So this is a post I've been thinking about doing for a while now, but for some reason kept putting it off. I think after being here for nearly 2 months now, it time to post it. And it's kind of more for my benefit to read back on when I get home than it is for others to read now, but maybe it will give you a little more insight into my day-to-day life in Brussels.
I was coming home from school this afternoon and on the long, boring, monotonous walk I looked to my left and saw a person driving a car. Now of course, this is something I see on a daily basis and never think much of it, but today I saw the car and thought to myself, "Hey... I have one of those." Its weird. I've developed a routine here completely different from that of home, and at first I was a little thrown off by the differences, but now the differences are just normal, which I guess is good and bad in a way. Good in that I'm getting use to my life in Brussels, and the subtle differences in culture that once seemed so strange to me, I hardly notice anymore, but at the same time its bad in that when its time to go back home I have no doubt reverse culture shock is going to set in. Not having to either walk everywhere, or leave early enough so that I can catch the bus is going to be strange.
Over the past couple weeks I've compiled a list of just little things from home I miss on a daily basis (aside from people, my house, my bed, school, etc) that I never really thought about until they were no longer there. So here is just a few of them...
1. Internet. We all complain at BSC about how bad Apogee sucks, but let me tell you... Apogee is A MILLION times better than any internet service you'll find over here. Especially at Vesalius... In one of my classes we literally have to climb on chairs multiple times during class to restart the router that's attached to the ceiling b/c the internet died again. It's not fun. And also, internet use is regulated so watching TV on my computer when I'm at home isn't really an option because it uses too much of the internet. Also slightly obnoxious.
2. Clothes dryers. Have you ever put on crunchy, hard clothes? Try doing that daily. Home dryers are next to nonexistent here. I'm very VERY lucky in that my wonderful host mom, Carmen, does my laundry for me about once every two weeks and even irons my clothes after they air dry, but I miss pulling soft warm clothes out of the dryer or taking a shower and then wrapping up in a soft towel, but instead... everything is hard and crunchy from air drying.
3. My car. public transport over here is sooo much better than it is at home (well, it's pretty much nonexistent in Alabama so any public transport would be better than what we have.) but as nice as it is here, I miss being able to just hop in my car and go wherever whenever and not have to wait for the bus...
4. Time! nothing has been harder for me to get use to here than the crazy timezone switch. I always forget that when I get ready to talk to people at home, its normally REALLY early in the morning there. Being back in the same time zone and not having to subtract 7 hours from my current time will definitely be nice.
5. My cell phone. I have a phone here, but let's get real. Its teeny tiny, I lose it about once every 5 minutes, and if I picked it up to call/text people at home every time something happens that makes me think of them (which is quite frequently) it would probably cost me a small fortune.
But with all of that said, I do have to admit there are just as many things here I'm going to miss when I get back home. Just like coming over, a lot of them I probably won't even realize I'm going to miss until they're gone. It really is the little things...
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Il y a tout ce que vous voulez aux Champs-Elysees!
Its another dark and dreary day in the capital of Europe, making any type of productivity basically impossible and the fact that I smell Carmen's amazing cooking downstairs really isn't helping at all. I have no idea how people get any work done here. Its so dark and rainy I would just want to crawl back in bed everyday and sleep... I've noticed the Belgians (and Europeans in general) do got a lot of breaks from work so maybe that's why? ANYWAY...
Paige and I left for Paris last Friday. C'etait incroyable! There was a rail strike in Paris on Friday (big surprise, right?) so the train after ours was cancelled meaning our train was packed so Paige and I had to sit 3 cars away from each other, but an hour and a half later we arrived in Paree!
It was the first hostel experience for both of us, so we were quite skeptical, but surprisingly the hostel ended up being not too bad. It was in a great location in Montmartre, just a quick walk away from Sacre Coeur and right next to a metro stop. After they finish working on it it's going to be very cute.
Friday night was Jimmy Buffett. Oh my goodness... The majority of the people there were 1. American 2. Atleast 20 years older than Paige and me and 3. VERY drunk. Never have I ever seen so many 40-50 year old double fisting it. But then again it was a Jimmy Buffett concert so that's all to be expected.
We started out Saturday with a trip to my favorite Parisian tourist attraction, Sacre Coeur. I fell in love with this part of the city on my first trip to Paris in third grade. Its just so pretty and I love all the artists that sit up on top of the hill and paint, not to mention the magnificent view. Being there again reminded me of being there with my brother when we were little. We bought these little rubber balls that were filled with sand and had faces painted on them so you could use them as puppets. We thought they were the coolest things, but sadly this time there were no rubber sand puppets...
After Montmartre, we saw the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysee, and then walked over to the Eiffel Tower. During our walk to the Eiffel Tower we stumbled upon the U.S. embassy, so I attempted to take a picture but was then yelled at by a French guard. Definitely a highlight of the trip. After being yelled at by the French man, Paige and I continued our walk to the deceptively far away Eiffel Tower and the camera I got as a high school graduation present decided it would be a good idea to just stop functioning completely. My trip was almost semi-ruined by this obnoxious lens error, but Paige and I realized we luckily had the exact same camera, so we shared memory cards and all was well.
Finally, we made it over to the Eiffel Tower which was where crepe number 1 happened. Banana and chocolate. Delicious. And then of course it started raining... so we hopped on a metro and met Paige's friend AJ (who's studying abroad in Paris). AJ was our tour guide for the rest of the afternoon and night. He took us to Notre Dame, a park on the Seine, the Pantheon and the part of the city where he lives, which was when crepe number 2 happened... les pommes and la cannelle (apples and cinnamon) that turned out to actually be applesauce. Definitely not a favorite. I don't think that one will be happening again.
When we finally got back to the hostel that night I think I slept better than I've ever slept before. Walking the streets of Paris is exhausting! We spent most of the next morning at the Louvre and then went over to the red light district where the Moulin Rouge is. Definitely an interesting part of Paris... And this was where crepe number 3 happened. Coconut and nutella. My new favorite. VERY VERY delicious. Sunday was very cold and rainy so we stayed inside little cafes most of the day and then headed back to Brussels. Paige and I were so exhausted we both just walked around the train station like zombies and were very ready to get home and sleep.
Paris was amazing but on to my next adventure! Bologna, Italy next weekend!
Paige and I left for Paris last Friday. C'etait incroyable! There was a rail strike in Paris on Friday (big surprise, right?) so the train after ours was cancelled meaning our train was packed so Paige and I had to sit 3 cars away from each other, but an hour and a half later we arrived in Paree!
It was the first hostel experience for both of us, so we were quite skeptical, but surprisingly the hostel ended up being not too bad. It was in a great location in Montmartre, just a quick walk away from Sacre Coeur and right next to a metro stop. After they finish working on it it's going to be very cute.
Friday night was Jimmy Buffett. Oh my goodness... The majority of the people there were 1. American 2. Atleast 20 years older than Paige and me and 3. VERY drunk. Never have I ever seen so many 40-50 year old double fisting it. But then again it was a Jimmy Buffett concert so that's all to be expected.
We started out Saturday with a trip to my favorite Parisian tourist attraction, Sacre Coeur. I fell in love with this part of the city on my first trip to Paris in third grade. Its just so pretty and I love all the artists that sit up on top of the hill and paint, not to mention the magnificent view. Being there again reminded me of being there with my brother when we were little. We bought these little rubber balls that were filled with sand and had faces painted on them so you could use them as puppets. We thought they were the coolest things, but sadly this time there were no rubber sand puppets...
After Montmartre, we saw the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysee, and then walked over to the Eiffel Tower. During our walk to the Eiffel Tower we stumbled upon the U.S. embassy, so I attempted to take a picture but was then yelled at by a French guard. Definitely a highlight of the trip. After being yelled at by the French man, Paige and I continued our walk to the deceptively far away Eiffel Tower and the camera I got as a high school graduation present decided it would be a good idea to just stop functioning completely. My trip was almost semi-ruined by this obnoxious lens error, but Paige and I realized we luckily had the exact same camera, so we shared memory cards and all was well.
Finally, we made it over to the Eiffel Tower which was where crepe number 1 happened. Banana and chocolate. Delicious. And then of course it started raining... so we hopped on a metro and met Paige's friend AJ (who's studying abroad in Paris). AJ was our tour guide for the rest of the afternoon and night. He took us to Notre Dame, a park on the Seine, the Pantheon and the part of the city where he lives, which was when crepe number 2 happened... les pommes and la cannelle (apples and cinnamon) that turned out to actually be applesauce. Definitely not a favorite. I don't think that one will be happening again.
When we finally got back to the hostel that night I think I slept better than I've ever slept before. Walking the streets of Paris is exhausting! We spent most of the next morning at the Louvre and then went over to the red light district where the Moulin Rouge is. Definitely an interesting part of Paris... And this was where crepe number 3 happened. Coconut and nutella. My new favorite. VERY VERY delicious. Sunday was very cold and rainy so we stayed inside little cafes most of the day and then headed back to Brussels. Paige and I were so exhausted we both just walked around the train station like zombies and were very ready to get home and sleep.
Paris was amazing but on to my next adventure! Bologna, Italy next weekend!
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Bagels, the Atomium, and Sweet Home... Brussels?
So I've definitely been slacking on this whole blog thing... I should probably get better at keeping it updated.
Maybe last weekend is a good place to start. After being here for a month, I finally made it to the Atomium. I have to admit, I was a little disappointed. The Atomium was originally built for the World's Fair in 1958. It is absolutely gigantic and on the outside of the city. Seeing the Atomium was pretty cool, but I'm not sure it was worth the 8 euro to go to the top. There were random exhibits inside each sphere, and I didn't really understand how they fit together at all. Still, I guess its cool to say I've been to the top of the Atomium and the view was magnificent. You could see all of Anderlecht's (Brussels' main football team) stadium. I've heard Belgian football is definitely lacking and judging by their absence in the World Cup this year I'm going to say it's probably true, but regardless, I'm still dying to go to a game. Hopefully, it will happen in November.
After the Atomium visit, Paige and I took her friend who was visiting from Paris on a tour of the city. It was a rare sunny and warm Saturday afternoon in Brussels, so we went to a cafe in the park off Ave. Louise (kinda like the Brussels version of 5th Avenue), drank cappuccinos and enjoyed the sun. I still miss the sun like crazy. I get so jealous when I look up the weather at home, and see its 94 and sunny there while its 54 and overcast here... It doesn't take me too long to get over it though. I get to look at things like this... every day.
View of the City from Mont des Arts
Saturday night, Paige, her friend AJ, and I made a delicious dinner of pesto chicken pasta and bruschetta. We were quite proud of ourselves. And when I say we, I mean really Paige did most of the cooking.
After dinner we met up with Will and Casey and a few other people from Vesalius and somehow ended up at a karaoke bar. After Casey brought the house down with her rendition of "What's Going On" by 4 Non Blondes, one of the other guys with us who is from Birmingham somehow convinced me it would be a good idea to sing "Sweet Home Alabama" with him. I swear, every Belgian in that place and the Irish guys who were there for a bachelor party knew every word to the song. Seeing a bunch of Europeans singing along and dancing to Sweet Home Alabama was by far the funniest thing I've seen since I've been here.
Paige is from California and has been promising all of us a Mexican fiesta since we got here, so Thursday night we all went over to her apartment for sangrias and fajitas! Delicious!
The rest of the week was kind of lame, just a lot of school... Except Wednesday Casey, Jules, and I discovered an adorable coffee house and gourmet bagel shop in Luxembourg Square that is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. I know a coffee house and bagel shop doesn't sound like anything too exciting, but bagels and mochas are non-existant here, so a coffee house and bagel shop was quite the find. I got the most delicious bagel I've ever had. Hummus with eggplant, tomato, and spinach. Yum!!! The owners of the shop are American and everything is in English, which is also quite helpful! I actually ventured back after mass at Eglise St. Nicholas this morning, just to get a mocha.
Eglise St. Nicholas
It's only mid-September and it's already starting to get much colder here. Yesterday and today have both been in the fifties all day. Thanks to this lovely drastic change in weather, I've had a not so lovely cold for the past week, which is FINALLY starting to get better. I'm slightly dreading the continued decrease in temperature. If its this cold in September, I can only imagine what November and December are going to be like.
Paige and I leave for Paris on Friday and I couldn't be more excited. This will be my first trip outside of Belgium since I've been here. We're staying in a hostel near Sacre Couer in Montmartre, which is my favorite favorite favorite part of Paris. The Jimmy Buffet concert is Friday night and then we have all day Saturday and Sunday to explore. I can't wait!!!!!
Maybe last weekend is a good place to start. After being here for a month, I finally made it to the Atomium. I have to admit, I was a little disappointed. The Atomium was originally built for the World's Fair in 1958. It is absolutely gigantic and on the outside of the city. Seeing the Atomium was pretty cool, but I'm not sure it was worth the 8 euro to go to the top. There were random exhibits inside each sphere, and I didn't really understand how they fit together at all. Still, I guess its cool to say I've been to the top of the Atomium and the view was magnificent. You could see all of Anderlecht's (Brussels' main football team) stadium. I've heard Belgian football is definitely lacking and judging by their absence in the World Cup this year I'm going to say it's probably true, but regardless, I'm still dying to go to a game. Hopefully, it will happen in November.
The Atomium
view from the top
After the Atomium visit, Paige and I took her friend who was visiting from Paris on a tour of the city. It was a rare sunny and warm Saturday afternoon in Brussels, so we went to a cafe in the park off Ave. Louise (kinda like the Brussels version of 5th Avenue), drank cappuccinos and enjoyed the sun. I still miss the sun like crazy. I get so jealous when I look up the weather at home, and see its 94 and sunny there while its 54 and overcast here... It doesn't take me too long to get over it though. I get to look at things like this... every day.
L'Hotel de Ville at Night
View of the City from Mont des Arts
Deliciousness!
After dinner we met up with Will and Casey and a few other people from Vesalius and somehow ended up at a karaoke bar. After Casey brought the house down with her rendition of "What's Going On" by 4 Non Blondes, one of the other guys with us who is from Birmingham somehow convinced me it would be a good idea to sing "Sweet Home Alabama" with him. I swear, every Belgian in that place and the Irish guys who were there for a bachelor party knew every word to the song. Seeing a bunch of Europeans singing along and dancing to Sweet Home Alabama was by far the funniest thing I've seen since I've been here.
Paige is from California and has been promising all of us a Mexican fiesta since we got here, so Thursday night we all went over to her apartment for sangrias and fajitas! Delicious!
The rest of the week was kind of lame, just a lot of school... Except Wednesday Casey, Jules, and I discovered an adorable coffee house and gourmet bagel shop in Luxembourg Square that is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. I know a coffee house and bagel shop doesn't sound like anything too exciting, but bagels and mochas are non-existant here, so a coffee house and bagel shop was quite the find. I got the most delicious bagel I've ever had. Hummus with eggplant, tomato, and spinach. Yum!!! The owners of the shop are American and everything is in English, which is also quite helpful! I actually ventured back after mass at Eglise St. Nicholas this morning, just to get a mocha.
Eglise St. Nicholas
It's only mid-September and it's already starting to get much colder here. Yesterday and today have both been in the fifties all day. Thanks to this lovely drastic change in weather, I've had a not so lovely cold for the past week, which is FINALLY starting to get better. I'm slightly dreading the continued decrease in temperature. If its this cold in September, I can only imagine what November and December are going to be like.
Paige and I leave for Paris on Friday and I couldn't be more excited. This will be my first trip outside of Belgium since I've been here. We're staying in a hostel near Sacre Couer in Montmartre, which is my favorite favorite favorite part of Paris. The Jimmy Buffet concert is Friday night and then we have all day Saturday and Sunday to explore. I can't wait!!!!!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Beer Fest Weekend!
So its been another lovely weekend in Brussels, and luckily, the sun decided to stay out all weekend. Everyone keeps saying July and August are the rainiest months, so maybe the rain finally decided to leave for good!
Friday night, the VeCo student government took us out "clubbing." They heard the Americans wanted to dance so they decided to show us where to go. The place they took us was most definitely not what we were expecting. It was a mansion called Parc Savoy out in literally the middle of nowhere Brussels and everyone there had to have been 35 or older. Most definitely not the American definition of a "club" and it was nearly impossible to figure out our way home.
Friends at Parc Savoy with some creepy European guy (the guy next to me)
This weekend was the infamous Belgian Beer Fest. There were TONS of people from everywhere in Brussels just for the festival. We met a group of people from London who have been to the past 7 beer fests and a group of American air force guys currently stationed in Germany who came all the way up just for the Beer Fest. The amount of Americans at the festival was unreal. I haven't heard that much English being spoken since I got here. Not being a huge fan of beer, I mainly went along to hang out. I did however give in and had to try one beer, Trappist Westvleteren. Apparently it's one of the, if not THE best beer in the world and incredibly rare. You can only get it (legally) at the monastery that makes it, which is in a little town outside of Brussels. Anyway, people went crazy for this beer and they only had a few shipments of it at the festival so of course whenever they brought it out, everyone went crazy. I'm sure beer enthusiasts would kill me for saying this, but I had 3 sips of mine and passed it off to a friend. Beer and I just aren't meant to be friends. The guys from London told me to stick to the "fruity pink stuff."
Westvleteren Beer
The Beer Fest aka Mass Chaos
Paige and I finally booked our Paris trip! September 24 I am off to Par-ee! Paige's parents gave her tickets to see Jimmy Buffet in Paris for her birthday, so I of course don't mind tagging along at all. And how many people can say they've seen Jimmy Buffet in Paris?!
Unfortunately, tomorrow is Monday and I have a very busy school week ahead. Classes seem sooo long here! On Tuesdays I have a 3 hour long psychology class that I swear is going to be the death of me, just because it so boring! The professor is Dutch and has never taught a class in English before so her English is horrible. My history class is by far my favorite (go figure), except that I'm pretty sure my history professor missed her real life calling... She's from Ecuador and absolutely gorgeous. Everyone in my class thinks she should be a model, but instead she's working on a paper about the history of prosistution. But yes, I've put it off all weekend so I guess maybe its school work time...
And I meant to put this in with the last post and forgot... but this would be my new home in Belgium!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Pictures of the New Room...
As promised, here are the pictures of my new room. It's a little bit larger than the old one, and it has a pretty cool skylight.
Jose and Carmen continue to be amazing. Carmen has a new goal of repeating 3 English sentences to me every day. She's taking English classes right now, but according to her, I don't speak the same English as her professor (I'm pretty sure she's British).
Carmen's English lessons have been quite amusing for us all. She asked me yesterday if I wanted to eat kitchen, I told her I eat IN a kitchen, but I don't eat kitchen. She refused to accept that answer and continued asking if I wanted to eat a kitchen... Eventually, I finally understood, she meant to ask if I wanted to eat CHICKEN. Jose then began hysterically laughing and followed Carmen through the house making donkey noises behind her (I'm just going to assume that is the Spanish equivalent of calling someone dumb) while Carmen kept repeating "Oh my love, shut up!" I swear I could write a book about those two. They're hysterical.
Today is Thursday, meaning tomorrow is Friday, thank goodness! Classes here have been quite interesting. They're similar to American classes in some ways (we're on the American system so they're in English with smaller class sizes) and very different in other ways. I'm not really sure what to expect from tests and things yet, and the grade scale is very different. Anything above an 85 is an A and anything below a 51 is a fail? My first 2 papers are due in 2 weeks so I guess I'll find out quickly...
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