Settling in to Belgian Life

So we've been living in Belgium for about 3 weeks now, the time is flying by! I'm growing to love this city more and more everyday. The family and roommates have continued working out really well, our program brings us on the most amazing trips, and my internship has been moving along quite nicely as well.

Our program, CIEE, takes us on awesome day excursions just about every weekend. So far we've seen 3-4 cities and we've done a high ropes course, biked the Belgian countryside to enter a beer brewing Abbey, and a few other cool sightseeings. The high ropes course was really cool, walking way over top the trees on swinging planks and tiny ladders, but right below were some of the most amazing Belgian countryside views. Then most recently we went to an Abbey and met monks who brew the #1 beer in the world, we got to see their monastery and their afternoon prayer service. It was quite an experience, and something not advertised to the public so it was very private. We tried the beer at their cafe and had great sandwiches then biked some more along the countryside and made our way to a 2nd brewery where we got to hear a lot of how beer is made and about trade and export and taste some amazing beers. It was a purely awesome day. The weather has finally turned away from cold and rainy so we've had some great days for these excursions. We're heading to Brugges and Waterloo this weekend, for our next trips!

Our trip to Berseel to see a castle:

 The high ropes course (that's my rommate, not me though):

Triumphant after a long hike through the woods in the rain:

 Having the beer made by monks, Westvleteren:

 All of us outside the Abbey/ Monastery:

Next, the internship. It started off slow , easing into things, meeting everyone, learning about the company. However I now feel like I'm getting more into the swing of things. I'm working more with the communications director, helping run some fundraisers and brainstorm promotional ideas. The company is awesome, very nice people, a great atmosphere to work in. Small company , helping to make the atmosphere less stressful and more relaxed. They also do great work with asylum seekers, homeless, refugee children, and other great things. It's really neat to see the work their doing, and it's great for me to continue my Alpha Phi Omega service spirit while abroad. Next week we're going to start working with young homeless children, just playing with them and engaging them in genuine play and conversations and making sure they continue to learn and improve. I'm really looking forward to that!

Lastly, the city. Bruxelles (Brussels) is an amazing city with so much to do and offer We're constantly finding a new place to eat/drink/hangout. It's so much fun to walk around and take it all in (especially now that the weather's so much better) The people are really friendly and nice as well, and not to mention getting to practice the French is awesome. Also really rewarding to be able to communicate with people and exchange stories and info that we otherwise couldn't, due to a language barrier.

All in all, Everything is going great, everyone needs to visit here at some point in their life!

Meeting the Belgian Family

So I've now been in Brussels for 3 days, and we've had a lot of orientation, and today we finally got to move in to our housing! I have a host family with 2 other American students, one from Colorado and one from Minnesota. The family is extremely nice and welcoming. The parents don't speak any English, so it's great French practice (which I what I was hoping for), and then they have 2 kids (27, and 23ish) who speak English, and obviously French. They cooked us a great dinner this evening, followed by a blueberry cheesecake that was equally great. We got to learn a little about their large diverse family, and a little about them in general. They're both retired and work 2 days a week as florists. They have some amazing photos of gardens and back yards that they have transformed, and they have an awesome backyard themselves. They have other cool hobbies, the dad loves to paint and make ceramic pots, and other various items (which he's great at both). The mom loves gardening and everything to do with flowers. So there are 5 kids, 2 parents, 3 cats, and a 1 year old puppy all in the house, so there's never a dull moment. The son gave us the run down of the area today and how to get to school on public transport and all the necessities, so life is good for the time being. I can't wait to see what the rest of the summer brings, and I'll keep everyone posted!

The lands of languages unknown

I'm finishing up the last leg of my pre-travels and finally almost to Brussels! I've done a lot since my last post, so I'll fill in some highlights. After the great time I had in Spain, I moved on to Italy. We started with an easy flight to Pisa, got checked into our hostel and then the next morning we went and saw the leaning tower of Pisa. I was pretty neat, a lot of stairs to get up top and you felt a little wobbly the whole way up because it does have quite a good lean. We then saw the oldest baptistery in Italy which is also in Pisa. All in all I was a fun, yet short trip to Pisa. We saw the tower, got some typical tourist pictures holding the tower and such and then we were on a train to Florence. We stayed a little longer in Florence, about 3 days and had a great time there as well. Italian is a really neat language, but one unfortunately none of us knew, so I am now vowing to learn it and go back sometime in the future! In Florence we saw the David, the main cathedral, and some other various art and culture that was pretty neat. We got some great dinner recommendations from our hostel workers and had a fun time exploring the city, and never managed to get too lost! Unfortunately, I can't say the same about our next destination. We went on to Venice after Florence, and that was quite an interesting city. It does not have any roads, all waterways. Which makes the city interesting right off the bat, the city taxis and busses and public transport is all boats on the water. Once we found our hostels and checked in, it was time to explore. In our broken Italian and their broken English we were able to find out where the local young/ college kids hung out at night. We found Campo Santa Margherita, and it was a lot of fun and we met some other travelers and young college students studying abroad and most importantly some good bars. Venice was a rather confusing city and we had quite a time navigating home that night, but we found our hostels eventually and all was well. Overall Italy was a great time, and great warm weather, and great food. 

After Venice, Christina and Angela had to fly back home, and I then became a solo traveler. I made my way up north to Prague, the flight was quick and easy, however the weather transition was not! When we landed it was about 30 degrees, after I had been used to Spain and Italy with temperatures around 85. That was quite a difference and of course I didn't bring a jacket to Europe with me, so quickly went and found one at H&M, and that was a great decision at that point, it was cold and rainy throughout Prague, but that didn't deter my fun and sightseeing. My first day in Prague I was a little unsure about traveling by myself and what to do exactly, so I signed up for an evening beer tour through a tour company. That was my 2nd great decision of Prague, I met some other traveling American college students and just a lot of other people in general, and got some great tips on what to see and do and how to do everything. I felt much more comfortable after that evening. So the next day was my day to sightsee, and I saw the Prague castle, and some churches, and the old town. They were all really neat and well preserved and you really felt taken back to the medieval period. Prague was just a short weekend trip but I had a great time nonetheless and had time to rest up and relax. 

Next stop, a train ride into Berlin. I was glad to not be traveling alone this time, as I headed to Berlin to stay with a friend for a week. It was nice to settle into an apartment for a little bit and not be so on the go. Here in Berlin I did a free walking tour through the same company as the beer tour and had a great time yet again. I learned an incredible amount of history and was so fascinated by Berlin and all the history that you could literally see right in front of you. The tour gave me a good feel of the city and how to get around, as well as what else was worth it to see and what is most interesting to check out. After museums and sight seeing throughout the week, my friend took me to the Berlin cultural festival which was pretty cool as well. It was a huge festival set up with tents and booths from different countries and cultures. Tons of different beer, drinks, food, desserts, rides, games. I got to try some really good food and foreign drinks. Berlin was a great week, I got to meet some locals and pick up a few German words. Maybe I'll learn German one day too (the languages are piling up!!). 

That about sums up my pre-Brussels travels. I am currently on my 4 hour train to Frankfurt, where I will be meeting and staying with some (hack side) relatives that have lived over here for a few years now. I will be in Frankfurt for a day and then tomorrow morning I will be off to Brussels via a long train day. Finally a place where I can understand and speak the language! Something that you don't think about much but can be difficult at times, to have that misunderstanding and language barrier. 

Some Brussels updates: 

I did get a host family! They're hosting me and 2 other American students. I don't know too much about them yet though. 

I also got the internship I was holding out for! I will be a marketing/communications intern for Serve the City Brussels during the 7 week program. 

A lot to read, but I think that's all. I try and update more often than I have been, but Internet has been a scarcity and being on the go has been crazy! 

Until later. 

Jet Lag, España, and many Airports

After 28 hours in airplanes and airports, 4 plane connections and 2 long layovers I finally made it to Europe! It has been so worth it. My 1st leg of the trip has been Spain! First Málaga then Sevilla and they have both been great cities. In Sevilla I got to see a typical Spanish bull fight in the Plaza Del Torres as well as visit the queens gardens and palace in Sevilla. The bull fight is very cultural to Spain and was rather gruesome and violent but yet still interesting as the Spanish people were very excited about it. Many spectators were tourists as well. Málaga and Sevilla have both been extremely hot so far, but have been nice nonetheless. I've gotten to see some family in Málaga and my good friend of many years, Julia in Sevilla. I'm quickly learning the ways of a traveler with planes, trains, and busses. I am now back in the airport making my way to Barcelona to join my cousin and friend again and then we will continue our adventures in Italy. Pisa, Florence, and Venice. I'm very thankful that I have taken Spanish in the past as its been a really cool experience to speak Spanish to people here and many people don't know very much English anyways. I am already feeling cultured and learning new things all the time. Europe is also neat in that many different countries are all so close, so you experience many different people no matter what country you may be in. Staying in Sevilla was my first hostel experience and went well. The place was nice and the people were helpful (only in Spanish though). However, moving forward I'm glad I elected to get
My own room in future hostels. Spain gave me a lot of what I expected from Europe, narrow roads, Cafes everywhere, a lot of sidewalk seating. It's really been awesome so far and the Spanish culture was so nice to be the first place I visit. They very much run on "Spanish time" and are very laid back. People will sit out on sidewalk seating at bars and Cafes and simply drink and eat a small merienda for many hours. I also got to meets friend Julia's host family which was a really neat experience. Her host mom made us a traditional Spanish dinner consisting of tapas and Cruzcampo (beer). We sat and ate and talked well into the night and I learned a lot and found it really cool to be able to talk to and communicate with them. It goes to show how much you can broaden your horizons knowing a foreign language. That about sums up my trip for now. I'm about to start boarding for Barcelona. Adiós Sevilla!