Cozying In.

Well there are obviously a thousand million things to tell you about since the last post. We've moved into our apartments, explored our neighborhoods, and started classes. So I guess this note will go somewhat in that order.

I live in a mainly residential area about 10 Metro minutes from our campus. My house has many stories. I'm not really sure how many there are, but if you just keep climbing stairs until you can't anymore, you get to my apartment. I have more roommates than I expected, and their nationalities were a surprise as well. There is one German girl, one Italian girl, two Spanish girls, and then the three of us. Yes, boys, they are single.

Our kitchen is a sort of patchwork of all of our tastes. We each have a few shelves of our own, and you can pick out the American ones easily. They contain peanut butter and, in general, many more things. I'm still learning the European style of buying ingredients the day you intend to use them.

In fact, I'm still learning lots of things about grocery shopping in Belgium. Even more than at home, I spend most of my time in the produce section. There are all kinds of new fruits and vegetables to try, or just to try to figure out. For some reason, all the sweet potatoes come only Calle-sized. Cucumbers are arm-sized, regular potatoes are tiny, and squashes are nowhere to be found.

There is a small gourmet shop near my apartment, with the prettiest veggies you've ever seen, plus plenty of tasty cheeses, nice olive oils, and fresh quiches. It is a much more traditional type of place. When I walk in, the old man who owns it comes out from behind the counter and gathers together whatever I ask him for. He doesn't know it yet, but I think we will be best friends forever.

The selection of green edibles isn't the only reason why this area is perfect for me. There are also four parks within about a half mile of my house, and they are all perfect for running. They are also good for dog watching. Belgians love their chiens, which are most often tiny and fluffy, and they take them everywhere. Even right past the "no dogs" sign at the entrance to the mall.

Hmm. It should come as no surprise to you that I am up too late and have class early in the morning. So I'll stop now, with a promise that tomorrow I will tell you about the real gem of my neighborhood and what it's like to take classes at Vesalius. And undoubtedly, I'll have something more to say about food.

Such as: I could really go for a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup right now. The choco-PB combination doesn't exist here :-(