Dear Reader,

the third Monday of February was President’s Day when the USA celebrates the birthdays of Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
Although there was holiday, I followed my “mondaily” routine. The President’s Day doesn’t have influence on the AEI’s schedule. So, I attended my English classes and I spent hours in the Knight Library reading about US’s environmental policy. I like this library so much because of the pleasant atmosphere; it has large rooms with huge windows which look onto the park of UO. (A little illustration: Being lost in my thoughts, suddenly I happened to hear little, scratchy noises from outside. While I had been reading inside my books, two grey and well-fed squirrels began to have their lunch on the window ledge.)

On Tuesday and Thursday, in John’s class we were talking about the system of water pollution permits. Many regulations in CWA on effluent limitations are applicable on point sources and all the pollution sources must have a permit that is why we focused on the definition of “point source”.  

Svitlana’s class was about the three flexible mechanisms described in Kyoto Protocol and the obligations of the Parties. We tried to evaluate its terms against the negotiating framework of the Berlin Mandate and considered how the Protocol relates to the Convention. We analyzed functions, authorities, and responsibilities of the Parties as well as the role of the US in the negotiations.
On Wednesday, I attended a court hearing with Cassie and Lauren. It lasted more than two hours and was very exciting. The courtroom was pretty large and the arrangement of the desks and seats was quite different from ours. The big difference came from the setup of the jury’s section on the right hand side and the tables of the parties were on the left side. I think the hearing was less formal than in Hungary, but there were many other differences. The hearing and the discussion with the attorney of the petitioners’ provided me great insight in the function of US’s jurisdiction.

This week I was in the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art visiting the Korean, Chinese, Japanese and American exhibitions which are part of the Asian Celebration (organized this weekend).

On Saturday, I was hiking with Eve Montanaro, her friend, Chris and his dog, Rosie. We talked much about the activities of our organizations (Eve have been working for the Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council for several years. http://www.mfwwc.org/index.html) and we had a gorgeous day. First we wanted to hike with snowshoe but after arriving we decided to walk without that.
The cloudless sky was bright over the enchanting Odell Lake and the snow-covered mountains. The bushy forest seemed to be very enigmatic; only our steps on the path and the babble of the stream in the valley broke the silent of the trees. Sometimes we saw eagles and little birds searching for something edible. While we had been coming back to Eugene we stopped in Oakridge and had dinner and I tried the real American burger with real Oregonian beer of a local brewery.

 Favorites of the week:
-    scene: listening to the testimony of the witness in court
-    cultural experience: Japanese Exhibition in JSMA
-    out-door program: hiking near Odell Lake
 

T.b.c.

Agnes