Our last few days In Amsterdam were pretty laid back and we had a lot of time with no structured plans so we could have time to work on our final projects. We did manage to fit in some touristy activities as well though.
As a group we did a tour of the Anne Frank house. It was very powerful to go through and although it was very heavy to hear about the events that lead up to the Holocaust, it is especially important to remember now. After the tour we had time reflect on everything as a group and I am glad we had that talk. So many of the incidents and so much of the hate from the Holocaust is unsettling parallel to the hate we are seeing in American politics today.
The next night we went for a tour of the Red Light District, that was very cool and we learned a lot about the history of the district. Our guides took us to one of the oldest houses there and told us about the family that lived there. The night after we all went out on a canal tour and it was an amazing laid back night with all of the people that I’ve gotten so close to on this trip.
I was also able to go out in smaller groups for a couple events. Eileen and I went to Amsterdam’s pride parade, which was very cool because there was a strong emphasis on how pride is a protest. The event was very intersectional and there was a pleasant lack of corporations. In the front, they carried a flag for every country that still criminalizes homosexuality. It was refreshing to see pride as a display of activism rather than a parade of rainbow capitalism that has become quite common back home.
On Monday, Catherine and I went to Amsterdam’s botanical garden and explored the grounds and green houses.
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