Experience

Last week was rough for me. It started off with the stomach flu, followed by loads of work and not so sunny weather. I never really understood how much the weather influences your mood, but when you don't have 300 days of sunshine like in Boulder (it's more like 300 days of cloudy here), it gets a little, well, dark.
I went to an expat cocktail party on Thursday night. About 200 people showed up at this loft bar in Place du Chatelain - a cool little square with great shops, bars and restaurants. Everyone there was either a lawyer, a diplomat, a doctor, worked for the EU, Commission or Parliament. Made me wander a girl from Boulder was doing talking to all of the super highly educated people. That's what I'm learning. No one moves to Brussels on their own. Expats always move for a job and usually that job is of high ranking and high compensation, because as so many people have said, "Why would anyone move to Brussels on their own free will?" Normally they have no idea that I am one of the minority who has done just that so I smile and politely say, "For the life experience."

Meeting People

Now that I'm back in Brussels, it's time to meet people. The expat community here is huge, but to break into it I have to put myself out there, get out of my comfort zone and make an effort. This past week was my most fun week in Brussels so far. I started hip hop classes on Tuesday, took a yoga class on Wednesday, met with a new social group on Thursday, and went to a potluck party full of expats on Saturday. I did all of the above on my own, which I'm very proud of. I have met some really cool people over the last couple of days and I feel better about building a life here. The potluck was great. There were about 70 people who all had something in common: being new(ish) to Brussels and wanting to meet people. Everyone had to bring a dish representing their home country. There was everything from sushi to quiche to guacamole to apple pie (courtesy of yours truly). It was very low key so I was happy to just hang out and talk to people and of course get a little dancing in on the dance floor. I was only one of two Americans, but everyone communicated in English. Perfect! And I even went to a museum on Sunday with a new friend from Saturday.

Winter Break

My blog and I headed back to the States for an elongated winter break. The joy of working remotely is that you get to work from anywhere as long as the work gets done. So I was able to spend a lot of time in the States while still working. I am so very lucky to have that flexibility. I spent my time in NYC, MD and Boulder catching up with family and friends and of course stocking up on my favorite US products that I haven't been able to find here yet - almond butter anyone?! Time passed by so quickly and before I knew it I was on a plane back to Brussels. Now that I'm back in Brussels, I'm searching for an apartment (it's a really big project), getting my self settled again and looking forward to the New Year and what it will bring. And yes one of my New Years resolutions is to blog more frequently. A bientot!