La Nourriture

School is keeping me pretty busy right now, but it's going on hold for a second because I've had a special request for another blog post.

This one's for you, Dad (and anyone else who's interested).

My parents went to Italy last May and with two of my mom's good friends from college. When asked about their experience when they came home, my dad's go-to line was, "I loved being able to eat without fear."
Of course he loved other things too, but the food was definitely a highlight. The same is true for Belgium. I kind of excepted the food to be less than satisfactory for some reason. I guess I thought not eating Chic-fil-A and Mexican food for a semester would be borderline torturous. Thankfully, I was wrong because Belgians are really good at food.

You've got the specialty items: chocolate, waffles and frittes (fries). They are well known for a reason. They rock.

I eat chocolate nearly everyday. It never gets old since there are so many varieties. Even the chocolate in the vending machines on campus is gourmet. I'll try not to be obnoxious about it when I come home, but I don't think Hershey's is going to cut it anymore.

If you're familiar with Parks and Rec, you know how much Leslie Knope loves waffles. Well, I like everything about Leslie Knope and I also like everything about waffles.

I'm convinced she would love Brussels (if she wasn't a fictional character).
There are two types of waffles here. Brussels waffles and Liege waffles. Liege waffles are easier to find because they're sold from waffle trucks on the street. Your options are chocolate sauce and whipped cream. I've tried both (obviously) and I'm a big fan of each.
Brussels waffles are much lighter. They kind of taste like funnel cake- but you feel far less fat and disgusting after you eat one. So that's a plus!

Frittes. Holy cow. So good. I crave frittes on a daily basis. French fries are actually a Belgian creation, not a French one. French refers to the way the potatoes are cut, so that's where the confusion comes from. Belgians are very proud of their frittes, as they should be. Frittes are made fresh to order, served in a paper cone and drenched in sauce. Most people choose mayo, but samurai sauce (basically just a spicy mayo) is also excellent.

Final thoughts: I've enjoyed all of the other food I've had here too, (especially at the 11 course Belgian food tasting) but I won't bore you with those details. Although I look forward to devouring some chicken minis and chips and queso in a few months, I'm loving the food here. So here's to eating without fear. Bon appetit, my friends!

In Between

Hello my friends! Here's an unconventional study abroad update. I wrote it just for you.

So sometimes life is really spectacular and you travel to France with your friends over the weekend and you try macarons for the first time and you can't wait to write home* about it.

*send your parents an email

Other times life is kind of tough. You get drenched in the Belgian rain and class can be annoying and you realize you are missing out on a lot of Thunder basketball. Not the end of the world I realize, but still, these not-so-fun things happen sometimes.

For the most part though, life is right in between spectacular and tough. This "in between" thing is my favorite- in the U.S. and especially here in Belgium. This sense of normalcy means I've adjusted to a new way of life in a brand new place. Pretty cool.

Today is the epitome of a great "in between" day for me.
The sun came out!
I learned that the Dutch word for cereals is ridiculous- it's ontbíjtgranen, if you were curious.
I took my first French test.
I got mail from friends. (s/o to Maggie T., J.J., Jake and Daniel for that one!)
Plus there was some studying, bus riding and errand running on the agenda today too.

Most of that is normal and uninteresting.
That's okay though because when things don't move too fast, it's easier to remember to take everything in, even the small stuff, and be thankful.

Bruzzfeed: 5 reasons why living in Brussels makes me feel like a clueless American (and lots of reasons why I’m totally okay with it)

1. Simple tasks become incomprehensibly challenging.

Opening doors, doing laundry, ordering food, typing and distinguishing the difference between lotion and body wash have tripped me up at some point, but being denied a baguette and a beer all in the same day for seemingly no reason keeps you humble, you know? Also it keeps you laughing. Laughing really hard actually.

2. Walking is working out.

For most Europeans, walking a lot is totally normal, but evidentially for me it’s a brand new adventure. After fighting off a toe infection for the first two weeks, I’m finally walking limp-free around this part of the world.  Who actually gets a toe infection from walking too much though? My life is the weirdest.

3. My age is a mystery.

In an attempt to speak French, I butchered the pronunciation and told people on multiple occasions “I am 11 years old”- hence this blog’s title. On a separate occasion, I actually got carded here, meaning I looked under the age of 18 to the bouncer. Rough. Don’t worry though. Even though I left my license at home that night, my Mobib public transportation card proves that I am neither 11 nor 17.  Dodged that bullet.

4. Interacting with non-Americans is a daily struggle.

I’m making an effort to blend in, but despite my effort to actually read the public transportation etiquette brochure and learn basic cultural differences, I am so obviously American, it hurts.

-In Lille, France today: “Where are you traveling from?” “Norman, OklahomaBrussels.”

Because OklahomaBrussels is a place. I panicked. Clearly.

-In a Brussels shoe store: “What size shoe are you?” “Ummmmmmm 7.5 in the U.S. so that means you’re just going to have to take a wild guess.” Annoying customer at your service. Sorry, lady.

-Also saying sí instead of oui or yes because speaking Spanish in a French/Dutch speaking country makes perfect sense.

5. Congratulating Belgians on their awesome jobs is super rewarding.

I’ve never met any train conductors or chocolatiers in the States. These lucky Belgians need to know how cool their lives are and I’ve taken it upon myself to help them realize this.

I expect this list to grow all semester. I’m totally okay with it and I hope you are too.

Lots of love from your favorite Belgian wannabe. Au revoir, or something.