Orientation week is over and I am pretty excited to start classes this week. As like anywhere I am still trying to feel the professors and the administration, but they seem very motivated and excited to work with us. I haven’t quite narrowed on what I want to write my dissertation, but it will probably be along the lines of the religious influence on conflict resolution and how to utilize it to curb transnational terrorism. I want to focus on Islam and Catholicism, but I am not sure how yet. We’ll see how that plays out.

I had a little drama a few nights ago after a long night of partying for a friend’s birthday, Jake. We went to a place called Delirium which serves over 2,000 different types of beers, almost all Belgian, since Jake loves beer as much as I do. The live-band was pretty cool and had a fun time. When we left the bar, I immediately noticed we were surrounded by gypsies who are usually young boys dressed like normal kids, but are unusually friendly and touchy. No one else knew who they were, so I was the first to push them away. Unfortunately, I was only able to help Dennis because by the time I noticed they were around Jake they were long gone. Jake, unfortunately, had his wallet stolen. What a birthday present. Oh, and it must be told that he has the strangest luck. He had already lost his wallet the week before in a cab, but a few days later ran into the same cab driver who saved his wallet along with all the money it!!! What luck! And then this happens which totally undermines any luck he had originally.

On a brighter note, I went to Antwerp yesterday and it was a lot cooler than I expected. I went with Amber, Davina, Peter (the Bostonian), and two Belgians who were supposed to be our guide who actually were going to have us help them promote a ski trip while showing us around…a job we did not want to do. When we realized we were tricked into doing this, we ditched them and discovered Antwerp on our own. We saw the architecture, the breath-taking cathedral, a castle, and ended the trip on the terrace of a few bars. The day began raining, but ended with the bright sun clearing up all the clouds. It was a great trip. The thing I learned the most is how Belgium is truly dividing by the Francophone and Flemish speaking communities. Many speculate that the country might divide in two within the next twenty years or so.

My First Weekend

My first weekend actually started Thursday. I caught up with some friends that I met in DC before I left, Amber and Jake, and some other friends, Davina and Laura. We first met up at a nice, but hot, restaurant and headed straight to a bar. Davina and Amber had apparently already established themselves at this particular bar and the drinking seemed to be endless as a result. I was excited to have my first taste of authentic Belgian beer, but was not prepared for the alcohol percentage content they contained. It seems that all the beers have between 9 and 11 percentage of alcohol. So, two Belgian beers are the equivalent of three American beers…I did not see that coming! We didn’t make it to bed until 5am and, naturally, that was not without waking the neighbors. Oops. Needless to say Friday felt like the worst hangover EVER!

After I recovered Friday night, I met up with at least 30 others 1st year master students and mingled at two separate bars. I met people from all over the world starting from the Bahamas to Norway. Everyone was extremely nice and very social. They did seem mostly in the late 20’s, but were all very focused and very motivated…the environment from which I thrive.

Afterwards, we headed to a club called Sphinx and had a blast. Amber and Davina knew a DJ from there and another guy having a birthday party. We celebrated like every Arab in the club…drank, danced, and just had crazy fun. I must say, Arabs know how to party and have a good time. They remind of the Indian and Filipino communities and how they have true fun while incorporating their authentic cultural ties. Again, I ended up at home at 5am…but not drunk.

Saturday was my day to discover Brussels and learn the place where I’ll be living for the next year. Fortunately, this weekend was a special weekend here in Brussels: no driving in the city. So, the streets were filled with bikers, roller-bladers, and pedestrians trying to enjoy all the festivals, concerts, and free museums. I saw the city center, Grand Place, and the amazing architecture surrounding it, the mannekin pis, the palace, and so much more. All breath-taking. And I didn’t forget to try my first authentic Belgian waffle and it was DELICIOUS! Whoa. I have never tasted a waffle so good. The day was a definitely a memorable day. Saturday night was low-key and I met up with some friends and met some cool Norwegians whom I have learned are a jolly folk. I made it to bed by 5am and somehow I stayed sober.

In regard to the other roommate, Brett, he arrived Friday. Because I was so intoxicated Thursday night I didn’t make it home until Friday evening which is when I met him. He, like Will, is very kind and determined. He’s older as well, I think 28 years old but down to earth and well-traveled. Also, like Will he knows Spanish and spent some time in South America. We are all going to get along very well. Panteha’s father left home today, Sunday, which should be really nice since having an outside, older party makes things a little bit awkward sometimes; especially when they are always outside your bedroom door…speaking of which, I am finally settled in my bedroom and my house feels like home. So, come visit me and my new home!

Tomorrow is the first day of orientation and I’m pretty excited. I can’t wait to meet more of my classmates and learn how the rest of my year here is going to play out. I’ll get back as to how that turns out…

September 14, 2006

After months of planning I am finally here in Brussels, Belgium. Naturally, I left the U.S. after a whirlwind of visits and partying in Harlingen, New York, and DC. I have to thank everyone for the warm wishes and the cozy send-off I received…although I was excited to leave and enter into a new world of Belgian beer and graduate study, I have to admit I knew I was going to miss my American lifestyle and close friends. Specifically, I have to thank my Harlingen peeps to keep me down-to-earth and humble, my New York peeps for their never-ending adventures, and the DC peeps for always helping me hold my fort down in a country so engrossed in radical conservatism. I’ll miss u.

I arrived in Belgium yesterday after a direct flight from DC which surprisingly went smooth. If anyone knows me, they know that I have the unusual luck for the worst traveling drama. With my three huge suitcases and two carry-ons containing my whole life I waved down a taxi and went straight to the flat I’ll be living in for the next year. I had no idea which number it was, but I went blindly and ended up waiting at the footsteps for about ½ hr until I heard a couple of girls conversing. I immediately called their names and sure enough they were the two of the four people with whom I’ll be sharing the flat.

I first met Panteha who is of Iranian ethnicity but backgrounds in Switzerland and the U.S. She is a very kind yet hard-lined person in the sense that you can always rely on her to be on top of her game. She will definitely be the house madame. Then I met Mari who is from Kobe, Japan, but went to university in Essex, England. She is the sweetest and warm spirited girl whom I know everyone will get along easily. One other roommates arrived and his name is Will. He is from London and, of course, has that thick British accent. He’s a good guy. He’ll be teaching English and going to school part-time. The other fellow will arrive tomorrow and he is Canadian. He seems pretty cool online but I’ll find out tomorrow.

Our house is pretty nice. The picture above is the view from my bedroom window. 5 bedrooms, large kitchen and dining room area, big living room space and another space that we will probably use as another dining area. Our bathroom situation is weird. We have two bathrooms with only toilets in them and another bathroom with only showers…two showers. Oh, and I can’t forget to mention that one of the bedrooms (which is the only on the first floor-the other four are on the second) has a shower in it…it’s now what you think. It seriously only has the shower randomly in the corner of the room with only clear, plastic walls separating it to the bed…Brett ought to enjoy it. Aside from the inevitable shower scheduling problems that we are bound to face, everything is nice. We have a whole bunch of minor problems, but nothing serious. I made it to Ikea yesterday and bought a desk and luckily that should be the only piece of furniture that I’ll need to buy.

So, when I landed yesterday and met some of the roommates (and one of their dads that won’t leave until I think Saturday…hopefully) I went straight to the grocery store and Ikea barely giving me a chance to see the flat we’re living in. I was non-stop all day long with only having 2 hrs of sleep in two days…last night I slept a much needed 6 hrs. So, I don’t know anything about Brussels yet but hopefully that will change as the weekend approaches. My roommates haven’t been too thrilled about going out, but you know I am. There are some other people that I met beforehand that I’ll meeting tonight so that ought to be fun…I will be break the party-seal here in Brussels. I figure I might as well since I’m sure I won’t be as much when classes begin.

On other thing is that I am definitely at a loss not knowing French. I am having some trouble communicating with others and ordering/understanding everything I need/do, but hopefully that will chance. In addition to my English, my Spanish is really helping out here.

Well, I am off to buy some adaptors for my American appliances so keep an eye out for any new blogs. Hopefully I will submit one every week or two…or at least when something interesting happens. Ciao.