It's been a busy weekend here. Friday is supposed to be my relaxing day, but I don't feel like it worked out that way. I had to get up in the morning and struggle through the ordeal of laundry--we have only a washer here, and I can't use it until after 10 pm, so a trip to the laundromat was in order. (ps: I hate the laundrmat). This involved finding a kind english-speaking stranger; not putting any soap into one load; and passing the same homeless woman six times in an hour and a half. In the end, clothes were done just in time and I rushed off to IR theory.
Kim, Amy, and I are going to need to come up with a fun game for that class, or else we're going to jab out our eyes. A drinking game may be in order--no better way to celebrate a Friday class than drinking every time she says 'theory' in that overly enthusiastic way.
Anyway, after class, Eric and I ran errands for sooo long. After I bought 150 Euro worth of books to lug around (note: this is not all of my books, but I am too cheap/stubborn to buy the rest). Folders of the normal kind don't exist in this country. Australia ice cream seems amazing. I must shop during January sale season, before it's too late!! We actually cooked some dinner--stir fry which I was proud of. And eventually went to this fake beer fest sponsored by the school.
I don't like this packed, crowded bars, so we left after a bit. And wandered, in hopes of finding a new bar. Alas, we found a strange pizza place with an even stranger waitress, and so spent almost two hours talking over 25 euro worth of food. I love this slow eating concept--you're expected to sit at the table forever without ordering more food. It's perfect for a poor college student. I'm pretty sure we do this in the States anyway, but here, they expect it! And don't harass you. And you don't tip! It's a beautiful thing.
We tried to find this other bar on Louisa--we gave up apparently only one block from it. We faced the great challenge of getting Sara & Kim a cab. We met a nice Scottish man who's working on his master's here and who was not as sketchy as he seemed. We also encountered any number of other sketchy people--including a man staring at us like we were animals at the zoo. After the tapping-on-the-car-window incident we had while walking down the street the other day, I've decided Belgians just think any people who are different are objects of fascination. It's not about race or gender, I'm thinking--they're just a curious people. A creepy and curious people.
On the walk home, Eric and I saw hookers. Like, walked past them as they smoked their cigarettes outside a building. In their spring mini skirts and tall boots, they must be freezing their asses off. Though I am in theory okay with prostitution--and especially with the Europe version which is much more regulated and less about human trafficking--this was a weird thing to see. I mean, they're probably about my age. Regardless of whether they like what they do or not (because who am I to judge?), I just wondered a little bit at the paths of people's lives and how we get to where we are.
In the morning, we got up. And went back to bed, as an executive decision was made to postpone Atomium by several hours. I was quite pleased when we got there, though--there's been this weird rash of sunny weather lately, so you could actually see! The people I'm travelling with are so much fun, and are of similar mind--wacky photo opportunities are never passed over. Even the quaint little cafe in the middle was a good time, with its cheap prices and ice cream selection. Atomium was a good way to face a fear of heights--it was really nerve wracking, but the view was so worth it! The little tourist village was also excellent--fast food meets classic Europe. It reminded me of Busch Gardens Williamsburg--it was like Europe, pretending to be Busch Gardens, pretending to be Europe. We wound up at Quick Burger for well over an hour--this is like McDonald's, but pretty. But not usually the site of deeply charged political debates.
We went our mostly separate ways with promises of going dancing later. And then changed plans, went to the liquor store, then to Amy haunted art deco dream house. We never watched movies, as promised, but drinks were had, and I talked people to death, but in a positive way, I think. The night ended with a mad dash to the tram, because it stops running at midnight. Eric's solution of following the tram tracks does work, but i discouraging people from walking through partly built one's in construction sites after a few drinks. Oh, and while carrying an open bottle of vodka with you. It's just not a good idea.
All in all, things are excellent here. I finally talk to my parents, for real, and that was nice. The homesickness comes and goes. I've already been here for two weeks! This is insane, it's already going so fast. Once the homework and travelling starts--well, I don't even want to think about it.
Bastogne on Saturday. Antwerp the week after that. Then Paris two weeks after that! And super bowl! And Mardi Gras! For perhaps the first time ever, I'm excited about the month of February.
