Police systems are tricky little buggers. Creating one already means that you will need to walk a fine line between what is "right" and what is "wrong". A friend and I struck up a conversation with someone at the train station this past weekend about this very situation. He commented that if you are in trouble, the police in Geneva are some of the most helpful people. But you would never want to be on their bad side. Switzerland has such a good reputation for saftey, he said, that they are extremely vigilant in looking out for the smallest of disturbances. This tension is only hightened during events such as the Euro cup.
My views on the results of this system is that you generally have a very safe public space. On the other hand, I wonder to what lengths the police are allowed to go to in order to protect this feeling of saftey.
Perceptions of the police system vary by country and even by populations within countries. So the question is: how do we promote just law and order without creating runaway police systems? The average citizen shouldn't need to carry around a pocketbook of rules of what police are and are not allowed to do. By the same token, police should not have to go to extreme measures in order to protect the general peace.
Maybe the system works in Switzerland because of the size of the country. Smaller community systems can agree on social norms and police themselves faster and better than larger systems. Police systems at the federal level (FBI, etc.) are out of touch with the average citizen. But everyone always knows what is going on in their local neighborhood.
So where is the ballance? How can we create safe spaces where conflict resolution means dialogue before handcuffs? One would think that humans would have figured this out by now. Yet we are so surprised when we find communities that have achieved real democratization.
Everybody talks about an increasingly globalized world, but I would propose thinking on a more local level. We need to think about how we can live locally in a sustainable and peaceful way without creating huge power systems at a federal level that are largely unchecked by their consituencies. Police system aside, it is a fact that Switzerland has not joined the EU because its voters opt to stay independent. The director of the SIT program mentioned that the Swiss vote 4 or 5 times a year. Furthermore, Bern cannot impose policies on any of the Cantons (states) without approval through direct voting. Perhaps there are faults to this system that I have not been able to fully explore, but it seems like a pretty good idea.
We need to keep creating systems that can call the populus the base of their power. Decisions should be made from the bottom, not the top. A top-heavy country may be able to go global as a powerful "influence" in world affairs, but this has never been successful in the long run. And with a resource bottleneck in our midst, going local is even more important. This is not to say we should not travel and interact beyond our borders. All it means is for us to spread power and governance to the local level.
On another note, the Geneva music festival was quite stunning. I listened to salsa, techno, and some type of drum-reggae (by far the best) all in one weekend. Also played some soccer by the lake and went for a swim afterwards. Took me a bit to get use to the semi-nude lawns by the lake but hey, to each his own. And, however detrimental to your body it may be, there is nothing better than the feeling of the sun, no? Actually, this point of semi-nude lawns relates quite well to the differences in openness between Europe and other parts of the world. My host mother and I had a small conversation about how Europeans do tend to dress more formally than Americans, but they keep significantly more intimate inter-personal relationships with aquaintences, even in the workplace. But that is a conversation for another time.
For the Euro cup: go Spain.
Rosh
Monday, June 23, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Inaugurating Study Abroad
I arrived in Geneva on Monday June 9th for the School of International Training's (SIT) program in International Studies, Organizations, and Social Justice. Since then... I've understood that the town I live in--Mies--is pretty much a minuscule village that nobody would attempt to tour through. I've been erroneously fined 80 swiss francs for unknowingly sitting in first class (there is absolutely no difference) when they could have simply asked me to move. There have been soccer matches viewed on the large screen in Nyon (not bougie enough to be able to buy tickets) and saunters past the home of the Indian ambassador by accident. And finally, I have taken three French classes at a third grade level. If you want, I can give you a list of colors, numbers, fruits, jobs, and could count up to one thousand (the French AND Swiss ways). It is all quite exciting.
Many other events have, of course, filled my first two weeks in Geneva. I've been through about a week of lectures and briefings which have been very stimulating. Even after this short period of time, I have already had relevant and useful conversations about trade, carbon footprints, peacekeeping, the WTO, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the differences between European and American politics.
Our program requires us to complete an independent study project for which I made a small excursion to the ICRC library. My topic is on the intersection of international law, public health, and torture. I found myself, two weeks into the program, sitting in a dark room at the ICRC watching a tape used by the US government in the 1970s that taught soldiers how to care for prisoners of war (POW) in a humane way. The video was obviously pertinent but also a bit superfluous. Think about the superfluous nature of "Tippy the Turtle: How to Survive a Nuclear Attack" from the 50s. If you haven't seen that video, please go here: http://www.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=8126762 or google it in your own time. The POW video was shot in the jungles with the prisoners of war depicted as being of some type of Asian descent, an attempt to be in line with the contemporary conflict in Vietnam. It was both eerie and comical to look back at such a tape. An interesting point it brought up was the short time period in which a combatant, once captured, can turn into a harmless and unarmed person with POW status. I wonder how such a tape looks right now, in a time where the lines between combatant and civilian are extremely blurry in the first place.
Once I was a trained US soldier ready to battle the Vietcong, I ventured back out into daylight and took a few pictures of the UN headquarters and surrounding area. My camera is really not able to capture the vastness of the space Geneva is situated within, but I try my best. An even greater challenge was presented when we took a cable car up the mountains between France and Geneva. The view of Lake Geneva (Lac Lehman) was grand and we ate lunch while watching 20 or 30 parasailers take advantage of the clear skies. The hiking trails around the top of the mountain were worthy of a second and third visit. We only had enough heart and lung for one small descent and the subsequent ascent.
Other than the above events, I've spent a large amount of time with the other eleven students in our group as well as attempted several small conversations with Helene, my five-year-old homestay sister. The rest of my homestay family will disperse after dinner and she will look at me, take my hand, and lead me to play with something she is speedily describing in French. I won't completely understand until we actually begin to play but she could care less. We have already made matching collages of houses. These exercises are excellent for my French vocabulary. During the house collage activity, for instance, I learned that "pluie" meant rain because she sang it to herself as she indicated to me, quite clearly, the rain she was drawing on her collage. She is very patient. Never will I forget pluie.
So this post is both a bit chaotic and has no central point, but those are also characteristics of my first two weeks in Geneva. It is the first time I have been in a non-Hindi, Spanish, or English speaking place for an extended period of time. It is the first time I have been so exposed to an alternative world view of the political scene. Watch out American realists, Roshen is being armed with other ideologies to combat the power-centric approach to everything. It is also my first homestay experience. In a nutshell everything I am experiencing is raw, which is generally how I feel experiences should be. I wouldn't say my experience has been hard or taxing, but it has been a series of small and significant changes, including everything from class content and design to language to a more formal lifestyle.
In short, this is the first necessary post to inaugurate my study abroad experience. This weekend is the Geneva Music Festival so it shall be my next adventure!
Rosh
Many other events have, of course, filled my first two weeks in Geneva. I've been through about a week of lectures and briefings which have been very stimulating. Even after this short period of time, I have already had relevant and useful conversations about trade, carbon footprints, peacekeeping, the WTO, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the differences between European and American politics.
Our program requires us to complete an independent study project for which I made a small excursion to the ICRC library. My topic is on the intersection of international law, public health, and torture. I found myself, two weeks into the program, sitting in a dark room at the ICRC watching a tape used by the US government in the 1970s that taught soldiers how to care for prisoners of war (POW) in a humane way. The video was obviously pertinent but also a bit superfluous. Think about the superfluous nature of "Tippy the Turtle: How to Survive a Nuclear Attack" from the 50s. If you haven't seen that video, please go here: http://www.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=8126762 or google it in your own time. The POW video was shot in the jungles with the prisoners of war depicted as being of some type of Asian descent, an attempt to be in line with the contemporary conflict in Vietnam. It was both eerie and comical to look back at such a tape. An interesting point it brought up was the short time period in which a combatant, once captured, can turn into a harmless and unarmed person with POW status. I wonder how such a tape looks right now, in a time where the lines between combatant and civilian are extremely blurry in the first place.
Once I was a trained US soldier ready to battle the Vietcong, I ventured back out into daylight and took a few pictures of the UN headquarters and surrounding area. My camera is really not able to capture the vastness of the space Geneva is situated within, but I try my best. An even greater challenge was presented when we took a cable car up the mountains between France and Geneva. The view of Lake Geneva (Lac Lehman) was grand and we ate lunch while watching 20 or 30 parasailers take advantage of the clear skies. The hiking trails around the top of the mountain were worthy of a second and third visit. We only had enough heart and lung for one small descent and the subsequent ascent.
Other than the above events, I've spent a large amount of time with the other eleven students in our group as well as attempted several small conversations with Helene, my five-year-old homestay sister. The rest of my homestay family will disperse after dinner and she will look at me, take my hand, and lead me to play with something she is speedily describing in French. I won't completely understand until we actually begin to play but she could care less. We have already made matching collages of houses. These exercises are excellent for my French vocabulary. During the house collage activity, for instance, I learned that "pluie" meant rain because she sang it to herself as she indicated to me, quite clearly, the rain she was drawing on her collage. She is very patient. Never will I forget pluie.
So this post is both a bit chaotic and has no central point, but those are also characteristics of my first two weeks in Geneva. It is the first time I have been in a non-Hindi, Spanish, or English speaking place for an extended period of time. It is the first time I have been so exposed to an alternative world view of the political scene. Watch out American realists, Roshen is being armed with other ideologies to combat the power-centric approach to everything. It is also my first homestay experience. In a nutshell everything I am experiencing is raw, which is generally how I feel experiences should be. I wouldn't say my experience has been hard or taxing, but it has been a series of small and significant changes, including everything from class content and design to language to a more formal lifestyle.
In short, this is the first necessary post to inaugurate my study abroad experience. This weekend is the Geneva Music Festival so it shall be my next adventure!
Rosh
Sunday, June 1, 2008
The One
Last Friday I went to Nice Price Books in Durham with my friend Karen. I came out 15 minutes later with a French-English dictionary, to be used on the aforementioned Swiss study abroad excursion, for $2.98. Sweeeet.
What ever happened to cozy used book stores? They friggin' rock. I mean, yes, there is no computerized system for speedy book location and there is even less of a chance you will be browsing by author, but used book stores retain a charm that Barnes and Noble will never touch. Take away the computers and all you are left with is you and the books, nothing in between. I think I am particularly attracted to this sense of rawness. An environment where you have to search for the book you have in mind but where the journey itself will expose you to a million new titles and authors on the way. A journey which can be dimly lit and often times allergy-inducing. A journey that begins with hair slicked back and jacket on but leads to being sprawled on the floor in your tank top sporting a chia pet look, mind and body pouring into a science fiction selection. A journey where you may have to leap over neatly stacked romance novels to get to Poe and end up finding Isabel Allende next to a picture biography of Marlon Brando. And after all the tears and sweat have been leached from your body, you finally stumble upon your gold treasure. That book that calls to you. The One.
How satisfactory is THAT.
You go home, prize in your hand, and pray for a rainy day so that you have reason to light a fire and curl up with The One. Every page you turn is a sweet reward for all of your hard work.
Come on, people, isn't this what life is all about? I mean let's be real here. Real life is not organized into isles. If it were, it would be boring. For all the hard work humans, myself included, do to get shelves arranged and ducks in a row, the universe tends to pull in a more chaotic direction. I say stop fighting the forces.
I guess this is all nice and groovy in an idealistic sense. But thinking it over as I type, who would be there for me the day before class when I need that Russian Lit book? Barnes and Noble. Who would be there when I forget a birthday and desperately needed a book, journal, and a felt tip pen to gift away? Barnes and Noble. Sigh.
Dear Nice Price Books,
Know that when I come to visit you, I come with an adventurous spirit. Barnes and/or Noble just can't yank at my inner core and essence the way you do. Our relationship is special; their relationship is strictly business. It just doesn't compare. You are The One to me. I reserve fire-side curl ups for you and only you.
Love,
Roshen
All in all, a reminder that having life at our fingertips is quite a privilege. Sometimes we forget what its like to really have to work. And, furthermore, what type of information and creation comes out of real sweat and labor. Thanks to Nice Price for reminding me that its well worth the reward. And p.s., thanks for organizing by subject to make the journey a bit easier.
What ever happened to cozy used book stores? They friggin' rock. I mean, yes, there is no computerized system for speedy book location and there is even less of a chance you will be browsing by author, but used book stores retain a charm that Barnes and Noble will never touch. Take away the computers and all you are left with is you and the books, nothing in between. I think I am particularly attracted to this sense of rawness. An environment where you have to search for the book you have in mind but where the journey itself will expose you to a million new titles and authors on the way. A journey which can be dimly lit and often times allergy-inducing. A journey that begins with hair slicked back and jacket on but leads to being sprawled on the floor in your tank top sporting a chia pet look, mind and body pouring into a science fiction selection. A journey where you may have to leap over neatly stacked romance novels to get to Poe and end up finding Isabel Allende next to a picture biography of Marlon Brando. And after all the tears and sweat have been leached from your body, you finally stumble upon your gold treasure. That book that calls to you. The One.
How satisfactory is THAT.
You go home, prize in your hand, and pray for a rainy day so that you have reason to light a fire and curl up with The One. Every page you turn is a sweet reward for all of your hard work.
Come on, people, isn't this what life is all about? I mean let's be real here. Real life is not organized into isles. If it were, it would be boring. For all the hard work humans, myself included, do to get shelves arranged and ducks in a row, the universe tends to pull in a more chaotic direction. I say stop fighting the forces.
I guess this is all nice and groovy in an idealistic sense. But thinking it over as I type, who would be there for me the day before class when I need that Russian Lit book? Barnes and Noble. Who would be there when I forget a birthday and desperately needed a book, journal, and a felt tip pen to gift away? Barnes and Noble. Sigh.
Dear Nice Price Books,
Know that when I come to visit you, I come with an adventurous spirit. Barnes and/or Noble just can't yank at my inner core and essence the way you do. Our relationship is special; their relationship is strictly business. It just doesn't compare. You are The One to me. I reserve fire-side curl ups for you and only you.
Love,
Roshen
All in all, a reminder that having life at our fingertips is quite a privilege. Sometimes we forget what its like to really have to work. And, furthermore, what type of information and creation comes out of real sweat and labor. Thanks to Nice Price for reminding me that its well worth the reward. And p.s., thanks for organizing by subject to make the journey a bit easier.
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