The Brussels chill is starting to set in. It seems that while we were at Normandy, it creeped in (I've included a picture of a rainy black and white view from our balcony to capture the eery cold, but it is kind of difficult to see the actual rain haha). This week has been quite rainy, which is apparently quite characteristic of Brussels. Many of the natives have said that we have been incredibly lucky weather wise so far because there has usually been much more rain up to this point.
But on Wednesdays, we had to wade through rising waters as we ventured from campus to our apartments. I don't think that I have ever been so drenched in rain before (well, maybe Carolina Cup 2008, but that's another story...). When we arrived back to the apartment, we found that the basement apartment (lovingly referred to as "the bunker") where three Furman boys are living was flooded. Delightful. They were put up in a nice hotel for the evening, and the landlord had to come and do damage control. It was quite a little adventure.
Besides this incident, my week was pretty boring. I survived my midterms with minimal emotional scarring, and was finally able to get a check cashed after going to the same bank three times with no luck - I love Belgian administration.
This weekend, my roommate Nora and I decided to hold down the fort in Brussels. This is actually one of the few weekends that I will actually be here! We went to a dance club near Grand Place last night to hear some real house music. It was certainly interesting. A huge group from Vesalius was there, so it was kind of fun to see the awkward people from my classes dancing about and such.
Nora's parents are arriving on Monday, so it will be nice to experience the refreshing presence of American family. I have realized here that I value family and my personal connections at home so much more now that communication is so difficult. I will truly treasure those little phone chats with my Dad and the text message sessions with my big sister once I have them back. For now, I will suck it up and keep on enjoying my independent adventures!
 This weekend, my friend Jennie from Furman came to visit us in Brussels! She is spending the fall semester studying in Groningen, a town in the Netherlands. She hopped a train and arrived on Friday night. We promptly took her downtown to meet up with some people from Vesalius and show her around.The Vesalius Student Government sponsored "Pub Golf" - a tour of the pubs in downtown Brussels. Some people were very into it, dressed up as golfers and gallivanting about. It was really entertaining. We separated from the group at one point in search of somewhere to dance. We ended up at a bar called Celtica. Downstairs, a man was jamming on his guitar to sweet tunes like "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz. Upstairs, the lights were flashing and MTV videos were playing and music was thumpin. So, in a group of 5 Furman girls, we just danced. It was really entertaining and fun, and even more so when funny European boys approached us and we laughed at them. One asked where I was from, I replied, "The US." Apparently, this made him very pleased. He excitedly shouted at me, "I'm from Ireland!" It was very comical. What's funny about the dancing here is that it really is not nearly as provocative as some of the dancing that I've seen back in the States. Here, people just kind of bop around in their own little area, occasionally moving closer to a dance partner. But there really isn't as much "grinding," which is rather refreshing. It's funny to me that the advertisements are much more sexual and PDA's are much more prevalent when compared to the US, but the dancing etiquette is a bit more conservative. My friends and I agreed on this, and found this to be an interesting observation. After dancing for a bit, we stopped to get Jennie some Belgian frites with mayonnaise - a delightful treat. All in all, it was a pretty fun night.On Saturday, we decided to show Jennie some of the sights near our apartment. It was a beautiful day weather wise - warm and mid-70s, so we thought we would take advantage. We took her to the European Parliament buildings, and walked her through Parc Leopold, and then on to Cinquantenaire (the park with the giant archway). For dinner, we ordered some authentic Belgian Chinese food and had it delivered. It was surprisingly delicious! Later on, we took her to Grand Place to see all of the beautiful buildings lit up at night. We set her up with a true Belgian waffle and a Duvel beer so that she could get the full experience. We also took her to Delirium, an international style bar with over 2000 types of beer. There were lots of Americans and international visitors there, so it was a fun atmosphere.Today is a day for getting work done, unfortunately. We leave for Venice on Thursday, so I'm trying to get as much done as I can before then. It's funny because Jennie says that her classes are relatively easy (in one of them, 80% of the grade is based on attendance), and most of them are cancelled. In comparison, we have barely had any free time between internships and Vesalius classes. It puts into perspective for me just how much I am pushing myself on the trip, and I really appreciate how much I am learning - not just in my classes, but in daily living and working in a foreign city.Brussels has designated today "car free" day in the city. There are hoards of people just walking in the middle of the streets, and riding their bikes, and playing music, and being very loud outside of our building. It is certainly entertaining. Let's hope I can actually muster up the strength to be somewhat productive!
Cultural Note: The principle of “ladies first” does not apply in Brussels.
When waiting for the bus, gentlemen have no qualms about pushing in front of you and/or taking a seat from you. And when people walk down the street, they make their paths and they stick to it. If you happen to be in the way, you move to the side or you get hit.
But aside from the cultural discrepancies, I had a revelation today during my
Communication Theories class at Vesalius. During our class break (which is much needed since our class is 3 hours long), I struck up a conversation with a Belgian girl who studied at American University in Washington DC for 6 months last year. I asked her about her experience, and she went on to tell me that it was wonderful and she really enjoyed her time in the city. She then told me that she met her boyfriend there. He’s a Texan, and she has been in a long distance relationship with him for a few months now. We commiserated about communication issues and other complications, and another Belgian girl chimed in. Her boyfriend (or maybe fiancée because she had a huge diamond on her left ring finger?) is doing business in China until December. He has only been gone for about two weeks, but already she is struggling with the time difference and the loneliness. While my situation did not seem quite as dramatic as hers (she had an intense photo of her and her boy embracing on the background of her phone), it was interesting to hear her take on the situation. This insignificant little conversation reminded me that, beyond the cultural and political differences, we all have feelings in common. We all have to deal with relationships and love and emotions. This encouraged me to look beyond my recent frustrations and seek human connections without cultural bias.
I have survived my first week of classes at Vesalius. Today, I had intercultural communication which looks like it will be fascinating. The course examines the overlaps in cultural communications, and the interactions among different cultures. We have to keep a journal of our own intercultural experiences and turn it in as a creative piece...this will be a fun assignment for me. I have already encountered a number of cultural challenges which have peaked my curiosity and captured my attention.
For instance, I have noticed that customer service is not one of the strong points in Brussels. With a few years of waitressing under my belt, this really stood out to me. I am very accustomed to encountering waitresses and cashiers that have permanent smiles plastered on their faces. Whether fake or sincere, it is customary. When someone receives a handbook on training in customer service, a smile and polites exchanges are at the very top of the list. Now don't get me wrong, there is the occassional grumpy waiter or arrogant saleswoman, but that is more of an exception in the US than it is over here. In Brussels, however, the cashiers typically scowl and mumble, unenthusiastic about "putting the customer first". I have encountered a few who are very pleasant and polite, but those are few and far between. Perhaps it is because I am merely a stupid American, and I am difficult to deal with. But maybe not?
Anyway, my European excursions are in the works! I have plans to go to Paris, Madrid, Venice, and Amsterdam (tentatively) with some of the girls on the trip. It is so bizarre to me that flying from country to country over here is just as easy as going from state to state in the US. It also helps that I have friends in different European countries (Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands) who I can visit. I am determined to take advantage of it while I can!
Oh and just for an update: my roommate Nora successfully survived the "Death Ride" at the Atomium yesterday! She said it was quite the rush. Wish I could have joined, but computer complications sent me on an unanticipated tour of the Brussels metro system. At least I made some computer savvy friends along the way.
My laptop has already self-destructed after being in Brussels for only a little more than a week...fabulous. My roommate Ashley and I ventured across town to the Apple store. After much confusion and a few befuddling direction requests with the natives, we finally stumbled upon the shop. The woman simply looked at me and said, "Oooooh it is very expensive to fix in Europe. You have to call Apple and send back to United States." So basically, Apple support is no good over here. Wonderful.
On another note, I started my Vesalius career today with my 3 hour "Communication Theories" class. There were only two other US study abroad students in the class, all the rest were Vesalius students from Spain, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, etc. They described their summer holidays in Croatia, Italy, Spain, and other beautiful spots. Us Amurricans simply said we were at home in the States over the summer, working and saving up money so we could actually get to Europe. So blah. Throughout the class, my professor made reference to the shortcomings of American media, and how there are limited resources and we are all brainwashed by Fox News. Wonderful. I am already perceived as a dumb robot. It will definitely be interesting to hear more about the European culture and media because I don't know much about it. There is a lot of reading to do in the class because it is an upper level with mostly students in their final year, but I feel that I will learn a lot and get a perspective not available at home.
Tomorrow is the big interview day for the internship! Fingers crossed that I do not get lost and that all goes well!
Another update soon to come...
There has been so much going on since I arrived last Saturday! We toured Vesalius College yesterday where we will be taking classes. Let me tell you, scenery wise, it is no Furman! I will most certainly appreciate Furman a lot more once I get back there. Especially the free access to the PAC workout facilities! To get a gym pass to the on-campus gym, you have to pay about 200 euros. Insane. Let's hope that the weather allows for walking around!
We officially move into the apartments tomorrow, so it will be good to get settled and shift out of tourist mode. I have included a picture of a cute little traveling book van that I saw on our street. There's even a piggy on it!
On Saturday, we will be doing a three hour tour of Brussels by bus with our Vesalius group, so it should be informative and fun. Shopping is always a temptation here because the clothes/shoes are so distinctive and cute, but it is pretty expensive so i have held back. Even small dinners are expensive! Soda costs about 1,50 euro a can (but the beer, of course, is much cheaper). It will be nice to finally settle in and make our own meals from home. Our landlord is sweet and accommodating. We even have our own washing machines in the apartment! We have a limit on energy/water consumption so we'll have to monitor that!
Speaking of which, I have noticed that the people here are very "green." You have to purchase a plastic bag at the grocery store, escalators start automatically with motion detectors, and the cars are super tiny (no SUV's!).
Well I'm off to dinner, but I will update again soon!
|
RSS Feed