So, I have taken two pictures so far. One of them was of a sign, and the other one was of some food I ate. I'm aware that I have failed the general blog community... (the blogmunity?) but have no fear, the pictures are on the way. Internet is almost as precious here as cheap food, so I suppose in a way I am being forcibly weaned of my tremendous and horrible addiction to all things Internet.
Anyway, I promised last time that I would talk about the group. Dang, it's hard to believe so much has happened between then and now! I feel like I've finally gotten a chance to settle in a bit. I'm sitting in my new friend Ashley's room (the sacred room of wifi heaven) while she and some of my other hallmates sit outside and try to finish our interminable readings. The readings we get assigned are really beastly. Down the hall, some ULB students (the real Belgian ones) are listening to some kind of Techno jam and giggling like Francophone hyenas. I've only met them when I accidentally forgot to close our awkward shared-room shower apparatus thing, and one of them walked into my room to inform me of my error. That was in no way startling... :P
Let's discuss some of the coursework, shall we? I know my Dad reads this thing, so I would like to expound upon strictly academic matters for at least a few sentences. Our reading has referenced 5 of my present, past, and future professors: John Stephens, Liesbet Hooghe, Evelyne Huber, Gary Marks, and Milada Vachudova! It's pretty cool to know I have direct access to some of the field's most influential scholars. The seminars here are intense and extremely informative, and the 18 students in the program are all destined for amazing things. It's seriously like an introduction to a junior grad school cohort. I have never felt so free to express my dorkiness! My other new friend Kristina from the University of Colorado has been giggling at our seemingly impenetrable textbook all night. Example number two: We had a presentation this morning at Bruegel, a Brussels think tank that specializes in economic policy recommendations. After the presenter had finished his talk, we proceeded to ask him questions for an hour and a half. That's like a tuesday-thursday block of genuine, honest dorkiness flowing from all over the room. The dude was an academic, so he didn't run away crying after the first half hour, but I commend his resiliency. I would have made an excuse about time and ended the session.
Anyway, hopefully that gives you a pretty concise illustration of the way the courses are. We are just now blossoming into our fully dorky selves, after a somewhat tense feeling-out process during the first day. Considering we're in classes for roughly 6-7 hours daily, it didn't take many days for us to get acclimated.
I'm probably going to Brugges this weekend! (don't tell me I spelled it wrong: I speak French, you Dutch crazies.) Me and a few other people I have gotten to know pretty well are going to take a train and chill there for a day. This weekend is Belgium's National Holiday, intended to celebrate its independence and its bizarre bilingual federal identity. We're hoping to get back in time to witness some crazy fireworks, street parades, and intense techno dancing. I'm really glad that the Wisconsinites are so friendly... it seems to be all of the eclectic University students with the Wisconsin kids in one camp, and all of the Washingtonians on the other. I don't blame them, they all knew each other to begin with, but whatever. Their loss: All of the cool people hang with us and we know it. I'm just kidding! As a scholar of the EU I know better than anyone not to play geographical or regional favorites. In fact, a speaker today commented that it is now taboo in EU discourse to say "in my home country". The substitute is "In the country I know best". Somehow, (and there is empirical proof for this, thanks to the intense research of people like our program professors), this actually helps European delegates to be less motivated by the internal affairs of their home countries. What do ya know.
I think I am getting a Midwest accent again (as I feared) due to my proximity to Wisconsinites. I need to wake up every morning and say 5 southern expressions including such proper nouns as Bojangles, Sweet Tea, and Overturned Truck. Not to mention I have been pretty much Frenching it up (linguistically, not physically) with everyone I meet, so who knows what kinds of hurdles my Broca's region faces in this bizarre city. It's very much a cross between Amsterdam, a smaller city like Antwerp, and Paris... kind of dirty in some districts, full of charming and off-kilter little avenues and roundabouts, and generally teeming with people of every persuasion and nationality. The EU district is pretty amazing: Glass and steel everywhere, reminiscent of a futuristic Washington DC. It's really striking. As I mentioned earlier, pictures of these places and others are coming soon. I really hope to work the camera when we go to Brugges. We might stop around in other places too, like Ghent and who-knows-where. I'm happy to translate for whoever requests it... the Carrefour discount food mart is pretty daunting for most. I bought a cheap plastic bowl and a tiny fork, and I have been cooking pasta in the kitchenette on our floor. Did I mention the logement is named "Ghandi"? It's pretty funny because the architectural style reminds one of his days spent starving in a prison cell. No frills!
No problem though. I felt a little down at the beginning, if only for the fact that I knew no one. But now that I'm making friends and really starting to engage the course material and the city, I've been overwhelmed by excitement! I'm pretty thrilled for the three-day weekend, in which we will travel and celebrate with the locals. The next weekend is Luxembourg, but I'm planning on renting a car with some of the German-speakers and heading over into what is supposed to be a beautiful area in Germany for a day. The next weekend, qui le sache? Maybe Paris, maybe somewhere else... Thanks to the Schengen Agreement and many other free-market policies I have been studying, free movement in Europe a breeze!
Anyways, I haven't had an extraordinary amount of time to think about other things (namely personal reflection.) I suppose I'll set out some time tomorrow, assuming our reading is light. Tomorrow morning, coffee and croissants at a charming café with some lovely ladies!
Well, that's it for now.
Hopefully St. Ashley will grant me access to her pearly gates of wifi freedom later.
Peace and love!
Ian
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Wow, what a great blog post, Eee. Brugges is an amazing city. It will be heavy with tourists at this time of year, but see if you can do one of the canal tours--those are fun. There's a central square with a place to eat (with outdoor patio) that you might like. There are also some fabulous places for moules frites. Other towns: consider Delft--small, pretty, nice little cathedral, lots of shops with Delftware, but not much going on. Fun: Amsterdam, an Indonesian restaurant called the Kantjil & der Tiiger (http://www.kantjil.nl/restaurant.htm). Dam Square, canals with Heinekens, a shot of jenevers at a brown bar. Be careful after midnight--no major danger but hustlers of various kinds. Rotterdam: not fun, all new, industrial. Utrecht: you've been there; nice college town, laid back, great restaurants on the lower levels of the canals. Shreveningen: coastal town, fun to walk on the beach. Nearby: the Hague: somewhat formal, but an AMAZING little museum in an old house called Mauritshuis--Rembrants just hanging from hooks in some of the rooms. Nice litlte cafe nearby.
Paris . . . no, I'll stop. It's worth it just to explore. Make discoveries and tell us about them. Sheesh, I wish I were there. Lund, Sweden and Newcastle, England are OK but I'd rather be doing your tour this summer. :-)
Love,
Dad
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