What I Have Been Reading Lately

During the last two weeks I have been spending my time taking driving lessons, working at the regional newspaper and reading. I have been able to finish quite some books: a necessary after a crammed semester that left little room for any non-academic reads. Here’s a list of what I’ve been reading and how I felt about it:

1. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguiro. I picked up this book very cheaply at a one pound shop, when I was in Oxford. I was already a fan of Ishiguiro’s work and this novel didn’t prove to be less. The writing style in the book is the same familiar one as in his other novels, though the topic and theme are slightly different. Remains of the Day and A Pale View of Hills seemed the most concerned with history and tradition, while Never Let You Go is more futuristic. A little different, but just as enjoyable as his other work!

Tallinn, Estonia

Getting to the end of our journey, the last stop was Tallinn in Estonia. The tone of this country and city was immediately set, when we visited internet guru Linnar Viik on our first day. We learned a lot about Estonia’s developments and advancements in the world of internet and ICT. The next day we walked around the historical city centre, which to me was the most beautiful centres of the three cities, ending by visiting the pretty Kadrioru park.

Riga, Latvia

Next stop in my trip to the Baltic States was Riga in Latvia. I learned most about the economic situation, because Latvia was one of the countries that was hit hardest during the crisis. Furthermore, (again) the city centre is very beautiful with lots of amazing buildings.

Vilnius, Lithuania

I have to admit that it has been a while since I wrote my last post. Caught up in finals, followed by the need to celebrate the start of my summer break, I did not find (make?) the time to write something. One of the things marking the beginning of my summer was a one-week trip to the Baltic States. I returned last week and now I would like to share some of my impressions. In this post will show you Vilnius’ highlights.

Vilnius, Lithuania

Conservative Zeeland and Muslim Integration

“You mean that conservative corner of the country?!” is often a response you get when you tell people you live in Zeeland. It is clear that our province does not have the best reputation among the Dutch provinces. Next to its small cities and towns, excessive amount of water and many German tourists, it is also often associated with having a strict Christian community.

The Statistic Netherlands organization estimated that in 2010 around fifty percent of the population had no religion, forty percent was Christian, around seven per cent was Muslim and some three percent had another religion.

Looking Back

Want to read my latest blog for my journalism class? It is also the last post of the project.

Click here to go to the blog

RA in Oxford: City of Inspiring Spires

Only a short while ago (though it already seems so frightfully distant now), we, Kristy Evers and Ilse Ras attended a symposium on Science & Literature at the St. John’s College in Oxford. It was organized by RA’s Dr Michael Burke and St. John’s Dr Emily Troscianko, who both presented some of their own research as well.

Oxford itself is already magical, with its numerous colleges and scholars, but St. John’s College, the richest college in the city, is also gorgeous in its own right, with old quads and new buildings all forming the puzzle pieces of this institution.

St. John's College, Oxford