Half Tourist/ Half So Not Yet A Local

September 14, 2014

Half Tourist/ Half So Not Yet A Local

My Friend Angela walking through Brussels' City Center

The past few days have been a bit of a blur. I've met up with a fellow American and BSIS student, Angela, who arrived in Brussels on the same day I did. We've been going to down the list of things that need to be done in order to secure our residence. We've gotten local bank accounts, visited Kent's building, gotten Belgian phone numbers, and found a few necessary stores to help the moving process. The other day we found a couple stores that, like a Target, had every day necessary items, clothes, household items, and organizational things, at decent prices. Staring at a wall of decently priced lotions and beauty products we finally felt we could make it here.

But all of the to-do-lists meant that we basically stayed in our neighborhood of Etterbeek ("Eh-ter-beck"). Angela lives closer to the school so one of us is always walking to the other's place. It's lots of walking and a great way to discover the residential neighborhoods.

Yesterday, Saturday, we went on a City and Chocolate Tour. Our very touristy afternoon was great!!! I finally saw the Grande Place. So much different architecture in one square! Baroque, French Classical, etc. There were two symphonies in the Place. One was playing while the other waited to get started. It was quite surreal when the first symphony finished their set with the "Theme from Star Wars". The rest of the tour was all by bus. We drove by many places that I want to go back to and explore more fully. Like St. Michaels cathedral and St. Anne's where the royal family is buried. And of course the Royal Museum of Fine Arts and the Atomium. On the tour, I found out that Brussels' Arc du Triomph is just blocks from my apartment! So I got to walk there this morning and explore the park a little more.

The tour ended at Zaabar Chocolate Factory. Was so lovely! They gave us free samples and hot chocolate spiced with chai! So yum. They had several walls of chocolate with different spices and flavors. Including jasmine, lavender and violet, some of my favorites. I also liked the chocolate with sage and the chocolate with chili pepper. That one had a kick to it.

On the tour we met some other Americans. A couple from California, near Los Angeles, that were traveling Europe for her fiftieth birthday. And three guys from Virginia who had been traveling in Scotland and England. It's very weird to meet people for the first time and form instant friendships. I think in traveling, there's a fun sense of adventure that makes you aware of your vulnerability. You have to trust people and things around you because you are essentially at their mercy. When not in your home environment or one you know well, you no longer have the outward structures of security. Your car, your home, your neighborhood, your automatic knowledge of how things are done or where things are. Traveling strips that all away and it's just you and your backpack and your ability to roll with the punches and opportunities that fling themselves at you. So travelers tend to form quick bonds. At least in my experience. The way we started talking with Eddie and Gina, the couple from California, is that they some mini churros type thing covered in chocolate. When I asked them where they got them, they insisted Angela and I share it with them. Which we did! I don't know about you, but I don't share food with strangers at public events in the States. Of course, you still exercise caution and you trust your gut, no matter if you have evidence for it's messages or not. But that's been the greatest part of traveling. I may never see those people again, probably not. But we had a great time and lots of laughs. I hope the rest of their journeys continue to be amazing and fun. Those five people made our day even better. I know it sounds like I'm gushing about the people. I think I'm more gushing about the experience. But the people were amazing too. Lets be real.