MSUD CJC Study Abroad

Luis’s activities on March 25 were as follows:

Today is the last day to write our daily reflection journals, and I just want to take a moment to thank everyone for making this trip so enjoyable. It’s been a great experience, and I’ve really appreciated meeting new people along the way. This morning we got breakfast from a shop called Coffee Cafe, where I had a cappuccino drink and a slice of a Red Velvet cake. Then meeting everyone in the lobby of the hotel at 9:15 AM. From there, we headed to the House of Representatives. I learned some interesting facts, like the chamber having around 15 seats. It was surprising to discover that at times, political parties split off from their original groups to form their own party. After the visit, we had lunch, where I had a sandwich and a drink whose name I can’t recall, but it was pretty refreshing. Following lunch, we went to EuroJust, an organization I hadn’t heard much about before. We learned that EuroJust collaborates with different jurisdictions worldwide, helping to coordinate legal efforts across borders. One striking fact was how they operate on limited government funding, with only a fixed budget to manage their operations. Meanwhile, criminals apparently finance their activities with billions of dollars each year. Despite these challenges, EuroJust handles around 14,000 cases annually, which seems like an enormous workload given their relatively small staff and facilities. After our visit, we caught the train back to the hotel. Once there, we headed out to eat some Korean food. It was really good, especially the Fried Chicken plate, then returned to get ready for the last stop of our journey, Paris. Now, I’m just waiting for the clock to hit 8:40 PM so we can meet in the lobby and make our way to the bus station for our trip to Paris.

Daisy's visit to The Hague University of Applied Sciences was like this:

My morning started off by getting ready at 6:30AM to have enough time to walk around the city, and get myself some caffeine. It was quite challenging because apparently Dutch people don't like to have an early breakfast, because I struggled more here in the Hague than I did in Amsterdam. I took a 5 minute walk into a cafe, and they only had hot drinks, I wasn't really feeling coffee so I wanted a matcha but unfortunately there was no matcha. They had chai but I could only get it hot and sadly I can't compromise, I need an iced beverage. Afterwards I walked to a different cafe and I found a delicious matcha, I walked back to the hotel to meet my classmates and make our way down to The Hague University of Applied Science. We were met with many professors and students that greeted us, gave us presentations, and worked on case studies with us. I was very intrigued by the second presentation which was presented by a French professor. The topic was all about lying, and how detecting lies is harder than the average person thinks. We learned all about the myths such as people licking their lips as well as touching their nose are not always indicators of people lying. I thought I could identify a liar but I was a little over confident. After the presentations we headed to a bar and got to know some of the students and had great conversations. After that we went back to the original room and gathered in groups and discussed interesting case studies and we compared the experiences and challenges we face in the U.S. and compare it to things they see happen here in the Netherlands. After we finished we had some free time so I choose to relax before getting ready for the mixer the students had prepared for us. The mixer was the highlight of the day, It was so nice interacting with people from all over and getting to know everyone. Overall, it was a really nice day and my only complaint is I wish it was longer.

Wendy thought about her visit to The Hague University of Applied Sciences as follows:

Today, Monday March 24, 2026 I started the day off by grabbing breakfast with Lauren and having a nice and slow start to our morning! We agreed how something simple like lattes feel a little different, more relaxed and social than in the U.S. where everything is at a fast pace.
We then walked back to the hotel, met up with the rest of the class, and made our way to the University of The Hague. Both lectures gave me so much to think about. The lecture on spotting lies showed that while some techniques are universal, other methods like tone, eyes, and even behavior can vary which makes detection more complex than I initially thought,
Adding on, the discussion on policing and climate change was especially interesting because it's not something that I usually connect to law enforcement in the U.S. It seems like the Dutch system takes a more preventative and integrated approach, while the U.S. tends to be more reactive and decentralized. Their project, CO-COP provides an opportunity for law enforcement to be more investigative in the field, especially when it comes to pollution and environmental crimes which shows how policing responsibilities can go beyond traditional roles. Compared to the U.S, this showed me how much more integrated the Dutch approach feels, especially in connecting policing with broader environmental issues.
We then ended the night at a restaurant, La Patrona with students from The Hague which helped tie everything together! We talked about where they're from and we met so many people from Norway, Czech Republic, Italy, Iraq, Germany, New Jersey, Hungary and so much more. It was refreshing to meet such a mix of backgrounds and hear about their different perspectives. We all danced to a very diverse playlist consisting of reggaeton, Dutch traditional music, and white music! Overall, today showed me how culture and environment can influence not just everyday life, but also how systems operate in different countries. 100/10 BEST DAY!