This blog entry is going to cover the weekend, both Saturday and Sunday, and boy howdy, what a weekend it was ... We met up with a few of the other visiting colleagues and their hosts for a short drive to Bourtange, which is a very old village that started out as a fort. Complete with a moat and drawbridges, except for modern things such as electricity, running water and nice toilettes, it's like a picture from a history book. You can read some details about its history at Fort Bourtange . We arrived and did a little walking around and then had coffee. Then we did some shopping and more looking around. The weather was amazing, and it has been mostly very good so far anyway, but it was sunny and cool. This is a historic village, but it is also a real village where people live. There was an old lady working in her garden, probably 85+ years old, and I just had to say hello. With Liesbeth's help I introduced myself to her and t...
Refugees and asylum seekers in the Netherlands create a situation similar to the illegal immigrants in the U.S. What is very interesting is that the sentiment towards these people is very similar to that of the US. Surprisingly, here, the laws are very strict about who can come, stay, and seek special status as a refugee or asylum seeker. In a nutshell, they are dealing with very similar challenges, but there are organizations that are helping with the situation, because it's more than the government can handle. Today we visited an organization that has the purpose of providing a "bed, bath and bread" to those who are waiting to hear if their application for asylum is granted by the government. The program is called BBB+. The director, John (in the pic above), is a very passionate man who is doing a great job leading the organization in providing dignaty and respect to people who are at a very low point in their lives. They are taking a very systema...
Monday was a real work day. I spent most of the day at Lisbeth's school site. She had lined up several meeting with teachers and other coordinators of student service programs and I had a great time talking with all of them. I also had a good time taking with a few students again. If anyone is wondering what I'm learning ... I'll try to sum it up in a few words. The Netherlands has mandatory education until about the age of 18 like we do. But two main in differences seems to exist (that I can see anyway). First, from the age of 12 kids are tested and a system of tracking begins; at the age of 16, many of them are making choices about vocational programs they will complete. Some, of course, begin a track towards university, but it appears that most others are in programs of vocational education, or at least what we might call, career preparation education (for instance they earn a diploma in business marketing or secretarial skills, among othe...
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