Bruxelles et Moi

My hostel room

 This past weekend I went to Brussels, Belgium, which is such a cool city. I went solo because none of my friends could join, but it turned out to be completely fine and I still enjoyed myself a lot. I left Saturday morning by train (a 4.5 hour ride!) and arrived in Brussels around 1 PM. I took the metro from the train station to my hostel and checked in immediately. I stayed in a four person room for females only and I was the first to arrive. In the office of the hostel, I found a map of Brussels made by a company called UseIt. It was super cool because it told all about the different things to do there and highlighted certain activities and places to go. It even pointed out which things were "tourist classics" and which were more off the beaten path. I used this map to make a list of all the things I wanted to see and do that weekend, then was off.

Great view!

I wandered around for the rest of the day, just exploring the city. I saw the Mannequin Pis, probably Brussels' most iconic landmark, and the Grand Place with it's amazing architecture. I tasted the frites* and of course the waffles, a few different Belgian beers and, last but never least, the chocolate! All of these were absolutely fantastic and the goodies alone were worth the entire trip.

le Mannequin Pis

*Fun fact, "French fries" actually originated in Belgium and should therefore be called "Belgian fries!"



I went was in bed by 11 PM because I was so exhausted from traveling that day and I wanted to get a good start in the morning. When I fell asleep, I was still the only person occupying the room, but when I awoke the three other beds were all occupied. One of the girls packed up and left early, but I introduced myself to the other two as we were all getting around. It turned out that they were both teaching assistants in Metz, France, one teaching English and the other teaching Italian. We went to breakfast together and they introduced me to three more Americans as well and I ended up spending the day with them. I believe now that I was destined to meet them, because it turned out that most of them had done a ton of traveling, one having worked for the Peace Corps, another who did Teach for America, and one who is pre-med (like me!) but has already done a ton of traveling and has a dream of seeing every country in the world (like me!). I was absolutely shocked at the coincidence but also very happy for it. Meeting these people made me realize that I do have the time and the resources to do all the things I have dreamed of doing, which helped me to feel more relaxed and yet more excited about my future. This was more than I ever dreamed of gaining from a random weekend in Brussels traveling solo.

The Cathedral

The cinema for indie films

GODIVA. 'Nough said.

The rest of my time in Brussels I continued to spend wandering around and seeing what there was to see and trying what there was to try. Other highlights were a local flea market, a cool toy museum, a comic strip exhibit (also something I didn't know originated in Belgium), a campy independent film, and the Atomium, all of which were quite amusing. All in all it was a fun, quirky, and eye-opening weekend in more ways than one. I was very proud of myself for being able to travel on my own and now I feel as if I could take on the world if I had to, which is a most wonderful feeling.

WAFFLES

Grand Place

Sweet street performers

In other news, classes are going well. I did an exposé in my oral expression class today, a presentation on Doctors Without Borders, which went fantastically! I didn't even shake but just turned a little red! I had to share that really quick because I was quite excited about it... Classes are kind of a breeze yet I still learn a lot, which in my opinion are the best kind of classes to have. I know that my French has improved a lot, although my confidence in it seems to go up and down from week to week. This week I am on top thankfully, but we

shall see how long that lasts. I guess that is just how it goes when learning a another language. It can be really frustrating when you are trying to get a point across, yet the only words that come to mind are in English and you can't for the life of you just spit it out. In contrast however, it is one of the most elating feelings when you realize that you are actually thinking in French and it is flowing fairly smoothly from your very own lips. I can honestly say that coming to France and studying the language here has become one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, if not the most rewarding thus far.


Well getting down off my soapbox now... I shall write again when I have another exciting adventure under my belt, which should be soon because this weekend I am off to Dublin! Yay! And this time I will be with two good friends so it ought to be a blast. Until next time! *BISE*