Time Flies

Turns out I haven't written a blog post in a month and a half. Whoops.
First of all, THUNDER UP. I've been following along and although I was pretty nervous at times, they pulled through and I couldn't be happier. If this Clippers series is equally suspenseful I'll be HOME for game 7.

Here's a quick study abroad recap:
London rocks and getting to see Wicked was the highlight.
Spring Break 2014 was one for the books. You can see a lot of places in two weeks. My mom, dad and brother came for the first half and we explored Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany together. One of our favorite moments was riding bikes from Northern Belgium to The Netherlands. It's important to balance a whole lot of Belgian beer drinking with a little physical activity. My mom will forever be the greatest trip planner. We stayed the night in this castle in Germany thanks to her.

It was wonderful to share my study abroad experience with my family (I think that's the longest we've ever been apart) and it will be great to see them again in a couple of weeks for pool time in Norman.

Next up was Italy (Rome, Arezzo, Florence) and Barcelona with friends. I got to see high school friends, a sorority sister and Pope Francis (from afar) in Italy. So much fun! We spent Easter weekend in Barcelona and attended an Easter mass in Catalan. That was a bit of challenge, but still an interesting experience. Hallelujah is universal though, so we made it work. My college spring breaks have been drastically different. Trip to Florida freshman year, nursing my mom back to health after her ski accident sophomore year and a European adventure this year. I'm sure next year will be something entirely different too.

I spent last weekend in The Netherlands with my study abroad program. It was King's Day which meant lots of orange and lots of proud Dutch people ready to party. We also rode bikes on this trip, saw the tulip fields, enjoyed an incredible sunset at the North Sea and visited the Peace Palace in The Hague.

It's the final countdown now. Just 13 days until I am home sweet home. It's crazy how quickly this semester has flown by. My dad always says it's great to go on trips, but it's also great to come home. He's right because even though I know I'll miss it here, I'm ready for a cheesy airport reunion, chips and queso and the familiarity of home.

On Tulsa On

I didn't always want to study abroad. Tulsa became my home away from home very quickly and the idea of spending one of my eight semesters in a different place didn't seem like something I really wanted or needed to do. As time went on I came around to the idea of being adventurous and leaving TU for awhile. I have loved my experience abroad and I can't believe how quickly it's gone by. There are definitely certain things I miss about campus life, but I got to experience some of them this weekend!

My parents skyped me in for the TU/UCLA game. There aren't many things I would willingly do between the hours of 3 am and 6:30 am, but watching Tulsa play in the NCAA tournament is one of them. I don't watch much TV here and I'm pretty disconnected from my teams because of the time change. Since going to games on campus is one of my favorite things about college, this Skype call was a complete blast. I had a huge smile on my face for the first 5 minutes because it felt so good to watch TU play again. Even though the outcome wasn't ideal, I was still so proud of and impressed by this young team. Definitely worth the 3 am wake up call.

This morning I went to church for the first time all semester. I realized this is the longest I have ever gone without attending some kind of worship service or spending time in Christian community. It was really great to worship again! The congregation was so welcoming, friendly and diverse. Plus their love of God was practically palpable. So cool.
I'm involved in UKirk Presbyterian ministry at TU and their worship services on Wednesday and Thursday help me refocus and renew each week. In worship today we sang the Desert Song by Hillsong United and I just about lost it. That's by far my favorite song we sing at Ukirk gatherings. I tried to hold back the tears of joy, but they came in full force anyway. This experience was a reminder that God is so much bigger than First Presbyterian Church of Norman or Sharp Chapel at TU. He works through people in Brussels too and they even sing some of the same songs.

Even though I'm far from home, I am so glad I got to be a true TU fan and a Presbyterian this weekend. Thanks be to God!

God Bless the American Embassy

For the most part my time abroad has been smooth sailing. My only setbacks have been minor and fairly entertaining.

Last Thursday was quite the outlier though. In all of the excitement of my boyfriend's visit (and his gift of 3 packages of novelty Oreos you can't buy here in Belgium), I lost my focus and my purse. No wallet, no keys, no iPhone, no nothing. I did my best to stay calm as we tried to track it down, but the search attempt felt like a lost cause. Even though I believe everything happens for a reason, this mistake was frustrating, inconvenient and expensive. It was hard to find the silver lining.

Life got a whole lot sunnier on Friday. I was notified my purse and all of its contents were safe and sound at the U.S. embassy. Hallelujah! I still can't believe how fortunate I am.

Someone found my purse, chose not to steal anything from it and dropped it off at the embassy. If that doesn't restore your faith in humanity I don't know what will.

I'm also extremely grateful I didn't have to deal with this alone. If you ever lose anything of value in a foreign country call on Nathan Pigott for help. He is level-headed, understanding and encouraging. So here's a big thanks to him as well!

And if you need evidence that I have my life back in order, I made it Paris today to visit my cousin and her husband. They surprised me with dinner in the Eiffel Tower. What a treat! Tomorrow we take on Disneyland Paris! Life is good and I promise to try to never lose anything ever again.

La Nourriture

School is keeping me pretty busy right now, but it's going on hold for a second because I've had a special request for another blog post.

This one's for you, Dad (and anyone else who's interested).

My parents went to Italy last May and with two of my mom's good friends from college. When asked about their experience when they came home, my dad's go-to line was, "I loved being able to eat without fear."
Of course he loved other things too, but the food was definitely a highlight. The same is true for Belgium. I kind of excepted the food to be less than satisfactory for some reason. I guess I thought not eating Chic-fil-A and Mexican food for a semester would be borderline torturous. Thankfully, I was wrong because Belgians are really good at food.

You've got the specialty items: chocolate, waffles and frittes (fries). They are well known for a reason. They rock.

I eat chocolate nearly everyday. It never gets old since there are so many varieties. Even the chocolate in the vending machines on campus is gourmet. I'll try not to be obnoxious about it when I come home, but I don't think Hershey's is going to cut it anymore.

If you're familiar with Parks and Rec, you know how much Leslie Knope loves waffles. Well, I like everything about Leslie Knope and I also like everything about waffles.

I'm convinced she would love Brussels (if she wasn't a fictional character).
There are two types of waffles here. Brussels waffles and Liege waffles. Liege waffles are easier to find because they're sold from waffle trucks on the street. Your options are chocolate sauce and whipped cream. I've tried both (obviously) and I'm a big fan of each.
Brussels waffles are much lighter. They kind of taste like funnel cake- but you feel far less fat and disgusting after you eat one. So that's a plus!

Frittes. Holy cow. So good. I crave frittes on a daily basis. French fries are actually a Belgian creation, not a French one. French refers to the way the potatoes are cut, so that's where the confusion comes from. Belgians are very proud of their frittes, as they should be. Frittes are made fresh to order, served in a paper cone and drenched in sauce. Most people choose mayo, but samurai sauce (basically just a spicy mayo) is also excellent.

Final thoughts: I've enjoyed all of the other food I've had here too, (especially at the 11 course Belgian food tasting) but I won't bore you with those details. Although I look forward to devouring some chicken minis and chips and queso in a few months, I'm loving the food here. So here's to eating without fear. Bon appetit, my friends!

In Between

Hello my friends! Here's an unconventional study abroad update. I wrote it just for you.

So sometimes life is really spectacular and you travel to France with your friends over the weekend and you try macarons for the first time and you can't wait to write home* about it.

*send your parents an email

Other times life is kind of tough. You get drenched in the Belgian rain and class can be annoying and you realize you are missing out on a lot of Thunder basketball. Not the end of the world I realize, but still, these not-so-fun things happen sometimes.

For the most part though, life is right in between spectacular and tough. This "in between" thing is my favorite- in the U.S. and especially here in Belgium. This sense of normalcy means I've adjusted to a new way of life in a brand new place. Pretty cool.

Today is the epitome of a great "in between" day for me.
The sun came out!
I learned that the Dutch word for cereals is ridiculous- it's ontbíjtgranen, if you were curious.
I took my first French test.
I got mail from friends. (s/o to Maggie T., J.J., Jake and Daniel for that one!)
Plus there was some studying, bus riding and errand running on the agenda today too.

Most of that is normal and uninteresting.
That's okay though because when things don't move too fast, it's easier to remember to take everything in, even the small stuff, and be thankful.

Bruzzfeed: 5 reasons why living in Brussels makes me feel like a clueless American (and lots of reasons why I’m totally okay with it)

1. Simple tasks become incomprehensibly challenging.

Opening doors, doing laundry, ordering food, typing and distinguishing the difference between lotion and body wash have tripped me up at some point, but being denied a baguette and a beer all in the same day for seemingly no reason keeps you humble, you know? Also it keeps you laughing. Laughing really hard actually.

2. Walking is working out.

For most Europeans, walking a lot is totally normal, but evidentially for me it’s a brand new adventure. After fighting off a toe infection for the first two weeks, I’m finally walking limp-free around this part of the world.  Who actually gets a toe infection from walking too much though? My life is the weirdest.

3. My age is a mystery.

In an attempt to speak French, I butchered the pronunciation and told people on multiple occasions “I am 11 years old”- hence this blog’s title. On a separate occasion, I actually got carded here, meaning I looked under the age of 18 to the bouncer. Rough. Don’t worry though. Even though I left my license at home that night, my Mobib public transportation card proves that I am neither 11 nor 17.  Dodged that bullet.

4. Interacting with non-Americans is a daily struggle.

I’m making an effort to blend in, but despite my effort to actually read the public transportation etiquette brochure and learn basic cultural differences, I am so obviously American, it hurts.

-In Lille, France today: “Where are you traveling from?” “Norman, OklahomaBrussels.”

Because OklahomaBrussels is a place. I panicked. Clearly.

-In a Brussels shoe store: “What size shoe are you?” “Ummmmmmm 7.5 in the U.S. so that means you’re just going to have to take a wild guess.” Annoying customer at your service. Sorry, lady.

-Also saying sí instead of oui or yes because speaking Spanish in a French/Dutch speaking country makes perfect sense.

5. Congratulating Belgians on their awesome jobs is super rewarding.

I’ve never met any train conductors or chocolatiers in the States. These lucky Belgians need to know how cool their lives are and I’ve taken it upon myself to help them realize this.

I expect this list to grow all semester. I’m totally okay with it and I hope you are too.

Lots of love from your favorite Belgian wannabe. Au revoir, or something. 

Numero Uno (because I don't actually know French)

Fellow internet users,

Welcome to my blog! I've been in Brussels for two weeks now and figured it was about time to share my experience with the rest of the world. Sorry for the delay. I guess I've been too busy getting lost, eating waffles and pretending I know French.

Here are some highlights so far:

This is Rue du Bien-Faire. I live in a home stay on this street with another American student and the sweetest mom-daughter pair Belgium has ever seen. Also it rains a lot here. Plus there isn't fluoride in the water, so basically Belgium is the same as Oregon.

The beer really is as good as you'd think. Better, actually. We toured De Halve Maan (The Half Moon) brewery in Bruges over the weekend and did our best to "sip like our Dads." That involves the pre-swallow lip clench featured in this photo. My dad used to brew beer and has always been quite the connoisseur. He is going to have a religious experience when he comes to visit in April. Can't wait to witness that glorious moment.

Ooo la la- The Grand Place is my favorite spot in the city. Here's something goofy though. It's really difficult for us to find the place when we intend too, but the number of times we've stumbled upon it by mistake just keeps growing. I kind of hope it stays that way.

Friends are fun! Sharing this experience with other students that picked Brussels for it's quirky charm and central location within Europe is supér. That's French for super. See, I'm learning. We've got some awesome trips in the works- London, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Italy and Greece. Wowza this is the LIFE.