Advice

Some advice for students traveling abroad...

• Plan ahead for where you want to travel to. I wish I had done more research on different European countries over the summer so that I could have had a better idea of what I wanted to accomplish. 
• Because of our classes, we do the bulk of our traveling on weekends. We're trying to visit as many countries as possible, but sometimes the experience feels rushed. My advice is to pick some places you really want to go to and spend more time there. I've always wanted to go to Iceland and Greece but a weekend trip would not be satisfying. 
• Jump on any trip you can that you’re invited to. I had a great time on trips I never dreamed about going to before.
•  Say yes to everything. Yes to new foods. Yes to new places. Yes to new experiences. 
•  Study abroad for a full year. Time goes too fast and one semester is not enough time to experience everything. 
• Get to know the place where you’re living. I love Leuven and learn new things about it all the time. Every time I walk through town, I see new restaurants and places I've never noticed before. It's a great town to live in and it would probably take me a lifetime to experience everything Leuven and the rest of Belgium has to offer. 
• Try to speak the language. We were required to take Dutch classes for the first semester and it's helpful to know some basic phrases and words for your daily life. It also makes shopping at the grocery store a lot easier. The locals also appreciate you trying even though in Leuven, when you ask them a question in Dutch they answer you in English. They spoil us. 
• If you find a sandwich shop or coffee place you really like, keep going back and get to know the owner. In the beginning of the year, we fell in love with 't vorkske, a tiny sandwich shop, and our week doesn't feel complete without grabbing a sandwich from there. They have the best sandwiches and the owner knows us now. He always takes the bread fresh out of the oven for us when we come in. Sometimes, it's the little things in life. 

•  Lastly, have fun. Enjoy every moment as the experience flies by faster than you thought possible. 

Popular Music in Belgium

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A couple weeks ago, some of my friends from school came to Belgium to visit me for their spring break. I had an awesome time and loved showing them around "my town". One night when we were out dancing, I started singing along to some of the songs. They started mumbling the words and laughing, and I realized that they didn't know the words. They had never heard the song before. I realized that I no longer knew what was popular in the U.S., as I had become so used to the music here.

This tiny moment struck me because I realized how much I had changed by living abroad for the year. It was more than just my expanded music playlist but the fact that I felt like I belonged in Leuven. Although I loved my friends from school, they would never understand what it was like to live in a different country for a year. I'm truly grateful for this experience and I'm having an amazing time. 

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To show some Belgian pride, here's some popular music in Belgium that I've heard in the bars, during my spinning classes, and when I'm just  lounging around listening to the radio on sunny afternoons...

Michel Teló - Ai Se Eu Te Pego 

Gers Pardoel - Bagagedrager ft. Sef

David Guetta feat. Sia - Titanium [Official Music]

DJ Fresh ft Sian Evans - 'Louder' (Official Video)

Avicii - Levels

DJ Fresh ft. Rita Ora - Hot Right Now (Official Video) (Out Now)

Gers Pardoel - Ik Neem Je Mee

Adventures in Airport Security

Almost every time we go through an airport I've had problems with security. For some reason, I always get patted down.

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When we first took off from Newark to Belgium…

 I didn't put my laptop in a separate bin so they yelled at me. Then I walked through the sensor and set of the alarm. The lady patted me down, I think because I was still wearing the money belt and I had put coins in it. My parents had given me American cash to exchange once I got to Belgium. They were so worried it would be stolen that they made me wear my money belt before I got into the Airport. The lady was really thorough and I'm surprised she didn't feel the money belt because she let me go. Needless to say, embarrassing. One girl from my group saw me and started taking pictures of the ordeal.  Apparently that’s a big no no. They called her over and I thought they were going to take her camera, which she minutes earlier told me she had just bought. Thankfully, they just made her delete the pictures she took. Afterwards we booked it out of there before they stopped us again. 

On the way to Germany…

 They patted me down again but eventually let me go. Afterwards, the passport control barely glanced at my passport. So I was cross examined again at security but I could have been a fugitive with a stolen identity boarding the plane....

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 On the way to Dublin…

 I set off the sensors again. Another lady patted me down and felt my money belt, made me take it off, and put it back through the security thing to be checked. This was embarrassing enough because I think I was the only one in my group who used a money belt. My parents had made me paranoid. Then she used the sensor stick on me and it turns out I had buckles on my boots which I forgot about, so I had to take my boots off, put them back through security on the conveyor belt, and walk through security again. I was embarrassed again because this keeps happening and I had to basically get dressed again in front of the long security line. Some Irish people were staring at me as I put on my money belt and I felt like an idiot. But a SAFE idiot:) No thieves will be stealing my passport while I'm traveling. However, this trip to Dublin was the last time I used the money belt. 

On the way back from Dublin…

 I got checked at security again. I had taken off my shoes and my money belt but I realized after that I had forgotten to take off my watch. A security lady called me over and started patting me down. This had become second nature to me, I wasn’t even phased anymore. I smiled sheepishly at the lady as if my life was one big joke, and she seemed to give me a half hearted shrug back. I felt like we had some camaraderie going and I was exhausted from the weekend. So when she spoke to me, I was half listening and thought she said, "Just checking to be safe".

            So I responded, "Yeah", and continued smiling and acting like her friend. In my tiny, sleep deprived mind I was suddenly her buddy and we were both amused by the act of having to go through security when we both knew I wasn’t a fugitive. But then the lady raised her eyebrows and looked at me strangely. This was not a look of an amused friend, she seemed serious. 

           At that moment, I realized that she hadn't said, "Just checking to be safe". She had said, "Are you carrying any knives?" I don't know how I confused that in my mind. As if in slow motion, I dramatically shook my head back and forth while muttering "No" in a panicked voice. She eyed me and then got the sensor stick from behind her and started checking me with that. Luckily, she realized that I wasn't packing heat and she let me go.

But then…

 Another lady asked me if the red backpack was mine. I said "yes" and walked over to her. At this point I'm scared I'm not going to be let on the plane. Or I somehow picked up something illegal and they're going to take me to a little room and question me. But she says she saw liquids in there and just has to check it. I didn't realize that you had to put all of you liquids in a plastic bag and take them out of your backpack and put them in the bin as well to be x-rayed. Although, as my friends later told me, there are signs all over the security line. Now I see them everywhere…how could I not have seen them before? 

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My liquids were in a plastic bag but still inside my backpack. However, this is the only place I got called out on it. It probably has to do with the fact that I gave a shady response when the other security guard asked if I was carrying knives. So this tiny Irish security lady, who was much nicer than the one who man-handled me, starts going through every one of my pockets. 

            Now, mind you, the air service we were using was called Ryanair. They have really cheap flights...but charge you for practically everything else. 

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            You can only take a small carry-on and anything bigger you have to pay something like 45 euro to check it. And I had bought a few souvenirs from my Irish adventure so my backpack could barely be zipped shut. And I had packed everything just right so that it would seem smaller than the bulging bag it actually was. Also, it didn't help that my backpack has 8 pockets. I knew that my bag of liquids was in the biggest pocket, but I was too nervous to tell the lady that. I thought she might get suspicious and think that I was trying to prevent her from looking in one of the smaller pockets. So she unzips and looks in every pocket, taking some stuff out as she goes. One pocket had my underwear and socks. Another had tissues. Another had my iPod. Another had granola bars. Etc.

            "Wow you have a lot of pockets miss", the lady said in her Irish accent. 

            "Yeah", I said, hoping that I heard her correctly and that she hadn't asked me if I was on the hit list or something. Some of the girls from my trip were watching me, but I at that point I was past the point of embarrassment. Everyone was used to it by now and luckily we had some time before we boarded. The lady finally looked through everything and let me go, and I had to repack my bag quickly so now it looked like a huge monster. I would later have to sneak past the boarding people when getting on the plane so they wouldn't spot me and make me pay to check my bag. 

So that's my story... 

           Thankfully, I’ve become much better at going through security and haven’t been stopped since Dublin. But I told my parents that if in July I don’t come off the plane, don't panic. Just call the Brussels Airport because I'll probably still be there going through security. 

Venice

In early February, we traveled to Venice for Carnival. I've always wanted to travel to Venice after seeing the movie "Summertime" with Katharine Hepburn. In the movie, Katharine travels to Venice and falls in love with a handsome Italian man, played by Rossano Brazzi.

A clip from the movie "Summertime". 

The movie has gorgeous shots of Venice and after spending a few days there, I can say that the city hasn't changed much. Except that people used to dress a lot nicer. It is a beautiful city, with narrow, winding passageways and canals everywhere you turn.

A scene I love from "Summertime" is right at the beginning, when Katharine, or Jane in the movie,  is on the train to Venice and is talking with a man who has been to Venice many times . It is a perfect example of travelers desperately hoping to love a place that they have always dreamed of going to.

Jane:  “Like it? I’ve got to. I’ve come such a long way. I’ve saved up such a long time for this  trip. Do you think I maybe won’t like it?

Man on train:  “I’m sure you will. But not everybody likes it in the same way. Some people find it too quiet. Some people find it too noisy. And it is, very noisy. But the majority find it very beautiful”

Jane: “Yeah, well,  I guess I’ll settle with the majority.”

When deciding to travel to Venice, I was worried that I would be disappointed once I got there, because many people have told me that it does not live up to expectations. I completely disagree. Even in the cold weather, Venice was still a wonderful place. 

One of the many beautiful gondolas.

I had a lot of fun riding in a gondola. There was a lot of us in the boat, so I had to awkwardly sit in the front. I had fun though. I would love to go back to Venice in the Spring or Summertime when it will be a lot warmer. We were only one of the few people I noticed brave enough to take a gondola ride in the cold. The tour guide was also funny. He knew little English, and when he pointed out important buildings, he kept repeating himself. He would point at a building and say, "Old church, Catholic Church, very beautiful, Church for Catholics." Then later, pointing towards another building, would shout "Protestant Church, very old, very beautiful, Protestant Church".

Riding in a Gondola.

Some of the canals are very narrow, and as we were turning around a tight corner, I thought the gondola was going to hit the wall. We were probably an inch form the boat scraping on the bricks so I panicked and pushed against the wall. That was a mistake. The gondola man yelled at me and we ended up hitting the opposite wall. Oops. 

Coming a little too close to another wall.

Even though Venice was chilly, we were able to see the first day of Carnival, an annual Venetian festival. People celebrate by wearing masks and dressing up in outlandish costumes. I wished we were able to see more than just the first day and that we could afford to attend a true masquerade ball. Vendors were selling masks on almost every corner, but there were only a few places where one could get a true, hand crafted Venetian mask. A few of the girls found beautiful, original masks but they were expensive so most of us settled for the cheaper ones. We had fun wearing our masks the whole day and seeing everyone dressed up.

Venetian masks.

Modeling our masks in Piazza San Marco.

Venetian dress.

Scary masks.

One side of St. Mark's Basilica. 

More costumes.

One of my favorite things in Venice were the pink street lamps. 

A wine fountain. 

Although I know no Italian, I tried to speak the language a little bit. In most of the big tourist destinations, the people speak some English, but I usually still attempt to speak a few phrases of the local language. But when I was attempting to speak Italian to a bus driver, a Belgian boy we were traveling with said I sounded like Brad Pitt speaking Italian in "Inglourious Basterds". Needless to say, embarrassing.

Italian scene from "Inglourious Basterds".

Even though my Italian skills were horrible, I still had a great time in Venice. Although seeing a tiny piece of Carnival was fun, I would love to return one day in the warmer weather and be able to stay for a longer time. 

Goodbye Venice.

Sinterklaas & Christmas Markets

December was a great time to be in Europe. There were Christmas markets set up in every town, and Leuven was no exception. I was sitting in the library, half-heartedly trying to do homework when I heard Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" come on over the loudspeaker outside. The Leuven Christmas market had just been opened, and it finally felt like Christmas.

I traveled a lot in December and was able to see Christmas markets in Leuven, Vienna, Bratislava, Prague, Bruges, and Brussels. I loved every one. The food was heaven. Hot dogs, fries, pretzels, chocolate covered fruit, and other regional specialties that I wish I wrote down the name of. The gluhwein, mulled wine, kept me warm and let me stay outside and enjoy the different markets.

The Leuven Christmas market in front of the library.
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Craziness at the market in Vienna.

Pretty tea light holders they were selling in Vienna and Prague.  

Enjoying the Gluhwein in Bratislava.

A bird's eye view of the Prague market.
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Christmas Market in Bruges. The buildings look like they came straight out of a storybook.
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At the Christmas market in Brussels. My scarf is ridiculously bright but my Grandma made it for me so I love it. 

One of the two coolest merry-go-rounds I've ever seen in Brussels. I seriously considered knocking some of the kids off so I could get on. Fortunately, I restrained myself. And the operator told me I was too big. My pictures do not do it justice so I uploaded a video I found of the other merry-go-round....

Pretty cool, right?

My friend from London was visiting and had never been sledding. I read that Brussels had a sledding place set up in the market so we were excited to try it out. I had been to one in Quebec City and it was pretty fun.

Sledding in Quebec.
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We finally found the sledding in Brussels...but it turned out to be just a tiny hill for children.

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It was a common theme of the evening, us being too old for the attractions. I guess we have to accept that we're too grown up for that stuff now. But then I was glad I wasn't a kid anymore, because if I saw this when I was a kid I would have probably peed my pants...

New Christmas tradition?

I'm just wondering what crazy person thought of a giant ice-monster, which looked like an evil lizard and was so scary it had to be shackled to the ground, and connected it with Christmas? But all the kinderen (dutch for children) seemed to like it, or maybe they were consoled by the sight of Santa there? Even though Santa looks like he's about to be eaten alive. Buh bye St. Nick.

Santa about to be eaten by the Ice-Monster.

That brings me to another topic. In Belgium and many other European countries, Santa is not as big a deal as Sinterklaas. Sinterklaas looks like a Pope and he's some kind of holy man. Every year he comes from Spain with his boat full of black Piets (they used to be slaves but now they're called chimney sweepers...They're the equivalent to Santa's elves, but not politically correct at all) and gives presents to everyone who's been good. And if you haven't been good, Sinterklaas has his Piets beat you with sticks. Or he used to anyway. The kinderen put their shoe out by the chimney with a letter to Sinterklaas, a carrot and sugar cube for the horses that carry Sinterklaas around, and a beer for the Piets on December 5th. Then while everyone is sleeping, the Piets climb the roofs of the houses, come through the chimney, and leave presents in the shoes.

Sinterklaas and his Piets.
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We celebrated at the house and left our shoes outside on Dec. 5th. And we got presents in the morning! I'm glad we were all good so we didn't get beaten with sticks by the Sinterpiets.

David Sedaris wrote a funny article about the time he first learned about Sinterklaas. You can read it here.

I had fun learning about Sinterklaas and it was a great experience to be in Europe during the holidays. I wish that they had Christmas markets back in the U.S. But I was glad to head home for a couple weeks to spend Christmas with my family.

-Chloe