An Introduction to Belgium Life (Re-Post)

Classes start tomorrow. That should be interesting.

We spent the last two days wandering around the city, trying to get our bearings on everything, and getting into a routine. Supermarkets really don't exist here in Brussels; you have smaller shops and stores that will have a very limited selection of general goods. We realized that people generally go to the store everday or every other day and just get what they need for the next days meals. We made two trips yesterday to get supplies and cooked spaghetti with caesar salads and actual french bread from the local bakery. Tonight I cooked everyone burritos (you have no idea how hard it is to find Mexican food supplies. Jalapenos are non existent). Just to hit on how much Belgians like french fries, there is an entire aisle in most marts dedicated to a selection of French fries.

I had a pretty long conversation with our landlord Gert (pronounced Hert). He was very curious about who I was and where I came from. He obviously followed American politics as he was well versed in almost every major current political agenda of Obama and his administration. He got so excited about hearing my own personal opinions of world views. He is an artist and a professor at a local college.

Belgium is currently undergoing record breaking winter conditions. It has continually snowed on and off since I landed and snow banks have begun to pile up all over the city. Generally Belgium gets no more than an inch a week but some places have gotten over a foot in 3 days and the average lows are breaking history recorded lows. I love running in the snow. Nils (one of my roommates) and I started the string of our P90X workout today and running in the cold is a great way to cool down afterwards. There is a basilica probably 200 yards away from our apartment that has somewhere around a twenty acre park in front of it. The park will probably serve as my running course for most of the time I'm here. I did venture out into the city earlier today on a run and its very easy to get turned around still if you're by yourself.

Until next time,

Thomas