I have to take a minute and think about where in the world I am currently located.

I'm back from my week in Brussels and Paris and it was FANTASTIC. Which means I have a lot to tell you. Which means I'm going to do this in multiple posts throughout the next week or so because there's no way to fit everything in one post and still have it be entertaining. Maybe I'll get fancy and make it like a 4 part series, haha. Anyway, I need to unpack and read some very dry, I mean INTRIGUING articles on the European Union. Stay tuned for future updates. Peace out cub scouts.

I’m in Brussels. You’ve probably never heard of it.

Ok, that’s a lie. I feel like most people have heard of Brussels, Belgium. It just fit so perfectly based on the conversation our group had earlier. First thing you need to know is that Brussels is a beautiful city. The architecture is magnificent and I wish I knew more about it so that I could fully appreciate it. The old buildings line cobblestone streets that are full of people and cars. Even with all this life, it’s still very clean. It’s a wonderful city with chocolate and beer museums. So basically, everything you could ever want. But you don’t see it on many people’s lists when they talk about going to Europe. So this is my little plug for Brussels: put it on your list. It’s beautiful and interesting and old and full of wonders. (I should be getting paid for this. Eh maybe not. My marketing skills need a little work.)

We got into Brussels on Sunday afternoon and were set loose on the city after checking into the hotel. (Yup, hotel. Not hostel. It’s amazing what a difference that little ‘s’ makes.) For dinner a group of us went to a cute (rather touristy) restaurant near the city centre and ate a ridiculous amount of famous Brussels’ muscles.

 

I finished it all. Mad skillz bro.

It was delicious. And of course we had to get some waffles after. For 3E50 you can get a delicious waffle loaded with whipped cream, strawberries, and chocolate sauce. I would say it’s overrated, but that would just be a downright lie. Possibly the most delicious and decadent thing I’ve eaten in the past year. And the little shop was right next to the statue of the town hero.

I think I might see a reason for your tourism issues, Brussels.

But actually. It's just a tiny statue of a little boy peeing. There’s a story about how there was a terrible fire that was about to burn down the city and a little boy came around and peed it out. I’m not sure if he drank a ton of water that day or people just didn’t know what to do with the tiny fire. I guess it’s a bit like Chicago’s story about O'Leary's cow knocking over the lamp, only with more nudity and less tragedy. Which I guess is true about most European stories.

Now the point of all this, is that for the next week I will be in Brussels and gay Paris on a school trip. (Best field trip ever! Amiright, or amiright.) This also means that I will have very little access to internet. In fact, the only reason you’re reading this right now (you lucky ducks) is that some café had free wifi. So I’ll do my best to update y’all (that’s right, I wrote it down and I refuse to delete it now) but it might just come as a giant post once I get home. So place your bets, don’t hold your breath and I’m off to do a wee bit of exploring.

The mind of a child.

Sometimes, I am not the most mature of people.

I promise I'm not a model, I just take really good pictures.

I can hear you now. "Sarah, what?! You are the epitome of maturity and proper behavior and this is always reflected in your actions!" Nay, dear friend. Don't try and tell me otherwise. I know when to admit to my faults. 

 

This unfortunate trait of mine was blatantly demonstrated as of late. Here in Switzerland, we are required to write 3 papers, all of which require interviews with experts on the topics. In fact, our final research paper requires 30 hours of professional, face-to-face interviews. Another fun little fact about myself is I really hate social situations. My friends can attest to my fear of new people and ability to take normal situations and make them supremely awkward (I've decided to go ahead and label this trait of mine "charming".) So, obviously, I wasn't too happy about this certain requirement. 

In fact, the other lovely people on this trip had to listen to me complain for a bit.

"I mean, is it REALLY necessary? They clearly don't understand that we do our research on databases." 

"None of these experts are going to want to talk to some random college student about her little research project. They're too busy saving the world!" 

"But I don't waaaaannnnaaaaa."

There's that wonderful can-do attitude! Well, the deadline for our first paper is approaching quickly, and I needed an interview. So today I took a deep breath, suppressed my instincts telling me to run to the safety of familiar faces, and sat down with a journalist who has spent time in Libya and Syria.

You guys, something amazing happened.

It was perfectly fine. In fact, I'd even go so far as to say it was wonderful. The guy had an incredible grasp of the situation abroad and was able to help me compare them (aka my paper) and provided plenty of insight. As much as I hate to admit it, I learned more from that single half hour than I have from any of the research I had previously done.

The humble pie tastes the same here in Switzerland, in case you were wondering.

Even Michigan didn't prepare me for this.

I went to Zurich this weekend and it was heaps of fun. During my trip I realized that I had never explored a city on my own before. There was always a professional travel guide, tour or some sort of program holding your hand. No such thing this past weekend. At first I felt lost and confused, then I decided I was just like my pioneer ancestors boldly discovering new and exciting things! Except I had electricity. And running water. And heat.

HEAT. Praise be to God, science, and that first caveman that decided to rub two sticks together. (Human Ev buddies, bonus question: which branch on the evolution tree would that be?) Because it was cold. Colder than that look old people give you when you burst into gales of laughter at your friend who farted in the middle of the sermon at church.

Oh my.

Still a fantastic place. We stayed in a wonderfully, stereotypically bizarre hostel. You went up 5 flights of stairs to get to the reception, past the kitchen for the restaurant downstairs, and it had the very basic necessities. I knew living in traditional dorms was preparing me for something later in life. (Lee-Beau!) Two other girls and I were put in a mixed room, so that was a new experience. Our roommates were a Korean man and his wife(?) and a Polish guy who was earning his PhD in glaciology. He happened to be in Zurich for an environmental conference. We were in the middle of the city, which looks like it was magically preserved from a distant time. The buildings are old and beautiful, the street cobblestone, and old fountains and statues are peppered throughout the city. We visited all the old churches, an extensive Swiss history museum, and FIFA headquarters as well as just wandering the city enjoying the atmosphere. Despite the biting cold, it was very beautiful and the group I went with was a fun bunch.

Yes, that's me. Mme let me borrow her warmer coat.

The only downside is that the only German I speak is "Deutschmark", which is completely bunk now, so I was useless. While most people did speak some French, all of the signs were in German as were the conversations going on around me. I underestimated how difficult it is to navigate a city when you can't read anything or even guess what that word represents. No one else in our group spoke German either, so it was quite an adventure.

We have a lot of papers and projects coming up, so I'll be staying home this weekend so that I can get them done in time. It's also a wonderful excuse to hide from the cold and drink tea all day. If anything interesting happens though, I'll keep you updated. Ciao! (I can say that here and it's totally acceptable. I love it.)