Carpets, Coffins, and Cliffs

Last weekend was another three day weekend for Keith, assumption day, so we filled in with all sorts of European fun :)

On Friday we headed in to Brussels to meet up with some friends of ours to check out the famous Flower Carpet. Every other year the floor of the Grand Place in Brussels is covered in a carpet made out of flowers. It was quite impressive. We also had the longest lunch of our lives (at least 2 hours for cold food that should have been hot) in a little resturant that looked nice enough, but clearly we were decieved. Keith's mentioned the general attitude of indifference and lack of customer service before but this took it to new extremes. Waiters don't check in on you, and have mastered the art of avoiding eye contact so as to not be pulled over to your table when help is needed. For the first time we were truly unwilling to pay the 10 % tip that is automatically included in your bill. But the day wasn't to be ruined. Our friend, who for some reason has all sorts of inside knowledge of Belgium, took us to the strangest bar I have ever been in. He called it the coffin bar. We walked in to a pitch black room with caskets for tables, and ceramic skulls for beer mugs. The best part was that for such a "dark" space the music was Duran Duran, AC/DC, and so many other favorites that were upbeat and fun. It was awesome! After a couple of skulls I was pretty buzzed and ready to go home. :)

Saturday was overall very relaxing, Keith's company has sent over a new person for a couple of months and we met up with him to show him around Mons. There is a lot of support of military and NATO civilians at the base for getting people welcomed and acclimated, but unfortunately they really don't offer any of that to contractors. Keith and I both wish we could have had some of that support when we got here, so we are happy to do whatever we can to help other contractors feel they at least have some other resource. Not that we are experts by any means, but I guess it's nice to just see a friendly face.

On Sunday we packed up Bailey and took a two hour drive to visit our neighbors in Luxembourg. We found a truly picturesque city that perfectly combines old and new. We followed a walking tour that was recommended in our Lonely Planet guide and thought it was a fantastic way to see the city. Nothing in particular stands out to me as a must see, it's mostly just taking in the feel of the whole place. The town winds through ravines, and along cliff sides with hints of the old fortress peaking through modern buildings. One of the funniest moments was when we were stopped by a group of Asian tourists who asked us for directions. While we fumbled through our guide book to help them out they were completely fascinated with Bailey. They were so impressed with her tricks that they were filming her and applauding after each trick. After this, we are keeping our eyes out for Bailey's You Tube premiere. Overall it was a perfect place for a day trip...and overall a great weekend.

6 Months Already

It's hard to believe that it's been six months in Belgium already. I glanced at our picture site and was just amazed at how many places we've been, yet we have so many more on our list. I can't believe that in less than six months we've been to Amsterdam, Brussels, Rome, and London...not to mention countless other beautiful little towns. We've been to 5 different countries and more than 10 cities....each with it's own unique charm. We came to Belgium not only to see Europe, but just do something different...and so far mission accomplished. I thought I would take the six month mark to write about some general observations of living and working here.

If you have been keeping up with the blog, you probably have a good idea of what life is like in Belgium. At first glance, you would say that it's not that different from living in the States. People hop in their cars and go to work...come home and have dinner...repeat. There are many subtle differences though, and these are what we have found so interesting.

Americans live to work, while Europeans work to live. It is a cliche, but it's very true.

People here are less about material possessions. Most Belgians live in a small house, drive a tiny car, and don't have an HD TV. They are more about experiences and personal relationships. For example, our neighbor has guests over on his patio for dinner and drinks 3 or 4 nights per week. While I am thoroughly enjoying this part of the Belgian lifestyle, I am from time to time reminded that I am an American...I miss the shopping malls...Target...and most of all, Best Buy. That being said, I wish I could combine the best of both of worlds. When I return home, I will certainly miss the cafes and the laid back lifestyle of Europe.

Another major difference I've found is that businesses are employee focused instead of customer focused. The government has so many labor rules in force here that it is almost impossible to fire someone. As a result, clerks tend to not really care about helping you, the customer. Businesses close at 6:00 and all day Sunday, seemingly because they just don't care about making money...it's just not one of their values.

Everything here is just less Darwinistic. Instead of the cut throat, survival of the fittest methods of American business, Belgium is more about protecting everyone and keeping everyone equal. The government protects businesses, so there is no penalty for not adapting and modernizing. As a result, the companies and workers here are just indifferent. For example, almost no local businesses have websites. Even the smallest "mom and pop" shop back home has a small website with at least their opening hours and directions. That's just not the case here.

While all this is can be frustrating as a customer, it is fantastic as a worker. 38 hour workweeks 6 weeks of vacation each year are normal out here. It all fits well with Belgian values...they work less and make less money than Americans so they can't buy as much. However, they have more time for friends and family. Neither way is better I guess...it's just what you value more.

One thing I have really come to respect of Belgians (really Europeans in general) is their...for the lack of a better word., economical...nature. They are never wasteful. Everyone knows about the small cars and small houses, but it extends to almost every aspect of their lives. As we've talked about in a previous blog, you are charged by the trash bag here. You buy a roll from the store and set them on the street once per week. If you use less bags, you pay less for trash disposal. Also, recycling bags are half price, so there is financial reward for recycling. Most grocery stores have bottle return machines at the entrance where you can deposit used bottles in and get a voucher for € 0.10 each. Again, they give you a financial reward for recycling. Other examples include half price electricity in the evenings and on weekends, as well as charging for bags at the grocery store so you reuse them. They even give a large tax break on diesel fuel (about €1.00 / gallon), which provides better mileage than unleaded gas.

Another fascinating thing to watch here is the ongoing political crisis. I don't know how much coverage it is receiving in the US, but Belgium is in a non-violent civil war. There is a Belgian magazine published in English called The Bulletin. The last headline read, "Meltdown: The End of Belgium?" The background is that Belgium is divided into two regions, Wallonia and Flanders. The two regions speaks different languages, very different cultures, and most importantly, very different economic situations. The northern half of the country (Flemish speaking) is prosperous, while the southern (French speaking) area is quite poor, which is a complete reversal of the last 50 years. As a result, the northern and southern halves of the country do not get along at all. The city of Brussels is one of the biggest things holding the country together, as both sides claim it. The city itself is in the Flemish region, but it is French speaking. It's entirely possible that we won't be living in Belgium much longer, as it might not exist!

I've rambled on enough for now, but stay tuned for our adventures over the next six months, including my thoughts on working at NATO...it's a fascinating place!

Love It, Hate It, Miss It - Part 2

Second in a running series answering the questions, what do I love about living here, what do I hate or dislike and what do I miss. Here are some more of my reflections:

Love It

Fewer material needs: As a result of several factors we really don’t buy material “stuff” anymore, and I like it. Obviously because we are only here for a limited time we don’t really want to accumulate a lot of stuff that we have to worry about shipping home, or selling before we leave. We don’t want to spend a lot of money on the perfect silverware, or cookware when we are only going to be here for a short while in the grand scheme of things. But it’s not just that. I think in general the Belgians are more about traveling, eating good, drinking well, then about buying stuff. It’s interesting how you can spend your money when you don't want to make purchases at Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, William Sonoma. We have a storage unit full of that stuff back home, and I really don’t miss any of it. It will be interesting to see when we return home if we carry on with the simpler lifestyle we have here.

Home Cooked Meals: I get tons of questions about what do I do with my time, and maybe a some point I’ll do a blog about my daily routine, but one of my favorite things is getting to cook nice dinners. I’ve always loved cooking but always hated doing it when I got home from work. For some reason after sitting in the car for 45 min in traffic I just didn’t feel like cooking. Plus we had sooo many great restaurants back home that it was easy to eat out and not eat “fast food”. The hardest part of cooking here is actually related to the section above. I don’t want to buy every food gadget while living here, so I don’t have a food processor or blender, hell we don’t even have a microwave. So most of the things I cook are not that complicated, but its fun nonetheless. We’ve gone from eating out sometimes three nights a week to maybe once every week and a half. The financial savings of eating in has been hugely significant which gives a lot more money to put towards travel. I’m always looking for fun new recipes so please send me any of your favorites.

Hate It

Like Individuals but Hate People: I think of myself as a fairly upbeat, happy person but I am finding myself so angry at times with PEOPLE. I think this was true at home but for some reason when you travel you are surrounded by People and the situations just seem to be more profound. I guess it’s similar to road rage where you are not longer dealing with individuals but faceless, inconsiderate, rude, obnoxious People. I still believe that most individuals are good, and well intentioned, but for some reason when you ask them to stand in line, or follow structure and rules all hell breaks lose. So many times now (truly more that I can count) we have been shoved in line, cut in front of, ignored, pushed out of the way for seats, dangerously cut off on the road. It gets hard to be patient when people are so outright rude and thoughtless. At first you wonder if it’s the Belgians, and then we go to France, Italy, and London and it happens there as well. And then you go somewhere with American tourists and for sure they are just as bad. Our friends here have had strikingly similar experiences, and the story telling includes the same level of rage that can only come from being so disappointed in people. On a happier note though we continue to experience wonderful kindness from individuals we meet. We have been truly blessed with incredible neighbors who continue to be helpful as we get settled here. I only hope our experiences here continue to introduce us to wonderful individuals and limit our time with masses of people.

March of the Snails: I actually think this is one of Keith’s “Love It” but I hate it. Whenever it rains, and it rains a lot, hundreds of snails emerge on the sidewalks. So whenever we take Bailey for walks during or right after it rains we are surrounded by snails and slugs! To Keith’s point, the snails have these really beautiful shells, with amazing colors. BUT they are not always in their shells and so easy to step on. Seriously why is there a bug/insect/whatever it is, that looks like moving mucus!!! Icky!

Miss It

Pumpkin: It is really great to have Bailey here with us; she keeps me company while Keith is at work. But we both really miss our cat Pumpkin. I think he is really happy at my parents house, so much to explore than there was in our condo, and even a yard to play in. I don’t regret not bringing him; he’s had a fairly traumatic life already that I think it was best to leave him behind in happy home. It’s just tough not having him around, and I really think Bailey misses him more than we do.

Mexican Food: Overall the food here is really good, Keith and I have been very impressed so far. They have some really fantastic Italian food; I am truly going to miss the pizza when we move home. The Chinese food is really not that great but it will do when you have a craving, but sadly no Mexican food. We make fajitas at home sometimes but it’s just not the same. They really don’t sell too many of the ingredients for me to make stuff at home either. It’s just a bummer, I miss Mexican food.