A day like this one two years ago, I was boarding Continental Airlines at 5am in the morning to catch a connecting flight in Newark, New Jersey with the final destination of Brussels, Belgium. It was my first time flying so far. Then, I had only crossed a sea to Dominican Republic and territorial states to New Jersey or Miami. On May 24th, 2008 I crossed the Atlantic Ocean. And while I thought the 8-hour plane ride was going to seem like forever I kept myself entertained with writing in my journal, watching Step Up 2 and episodes of Friends, and catching some much-needed sleep on the plane.
Upon arrival to the francophone- and Flemish- speaking country, I did not know what to expect. Yet, excitement overrode the fact that I could not read any of the signs and thankfully, I flew with some of my fellow study “abroaders” and we guided each other to our baggage and a taxi. As soon as we left the airport, I grabbed my camera out of my purse and began to capture La belle ville di Bruxelles. But what I could not grasp with the lens of my camera, I grasped in memory, in awe, and in gratification.
Instead of giving you a long day-by-day synopsis of the time that I spent in Brussels, I will keep it short and sweet, highlighting only the most heart-touching details of my 7-week expedition.
Living in a European-style apartment with three other fabulous girls brings me a smile every time I reminisce. It is amazing how in such a short time period the bond that formed between us four was so strong and so deep. Going to school together Monday through Thursday, sharing one shower, and taking trips to other European countries on the weekends, being 100 of miles away from home, it was inevitable for us to become inseparable almost like sisters. Plus the fact that we were four girls with problems, boy issues, and the need to be listened to, we depended on each other for comfort, for advice, for laughs, for support, for love. And yes, we all cried at some point, at different points, but you can assure we were always there for each other. It was the night we watched Titanic in our living room with French and Flemish subtitles that I realized how important these three individuals in my life were, how much I had learned from each one of them, and how grateful I was to have met them and undergo this experience with them.
Ok, enough sappiness for now. On to the scandalous part of the trip that college students look mostly forward to studying abroad: the nightlife and alcohol! Five simple words: Beer capital of the world! Our most visited spot of our trip was Delirium- a bar that carries over 2,000 beers from Belgium and all over the world!! My personal favorite: Chimay Beer <3 face="trebuchet ms">
-Amsterdam- Tempted to buy crocs, I refrained and instead enjoyed the sites of the multicolored apartments, smelled the fish from the nearby ocean, and paid my respect to Anne Frank in her former house.
-Paris- In La Ville-Lumière" ("The City of Light"), I played the role of a typical tourist: I visited the Louvre, ate a mouthwatering nutella filled Crepe, road a boat on the beautiful River Seine, and embraced my religious side inside the Notre Dame.
-Versailles- I endeavored in a roadtrip with one of my roommates and two friends we made in Belgium and had a marvelous weekend visiting the Palace of Versailles, feeling like the monarch family when the Palace played 15th century royal music, and drank wine in the backyard of an antiquated horse carriage home.
Oh Europe, this continent is something else! So much history, rich in a diversity of cultures, and so much to see and do! Seven weeks was definitely not enough.
And Belgium…with its rain, its sporadic sunlight and warmth, its warm frites (fun fact: French fries were actually invented by Belgians not the French; and apparently the Belgians love to eat with an excess amount of mayonnaise...yuck...fattening), its unfamiliar-to-me 10pm sundown, cheap Turkish durums, my group’s newly discovered love for andalouse sauce, dripping chocolate Belgium waffles, its scenic Grand Place, was my lovely home for 7 weeks. I learned so much about myself. Studying abroad unraveled my curiosity to further expose myself to foreign situations and learn French. It further confirmed my passion in International Relations. I made such great friends.
Till this day, two years later, time has not been an impairment to the friendships I built. Although we are in different parts of the world, the connection we have built is too special and valuable to simply serve as a memory. We all dream about one day when we are all rich and well-off of reuniting in the Grand Place at a table in Delirium just like the good old times :)
~Dedicated to my Venezuelan partner-in-crime otherwise known as French Fries, to the hot blond that taught me the value of relationships, the lovely Frenchie roommate that provided me with her smile and shoulder when I cried, to the sexy Indian that joined me in the AM hours of dancing, to the the crazy Jewish sorority girl that made us all laugh, to the smart Art lover, to the European lawyer-loving fashionista, to the labor unity Socialist follower, to the sexy European Wannabe with his bright colored shirts, to the intelligent Wikipedia and Marlins #1 fan, to the Italian Jew that held every girl’s arm at some point,
And to the rest of our friends in Belgium… I miss you all.
And I can't forget, to my mother. She encouraged me to embark on this journey from the very beginning. Thank YOU!
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