The Eternal Student and the Red Light District (Who went to Amsterdam? This Girl!)

Out of all the places I’ve been so far, Barcelona is my number one…. and Amsterdam is second. I had no idea what to expect of Amsterdam. I knew it was in Holland, that there were lots of canals, that it was cold, that certain things are legal there, and that they speak Dutch. Basically, that was it. Holland=clogs, windmills, and lots of bikes.

Everything I knew was true, but I had no idea what the atmosphere of the city was like. When you tell people you’re going to Amsterdam, they raise their eyebrows and give you a knowing look, a grin, or simply go “mh-hm…” Some people comment your facebook status telling you to smoke.

So when I got there, I wasn’t sure whether it would be shocking or how gigantic the party atmosphere was. It wasn’t, and I loved it. It is SUCH a relaxed little place. It almost feels like you’re in the country because there’s so much water, and the buildings aren’t that tall, and everyone’s on their bike. The streets are bumpy with their old cobble-stoneyness. My friend didn’t like the bike paths because we almost got killed a few times, and only half of them were our fault 😛

Not that we need to admit things that are our fault…. like how I have to plan everything perfectly in order to graduate on time. The thing is, I’m what is called an eternal student. I’m the sort of person that could study for 20 years straight and not have qualifications for an actual job at the end. I dream of a future in which I can do everything at once. (except for math haha… and science…) I want to study sociology and psychology and history and culture and communications and english and spanish and german and chinese and anthropology and immigration and philosophy….

But one thing that interests me immensely is the idea of justice, of human rights. We got giggly and went to the red light district last night. As soon as we found it we stopped being amused. It’s like going to the supermarket. Except nasty and wrong. I felt myself being repulsed by the idea of the red light district, but then I realized that I have to accept the idea. It’s so much safer and better for these women that for prostitutes in other places. At least it’s legal. At least they can get help when they need it. At least they have  choice. Right?

Well, my friend Emilly and I got into a discussion about the difference between pursuing the world’s oldest profession in a place where it’s legal and in a place where it’s not. For her it’s all the same thing, with only a slighty better situation existing in places where these women aren’t arrested simply for doing their job. I promised us both that I would look it up…

Click here for what I found. Yeah. Sweden is better. Another reason to go there other than the incredible hotness that is True Blood’s Alexander Skarsgard.

Love,

Julia