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I loved traveling to Brussels and the Netherlands. I challenged myself by staying calm during all of the travel scares in the beginning, reminding myself that it would all work out, when normally I would be thinking of all the things that could go wrong. I ate new foods, for instance, the beef stew, the rabbit, and the creamed fish, when I would normally not order those items on the menu if I went out to dinner myself. I found that it was interesting to see how many cultures and languages people live in Brussels, as well as all of the different foods and history of Brussels that I was not aware of. I made very close friends on this trip and learned a lot about the European Union, as well as how my citizenship in Italy could look in the future in terms of where I would live or what my job could look like. I also pushed myself by asking questions to very important people (ambassadors, journalists, workers of the EU institutions, etc.) when I would normally just listen and take notes instead of engaging in questions and conversations.

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I found going to Eurojust very interesting. I found myself comparing Eurojust to the United States legal system and wondering how AI plays a role in the Eurojust agency when supporting EU member states in fighting against organized crime. I also enjoyed the Netherlands overall, the water, the buildings, the history, all of it!

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Today, we went to the Council of the European Union and the European Commission. At the European Commission, some new things/ reminders I relearned about the EU that interested me were the different competencies (shared, supportive, and exclusive) and what categories fall under each. Another thing that interested me was learning about how the commission proposes laws and the whole legislative process in connection with the parliament. I asked the question: how does the European Commission propose laws surrounding climate change and being sustainable for the environment while also having to focus on current pressing events, for instance, Ukraine, and having more defense within the EU, as well as competitiveness? I liked how when the two presenters answered my question, they seemed very interested and passionate about the topic, as well as throughout the whole presentation, which helped me learn more about the EU. It was also interesting to hear about how important the human rights and dignity aspect of the EU is to workers and citizens of the EU, the personal connection to living in Europe (the presenters) added a layer of nuance to the work being presented. During this presentation, I was also interested in how the EU keeps member states accountable for upholding these human rights practices and laws, which Bella asked during the Q&A. As for me, having Italian citizenship, it was nice to see what I can personally have access to if I decided in the future to work in the EU, or in Europe.

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On our trip to Belgium, I believe that I will learn or at least have a better understanding of how the EU works. I also hope to learn how the EU collaborates with other countries that are not members of the EU and how they are focusing on combatting climate change and making it one of their top priorities. I also hope to learn more about the culture (food, history, etc.) of Belgium.

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My name is Sawyor Plath, I am a sophomore at the College of Charleston majoring in International Studies, minoring in political science and Spanish! I am from New York City, and I love to hang out with my friends, go on walks with my dog and at the beach, practice yoga, surf and read. A few fun facts about me is that my favorite places I have traveled are Berlin, Milan and Venice, and I am 3/4 Italian. For our Belgium trip, I am most excited to visit the European Union, learn more about the policies and how the EU works, as well as the relationships between the EU and other countries. I am also excited to try new foods, see new places and get to know everyone!