I made it! I have to say, after several months spent applying for the program, obtaining a visa, packing, and worrying, I am so relieved to finally be here!
On January 11 at 4 pm I departed for Amsterdam. They said the flight was full, but they were wrong and I was actually lucky enough to have an open seat next to me. It was also one of those nice planes with the TV in the back of the seat in front of you. I listened to my brand new i-pod, watched Man on Wire (A really interesting documentary about the man that walked a tightrope strung between the two towers of the World Trade Center), and even slept a little bit.
I arrived at Amsterdam at about 5:20 AM in Amsterdam time. Despite all my worries, I made it through immigration and customs without any problems, and made it to my gate by about 6 AM. I killed time reading magazines and studying my Eurojargon before my flight took off at 9:20.
I arrived at Brussels and easily found my way to baggage claim, through customs, and to the taxi stand. I made it to the hotel without any problem, and met up for lunch with the people in program. After lunch, we walked over to a nearby cell phone store and I picked up a new sim card and got my cell phone working!
I was incredibly surprised at how little hand holding there is in my program. My understanding (and that of the others in the program), was that we would arrive and our program director would take us under her wing and show us the ropes. In fact, she arrived, paid for our welcome lunch, handed us a folder, and basically said she would see us Wednesday morning for our first activity. We are alone left to figure out public transportation, bank accounts, food, and figure out the French language. This circumstance makes me feel incredibly vulnerable. At the same time, the 6 others in my program are experiencing the same thing and we are figuring it out together.
After the program director left, I hung out with the girls in the hotel. We decided that we would attempt to stay away for the remainder of the day to adjust to our new home. Then we got changed and hit up the neighborhood to grab some dinner.
As we walked around, I was amazed at how charming Brussels is. Every building is beautiful, pretty lights decorated the streets, and I spent almost the entire night walking on cobblestone. It’s very nice!
The girls and I hunted around until we finally found a tavern within our price range. We went in, and for our first time in Brussels no one spoke a word of English. While it was a little bit intimidating to be so out of our element, it was also nice to know that we had at least found a place that the locals go! We spent some times there talking and getting to know each other. Overall, I feel really good about the group that I am with. I am especially happy that we all seem to put the same emphasis on budgeting, and understand that travel is more important then food.
On the way back we stopped at a grocery store to buy water. After spending 24 hours restricting my liquid intake in order to avoid using the airplane bathrooms, it felt so wonderful to start guzzling the giant bottle of water I bought. It was cheap, too!
We have nothing scheduled for tomorrow, so the plan is to wake up and eat a big breakfast and go see the sights. I am really excited to see the Grand Place, and Mannequin Pis. The girls and I are also determined to teach ourselves some French. Most people that I have encountered so far speak at least a little bit of English, but the French language is so beautiful, and being unable to understand their gorgeous conversations makes me feel a bit like an outsider.
Wednesday is orientation at Vesalius College, Thursday is a visit to Parliament, and Friday we move into our permanent housing, so I have a very busy week ahead of me. Now it is time for sleep.
Au Revoir!
Emily
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