Brugge

Last weekend I went to Brugge which is a small Belgian city about 45 minutes outside of Brussels. It was very nice and quaint. When we arrived, we walked through the town that was speckled with small townhouses that could have housed small elves or the sort. It was quite comical until we walked through a small archway that opened up to a grand architectural sight. We were in the courtyard of what used to be a Catholic hospital. I took excessive amounts of pictures but somehow wasn’t able to capture the beauty of actually being there. We couldn’t stay there too long since we still had the rest of the city to see so we went along our way.

We walked through the winding cobblestone roads and, not surprisingly, got lost a couple of times. We eventually followed the horse-led carriages to the center of town where it was lined up with shops, restaurants, and of course the local cathedral. We took it all in until the girls pushed us to the widely known chocolate museum which ended up being a waste of 5 Euros! The museum was essentially the history of chocolate and not the chocolate factory for which the girls hoped. We ran out of the museum and headed to the jazz festival that we originally intended to attend. After getting lost in the middle of another museum (this time it was a contemporary garden museum), we learned it was 20 Euros and way too expensive for our student budgets.

Naturally, we then headed to a local bar and indulged in the local brews. We spent a few hours there chatting and mingling with the bartenders. More friends joined us later in the evening and we had a blast just hanging out. We soon took off to get some dinner and headed back to Brussels. Overall, it was a great place…especially to take the mom!

On another note, I was recently elected president of the Junior Common Room which is another name the British use for the student government and have been unbelievably busy getting that organized. Although I have had various leadership positions before, I must say that it is quite different being in charge of 150 grown, intelligent adults. Some are old enough to be my parents…very interesting. It’s taking time, but people have to constantly remind me that, even though I feel unworthy, my classmates, and faculty, look up to me. Something I apparently must get used to.

Furthermore, classes are pretty much in full swing now and I’m trying to get my routine down despite the constant peer-pressure to go out all the time! I’ve limited it down to the weekends, thank God. Today, I finally found an English-speaking Catholic mass to attend and finally made it to the well-known Midi Market that has everything so cheaply! I spent about 5 Euros and got: 2 kiwis, a bushel of mint, bananas, a kilo of freshly mixed vegetables, 30 eggs, and grapes. Usually back home in DC the mint would alone have cost the equivalent to 5 Euros. I plan to go back every Sunday! Next time I’ll have to buy some meat.

Well, that’s me this past week. Until next time…

I’ve been here for a little over three weeks and I thought I might share with you some observations I have made while being here in Brussels:

1. Although Belgians do not wear deodorant and have horrible body odor, they are the nicest people (outside of the bureaucratic tape everywhere!).
2. Every person in Belgium owns a dog. Every person owns a dog that craps in the middle of sidewalk. Every person leaves the crap his or her dog drops in the sidewalk. It is sometimes unavoidable to step in dog crap.
3. You must bring your own bags to the grocery store to bag your items.
4. Nowhere besides the US sells peanut butter.
5. Belgium has the most unpredictable weather that can expectedly change within minutes.
6. Always carry an umbrella regardless whether you leave your house and cannot see a single cloud in the sky.
7. The Belgian bureaucracy is the most confusing and unorganized bureaucracy in the world.
8. Fraternities do exist outside American universities.
9. The Mexican stereotype of being a “cholo” exists outside the US.
10. Spanish is known in Belgium probably just as much, if not more, than English.
11. Nothing is open before 9am and after 5pm in Belgium.
12. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING is open on Sunday in Belgium and the rest of Europe.
13. Wine is ridiculously cheap (I haven’t found a bottle over 10 Euros or about $13 yet!).
14. Beer is more common and cheaper than any other beverage in Belgium.
15. Water is the most expensive beverage.
16. Beer is sold in the school cafeteria that is only open during lunch.
17. Smoking is still common in Europe.
18. Do not ever speak French in Flanders and never speak Dutch (Flemish) in the French speaking areas.
19. Belgium may possibly split into two countries in the next couple of decades according to their dialects.
20. Hardly anyone in Belgium is Belgian.

Oktoberfest

This past weekend I went to the tail-end of Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany (the home of Oktoberfest) and had the time of my life! I went with some friends of mine: Peter-the Bostonian who can be mistaken as a Canadian, Davina-the German who basically was our guide, and Tara-the real Canadian. We rented a car and drove the drive that we thought would be six hours but ended up taking nine hours. Poor Davina drove the whole way to and from Munich and it was our duty to keep her awake. We did even though there were several moments of delirium.

We arrived in Munich around noon on Saturday and went straight to the fairgrounds where the festival takes place. Although we were expecting it, we were surprised to see a good portion of the people already passed out drunk on the side of the streets and on tables. There were thousands of people from everywhere, but mainly those true Germans wearing their traditional garments. I cannot express the kindness and fun-loving people the Germans were to us. There are twelve tents through the grounds that are filled by 10:00am, so we had to sit on the tables around the tents. Those were also crowded and the only way to sit down is to walk on top of the tables and weave in and out of people careful to not stop on anybody’s hands to eventually find an empty spot. We sat in the middle of table full of Germans with whom we sang, chanted, and simply chatted. I definitely gained about eight new German best friends within those 14 hours of drinking. It was if we’ve known each other for out entire lives. Great people.

At some point of the night Tara and I ran off and somehow managed to get in the Hofbrauhaus tent (the most famous and difficult tent to get into) and had a blast. There was a live band and every person inside was dancing on the tables and didn’t let us stay still on the ground for long. We didn’t hesitate and jumped on top and joined the rest of the crowd cheering on the German culture. Afterwards we headed to some carnival rides, played some carnival games, and even had the traditional heart-shaped cookies that taste like gingerbread. I’m not sure what time we left, but Tara and made it to the subway. Our journey home took a very long time since we fell asleep not once, but twice on the subway and ended up at the wrong end of the city! We ended up catching a cab and made it back to the hotel, which really wasn’t a hotel, and passed out as our hangover started to kick in. The hotel where we stayed at was a hook up by a friend of Davina’s since ALL the hotels were booked downtown. Where we stayed was a hotel, but the room we stayed in was part of house of the owner of the hotel. We were four people and that was the only room that could accommodate all of us, so in the end it worked out well. It made for a funny story.

We woke up Sunday perfectly chipper, I don’t know how, and headed out again. We had a traditional German lunch and headed to the Hofbrauhaus brewery downtown and had a great time locking arms with the people sitting next to us, rocking back and forth, and singing German songs of which I’ve never heard before in my life. We stayed there for a few hours and headed back to Brussels.

I can’t explain the intense drinking and just great fun I had at Oktoberfest. Every person there just wanted to have a great time and made you feel like you were just as much family as their own brothers and sisters. I tip my hat to the Germans! I can now check Oktoberfest in Munich off my list of lifetime goals.