“The women don’t know any better” Said the white cis man whose kind is responsible for the abysmal decision making and leadership that is actively making the world burn.

 By far, my favorite part of this program has that all of the undergrads and all but two grad students and female and non-binary. We’ve had some of the best discussions I’ve ever experienced in any class throughout my five years of college. Everyone is wicked smart, collaborative, and interested in each other's perspectives. In all honesty, this group of students makes me more optimistic about the future of this field than I’ve ever been. They all GET it. I can’t wait for us to take over the world and you should be looking forward to that day too. 

We got to Utrecht a couple of days ago. We immediately explored the city and then met up with a city official. We went on a quick walking tour of the city center. He’s very enthusiastic about his city’s very impressive infrastructure projects. We saw the awesome central train station with a 12,000 bike parking garage underneath it. He shared the history of Utrecht's
attempt to build a highway through the middle of the town, and their subsequent efforts to restore the canal they built over and the street and cityscape to be more people-friendly. Biking here is really fun and I prefer it to Denmark. Here, there are fewer rules and more bikers in general. I communicate with other street users with eye contact and by reading their body language. Cars HAVE to be careful and always give the right of way to the bikers and peds because there are more of us than there are of them and they don’t want to be convicted of legit murder if they hit someone. 

This city is beautiful, full of life and energy, and interesting and infinite shops, restaurants, and businesses, as well as a fun mix of ancient and new architecture. Again I feel safe walking around on my own or at night. I notice more children biking around on their own here than in Denmark. I also notice young children biking with their parents in a seat or on a small bike alongside. 

Yesterday, the official took us on a leisurely 30-mile bike tour of the outskirts of Utrecht. We biked on country roads but mostly fully separated bike paths signaled by the signature red pavement. We stopped every now and then as he pointed out interesting infrastructure details that make things run more smoothly. (Some pics below with more explanation.)

It was a hot day and thankfully, we stopped at a manmade lake with a beach to swim in. So refreshing and only 12-15 miles outside of Utrecht. I noticed lots of kids who had biked on their own from the nearby city of Houten (which we also visited). 

We got there and a few people parked their bikes in the shade. Someone said, “Hey don’t park your bike in the shade so we can sit there.” The official said something like “Oh yes the women don’t know any better.” Sexism in this country is extremely prevalent and perpetrated by people you would assume are progressive. I’ve talked with some who have a blatant anti-immigration sentiment. Some can’t comprehend LGBTQ rights and non-binary and trans identities. I’ve been man-splained what tan lines are, and how to ride a bike with no handlebars. Thank you very much but I never asked, I don’t care, and maybe try talking to people in a way that acknowledges that they actually have a couple of brain cells. Many Dutch are very prideful of their nation and I would be too but I’d love to acknowledge that all of our shit stinks.

It’s like they don’t even know that the best cities in the world have female mayors. I’m just saying if women and non-binary folks ran the world, people would be happy, and healthy, and there would probably be world peace.

At the end of the day, I know this country is culturally/socially behind in a lot of ways. So when the middle-aged men giving us tours say something blatantly patronizing and sexist I just take a breath and tell myself “It’s okay, the poor man doesn’t know any better.”