Until next time...

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...

Living like a Royal

Well, the most anticipated weekend trip is now over: London!! Home of the Royal Wedding, David Beckham, Harry Potter, the Queen, Love Actually, and Emma Watson - doesn't get much better than that!

And the weekend definitely lived up to the hype. It started at 506 AM (let me emphasize AM) when I frantically woke up to my alarm realizing that I pressed snooze one too many times and had 9 minutes to get myself and my things ready to leave. Talk about a way to start the morning. Once I had made it to the lobby (while still putting my hair up and shoving things in a bag), we started walking to the train station where we realized it was taking a bit longer than we thought to catch our 537 train, and we finished by RUNNING to the platform from about half a mile away with bags flying and sweat pouring down my face. We jumped on the train just as the little worker blew his whistle and shut the doors. By this point I looked like I had jumped into a pool which was really attractive, but we made it!

After that little adventure, the rest of our travels was smooth sailing. We got into London about 8am and had the whole day to enjoy the city. It was Friday morning during rush hour when we arrived and I don't think I have ever seen so many people in suits and ties! Those Londoners are definitely all about business. I fit right in with a messenger purse around my chest, a plaid shirt and capris, and a duffle bag that I fashioned as a backpack by putting my arms through the handles. Oh well, if I really am a tourist, why not look like one?

We don't have access to the printer at our institute except for certain hours, so we used my hand-drawn map to find our way - needless to say we got a bit lost. After about a half hour though we found our way to the hotel which was literally a block away from the famous Tower Bridge and we got a full apartment with a kitchen and living room! Living like queens in London. Perfect :)

Although we had been up since five, we went out and explored the whole day; we were in London for heaven's sake! No time for resting. We did the same Saturday and took full advantage of the lovely weather - I got tan AND sunburned in LONDON - by being out all day. Here are some highlights and stories from the trip:


1) They were getting ready for the 2012 Summer Olympics and doing a total cleaning/transformation of the city. The Underground was spotless and everywhere they already did was all spiffed up and amazing, but otherwise caused a whole lot of traffic and mess- I had to use my map skills to find different metro routes multiple times and must admit I did a pretty fine job. I should be a cartographer.


2) I'm a tense bit (aka majorly) obsessed with the royal wedding/will and kate/the british monarchy/the british in general, and all I wanted from this trip was one of those wonderful British flags with the heart-shaped picture of Will and Kate on it that everyone was waving around on April 29th. I thought for sure I'd be able to find it at one of the little side stands they have all around, but they were nowhere to be found! I was so devastated. We got to another stand about halfway through the day and I grumpily looked up at it and mumbled something mean under my breath when Emily said "is that what you were looking for?" I looked up and there it was waving in the wind!! I was ESTATIC. I ran (literally started jogging) up to the stand and said I'll one of those please! I asked how much it was, not caring what he said because I was going to buy it anyways, and he said £10. I didn't think anything of it and just ranted to him about how I'd been looking for this everywhere and how happy I was. I felt so accomplished and was walking around with my head held high, holding my prized flag. This was until literally the next 10 stores we passed had the same flags. For £2. 2! I was totally talken advantage of and I was so nice to him! It also dawned on me that £10 is in fact not 10 dollars, but about $16, and I bought two of the darn things. Yep, I spent $32 on cheap flags. But, I love them so much that I'm alright with it :)


3) This is my third time being in London and every darn time the queen is not in Buckingham Palace. All those visits probably added up to about a week and not one day was the queen in residence. This trip she was there the day before and left the morning we got there. Come on! It's so disappointing seeing the British flag waving above the palace instead of the royal flag - I need to have a chat with her about her too frequent visits to Windsor castle...

4) My love for England makes me worry that back in the day I might have been a royalist. I'm all about America and love that I am an American, but I just have some doubts about my Colonial era self


5) I want to find out the story behind those big black hats-they sure weren't going for practicality. I'm thinking Marge Simpson impersonators.


6) Seeing the entrance to Westminster Abbey and being inside the church made me instantly feel warm and fuzzy inside. I got chills and it made me so happy. I got to see first-hand all where all the magic of the royal wedding happened! It was magical. I had a dorky half grin on my face the rest of the day.


7) So I realized during this trip that our mighty American dollars really aren't worth that much. London completely drained my bank account. I took out £100 from an ATM and it took $164 out of my bank account without an transaction fees! That's almost 2 to 1! What happened America...


8) Fact: fish and chips really are delicious in London


9) To end our trip with a bang we decided to see Les Mis on the West End!! It was SO much fun and I just couldn't go to London without seeing a Broadway show for my mom. We got super cheap tickets for only £15 (what a steal right? Go straight to the box office the day of for tickets - they're the cheapest)BUT they were "very limited view" so I had a lovely railing in front of me that blocked the entire stage if I were to sit properly in my seat. No worries though! As long as I leaned forward on the ledge the whole time, I could see the entire stage really well with only a few cricks in my back and both legs asleep by the end: a price I'm willing to pay for such a good play! Only drawback was they sang EVERY word. There was no normal talking even between songs. Every once in a while I would think: just talk to the darn person! Then I started to think how it would be kind of fun if we went a whole day just singing our conversations and that happy thought made me less annoyed.

So, all in all, like all my other trips, London was awesome! I can't decide if Paris (with a real Paris apartment, the best host ever and a charming city) or London was better. I suppose I don't need to officially decide, but I might have to give London the edge. I just can't help how much I love the royals and seeing all of that in person was amazing. Not only was Westminster Abbey home to the royal wedding, but also hosted the coronations for every British monarch for the past 1000 years, act as the resting place for the most notable Brits (including Queen Elizabeth I, Jane Austen, and Isaac Newton), and hosted Princess Diana's funeral. London just has so much living history that I find so fascinating. I just can't get enough of this place.

Well, after the fastest month of my life, my last week is finally here! It's a bit bitter sweet because I was just getting into the swing of things at work and living here, but I'm excited to come back to the glorious US of A! It's been a fun ride, but I suppose I should come back to reality. Chip chip cheerio!

Bienvenue a París!

Bonjour bloggettes! Sorry this post is a bit delayed, but I have just been EXHAUSTED these last few days. Maybe it's the traveling across Europe, walking across cities all day, and then waking up at 7 every day to go to work for 8 hours. Yeah, maybe that's it. BUT, it's hard to complain when I am living it up in Europe!! And this last weekend was another successful one-it's pretty hard to go wrong in....Paris!

Not only did I get to visit the most romantic city in the world, but I got to stay in a real Parisian apartment. I know, so amazing. Rose's aunt, Christine, was born and raised in France and has an apartment right in the city that she very graciously let us stay in. It was super cute and she was honestly the best host ever-I think if we had asked to borrow her left arm, she would've chopped it off right there for us. We had a meal ready for us at any hour and anything that we could want. I don't think she sat down for more than two minutes before jumping up to get us something again. The first night we got there (it was around 930pm mind you), she had a full dinner prepared for us and we somehow found a way to fit it in even after already eating around 6. She had just gotten back from traveling and lives by herself so she isn't used to all the company, but she did all she could to please us. The last time Rose visited her in Paris she was 10 years old, and Kris said in her French accent "All I remembered you eating as a girl was meat and potato; so, tonight I make chicken and potato!" It was indeed delicious, but every meal was based exactly on what we mentioned in passing that we liked. Breakfast the last day was: chocolate croissants, chouquettes (little croissant-like pastries with sugar crystals on top), Coke, cherries, and cookies. No joke. She was so cute putting all our favorites out, but even my stomach didn't know how to tackle the carbs on carbs.

But other than the Michelin man diet, everything was amazing. Kris insisted she sleep on the futon in the living room and gave the other two bedrooms to us, with me getting my own bed (Rose and Emily kind of tentatively came up to me and said, "well, we know each other a little bit better and we were just wondering if maybe you wouldn't mind sleeping in the room by yourself?" Hmmm sleep in a queen size bed all to myself for three nights? I think I might just be able to manage). It was the perfect set-up in the middle of Paris and made the trip so much more homey and special. It was just perfect.

Now to talk about the city! This is my third time being in Paris (I know, I know, super spoiled, but not rotten I promise!), so I had already seen all the sites and didn't think I'd enjoy the city too too much, but it was even better than I remember it. Every day was a beautiful 70 degrees and it was as charming and cute as Paris could be. The city really is special-you can just feel as your walking around that artists, philosophers, writers, musicians, and some of the greatest thinkers the world has even seen painted, thought, wrote, and played right where you're walking. Pretty neat. (Right as I wrote that, the Beastie Boy's "No Sleep 'till Brooklyn" came on my iPod to snap me back into my less-dignified American reality. Oh well, one can dream!)

Onto the touristy stuff. And we definitely did the touristy stuff. We went from the Effil Tower to the Louvre to Versailles to the Arc de Triumphe and everything in-between. It was exhausting, but so worth it in Parí! Some various thoughts and stories from the trip:


1) Why is Mona Lisa so darn famous? I'm still not quite sure-she's tiny, not that detailed and frankly not that pretty. Beats me what made her smile so fascinating.



2)Napoleon sure thought a lot of himself. Everywhere you look that darn little guy pops up. He put a few statues of himself and thrones with N's on them in Versailles, built himself a whole apartment in the Louvre (look how short his little bed is! Hey there little fella!), and built a Roman arch in the middle of the city to commemorate a victory on the battlefield. No wonder they call it a Napoleon complex...










3)I forced Rose and Emily to climb every church, hill, and monument Paris had to offer, including the 700 steps up the Effil Tower-towards the end of the trip Emily told me she felt like she was on The Biggest Loser. Hey, if that makes me look like Jillian Michaels, I'd be alright with that. With views like this all those steps are worth it!







4)I would just like to make it clear that I am 100% team British Monarchy - With Versailles and all that, King Louis and the rest of the French are a bit much for me. Will and Kate all the way.



5)I love America. We were wandering around and randomly ran into the American embassy! I got so excited seeing our stars and stripes blowing in the wind and said "look guys! look!" They thought I spotted a celebrity or something, but it was just our embassy :) I really love our country ok? I miss it! I saluted and snapped a pic.



6) This is about five "lanes" of the heaviest traffic in Paris in a free-for-all. No lanes, no stop signs, no lights, just chaos. We find ourselves outside the circle. We want to go inside the circle. What is our brilliant plan to get across? Find a group of male Spaniards, convince them to cross with us (power of numbers), and play human frogger while I scream "This is so dangerous! This is so SO dangerous! That's it, I'm gonna die!" After several honks, a few French profanities (which I returned with a "hey, watch it jerk!" I showed them), and a close encounter with a Vespa, we made it!












Basically, Paris is amazing and it is definitely a city you need to have on your bucket list. There's too much history, culture, and things to see to not experience at least once. Brush up on your French though; people hear are not as willing to speak anything but their prized language. So I'll give it a go: Adieu mes amis, jusqu'à la prochaine fois...

(Doesn't get much prettier than that)

Day trip #3: Brussels!

So yesterday was the last day of my first weekend extravaganza in Europe and we had a very nice day! Emily and I went into Brussels for the day to explore and see all the sites that I don't get to go see when I go into work every day. And, of course, lots of delicious food was involved! I apologize for this essentially being a food blog-it's rather disgusting but the food here is just so amazing that it needs to be talked about. Last night one of my roommates, Amy, was going through her photos from the trip and I heard from upstairs: "this is disturbing. EVERY picture of me has food in it. I'm either eating food or standing with it in my hand...did I do anything else??...oh look there's me with a waffle....op there I am eating chocolate fondue!" It is unfortunately true. Hopefully the walking and trips to the gym will help counteract it-if not, we should live it up while we can and go on a detox back in America! So worth it.

Anywho, Emily and I got into Brussels about 1 (had to sleep at least ONE day this week) and had lunch in the gorgeous Grand Place. If you haven't noticed by now, every city in Europe has one big beautiful square that everyone sits in and enjoys a cafe latte or a nice meal outside. It's quite lovely. I hadn't gotten a fresh waffle from a restaurant yet and they had some delicious ones on the menu, so I caved and had to get one. Great decision. Then we finished our meal, snapped some pics in the square and went down to see Mannequin Pis, the little peeing boy statue that is very famous in Beligum-they stick him on postcards, dress him up, it's a lot of fun. Growing up I also remember playing with a little knife that had him on the handle that was my grandpa's that he got in WWII in Belgium so there's a personal connection there too. I was going to see that little boy pee no matter what!

On the way, we passed all kinds of cute little shops that sold Belgian lace that they are famous for (it's all over there darn windows), little trinkets/magnets, and rows of chocolate shops with free samples! Yum. But then, then we saw the most wonderful waffle shop in the world. I was floored at the delicious little boats they filled with a warm waffle topped with strawberries, bananas, chocolate, jam, or any topping of your choosing. Emily turned to look at me with a "well we have to get that" grin and I just said I can't! I can't possibly have TWO waffles in the span of an hour! Turns out I can. And I did. I'm ashamed to say it but don't worry I didn't eat dinner AND went running/did P90X abb ribber so I probably worked off, oh, 1/4 of the waffle calories. Fair trade. That thing was the most delicious thing I've ever had though. Waffle paradise. I'm kind of proud to say I had TWO Belgian waffles, in Brussels, in an hour :)

After we got our waffles we were walking along and I see this gray fountain area to my left that barely catches my eye. I turn and after squinting my eyes I can just make out a little boy statue peeing into a fountain. The darn Mannequin Pis that I was so happy to see was about the size of a cabbage patch kid. Talk about anti-climatic. Emily looked at me and said THAT'S what you wanted to see?? We got a good laugh out of it and I still insisted on taking a pic with the little man though and even his larger cartoon counterpart at the waffle place. We spent the rest of our time strolling through the park outside the Royal Palace and enjoying the sunny weather! Great times in Brussels!

View from our lovely lunch spot in Grand Place

Waffle #1 of the hour

(words cannot properly describe the deliciousness so I must leave it blank)

Mannequin Pis and our waffles just chilling...nbd

And there he is ladies and gentlemen! The no-bigger-than-a-cabbage-patch-kid most mischievous little peeing boy in Europe! Good times

Such a wonderful weekend that I'm sure will be matched by Paris next weekend! Five of us are staying in one of the girl's aunt's APARTMENT IN PARIS!! SOOO excited for that. Yay Europe! Love you all! au revoir!

Day trip #1: Antwerpen

Sorry for the temporary blog delay, but it has been a busy weekend with three different cities in two countries in three days! So much fun though.

Our first stop was Antwerp, an old seaport and diamond city in western Belgium. I wasn't expecting too much (since who has heard of Antwerp?) but it was awesome! The city had the same mixture of city life and cafe spots as Paris, with the feel of Florence with it's charming orange rooftops...all with a Belgian touch of course! It was just very clean and safe and had lots of fun things to do.

We started the day at the zoo! It's one of the oldest in the world and was only 17 euros to get in so we couldn't turn it down. They had the traditional tigers, elephants, penguins, etc., but they also had some different animals too which was fun to see. I couldn't tell you what kind of reptiles they had because as usual I avoided that section at all costs! Made the mistake of wandering into the rainforest area and didn't figure it out until I turned to my right and came face-to-face with an IGUANA. Needless to say I jumped back about 10 feet and ran for the nearest exit leaving Emily behind to find her way. Other than that, the zoo was a success and well worth it!

After the zoo we were famished and decided to make a bold eating move and try some food that we could never have at home-pizza! I know I know it's boring, but the pizza here is so delicious and this place was outside on a cute street and had a lot of locals so we knew it would be good. We followed up our pizza with a big dose of diamonds! Antwerp is known for its diamonds and was a big trader and cutter of diamonds during the city's golden age, and they put together an awesome museum that tells you all about it. We skipped over the chemical makeup/cutting stuff and learned everything we could about the celebrities and royals that used the diamonds! They have a crown that Queen Elizabeth uses with a honking diamond in the middle and all kinds of other diamonds used by royalty. Very neat.

The rest of our day included two other museums about the history and seafaring ways of Antwerp, some shopping, and a visit to the local castle (only in Europe). We walked no joke probably five miles to and from the train station, and had to stop at a cafe on the way back to rest up for a bit. Only thing is, in Europe you don't just rest up for a little bit. Every time you sit down at a café or restaurant it takes at least an hour. You sit down wherever you want, and then 20 min later your waiter brings you your menu. Then after another 20 min he'll come and take your order. You'll get your food after another 20, and then good luck finding him to get your check! I get the whole relaxing thing, but the American in me just sees too much wasted time and I get antsy sitting and waiting for so long. We still haven't really determined if we are supposed to go up and find him to pay, or call him over; we've seen both and can't decide. We always call them over and ask for the check and are probably really offending them but oh well we tried. One cool thing about Belgians though is they don't tip! It is offensive to them if you tip them which is a-ok with me! MAYBE that makes up for the no free refills. Maybe.

So, all in all we had a wonderful time in Antwerp! Seems to be the theme of the trip: great times! I'll leave you with some pictures from the day...

Emily and I at our lovely Italian feast in Antwerp!

Grote Markt! I seemed to love taking awkward pictures by myself this trip-I promise I have friends!

Look it's a castle! See what I mean about the awkward pics by myself? I'll be better I promise

View of the city from the top of the MAS museum! So pretty and such a lovely day :)

Tot ziens!

C'est la vie

After a week of observing Belgians (and a lot of Europeans for that matter), I have come to one conclusion: NO ONE is fat. No one. It's a bit eerie and I just don't understand it. Apparently all the doctors in America have been getting it wrong; it seems chocolate, waffles, frites, bread, cigarettes, beer, and pastries is the key to a healthy body. It just baffles me! I will see a tiny woman walking around the streets with not an ounce of fat on her eating a big ole waffle. Something's not adding up. I think Europeans are just born with special fat-burner genes that us Americans left behind when we crossed over the Atlantic. Yeah they do all that biking and walking, but it still doesn't add up in my mind. My goal is to learn their secret ways while I'm here-guess I'll have to start by getting my diet to be like theirs. How torturous!

On a different note, I had an interesting conversation with my coworker Veronika today; we share a desk and she sits in front of me to the left so we're quite close now. She's from Bulgaria and speaks about 4 languages just like everyone else here (I'm such a slacker) and is really really nice. We started talking about English/American people and I said we normally get a bad rap for being really loud and obnoxious. She told me that, not to overgeneralize, but English/Americans are just sometimes over the top. She said she has a roommate that's British, and every time the girl sees her she makes a big scene and says how good it is to see her and gives her a huge hug. Veronika said in her little Bulgarian accent: "I just vant to tell her, you know, ve're really not dat close, you don't have to make dis big deal every time I see you." So funny and it's so true! She said Europeans, Eastern Europeans in particular, are very friendly and nice too, they just show it in different ways. This must be why I always think Europeans look so grumpy-they just show emotions in different ways than we do. I could still use a smile every once in a while...She did defend us though and say that English is a language that you have to open your mouth a lot wider for to speak and enunciate more than other languages so it kind of forces us to be louder (must be why I can never understand her when she mumbles things to me in English about this or that and I just have to casually laugh and nod my head and hope that was the right response).

So I'm learning new things every day and absolutely loving being in Europe! Running a bit low on clean underwear and socks though and haven't had a towel for the past two days (I have to shake off like a dog in the shower and use toilet paper to dry myself-that's class right there), so may have to take care of those soon but c'est la vie! Day trip to Antwerp, Belgium tomorrow and then Amsterdam and Brussels Saturday and Sunday! Yay! Bonne nuit!

Life is like a box of (Belgian) chocolates...

Goede avond! Today was my third day at work and just as tiring as the other two, but still loving it! Just can't fully wrap my head around the fact that I am living and working in EUROPE; it's a bit surreal. I totally love being in Europe and feel so cultured walking around Belgium in my fancy clothes (like I'm an adult or something), but I must admit I do love my America. Everything is just very different here! For example, all I want to do with my little bagged lunch-which the lovely Irish cooks at the institute pack for all the interns before we head off to work-is enjoy it at a table outside in the Belgian sunshine (which is rare mind you); is that a crime? I think I have found a lovely table on the side of the walkway in the downtown area when a waiter comes out of nowhere and asks me what I would like since I'm not allowed to sit there because the restaurant across the way owns it. I order a glass of water so I can stay sitting there and make him go away. He brings out this elaborate glass bottle of water and puts it in front of me and charges 4 euros; $5+ for water?? Oh mon dieu! Expensive water and no free refills on soda: that's what will keep me in America.

Other than my water episode, it was a lovely day. Did some good work at my internship and earned praises from my coworkers and boss and felt pretty accomplished and professional if you don't mind me saying! It was also kind of fun because I have to get some information from all the organizations in different countries throughout Europe, but I don't know the names of the contacts yet just their respective countries, so all of my drafts say "Dear France," "Dear Hungary," I should just leave it like that and see what happens. Maybe I'll get a bonjour and a baguette back from France! Oh the little things. Well that's all for now! Got over the hump day and now one more day of work until Amsterdam/Antwerp(Belgium)/Brussels weekend day trips! I'll leave you with some pictures to enjoy...tot ziens!

This little guy actually moves and rings the church bell every half hour in the little square right in Leuven-pretty cool huh?


There are two of these lions in the park that face the Royal Palace and I just think they are so funny! Here's my thought: England is normally represented by the lion right, and since England has historically been a European powerhouse, Belgium is trying to look tough by having these lions scared to see the Belgian state house. I thought it was insightful.


This is my little work station! It's not much but it is mine and it is in Belgium so I love it! I'm so official I even have my own company email address. That's right.


My first experience with Belgium chocolate! This is from Leonidas Chocolates...my plan is to try all the major chocolate places in Belgium and find out which is the best. I'm pretty excited to make this plan a reality.

My day in pictures

I'm a little bit lazy today, so I decided to just tell you what happened in my day in pictures! It's much more exciting that way anyways. Enjoy! Ciao!


I love Belgian lunches :)

I found this little gem and have already been three times! Hema is amazing. It's the Target of Belgium

Had to take a picture of the Belgian versions of HP...so cute! (note Eat Pray Love on the left too-neat!)

That's right doubters I joined the gym AND exercised there today. Side note, treadmills are not popular here. EVERYONE was on the ellipticals and bikes and not a single person was on the row of treadmills. I tentatively approached it and looked around to make sure someone wasn't going to shoot me or something when I stepped on. I bet I broke some unwritten rule or something-oh well.

I took this picture at 9pm-it stays light out for so long!

Ended the night watching a soccer game in the main square with hundreds of other Belgians! I wasn't sure if it was two Belgian teams or just one, but they all seemed happy that the blue stripped team won so yay for that! My friend Emily ordered a hot chocolate while we watched and they brought out a huge mug of hot milk and on the side was a chunk of delicious Belgian chocolate on a stick that you stirred into the milk-talk about delicious.

Well that's all for now! Good night!

Wandering around Leuven

My second day in Belgium was another success. After a lovely breakfast of warm baguettes with ham and cheese and a chocolate filled croissant (they are so heavenly I can't resist), I spent the rest of the day exploring Leuven! We decided to walk to the train station so I don't get lost tomorrow morning when I make the 20 minute trek to get to my internship in Brussels, and let me tell you it is a trek! Now I know why Belgium people don't get fat off of all of those pastries! Not only do I have to make that walk, but then I have to walk 20 minutes once I get to Brussels to get to the office I'm working at! Good thing the Lehigh hills have trained me...

Anyways, on the way back we stopped at a patesserie and enjoy a pastry that we didn't know how to pronounce and actually turned out to be not that great, but because we ate it outside on a Belgian walkway it was delightful. Then we spent the rest of the day just walking and exploring the city! There was a decathlon going on which we found out the hard way when a police officer blew his whistle at us and told us to stand back as four bikers whizzed by. THAT would have been a disaster. Leuven is a definitely a cool European city. It's not as glorious as Paris or London, but it has it's own secret charm and is definitely more family-friendly. The streets are cobblestone and every trip out involves at least a dozen stumbles and trips between our group, but I like it; the city has about 10 times more swagger because of those little medieval stones.

After our lovely walk I decided to explore the city on my own and went for an afternoon run. I was a little cocky and went out without a map or any sort of communication device thinking I knew the city after all the time I'd spent in it (a mere day and a half), andddd I got lost. Good news though, I ran probably about 7 miles trying to find my way back to our little institute. I didn't want to look like a lost American so I would casually pretend I was catching my breath (slash really was) and would desperately search for a street sign or monument that I knew. Most of the time I was out of luck. All the darn street signs are in Dutch/Flemish which I don't have the slightest idea how to read let alone pronounce, so they all look the same to me. Thankfully, after about 45 minutes, I saw a spire in the distance that belonged to the town hall building by my dorm; hallelujah! It was long and a little bit stressful, but I'd say the run was a success; getting lost is part of the journey right?

Belgian has been great so far and I am excited to see what my internship is like. I'm not gonna lie I'm a bit nervous (this is my first real job and all!). I wouldn't mind serving them coffee and making copies while I get my bearings straight, but I will suck it up and be ready for anything! I'll let you know what it's like tomorrow. Goede nacht!

Hello from Belgium!

Well the day has finally arrived and I am in Belgium!! After a six and a half hour plane ride, I arrived in Brussels International Airport at 740am and have just settled down in my lovely three story loft apartment. So European :) I love it here already in the quiet city that is just oozing with history. I'm exhausted since I didn't sleep on the plane (too excited!) but have to keep going strong and make it through the day! We have a great brunch planned for us before orientation and then have the rest of the day to explore the city. I think a little run is in order to get my bearings and enjoy all that Leuven has to offer! I'm going to try and update this a lot more often and keep track of what is sure to be an amazing stay in Europe! It's going to be amazing-I've never been on a trip for this long! I'm such a grown up :) Au revoir!

You know you're in Iowa when...

(Escaped cow causes traffic jam for two hours on local highway)

Cornfields and a Whole Lot of Nowhere

(The Freshies and me on our private charter...we're big time)


This must be what celebrities feel like. Wakeup, take a coach to the airport, hop on a private charter and fly to wherever your heart desires. No security, no waiting on runways, no baggage claim. Only drawback is we weren't headed to Bermuda, Hawaii, or Miami to enjoy the sunshine and golden beaches. No, we were headed to Des Moines, Iowa.

So far Iowa is pretty much what I expected Iowa to be: a lot of flat, barren land with really nice people. (It's fitting I guess that the first thing we saw of the state from the airplane window was miles and miles of cornfields) Although Berkeley, California was our OBVIOUS first choice, going to Iowa will definitely be an adventure and I can honestly say I probably would have never made it to the state if it wasn't for the NCAA tourney! For those who don't know, the Lehigh women's basketball team won the PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT last weekend (we goin dancin!) and now we are a 13 seed in the NCAA tourney to face 4 seed Iowa State on their home court in Ames, Iowa. HIstory and Vegas odds say we're going to lose big, but did anyone watch the men's games yesterday? 13 seed Murray State beat 4 seed Vanderbilt in the afternoon, AND THEN 14 seed Ohio beat 3 seed Georgetown. Foreshadowing anyone?? I think so. As long as we come out, play our hardest, and earn some respect for the Patriot League in front of Iowa State's 13000 fans, I'll be happy. A win wouldn't be too tough to swallow either though. Let's go LUWB!