The One Where Liz is an Intern

The program I am on in Brussels has three main features. 1) Academics - where Dr. Jerry Sheridan, of tour guide fame, teaches us everything we ever needed to know about the EU. 2) Lots of traveling - where Jerry takes us out of the class room and shows us all the things we have been learning about (like the European Parliament and NATO). He also takes us to some pretty sweet places that aren't exactly kosher (don't tell Mom that I'm going to the Balkans in April). And 3) an Internship - where we go out and learn all about being real people. 

My internship is at the Ecole Royale Militaire (or Royal Military Academy). I am working with the World Politics/Conflict Studies department, and my job consists of researching defense education in Europe. This is a pretty sweet deal all around, since I'm considering going into defense/security studies. Also, the RMA is about 10 minutes from my house and the campus is really beautiful. There should be more updates on this soon, as tomorrow is my first day of work! I just wanted to let you know what I'm up to, especially since I've been a little lax about keeping up with the blogging. Hopefully that will change as I start to really settle down in Brussels, but with all the traveling and studying ;) going on, I'm still a little busy!

Beautiful Bruges

Since Belgium is a very small country, we get to travel around to all the different cities. First up was Bruges. Bruges used to be a bustling port city, until all the rivers silted up and boats couldn't get there anymore. However, it is probably one of the most beautiful cities (towns?) I have ever been in. Lots of cute little canals, which you can apparently tour by boat a la Venice, and beautiful scenery. Jerry, our program director and professor extraordinaire, led out little tour group around and told us lots of fascinating stories about the place. 

Apparently Bruges was the site of a very famous battle between the French and the Flemish, in which a small army of Flemish peasants killed a whole bunch of French knights. The date of this battle is still the national day of Flanders and there is a giant statue of the leaders of the rebellion in the town square. No wonder there is linguistic conflict in Belgium, eh? Anyway, there is a plethora of beautiful buildings around Bruges, all with their own unique history. We saw one of the only Michelangelo statues outside Italy, of Mary and Jesus as a boy. There is also apparently a piece of cloth that has the blood of Christ on it, which dates from the Crusades. So, long story short, we learned a lot about history and saw a very beautiful city.

Now on to the really important stuff, what we ate! I had my first belgian waffle in Bruges and it completely lived up to my expectations - fresh strawberries and creme and pure deliciousness. After we had lunch we had to work off all of the calories so we climbed the bell tower. We timed our ascent just right, so we reached the top just as the bells started to ring. It was quite loud! After that we decided that the traditional fare of Frites (fries) was in order. My friend Trent and I were adventurous and had ours with mayonnaise (which is traditional), and I have to say that it was actually quite tasty. It was also warm, which was nice because the temperature outside was frigid. And we capped our little trip off with a nice Belgian beer, brewed in Bruges. The beer was good, but we were really confused because they only had bottled beer and we thought that in a brewery they would have at least one beer on tap! 

I might end up back in Bruges in the next couple of years, because the College of Europe is located there. The College of Europe is like the Harvard of the European Union, so if I can swing it maybe I'll head back this way for grad school! Not a bad place to spend a year studying, at any rate.

Welcome to Brussels

Well, I have spent a week in Brussels and I have to say it is fantastic. The weather leaves a little to be desired, but it is significantly warmer than the weather at home so I guess I don't have a lot of room to complain. Most of the first week has been a crash course in Brussels and I have learned so much I don't think I can remember all of it. That being the case, I will give you a little taste of what I have been up to since I left.

• Getting Here: I was the last person from the program to arrive in Brussels on Friday afternoon, however I did make it on time. As I said in my last post, I was quite relieved to make it with all of my luggage. That was because I had a very tight turn around in London, made even tighter by the fact that my plane from Dublin left 30 minutes late. Anyway, after arriving in London I had to collect my luggage (thankfully only 1 bag), make my way from Terminal 4 to Terminal 5 via the train, recheck my luggage onto British Airways, clear security and board the plane. To give you some idea of how close I was cutting this, my flight from Dublin didn't land until 10:40 and I had exactly 1 hour to check my bag or it wouldn't make the flight to Brussels. Miracle of miracles, I accomplished all of this and made it to the gate in London with 15 minutes to spare. 
• Touring Brussels: On Friday night we had a welcome dinner with Dr. Sheridan, the program director, which was very nice even if the food was questionable. Afterwards some of us headed out for some Belgian beer, which hit the spot after a long day traveling. Saturday morning, we woke up and began a full day of acquainting ourselves to the program and Brussels. We learned all about living with Belgian families and what to expect from the program. Then, we walked around Brussels for several hours with Dr. Sheridan acting as our tour guide. We visited the Grand Place, the Manneken Pis and several other touristy areas in old-town. The tour was interesting, but I was glad to get back to the hotel and get out of the cold.
• Living with Belgians:  Our host families met us at the hotel to take us home on Saturday night. I live with another student, Hilary, with a very nice family. Marc-Henri and Anne are the parents, and they have two daughters around our age who are away at school. We live at Montgomery Square, in an adorable house (pictures soon) that is halfway between downtown and the campus. We eat dinner with the family 3 times per week and have breakfast at home every morning. Belgian food is very good, if a little heavy, and Anne is a very good cook. Hilary and I live in the basement of the house, which is basically one long apartment separated by curtains. We have our own kitchen and bathroom, as well as a private entrance. Down the street from our apartment is a shopping district where we go to buy food. There is a grocery store, but I love going to all the specialty stores. There is a bread store, a fruit/veg store, a cheese store, a wine store. The list goes on, but needless to say, it is all fantastic. 
• Class? Yes, I am actually taking classes in Belgium. As much I wish I could just travel and eat and go to museums, I have to actually learn while I am here. The main focus of this program is the European Union, which means I'm a very happy camper. Dr. Sheridan is amazing! He knows so much about Belgium and the EU that I don't think we'll ever be bored. We also get to take a class on European Defense, which I great for me since I've been thinking about getting into that field. All in all this semester is a great opportunity to explore, expand my knowledge and enjoy Europe. There is also an internship that goes with the program, but I don't know where I'll be working yet. I have 4 interviews this week, so keep your fingers crossed that I land something good.
  
• Obama-mania!! Just in case anyone missed the memo, there was a little presidential inauguration last week. While most of my friends froze to death on the National Mall to be there in person, here in Brussels we watched from an American bar on Place Luxembourg next to the European Parliament. I have to say it was much warmer there that DC! I thought President Obama gave a great speech, and I'm quite excited to see what he does in the months to come. I'm also excited because there is a rumor going around that the new President will make his way to Brussels sometime this spring. Maybe the AU Brussels program will be invited for a little meet and greet? Well, it doesn't hurt to hope!

Well, I think that is all for now. I miss everyone so much and I wish you could all come here to visit me. I hope all is well at home! 

Je suis arrivé

This will be a very short post as I am still very tired and about to fall asleep. However, I wanted to let you all know that I arrived safely in Brussels, and (with a series of minor miracles) made it with all of my luggage. Yesterday was a very long day (stops in Dublin and London) but I was relieved to finally make it to the hotel, get a hot shower and reward myself with a pint of Belgian beer. So, I am alive, albeit tired and very cold. 

Off to Europe...Again!

In a week and a half, I'm headed back to Europe! This time I'll be in Brussels, participating in an enclave program and doing an internship. I don't know yet where I'll be working or living, but I'll be sure to update that once I arrive. My goal is to post to the blog once a week, to keep everyone updated on what I'm doing and where I've been. The Brussels program involves a lot of travel, so I'm hoping to keep the blog updated with pictures and reactions! Check back after the 16th for my thoughts on Brussels and being back in Europe.