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!

Christmas Carols

The weather has turned cold here and the sky was actually spitting some flurries earlier. It made me smile. I'm working from my favorite coffee shop today and I've been getting a lot of work done, which is always nice. When it rains, it pours seems to be the name of the work game right now. I leave for the states on Friday so I'm trying to get things lined up before I go like packing all of my clothes for three weeks, remembering Christmas presents and trying not to forget my drivers license or passports. Tonight, G et G et moi are going to a holiday concert in an old abbeye/church. Check it out here. It's going to be Christmas carols performed by a choir. Nothing like getting into the holiday spirit. I have heard a lot about the abbeye - we walked around the grounds a couple of weeks ago - and the sound in the church is supposed to be, well, heavenly. 

Chasing Alain

Running just as fast as we can...

Yesterday I did an 11k race with my uncle, Alain. He's quite the runner and I try to hang whenever I can. The race was a trail run through the forest. It was really pretty but I was mostly focused on not tripping over tree stumps, horse poop and other runners. In a few areas we ran over cobblestone, which is much harder than running on sand. I was surprised. The forest was beautiful and the weather was chilly but clear. It felt great to run though the forest though I miss my mountains a whole lot. The trail is used for people, bikes and horses. At one point there was a girl on horse riding through the run course - not smart. The horse got spook right in front of me and started bucking with its hooves right at eye level. I pushed the guy next to me off of the trail and we ran as fast as we could away from the horse. Seriously, I saw my life flash before my eyes! I also had a chance to scope out all of the running clubs in Brussels. My goal for Jan 2010 is to join a running or tri club. Now that I feel a little more settled and comfortable with my French (I still get easily flustered when I can't explain things), I want to join a club to meet people. Here are the ever-so flattering race photos. Enjoy.

Pastries!

When I was in Paris, I took a pastry class with www.cooknwithclass.com - the class had 6 people and was all in English so I didn't miss out on anything. I have always wanted to learn the process of baking some of my most favorite bakery items and I figured why not do it in Paris. I learned how to make croissants, pain au chocolates, cinnamon rolls (french style), foccacia and a delicious cheese and onion bread. I never knew how labor intensive croissants were but I quickly found out what an art it was to make them. It takes about two days from start to finished to make croissants. You make the dough, then let it rest for 24 hours. Then you take that dough add in more ingredients (heaps of butter), fold the dough over and over again to give it layers (I never knew that's how the flaky layers were achieved) and then let that rest for another 24 hours. Then it's time to shape the dough and roll it into your favorite treats. Here's a couple pics of yours truly and some of our creations. 

The dough after we put in layers of butter and folded the dough over and over again.

Some of our creations ready for the oven.

Moi with cinnamon rolls ready for the oven.

Moi with the finished product. 

These didn't last very long! Delicious.

Mais oui, Paris!

Thanksgiving Feast French-style: Turkey, Stuffing and Frites!

View from roof at Galleries Lafayette

View from Jardin de Tuileries

Thanksgiving in Paris - so great! I took the train to Paris on Thanksgiving morning and in an hour and a half I was in Paris. I know, can we talk about how close it is?! I stayed in a little guest house in the Montmartre area. Perfect for just one person: http://www.paris-oasis.com. I met up with family at Chez L'Ami Louis for Thanksgiving dinner. It was a blast to be among family and to get to know everyone a little better.

Dinner was delicious. We started off with oysters and snails, then turkey and the most amazing stuffing I have ever had, and finished off with fruit and heaps of delicious delicacies. Never thought I'd say this but the French definitely know how to do Thanksgiving! After we were completely stuffed we went for a long walk. That's the great thing about Paris - walking. It's always fun to explore the little side streets and to see all parts of the city. We went to see Inglorious Bastards that evening before tucking in for a well deserved slumber.