Well, after a month, my little escape from reality is about to come to a close. I can't even believe how fast in went by. It's kind of strange because it feels like I just got here yesterday, but at the same time I feel like I've been here forever. Kind of a weird paradox that I can't really wrap my head around, but it's true. I'm really really excited to be coming back home, but it's kind of bittersweet! Belgium earned a special little place in my heart and it's sad knowing I won't really be able to come back again. I guess I'll just have to plan another trip to Europe so it won't be so sad :)
So, since it's the end, I wanted to summarize my trip and go over the important things like what I learned, what I will miss, etc. So here we go!
Things I will miss:
-The food: I decided to make this one category to keep things simple (didn't want to take up the whole list with all the different delicious foods!), but I will definitely miss the food: waffles, chocolate croissants, fresh bread, pastries, fries, croque madames...you know, all the healthy stuff! We have most of these good foods in the US and (except for the breads) they taste just as yummy, I just no longer have an excuse to eat them all the time! So they will be missed.
-Coke light, being a mere train ride away to all of Europe, exploring Brussels during my lunch break, seeing the hundreds of kids ride their bikes to school through Leuven's streets every morning, enjoying a meal outside in a European square, giving English help to my coworkers and having the best English around, club dance and Zoomba classes at the gym, exploring a new city every weekend, the freedom from not having a phone, walking past a royal palace on my way to work every day, and of course all my lovely EASA coworkers.
Things I'm looking forward to back home:
Free refills!, COLD drinks, free ketchup!! (it's like 0.40 euros a packet! Devastating), being able to understand the people around me, not being stared at when I run through the city like it is the strangest thing in the world to actually exercise just for fun, dollars, a wardrobe bigger than a suitcase, a washer/dryer I can use all I want for free, sleeping more than 4 hours a night, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, not feeling inadequate because I know only one language, being able to watch all my shows online and not be blocked my international copyright laws, movies in theaters, walking on paved streets instead of cobblestones, playing basketball, and seeing my friends and family/reuniting with LUWB!!
The best part:
My internship. I got to work and meet with people all over Europe on a daily basis; whenever I stop to think about it, that is pretty darn cool. My coworkers were from Bulgaria, the UK, Greece, the Netherlands,and Romania, and I got to interact with and learn from them every day. It was awesome to see how although we all came from different places, we could connect with each other and gain a new perspective on things. These are kind of intangibles that you can't really fully describe, but it just helped me understand the world a little better and opened my mind up to things outside my little bubble in the US. It's things you can only really learn outside the classroom and actually going and immersing yourself in another place. I know it was only a month, but it was pretty amazing how much I was able to learn. This was definitely an experience I will never forget.
Closing thoughts:
Belgium is great country. It unfortunately lives in the shadow of it's brothers to the south and north, France and Germany, but it can hold its own against those two. What I particularly liked about Belgium, even its biggest city Brussels, is that it is very liveable. There are hundreds of small cities that are filled with families, safe, historic, and charming. Brussels is the capital of Europe and has all the things you'd want in a city, but it also has the nice, quiet side streets and isn't overcrowded with tourists like the other big European cities. It's also hard to complain about the hundreds of waffle stands and chocolate shops.
It really is remarkable how many languages Europeans know, especially in Belgium/Brussels. Basically everyone knows English and most know French, apart from their native language. While I think Americans should do a better job of teaching/learning languages, it's a million times easier to learn different languages here where they actually use them. Their movies (for the most part) are normally shown in English, they use multiples languages in day-to-day life with all the different nations/cultures so close, and they often have multiple national languages so even their own countrymen speak many languages. That would make it all a million times easier! We do not have that luxury in the US. Plus, English is essentially the international language, so we are spoiled in being able to use it everywhere and not really have a need to learn another. I still wish I knew another though. On the train from London to Brussels, there was an adorable little French girl sitting in front of me who was about three. She kept turning back and waving and smiling at me, and I of course returned the favor. At the end of the trip she turned to me and said "Au revoir!" I said "bye bye!" And then, realizing I was American, she started speaking to me in English! I looked at her and said "You know more languages than me!" Her parents laughed and I was being shown up by a three year old. I was alright with it though because she was so cute!
My trip to Belgium was amazing! Much more than I expected and it really turned out to be a special trip. I'm so lucky to have had such an experience (thanks mom and dad!) and I like to think I came out a better person because of it (or at least I had a darn good time). Tomorrow it's back to the states and back to real-life! Well, I do have a week of vacation with my parents on the beach in Maryland to ease my way back :) Goodbye Europe! Until next time...
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