learn to speak Mandarin in a week, than find Physics interesting.)
Needless to say I learned a lot and had a wonderful drive there and
back.
and I drove from Wijchen to Amersfoort and he was wonderful enough to
bring a “kopje Kofi” with him for our drive to Amersfoort. After
freezing on the train hot coffee was so nice! Caspar is an engineer who
works a lot with water management and was able to spark an interest in
Physics in me that I never knew I had. (I would have sooner believed I
could learn to speak Mandarin in a week, than find Physics interesting.)
Needless to say I learned a lot and had a wonderful drive there and
back.
Once
we arrived in Amersfoort we met the other scholars and coordinators at
the Toon Hermans Huis. This house is a newly finished Rotary project
that provides a safe place for cancer patients to come and talk about
their experiences and find support. They have various programs available
and leave their doors open free of charge. The topic of cancer has
become very near and dear to my heart in the past few months so it was
great to see Rotary involved in the community in yet another caring
way.
we arrived in Amersfoort we met the other scholars and coordinators at
the Toon Hermans Huis. This house is a newly finished Rotary project
that provides a safe place for cancer patients to come and talk about
their experiences and find support. They have various programs available
and leave their doors open free of charge. The topic of cancer has
become very near and dear to my heart in the past few months so it was
great to see Rotary involved in the community in yet another caring
way.
There
are about 16 Rotary scholars studying in the Netherlands from all over
the world. It was interesting to hear how everyone made it to the
Netherlands, what they were studying, and to talk about the typical
"Dutch" challenges we were facing by not being Dutch citizens. After a
brief lunch we were taken on a scenic boat tour through the city's
canals. This tour was gorgeous! Here are a few pictures for you to check
out!
are about 16 Rotary scholars studying in the Netherlands from all over
the world. It was interesting to hear how everyone made it to the
Netherlands, what they were studying, and to talk about the typical
"Dutch" challenges we were facing by not being Dutch citizens. After a
brief lunch we were taken on a scenic boat tour through the city's
canals. This tour was gorgeous! Here are a few pictures for you to check
out!
After meeting the other scholars and
coordinators, I am starting to get excited about presenting to other
Rotary clubs in my district and around the Netherlands. It was
refreshing to find out that I won’t just be presenting on where I come
from and what I’m studying, but rather, what my studies are focused on
and what I hope to do after the Masters program. We were told to "make a
statement", develop conversation, and learn as much as we can, so I am
really looking forward to benefiting from the knowledge and experience
of the Rotarians around me. I’ll be presenting with Erik Elfrink from
Missouri who is also studying in Maastricht. We'll combine our studies
to make an interesting presentation, and hopefully get some good
feedback. More on that later!
coordinators, I am starting to get excited about presenting to other
Rotary clubs in my district and around the Netherlands. It was
refreshing to find out that I won’t just be presenting on where I come
from and what I’m studying, but rather, what my studies are focused on
and what I hope to do after the Masters program. We were told to "make a
statement", develop conversation, and learn as much as we can, so I am
really looking forward to benefiting from the knowledge and experience
of the Rotarians around me. I’ll be presenting with Erik Elfrink from
Missouri who is also studying in Maastricht. We'll combine our studies
to make an interesting presentation, and hopefully get some good
feedback. More on that later!
On the way back, I had the wonderful
opportunity to join Caspar and his wife for a home cooked meal. The
food was amazing and it was so nice to receive such a warm welcome so
far away from home. It was also good motivation to finish my mid-term
paper on the train :)
opportunity to join Caspar and his wife for a home cooked meal. The
food was amazing and it was so nice to receive such a warm welcome so
far away from home. It was also good motivation to finish my mid-term
paper on the train :)
So now after such a wonderful trip, its back to reality where my statistics homework is slowly starting to haunt me.
Have a great week everyone and thanks for your continued support!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
We're all in this together...
I woke up this morning, turned on my computer, and was reminded that
today is in fact September 11, 2010. Of course, like every other person
and American especially, I thought back to where I was on September 11,
2001.
I was 14, getting ready for my second week of high school. I was running
late as usual and my mom ran out of her room and said "Amy look on the
tv, the towers, a plane went into one, the World Trade Center". She was
really shaken up, I was so confused. Embarrassingly enough at that time I
had no idea what the World Trade Center was, let alone any idea about
what was going on politically. We stood there and watched as the second
tower was hit. The rest of the day comes back in flashes for me. I
remember walking on campus and noticing the people who knew and those
who didn't. I remember people panicking, because they couldn't get ahold
of their loved ones in New York. We started worrying, thinking maybe
there was another attack coming to Los Angeles or Long Beach. My older
sister who was attending California State University, Long Beach stayed
home that day.
Let's fast forward 9 years. I'm now 23 years old, living in Maastricht,
Netherlands on a scholarship to study Public Policy and Human
Development. I now know about the World Trade Center, and I like to
think I have a good grasp of what is going on politically. I've been
blessed to travel quite a bit for my age, covering lots of western
Europe and visiting Jordan in the Middle East.
I've also just gotten through my first week of graduate school, where
the only other time in my life that I was so aware of my nationality was
in Jordan in 2006. For good or for bad the United States' policies have
influenced many people all over the world. It's a really
weird/intimidating feeling to sit in a room and know that my opinion or
input is taken more or less for an "American" viewpoint during class
discussions. It's not like I'm the only one , everyone to an extent
represents their respective countries as well.
I am fortunate to be surrounded by colleagues from all over the world;
Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America who all have
very amazing (and sometimes academically and professionally intimidating
backgrounds). Our governance tutorials are fascinating; having 14 or 15
people all from different countries try to dive into the issues of
governance and governments together. My favorite part is listening and
working with my colleagues, because I learn something new in every
discussion.
So as I think about 9/11 today, I give my utmost sympathies for everyone
who lost someone they love, it was a horrible, horrible tragedy. But, I
also feel so much for those that have been adversley affected in any
way over the last nine years. 9/11 and the past decade reminds me of our
imperative need to listen, to learn about other cultures and religions,
and to make sure that we do everything in our power to discourage any
atmosphere of hate and intolerance. At the end of the day , no matter
where we come from, how we were raised, and what we've experienced,
we're all human beings, and we're all in this together.
Maastricht!
(Please Note: This was originally published on September 7)
I finally made it! After a beautiful four hour drive from Germany to
Maastricht, I am finally here and have officially started my year as an
Ambassadorial Scholar. Of course, like any normal 23 year old I did my
in depth Wikipedia research to get a general idea of the city before I
got here. I was expecting a "typical European" city with its
cobblestoned streets, elegant buildings, and plenty of outside cafes
(it's still technically summer).
I've traveled a bit for my age , and I must say I was astounded by this
city's beauty! The Maas river runs through Maastricht and in turn has
several bridges that connect the city. I really love bridges, so I enjoy
walking to class every day. I've been fortunate enough to meet lots of
nice people, and I am finally starting to recognize street names.
I started my Public Policy & Human Development program yesterday and
was anxious, excited, and slightly overwhelmed with the amount of
material we will cover in this short year. The program is VERY diverse.
There are about 120 students with 42 different nationalities. That's
means roughly 20% of the countries in the world are represented in the
program. Granted, we 're no experts yet; we still look like a bunch of
lost tourists or frehsmen in college, but I'm sure there will be plenty
of lively and unforgettable discussions to come.
Unfortunately, I don't have very many pictures to share. I'm waiting for
my camera cord to come in the mail so I can upload the pictures I've
taken. So, keep your eyes peeled there are more pictures to come!
Catching Up...
(Please Note: This post was originally published on September, 5)
It's been about a year since I was awarded the Ambassadorial
Scholarship, so I thought I would give you a brief overview of what I
've been up to. Hopefully this will be helpful to anyone thinking about
applying or already in the process.
April/May 2009
- Started emailing with a family friend who happened to be a Rotarian
and mentioned that Rotary had some graduate scholarships available.
- Started my application to be sponsored by Fullerton Sunrise Rotary.
-Went to my first Rotary meeting and was pleasently surprised to see
such a lively and compassionate group of people at 7:15am. I gave a
short presentation and the club agreed to sponsor me!
- Interview/Orientation preparation. The Rotarians at Fullerton Sunrise
were kind enough to help me prepare, answer all of my questions, and
most of all calm my nerves!
June 2009
- The Scholarship Orientation was held on June 5, which happened to be
my sister Jill's high school graduation. I was torn, but after Jill's
approval, "it's ok Amy, I understand, this is a big opportunity", I got
ready to go. We were asked to prepare a short speech to introduce
ourselves to the interview board and the other scholarship candidates.
Boy, was I nervous!
- June 6, I went back the next afternoon for my interview. The interview
lasted about 25 minutes, and I was asked about my background, future
plans, and how I thought Rotary fit into that picture.
- About a week later I heard the great news!
October 2009
- I got an email letting me know I had been assigned to my first choice, Universiteit Maastricht in the Netherlands!
November 2009
- I moved to Oldenburg, Germany to teach English at and Adult Education Center. I had an amazing time and lots of fun!
May 2010
- Applied to Maastricht University.
June 2010
- I got my acceptance email to Maastricht University!!
- After my acceptance I spent the next couple of months completing all
of my visa, insurance, housing, and Rotary pre-departure documents.
August 2010
- I arrived in Oldenburg, Germany, my "home away from home"to visit before heading off to Maastricht.
Followers
Blog Archive
About Me
Amy Henslin- I was born and raised in beautiful, sunny,
Southern California. I earned my B.A. in Global Studies from the
University of California, Santa Barbara in March 2009. I was awarded the
2010-2011 Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship in June 2009, and was
assigned to Maastricht, the Netherlands. I will be pursuing my life long
dream of earning a Masters at Maastricht University.
View my complete profile
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