School Mode

I've completed my first week of classes! I've switched out of the art class (mainly to clear up my Friday) and am now taking two political science courses- one on democracy and one on nationalism and ethnicity. I'll be all well-versed in Constitutional talk and current European conflicts at the end of these six weeks (I guess that's a warning for future discussions).

The school system is a little different here in Brussels. In case you didn't know, Brussels is a divided country with three Parliaments: the French, the Flemish and the Germans. There are two Universities in Brussels- one Flemish and one French. Both are free for Belgian citizens though, which is both good and bad. Some people go into the University underestimating the amount and difficulty of the workload and only about 30-50% of students end up graduating. Those who do stay in school dedicate a lot of their time to homework and seem genuinely interested in the class content. Having a dose of international students has provided interesting and diverse discussion in class too. Even kiddies from the program who live in other (more Southern) regions of the U.S. provide opinions of which I've never been aware.

This weekend is the Jazz Marathon- three successive days of free concerts, chocolate and artisanal cheese. I plan on taking lots of pictures and enjoying the experience enough for you all. No worries.

105 Rue Gray

Here's a taste of how I'm living-


I got a fully stocked kitchen. Now I just have to learn how to step up my cooking skills. Next to the kitchen is the beloved balcony (left). And at the back of our apartment is the even more gorgeous terrace (right).


Viola, the living room...


...that doubles as my bedroom!

There is another bedroom a level down for Jenna, along with two bathrooms. A dining room linking the kitchen and living room tops it off. The location is pretty good too. We're about a 30 minute walk from campus (which I'm learning is nothing here), a five minute walk from a lovely square of restaurants and bars, and within easy transport of the Grand Place (the city square). The public transportation is fantastic here. The times and various kinds (tram, bus, metra..) are cheap, safe, and accessible. I'm living a good life here, for sure.

Brussels Orientation

Marcus and I arrived safely in Brussels Thursday night. The trip getting there made me question if we ever would... I had to improvise my commuting plans and alleviate some baggage weight, just making it to the gate in time to board the plane. It was stressful to say the least.

But I'm here, finally. The plans have been non-stop since. I don't know what sort of energy I'm running on because it's not coming from sleep. Our professor, Overby, treated us to dinner after arriving Thursday. Everything people say about the food and drinks here is true. Quality, quality, quality. I've eaten and drank well, so I've been a happy girl. The fries I enjoyed yesterday were top notch.

I went to orientation at the college where I'm taking classes- Vesalius. It is the flemish speaking FREE university. Yes, (some) higher education is free here! Well, not for me though. There are a couple of programs from other schools and national student travel agencies that together make up the 50 or so students taking summer classes at Vesalius. I've gotten to know a number of them during the long day of orientation and today while touring the city of Brussels.

Today's been a long day too- starting around 9:30 a.m. and ending around 7:30 p.m. The day consisted of sightseeing, eating, going to the chocolate museum and getting lost commuting. There might be a concert in the works for tonight too... needless to say, there's an infinite amount of things to do here. Finding the hours to sleep is the hard part. 

  

Getting There

Marcus and I are on our way to Brussels. We flew into Dublin this morning and spent the day walking, cheap sight-seeing and eating. I can finally believe that I'm about to embark on a European adventure. I have the tangible effects of jet lag to prove it. I had a bout of it right off the plane, but I sucked it up to explore Dublin's city center. The wave of jet lag hit me again in the afternoon and I about fell asleep on the tram ride back to our hotel.

 

Aside from my sleep-deprivation (I can't remember the last time I pulled an all-nighter... and yet I call myself a college student? I know.), my little time in Dublin has been great. I've accepted my tourist tendencies by keeping my camera ready in one hand and a map in the other. Dublin is gorgeous, even with lots of rain. The residents are friendly, there's green all around and just as many pubs as people.

 

We're off to Brussels tomorrow evening. I seriously hope that Ryan Air doesn't strictly enforce the 15kg weight for checked bags... too many shoes.