Back in the Saddle...

Back in the city...
It's been over 3 weeks since returning to Canada and the differences are becoming clear the more time I spend here. On one hand, it is so nice to be home, but there are some things that I miss about being in Belgium.

One thing that I love about being home is having friends and family a phone call away! It is so nice to be able to hop in the car and meet up with friends, get together with them for supper, see new homes, renovations and paint jobs and just be all around more social. That was the hardest thing about living so far away - not being close to the people I care so much about.

As I am now mooching off of friends the last few weeks, I am most excited about moving into my new apartment. I move on May 2nd to a huge apartment that I deserve. After living in a shoebox the last 6 months, it is going to be overwhelming to live in such a huge place (3 bedroom in Clayton Park). It is going to be like Christmas opening all the boxes that I haven't seen in so long and now I wonder what I was thinking packing and keeping all my old belongings. There are a few things that I miss (hairdryer, curling iron, green tshirt), but I really don't remember the stuff that 6 months ago I felt I couldn't live without.

As for Brussels, I miss my good friend Alison, a girlfriend who was up for absolutley anything any day of the week, I miss the bakery (although I've been doing alot of baking since I've gotten home), the language and most of all, the subway. I see the Metro Transit busses chugging along through the city and wonder how I am going to adjust to waiting at a bus stop for a slow moving bus that runs on a schedule, ugh! When taking the subway, it ultimately runs on your schedule since it comes every 4 minutes or so. If you miss the first one, the next is very close behind!

Living away was a great experience that I am happy I have accomplished. Many people say "Happy to be home?" and I reply "yes, very happy"....in saying that, most people think I couldn't have lasted another day away - not necessarily. As being home for a bit now, I could go back in a second and make a life there comfortably (never permanently), but would still miss the same things as before - mostly friends and family. Therefore, I am in a place now that will make and keep me happy!

I advise anyone who has the opportunity to live in another country (even for a short period of time) to take advantage of that. It was so interesting to experience the day to day life of another culture. Perhaps I would have been happier in a place where it didn't rain everyday, but I enjoyed every moment of it and shed a tear when leaving. When we were packing, Dylan asked "Are you going to miss this apartment?" and I said "Nope, not even a little" and I was right, the apartment I will never miss, but the lifestyle, culture and experiences, I do miss. I also had a little cry saying goodbye to Alison (although she may not have noticed). It was sad saying goodbye to my 'partner in crime' for the last 6 months. Although I come back to some great friends, she made my overseas experience unforgettable!

It is a different life for me here and the biggest difference is having a car again (or the availability of a car). I never depended on a vehicle while being away - I walked everywhere and didn't think anything of it. I would put on my raincoat, grab my umbrella and purse and head out (even if it wasn't raining, best to take the umbrella anyway because chances are that it will rain in a very short period of time). Having a vehicle, I do what all the citizens of HRM do - hop in the car and get shit done. Drop into the superstore to pick up some extra things, head to the mall to browse, go to the bank - it is impossible to live without a vehicle here and now that I'm not living downtown, I can't imagine not having one. With the prices of gas (1.32/L now), it is so expensive to drive, and although it is suggested that people use public transportation, it is hard to imagine depending on it no matter what the cost of gas is.

So - to sum things up - I am definatley happy to be home and will be happier once I get my own space and unpack. I do miss Brussels and the whole European experience as a whole, but I think that I am better off on my own stomping grounds and start to make my life here. After spending two weeks at home in Sydney and a week in Halifax, I now know for sure that this is where I am supposed to be and am excited to get settled! Too bad it's raining today though...

My Love and Hate lists of Belgium

Well, the day has come that we are packing and leaving our European adventure behind us.....
It was a great 6 months, but we are both anxious to get home and continue on with our lives with our families and friends back in Nova Scotia. I have compiled a top ten list for all the best and worst things about my life here - hope you enjoy!
(the pic is of the monument at Parc Cinquentenaire which is right across the street from my apt)

Top Ten Worst Things about living in Belgium:

10. Not having a car and travelling underground on the subway - I've probably only seen about 20% of the city because I just pop up like a groundhog to the places I want to go.

9. Having to find things in a grocery store with no English (ex. when I couldn't find flour, I asked someone in French for "fleur" and they pointed me towards the plant section....flour is farine)

8. Belgian drivers - they are friggin nuts! Watch yourself in a crosswalk because you might get run over!

7. Dutch TV/subtitles/French TV - we only have 1 full English channel - BBC1

6. Belgian manners (they are lacking) - cutting lines, butting in front of you on the metro, rude salesclerks....etc.

5. People begging for money with baby's in their arms - women sit on the side of the road with their babies beggin all passersby for money "pour mon bebe"!

4. Shelf milk - yuck!

3. Living in a small apartment with no oven, no tub and no counterspace!

2. Dog poop everywhere - there is no law here requiring people to pick up dog poop...therefore, it is everywhere - on sidewalk, in metro, on road, on shoes....it is disgusting!

1. Rain - need I say more? (Slogan - "Belgium....where rain is typical")



Top 10 Best Things about living in Belgium:

10. Exploring the city - Brussels is quite large and around every corner is a place I've never seen before.

9. The laxidaisy attitude of europeans - no one is in a hurry or has any urgence to get things done (this can also make the 'worst' list and would if I lived here).

8. Fresh baked goods and pastry - the bakery around the corner has gotten alot of business from me over the past six months.

7. Making new friends and meeting new people and seeing a new culture! It was great to experience so many new things and really opened my eyes to new ideas!

6. The metro/subway - I'm not sure how I'm going to adjust to waiting for a bus after using the subway for the past 6 months - it comes almost every 3 minutes and always gets me where I need to go with no traffic!

5. Drinking in public - the novelty has worn off, but I do love the fact that it is an option to stop in a corner store, pick up a can of Jupiler, continue on my way while sipping the golden bliss!

4. Mannekin Pis - my favorite peeing boy! (and all his costumes - here he is dressed like a peeing painter)

3. Belgian waffles - yum!

2. Travelling - Belgium is surrounded by 4 countries and many others are a very short distance away! Also love the cheap airlines (I will never forget that 2 of us flew to Dublin for 53 euro - I couldn't get to Dartmouth for that!)

1. Beer - Belgium has over 1000 brands of beer brewed locally!