Man alive! It has been fairly difficult finding time to get to an internet cafe. So as you can see, we are a day or two behind on these blogs. But this post is for yesterday's adventure.
Steph and I are staying together in a homestay right next to Vondelpark, one of the largest parks in Amsterdam. We got up early and walked around. It was so beautiful! With all the nature, it was hard to imagine it being in such a huge city. We saw atleast three blue herons and for me, that means a very good day is ahead. Which it was. Steph and I finished our park tour with a little session of yoga using some stretches I had learned a bit ago. All in all, it was a great way to start the day.
Next, we rode the tram to Dam Square to meet up with our group. We ate some lunch in the University of Amsterdam cafeteria where we were treated to quite the interpretive dance by some random lady. She was doing all the crazy flips over the cafe tables but it turned out it was just some performance for a class...she wasn't nuts as we all suspected. Afterwards we took a canal boat tour. The city looked amazing from the boat even if the canal water looks so dirty. But pretty nonetheless. Then we met up in the Red Light District which is where the meat of our day took place...
We met at the Prosititue Information Center (PIC) in the heart of the Red Light District where we talked with the center's organizer, Mariska. She was a former sex worker so she was extremely well versed in the inner-workings of the sex profession. She knew much about the business-side of the profession and has helped fight for worker's rights and respect. I want to first describe the scene of the Red Light District for those of you who have never seen it. The district is one of the oldest in the cities, with cobblestones and gorgeous old buildings. As you walk down these streets, there are all kinds of pubs and bars and sex cinemas. But there are also these tiny glass doors with windows where women in bras and underwear just stand hoping to attract a customer. Above the door is a neon red light, hence the red light district. Beyond the shock and surprise of trying to understand that these women were selling and having sex behind these curtained doors, there is also a church, the Old Church, in the middle of this. So here stands an amazingly old church and right across the ally are prostitutes. Mariksa showed us around the district and explained to us how the profession works. Ask your GIEU student about this because my thiry minutes on this computer is almost up! But it was simply fascinating. There were so many delicate issues at hand. As a feminist, it was extremely interesting to hear a former sex worker discuss this issue as a profession, and not feel outraged about the degradation of women. So from this tour, I learned so much about the complex issues about the Red Light District.
Well I am off to continue the rest of my art tour which Jimmy will describe for you later.
-Alex R.
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