First Impressions.

Hallo! So we have been in Brussels for about three days now, and we've finally overcome the jetlag (mostly). It seems like time to give you some initial thoughts on this funny city.

Brussels is very small, but it is incredibly diverse in both its people and its places. All Belgians study Dutch, French, and maybe some German in school, because those are the country's national languages. To get by and get hired in Brussels, though, they also must learn English. It's amazing to see so many people who can so quickly switch their brains from one language to another to another without much trouble at all. I've seen shopkeepers, servers, and students all do it equally well. While I do get a little jealous of their abilities, I try to convert that to motivation to practice my French.

There is also a huge non-Belgian population here, about 25% of the total. The largest of those groups come from France, Italy, Morocco, Portugal, and some other places that I can't remember. We hear all sorts of languages and accents around us every day. Ceej has even picked out some Swahili.

Having all of those people living in one city means that there is a real variety of restaurants, neighborhoods, and architecture here. On our bus tour yesterday, we saw a Japanese pagoda and a Chinese house, both of which were bought by the former king when he admired them during trips. Other buildings around the city were done in either Gothic, neo-Gothic, or neo-classical styles, depending on their age and what country was ruling this area at the time. There are even huge remnants of the wall that encircled Brussels centuries ago.

But right next to all those pretty things are lots of broken down apartment buildings, cranes that don't seem to move from day to day, and bowling alleys with neon signs. There are also plenty of cigarette butts and Haribo wrappers littering the ground. And it rains most days, or is at least cloudy, which doesn't help the image much.

Some days I might wake up and be a bit grumbly about the grey outside. But I think then I'll just find the nearest cafe, buy myself one of those delicious European coffees and a speculoos, and wander over to the Grande Place. How could that not cheer anyone up?

Speaking of food... let's talk about that. So far, I have enjoyed my meals here better than those in Paris. We found a wonderful place called Exki that serves lots of cheap, vegetabley, declicious things. Of course, they also have some nice desserts. I had a cheesecake (hi Mike) with a speculoos crust. Speculoos, a Belgian specialty, are a crunchy cookie that tastes like a mix between a gingersnap, a Teddy Graham, and a molasses cookie. I think they're made with cinnamon and brown sugar.

In truth, though, I'm getting a little tired of always eating out, which is an annoyingly long process here. So I'll be glad to move into my apartment tomorrow, along with two other girls from my program, one French student, one Belgian student, and one Spanish student. It sounds just like my favorite French movie, L'Auberge Espagnole (The Spanish Apartment). Rent it!

I've been writing from the computer lab of our tiny little college, which consists of about three buildings. But our professor is going home for the night, so it's time to pack up. I'll write more soon!

Love,
Allie