On Brussels, coffee and beer.

If you get confused about which day I am talking about, it is because I myself do not know. My mind is still a jumble, trying to figure out days, times, languages (etc.). In the town  in which we are staying, Zaventem, the language is Flemish (a form of Dutch). In Brussels, a 15-20 min. train ride away, the main language is French. The confusion often results in me staring blankly whenever someone opens a door for me or hands me a menu. "Thank you," "Merci," "Danke" and "Gratsi" (when at the Italian restaurant) all flood through my mind, and the hesitation I'm sure has made me look like a very rude American. Sorry, I haven't really proved the stereotype wrong quite yet.

Yesterday, we headed into downtown Brussels to buy train and bus tickets. I, feeling confident of late, hopped into the line next to the one that all of other interns were in, attempting to make everything go faster. Of course, the line I got into had very confused backpackers at the front, trying very hard to go who knows where, and not succeeding. While I empathized with their pain, they made me take a good 15 minutes longer than everyone else, so I decided to blend in with the Belgians in the line and tap my foot impatiently at the "stupid Americans." Sorry guys.

We kind of explored Brussels... We stopped by Grand Place, a courtyard which received three triangles from Rick Steves (the highest rank), and probably the most famous sight of Brussels. It was more of a tease than exploration. We walked by some coffee shops and bars and restaurants and really cool-looking alleyways... and then left. So, we will be going back there tomorrow (and many times a week) to really get to know the city.

Last night we went to a delicious Italian restaurant where I was able to devour some authentic Italian pizza and house red wine. It brought me back - nothing like those liters of cheap Italian red wine with doughy, delectable pizza. Seriously.

Today the chaos began. All the missionaries have arrived at the "Zav Centre" (our shared home for the next month.) There are 20 adults and 21 kids, not including the interns. Hence, why our presence is so necessary. And hence why the espresso machine is already my favorite thing about this place. I have already figured out that pushing the coffee button once and then the espresso button once, fills up the coffee cup perfectly. MAJOR SUCCESS.

 It's amazing how fast the time goes when you're trying to keep track of so many kids. We will be with the kids every morning from 8:30-12:30 every morning while the missionaries go through training, and then will usually have all of our afternoons and evenings free. Which is AWESOME. Ghent, Bruges and Antwerp are all less than an hour away, so we have already planned many trips! 

My roommate, Mallory, and I set out after lunch to check out the local bar, which is about a five minute walk from where we are. Talk about another success. The bar is owned by a friendly, helpful Irishman. He immediately helped me with which Belgian beer I should try first. I am going to have to go A LOT to try all of the Belgian beers there. Which is no problem, of course. He gave us many tips on Zaventem, Brussels and Ireland, with the promise of more tips when we return!