Our friends Brian and Sam have two precious little boys; Luke (5 years old) and James (4). They have just welcomed a little sister Aletheia, so needless to say Sam has her hands full! Since the boys have been out of school for a few weeks, the five of us (Sam, Luke, James, Aletheia, and myself) have been having fun paling around Brussels during the day.
Luke and James have their own website, which is updated with a new picture (almost) every day. If you want to see it, go to www.lukecarney.com
On a rainy afternoon last week the boys and I worked on our blog. Luke and James are very good at typing and I wanted to share what they had typed...
CAT (typed by Luke)
LUKECARNEY (typed by Luke)
james (typed by James, but then he wanted to do it in all caps)
JAMES
I told the boys that I would type whatever they said to me, so here goes...
Quotes from James:
I love santa that he gave me the pirate puzzle. I am this old (he shows me four fingers). I am wearing a skeleton t-shirt. I go to school at Tenbosh. When we were at IKEA Mom didn't have enough money to get the (stuffed) kitty so we just had to leave him there. But then Santa got it for me!!!
Ouotes from Luke:
Luke loves the pirate ship that Santa Claus gave him. I am 5 years old. I go to kindergarden.
Then Luke and James wanted to write a letter to Santa:
By Luke:
Dear Santa, I am very happy that you gave me the pirate ship. I am very happy that you gave me the Spiderman t-shirt. I am really happy that you gave us a new pacifier for our baby.
By James:
I am happy that you gave me the pirate puzzle. I love you that you gave us the Hot Wheels track. I love that you gave me kitty. I love you that you got a new bottle for our sister.
Thursday, December 30, 2004
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
A New York City Christmas
In a last minute turn of events, Kyle and I found out on Friday that we would be flying to New York on Saturday to finish up some visa issues. I feel lucky that we can be flexible enough to pack a bag at the last minute and in less than 12 hours be ready for a transcontinental flight. On Friday evening we had a lovely Christmas dinner with Kyle's co-workers. After including dates and spouses, we had people from Belgium, Mexico, Turkey, and Russia at our table. In true European fashion, we had a huge chunk of meat, a great sauce, and french fries for our meal...not a vegetable in sight! Dinner took a leisurly four hours and it was great to get to catch up with everyone.
Saturday was spent flying to the States. We challenged ourselves to not give in to jetlag, and were able to stay up late enough to enjoy a nice dinner with our UGA friends Kary and Katie Nordholz. Since 'last minuteness' seems to run in our blood, Sarah Kathryn was able to get a flight up on Sunday to come and visit while we are on this side of the ocean. (We will be here from Saturday to Thursday.) I am so excited to be able to see her and spend some sister time together.
We woke up to snow flurries and freezing cold on Monday. Since Kyle is still having to work while he is here, Sarah Kathryn and I decided to battle the cold for some last minute shopping. We made it to Rich's and a few other stores to look for a good winter coat and some other Christmas gifts. Kyle had a bit of sore throat so we took it easy last night and were just able to enjoy each others company.
The cold just looks too daunting for us today, so Sarah Kathryn and I are planning on staying in for awhile and getting some work done ie: last minute Christmas cards!
I hope each of you is able to stay warm!!!
Saturday was spent flying to the States. We challenged ourselves to not give in to jetlag, and were able to stay up late enough to enjoy a nice dinner with our UGA friends Kary and Katie Nordholz. Since 'last minuteness' seems to run in our blood, Sarah Kathryn was able to get a flight up on Sunday to come and visit while we are on this side of the ocean. (We will be here from Saturday to Thursday.) I am so excited to be able to see her and spend some sister time together.
We woke up to snow flurries and freezing cold on Monday. Since Kyle is still having to work while he is here, Sarah Kathryn and I decided to battle the cold for some last minute shopping. We made it to Rich's and a few other stores to look for a good winter coat and some other Christmas gifts. Kyle had a bit of sore throat so we took it easy last night and were just able to enjoy each others company.
The cold just looks too daunting for us today, so Sarah Kathryn and I are planning on staying in for awhile and getting some work done ie: last minute Christmas cards!
I hope each of you is able to stay warm!!!
Monday, December 20, 2004
Admiring the Army vs. Admiring the Lakers???
An e-mail from a friend of a friend that I find wonderful...
We can frame this question in a different way: shall we prefer Michael Jordan or his elder brother, Sgt. Major James Jordan, who recently had his thirty-year mandatory retirement waived so he could serve with his troops in Iraq. Jordan is a supreme basketball player, to be sure, but also an adulterer, a gambler, and a postmodern self-marketer to the hilt. I, for one, prefer the anonymous, self-sacrificing, morally meaningful heroism of the elder Jordan.
It would be a fine thing if kids rooted for the likes Sgt. Major Jordan instead of spoiled punks like Latrell Sprewell and Ron Artest.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/11/29/jordans.brother.ap/
We can frame this question in a different way: shall we prefer Michael Jordan or his elder brother, Sgt. Major James Jordan, who recently had his thirty-year mandatory retirement waived so he could serve with his troops in Iraq. Jordan is a supreme basketball player, to be sure, but also an adulterer, a gambler, and a postmodern self-marketer to the hilt. I, for one, prefer the anonymous, self-sacrificing, morally meaningful heroism of the elder Jordan.
It would be a fine thing if kids rooted for the likes Sgt. Major Jordan instead of spoiled punks like Latrell Sprewell and Ron Artest.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/11/29/jordans.brother.ap/
Thursday, December 16, 2004
A different view of Atlanta
My favorite website here is www.xpats.com There is a wealth of knowledge about living in Brussels, and I especially love the Q&A section it has. You can post any type of question you might have and other users will usually try and help you find the answer.
Another thing to keep in mind when reading below is that the majority of people here are white. You don't really notice it until you think about it, but when you start to look around, you rarely see anyone of a different color skin. If anything, you see many more people with olive colored skin than any other type. There is an area of Brussels that is known as the African area, and that is where the majority of black people congregate, and they don't really stray from there.
I say all of this to put into perspective how fascinted this man seemed to be with just going to Atlanta and learning about black culture. Who knew so many of you lived in a cultural hotspot?
Q: I am thinking of visiting Atlanta, Georgia in Feburary. Is it worth a visit, what is there to do?
A: The area around Martin Luther King's house is fantastic if you are interested in black history. I also liked Stone Mountain, although I wasn't expecting too - it was much less 'theme-parky' than I had thought. I thought Atlanta was great. It was the first time I had been to a city with such a large black population and I found that if you stuck with black culture and restaurants you couldn't go wrong. I've been twice - once in February and once in March - and both times the weather was fine for walking around without a coat. If you get a chance, go to Savannah - it's absolutely stunning.
Another thing to keep in mind when reading below is that the majority of people here are white. You don't really notice it until you think about it, but when you start to look around, you rarely see anyone of a different color skin. If anything, you see many more people with olive colored skin than any other type. There is an area of Brussels that is known as the African area, and that is where the majority of black people congregate, and they don't really stray from there.
I say all of this to put into perspective how fascinted this man seemed to be with just going to Atlanta and learning about black culture. Who knew so many of you lived in a cultural hotspot?
Q: I am thinking of visiting Atlanta, Georgia in Feburary. Is it worth a visit, what is there to do?
A: The area around Martin Luther King's house is fantastic if you are interested in black history. I also liked Stone Mountain, although I wasn't expecting too - it was much less 'theme-parky' than I had thought. I thought Atlanta was great. It was the first time I had been to a city with such a large black population and I found that if you stuck with black culture and restaurants you couldn't go wrong. I've been twice - once in February and once in March - and both times the weather was fine for walking around without a coat. If you get a chance, go to Savannah - it's absolutely stunning.
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Toilet Troubles Part Deux
Well the plumber did indeed come back and boy did he stay for a while! He ended up arriving at 10am and staying until 7pm! I felt like I was in In House Suspension (without a bathroom break!) We still had the same problem of me not speaking any French and him not speaking any English, so I was pretty much in silence for the entire day (which you all know is something I don't like :). The landlady told us he was a plumber, but after his fifth trip to the hardware store to get yet another part, I started to wonder. At one point he just left with his tools and all (and not saying anything to me.) After 30 min. I started to wonder if he was coming back and after an hour I called the landlady, who called him, and reassured me that indeed he was coming back...it just turned out to mean 2 and a half hours later. After that little break he managed to make water come flooding out of one of the toilets--so much so that I had to give him one of our towels to soak it up, and the towel was never to be seen again.
During all of this time, I couldn't use the bathrooms (obviously). After waiting for a few hours, I finally had to resort to leaving the plumber in the apartment alone and calling on a favor from one of my few friends here. I was so thankful that I am a 'local' at Dukes and had to run down and ask Guiseppe if I could use his restroom. Thankfully he at least seemed to recognize me and didn't seem to mind.
Finally, the plumber seemed to be finished at 7pm, but he still hadn't fixed the facucet in the kitchen that runs for a little bit after you turn it off. I pointed this out to him and he seemed to motion a lot in French. Finally I got out my French translation book and pointed for him to look up the word he was trying to say and point it out to me. He ended up pointing to the word neuf that meas the number nine in English. I am totally guessing here, but I think he was trying to say that the faucet is new so he can't fix it...or something like that. Kyle thought he was saying that he would be back the next day at nine to fix it. So the next day we got up and were ready for him, but he never showed up, so we have resorted to assuming he meant that it was new and he can't fix it. Oh well!
During all of this time, I couldn't use the bathrooms (obviously). After waiting for a few hours, I finally had to resort to leaving the plumber in the apartment alone and calling on a favor from one of my few friends here. I was so thankful that I am a 'local' at Dukes and had to run down and ask Guiseppe if I could use his restroom. Thankfully he at least seemed to recognize me and didn't seem to mind.
Finally, the plumber seemed to be finished at 7pm, but he still hadn't fixed the facucet in the kitchen that runs for a little bit after you turn it off. I pointed this out to him and he seemed to motion a lot in French. Finally I got out my French translation book and pointed for him to look up the word he was trying to say and point it out to me. He ended up pointing to the word neuf that meas the number nine in English. I am totally guessing here, but I think he was trying to say that the faucet is new so he can't fix it...or something like that. Kyle thought he was saying that he would be back the next day at nine to fix it. So the next day we got up and were ready for him, but he never showed up, so we have resorted to assuming he meant that it was new and he can't fix it. Oh well!
Sunday, December 12, 2004
Happy Half-iversary!!!!
Well, today (Dec, 12, 2004) Kyle and I are celebrating our 6 month anniversary!!! I wanted to take a moment and publicly thank everyone who has helped to support our relationship.
Deb inspired Kyle to write an article about the MRS Degree for the Red & Black. The day it was published, I happened to cut out the article because I thought it was so funny. The Ginas (Reese, Deb, Karyn, Beth, Kate, Brooke, Julie, and Betsy) were all there the night Kyle and I met (Jan. '01) and were the biggest fans of Kyle (even before I caught on to how great he was!) Brooke Wells will always get credit for being the final push for me to date Kyle (she had been on a study abroad with him and told me how wonderful, kind and sweet she thought he was.)
God definitely had a plan for us when it worked out that I wanted to go to Australia (before Kyle I might add) and the Wingfields happened to tell Kyle they wanted to send him to Australia for a graduation present. When Kyle approached me to see if I was still looking for a travel partner, it was definitely fate at hand.
The distance from Montgomery to Atlanta and so many other things all seemed to make sense when Kyle proposed on September 12, 2003. The people we most need to thank are our parents. Without their love and support for our relationship, their ability to be role models, and their encouragement for our growth and exploration, we would not be where we are today. It is incredible how many times we reference our parents in our own relationship when it comes to making important decisions.
I also want to thank both of our extended families who welcomed each of us with open arms. There are few things that warm my heart more than when Kyle so easily refers to my aunt or uncle, or a past Smith/Harney story, as if it were his own. I think I speak for both of us when I say that we feel so lucky to feel so comfortable with both families.
I would also like to thank all of the people that sweated through our wedding, to be able to take part in the festivities. It will always be a day to be remembered.
When people quesion God, I can only look at our relationship to know He is real. How else would so many, many things have taken place, in what seems like many chance accidents, and as an end result, Kyle and I would be where we are today?
Deb inspired Kyle to write an article about the MRS Degree for the Red & Black. The day it was published, I happened to cut out the article because I thought it was so funny. The Ginas (Reese, Deb, Karyn, Beth, Kate, Brooke, Julie, and Betsy) were all there the night Kyle and I met (Jan. '01) and were the biggest fans of Kyle (even before I caught on to how great he was!) Brooke Wells will always get credit for being the final push for me to date Kyle (she had been on a study abroad with him and told me how wonderful, kind and sweet she thought he was.)
God definitely had a plan for us when it worked out that I wanted to go to Australia (before Kyle I might add) and the Wingfields happened to tell Kyle they wanted to send him to Australia for a graduation present. When Kyle approached me to see if I was still looking for a travel partner, it was definitely fate at hand.
The distance from Montgomery to Atlanta and so many other things all seemed to make sense when Kyle proposed on September 12, 2003. The people we most need to thank are our parents. Without their love and support for our relationship, their ability to be role models, and their encouragement for our growth and exploration, we would not be where we are today. It is incredible how many times we reference our parents in our own relationship when it comes to making important decisions.
I also want to thank both of our extended families who welcomed each of us with open arms. There are few things that warm my heart more than when Kyle so easily refers to my aunt or uncle, or a past Smith/Harney story, as if it were his own. I think I speak for both of us when I say that we feel so lucky to feel so comfortable with both families.
I would also like to thank all of the people that sweated through our wedding, to be able to take part in the festivities. It will always be a day to be remembered.
When people quesion God, I can only look at our relationship to know He is real. How else would so many, many things have taken place, in what seems like many chance accidents, and as an end result, Kyle and I would be where we are today?
Yay, we finally have friends!!!
In one night, we have seemed to be able to DOUBLE the amount of friends we have here in Brussels! We met Hal and Anna on Saturday (both UGA Law grads, and they got married in Athens, GA too!) so we were able to get lots of Xpat advice from them. Hal is here (for the past year) working for Deloitte and Anna is just hanging out (the whole work visa affects her too). Such a small world...Anna grew up in Tucker and knows of Matthews Cafeteria (and Anna Greene Copeland) and she went to Davidson and knows Katie Wells! Hal is from Orangeberg and Columbia, SC. This just goes to show that you think no one will know what you do....but your history follows you EVERYWHERE!!!
Hal and Anna introduced us to lots of their Deloitte friends who were kind enough to welcome us with open arms. We met Christine (Memphis, TN), Dan (Wisconsin), Asa (Dallas, TX), Etta and Joseph (Denmark), and Luis (Spain). After all going to the Christmas Market in downtown Brussels (and drinking LOTS of Vin Chaud--Hot Spiced Wine) we headed back to Dan's house. He is quite the host, with a wonderful apartment in close proximity to everything, and with plenty of food and drinks! We ordered pizzas and had an incredibly comfortable, enjoyable and memorable time, considering we had just met these people 3 hours before! They were kind enough to welcome us with open arms, and I think we have really found some good friends.
In even better news, I have found a dealer/supplier! You must all be wondering what kind of supplies I mean, and that would be American items!!! Christine's dad is from the Netherlands and comes over here every few months for business, so she told me he would bring over whatever I needed...including Double Stuff Oreos!!! Apparently it is a big thing that she can always cook with Bisquick. Dan was even kind enough to use one of his few boxes of (American) brownie mix on us! I felt SOOO honored!!!
***Thought for the day***
Enjoy and cherish every little thing you have that you might take for granted...from your easy to make Brownie mix, to your friends who are just a phone call away to your comfortable bed (that is your own!!!). These are things Kyle and I have done without for the last two months, and I definitely enjoy and appreciate them even more now!!!
Hal and Anna introduced us to lots of their Deloitte friends who were kind enough to welcome us with open arms. We met Christine (Memphis, TN), Dan (Wisconsin), Asa (Dallas, TX), Etta and Joseph (Denmark), and Luis (Spain). After all going to the Christmas Market in downtown Brussels (and drinking LOTS of Vin Chaud--Hot Spiced Wine) we headed back to Dan's house. He is quite the host, with a wonderful apartment in close proximity to everything, and with plenty of food and drinks! We ordered pizzas and had an incredibly comfortable, enjoyable and memorable time, considering we had just met these people 3 hours before! They were kind enough to welcome us with open arms, and I think we have really found some good friends.
In even better news, I have found a dealer/supplier! You must all be wondering what kind of supplies I mean, and that would be American items!!! Christine's dad is from the Netherlands and comes over here every few months for business, so she told me he would bring over whatever I needed...including Double Stuff Oreos!!! Apparently it is a big thing that she can always cook with Bisquick. Dan was even kind enough to use one of his few boxes of (American) brownie mix on us! I felt SOOO honored!!!
***Thought for the day***
Enjoy and cherish every little thing you have that you might take for granted...from your easy to make Brownie mix, to your friends who are just a phone call away to your comfortable bed (that is your own!!!). These are things Kyle and I have done without for the last two months, and I definitely enjoy and appreciate them even more now!!!
Thursday, December 09, 2004
A good article
Below is a great article a friend sent me. I know many of my friends in their early twenties might be struggling with this same thought. Hope you enjoy!
--Emily
I Can Do Anything, So How Do I Choose?
Newsweek, December 6, 2004
Jenny Norenberg
For the most part, my women friends and I were kids of upper-middle classprivilege, raised to believe that with hard work and a little courage, thework was ours. We climbed mountains at summer camp, went to Europe on high-school class trips and took family vacations to New York City and the Grand Canyon. Our parents, like theirs before them, told their kids they could go anywhere and do anything. We took them at their word.
By the time we hit adulthood, technology and globalization had brought the world to our doorstep. Now in our mid-20s, we're unsteadily navigating a barrage of choices our mothers never had the chance to make. No one can complain about parents who started sentences with "When you're president?" But we are now discovering the difficulty of deciding just what makes us happy in a world of innumerable options. Three years ago my friends and I barreled out of the University of Wisconsin ready to make our mark on the world. Julia headed to France to teach English. I started law school in Minneapolis. Marie and Alexis searched for work in San Francisco. Bridget started an internship in D.C. Kristina landed a job in Ireland. The list goes on. Scattering to our respective destinations, we were young enough to follow our crazy dreams but old enough to fend for ourselves in the real world.
At the time when our lives were undergoing dramatic changes, so was America. Three months after receiving our diplomas, the Twin Towers came crashing down. We realized that, in more ways than one, the world was scarier and more complex than we'd ever imagined. Since graduation, we've struggled to make our own happiness. It seems that having so many choices has sometimes overwhelmed us. In the seven years since I left home for college, I've had 13 addresses and lived in six cities. How can I stay with one person, at one job, in one city, when I have the world at my fingertips? Moving from one place to the next, bouncing from job to job, my friends and I have experienced the world, but also gotten lost in it. There have been moments of self-doubt, frantic calls cross country. ("I don't know a soul here!" "Do I really want to be a _____?")
Frustrated by studying law, I joined friends in San Francisco to waitress for a summer and contemplate whether to return to school in Minnesota. Unhappy and out of work in Portland, Molly moved to Chicago. Loni broke up with a boyfriend and packed her tiny Brooklyn apartment into a U-Haul, heading for Seattle. Others took jobs or entered grad school anywhere from Italy to L.A. Some romances and friendships succumbed to distance, career ambition or simply growing up. We all lost some sleep at one point or another, at times feeling utterly consumed by cities of thousands, even millions, knowing that even local friends were just as transient as we were.
Like so many women my age, I remain unmarried at an age then my mother already had children. She may have had the opportunity to go to college, but she was expected to marry soon after. While my friends and I still feel the pressure to marry and have children, we've gained a few post-college years of socially accepted freedom that our mothers never had. The years between college and marriage are in many ways more self-defining than any others. They're filled with the simplest, yet most complex, decisions in life: choosing a city, picking a career, finding friends and a mate- in sum, building a happy and satisfying life. For me and for my group of friends, these years have been eye-opening, confusing and fabulous at the same time. The more choices you have, the more decisions you must make-and the more you have yourself to blame if you wind up unhappy. There is a kind of perverted contentedness in certainty born of a lack of alternatives. At my age, my mother, whether she liked it or not, had fewer tough decisions to make. I don't envy the pressure she endured to follow a traditional career path and marry early. But sometimes I envy the stability she had.
Once again I've been unable to resist the lure of a new city. So, as I start my legal career in Chicago, I'm again building friendships from scratch, learning my way around a strange new place. Yes, my friends and I could have avoided the loneliness and uncertainty inherent in our journeys, and gone back to our hometowns or stayed in the college town where we had each other. But I doubt any of us would trade our adventures for that life. I have a sense of identity and self-assurance now that I didn't have, couldn't have had, when I graduated from college. And I know somedayI'll look back on this time-before I had a spouse, a home and children to care for- and be thankful for the years that just belonged to me.
--Emily
I Can Do Anything, So How Do I Choose?
Newsweek, December 6, 2004
Jenny Norenberg
For the most part, my women friends and I were kids of upper-middle classprivilege, raised to believe that with hard work and a little courage, thework was ours. We climbed mountains at summer camp, went to Europe on high-school class trips and took family vacations to New York City and the Grand Canyon. Our parents, like theirs before them, told their kids they could go anywhere and do anything. We took them at their word.
By the time we hit adulthood, technology and globalization had brought the world to our doorstep. Now in our mid-20s, we're unsteadily navigating a barrage of choices our mothers never had the chance to make. No one can complain about parents who started sentences with "When you're president?" But we are now discovering the difficulty of deciding just what makes us happy in a world of innumerable options. Three years ago my friends and I barreled out of the University of Wisconsin ready to make our mark on the world. Julia headed to France to teach English. I started law school in Minneapolis. Marie and Alexis searched for work in San Francisco. Bridget started an internship in D.C. Kristina landed a job in Ireland. The list goes on. Scattering to our respective destinations, we were young enough to follow our crazy dreams but old enough to fend for ourselves in the real world.
At the time when our lives were undergoing dramatic changes, so was America. Three months after receiving our diplomas, the Twin Towers came crashing down. We realized that, in more ways than one, the world was scarier and more complex than we'd ever imagined. Since graduation, we've struggled to make our own happiness. It seems that having so many choices has sometimes overwhelmed us. In the seven years since I left home for college, I've had 13 addresses and lived in six cities. How can I stay with one person, at one job, in one city, when I have the world at my fingertips? Moving from one place to the next, bouncing from job to job, my friends and I have experienced the world, but also gotten lost in it. There have been moments of self-doubt, frantic calls cross country. ("I don't know a soul here!" "Do I really want to be a _____?")
Frustrated by studying law, I joined friends in San Francisco to waitress for a summer and contemplate whether to return to school in Minnesota. Unhappy and out of work in Portland, Molly moved to Chicago. Loni broke up with a boyfriend and packed her tiny Brooklyn apartment into a U-Haul, heading for Seattle. Others took jobs or entered grad school anywhere from Italy to L.A. Some romances and friendships succumbed to distance, career ambition or simply growing up. We all lost some sleep at one point or another, at times feeling utterly consumed by cities of thousands, even millions, knowing that even local friends were just as transient as we were.
Like so many women my age, I remain unmarried at an age then my mother already had children. She may have had the opportunity to go to college, but she was expected to marry soon after. While my friends and I still feel the pressure to marry and have children, we've gained a few post-college years of socially accepted freedom that our mothers never had. The years between college and marriage are in many ways more self-defining than any others. They're filled with the simplest, yet most complex, decisions in life: choosing a city, picking a career, finding friends and a mate- in sum, building a happy and satisfying life. For me and for my group of friends, these years have been eye-opening, confusing and fabulous at the same time. The more choices you have, the more decisions you must make-and the more you have yourself to blame if you wind up unhappy. There is a kind of perverted contentedness in certainty born of a lack of alternatives. At my age, my mother, whether she liked it or not, had fewer tough decisions to make. I don't envy the pressure she endured to follow a traditional career path and marry early. But sometimes I envy the stability she had.
Once again I've been unable to resist the lure of a new city. So, as I start my legal career in Chicago, I'm again building friendships from scratch, learning my way around a strange new place. Yes, my friends and I could have avoided the loneliness and uncertainty inherent in our journeys, and gone back to our hometowns or stayed in the college town where we had each other. But I doubt any of us would trade our adventures for that life. I have a sense of identity and self-assurance now that I didn't have, couldn't have had, when I graduated from college. And I know somedayI'll look back on this time-before I had a spouse, a home and children to care for- and be thankful for the years that just belonged to me.
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
An example of the language barrier
Since it might be hard to understand what I mean about the language barrier, I decided to give you a real life example. Our leasing agent speaks fairly good English. The landlord speaks minimal English, so we go through the agent to get to the landlord. Below is an e-mail I sent the agent to check about changing the gas and electricity into my name. I actually chose to e-mail because trying to discuss this over the phone is ten times harder to understand.
(Keep in mind that I am appreciative of ANYONE that speaks English, so by no means am I making fun of her, I just want y'all to understand what I am talking about.)
Hi, I was looking over the form I filled out to change the gas bill into my name. I noticed that only the GAS box was checked, and not the ELECTRICITY box. Does the electricity need to be changed into my name also?
Thanks,
Emily and Kyle
I'm always waiting the documents for the transfert. Normaly the gaz and electricity are on the same documents. ( document you signed at my office.) Can you, (if you have the possibility) to give me the number of the compteurs( gaz and electricity) and the index. ( like that i don't have to waiting the informations from the expert)
Thank you.
G.perelli
(Keep in mind that I am appreciative of ANYONE that speaks English, so by no means am I making fun of her, I just want y'all to understand what I am talking about.)
Hi, I was looking over the form I filled out to change the gas bill into my name. I noticed that only the GAS box was checked, and not the ELECTRICITY box. Does the electricity need to be changed into my name also?
Thanks,
Emily and Kyle
I'm always waiting the documents for the transfert. Normaly the gaz and electricity are on the same documents. ( document you signed at my office.) Can you, (if you have the possibility) to give me the number of the compteurs( gaz and electricity) and the index. ( like that i don't have to waiting the informations from the expert)
Thank you.
G.perelli
Emily aka 'Never Met a Stranger' Wingfield
With the time difference between New York and Brussels being 6 hours, Kyle oftentimes has to work until 8, 9 or even 10 o'clock at night. This leaves me with LOTS of freetime and sometimes I just can't wait until 10pm to eat dinner. This past Monday was one of those nights.
My distant cousin Winkie has inspired me with her desire to become a 'local.' I, too, want to be known somewhere; to have the waiter bring me something without even asking because I always order the same thing ; for people to walk by and say 'That is where we can always find Emily.' Basically, I want to be Norm from Cheers. Well, I have eyed some bars in our neighborhood and decided to check out The Duke. How can you go wrong with a name like that? So I went in and ordered a beer and checked out the place.
After sitting down I noticed a table of middle-aged men speaking Engligh. (You have to understand how excited I get when I can finally understand what people are saying.) As I was looing at the menu, one of the men leaned over and said I should try the minestrone soup. After that, we struck up a conversation and I have found a new set of friends! I met John, a Brit that teaches English around here. When I told him about my quest for a local bar, he said that he, too, had been on that journey and has been frequenting The Duke for the past year, because it is the best bar around. I was then introduced to Guiseppe, the owner, and chef of the minestrone soup. We chatted a bit longer and then I bid John and Guiseppe farewell, but told them that I would be back soon.
Next, I went to dinner where I had been a few nights before. The waiter recognized me and when I slipped up and said 'Muchas gracias' instead of 'merci bucou' he laughed and told me that he speaks French, English, and Spanish, so I could talk in any of the languages. After that, he mentioned that he wanted to work on his English, so I am going to meet him for coffee in a few days so we can chat. Hopefully I can work on my French too!
On my way home, I decided to meet my neighbor at the corner grocery store. I think I have definitely found the person that is going to pull my heartstrings in Brussels. His name is Moonith and he is from Bangladesh. Between he and his wife, they work 12 hours a day at the store so that they can send their sons to private school. He told me that his sons (15 and 10 years old) are his future and anything he makes, he wants to invest in them. His family lives above the store and he likes that better so he can see them more often. Needless to say, I now go in the store everyday to see how things are going a buy a few things. (The good thing is that he speaks Engligh and French, so I might use him to translate to the plumber!)
All in all I mets lots of new friends and I think I will definitely be known as 'That overly friendly American with the big hair' in the neighborhood now! I'm off to The Duke.....
My distant cousin Winkie has inspired me with her desire to become a 'local.' I, too, want to be known somewhere; to have the waiter bring me something without even asking because I always order the same thing ; for people to walk by and say 'That is where we can always find Emily.' Basically, I want to be Norm from Cheers. Well, I have eyed some bars in our neighborhood and decided to check out The Duke. How can you go wrong with a name like that? So I went in and ordered a beer and checked out the place.
After sitting down I noticed a table of middle-aged men speaking Engligh. (You have to understand how excited I get when I can finally understand what people are saying.) As I was looing at the menu, one of the men leaned over and said I should try the minestrone soup. After that, we struck up a conversation and I have found a new set of friends! I met John, a Brit that teaches English around here. When I told him about my quest for a local bar, he said that he, too, had been on that journey and has been frequenting The Duke for the past year, because it is the best bar around. I was then introduced to Guiseppe, the owner, and chef of the minestrone soup. We chatted a bit longer and then I bid John and Guiseppe farewell, but told them that I would be back soon.
Next, I went to dinner where I had been a few nights before. The waiter recognized me and when I slipped up and said 'Muchas gracias' instead of 'merci bucou' he laughed and told me that he speaks French, English, and Spanish, so I could talk in any of the languages. After that, he mentioned that he wanted to work on his English, so I am going to meet him for coffee in a few days so we can chat. Hopefully I can work on my French too!
On my way home, I decided to meet my neighbor at the corner grocery store. I think I have definitely found the person that is going to pull my heartstrings in Brussels. His name is Moonith and he is from Bangladesh. Between he and his wife, they work 12 hours a day at the store so that they can send their sons to private school. He told me that his sons (15 and 10 years old) are his future and anything he makes, he wants to invest in them. His family lives above the store and he likes that better so he can see them more often. Needless to say, I now go in the store everyday to see how things are going a buy a few things. (The good thing is that he speaks Engligh and French, so I might use him to translate to the plumber!)
All in all I mets lots of new friends and I think I will definitely be known as 'That overly friendly American with the big hair' in the neighborhood now! I'm off to The Duke.....
Toilet Troubles
Like all apartments, there were a few problems when we moved into ours. One toilet does not have any water in it (yes, we have tried to turn the knob) and there looks to be some broken parts in the back of it. Another toilet takes about 10 min. to refill after you flush. Well, I called the real estate agent, who said she would call the landlord, who would then call a plumber. Thirty minutes later a man calls and starts speaking french. I say that I only know English and then I hear one more sentence in french and then the dial tone. Ten minutes later another man calls back to say, 'I am calling to translate for my friend the plumber and tell you he will be there at 7:30 tonight. That is all I know. Goodbye.'
I had two hours to look up as many words as I could find relating to toliet, broken, refill, water and anything else I could think of to bridge the language gap. Our plumber finally arrives at 9pm and luckily Kyle is home to help. I really wish someone had a videocamera for this experience. Kyle and I speak no French, and the plumber speaks no English. At one point, Kyle is holding three French translation books and flipping through them furiously and I still have to run into the other room and find our fourth one to see if it has a specific word in it. After the plumber called his friend to translate again, we finally got the one toilet straightened out.
The next toilet was where some sign language came in handy. Imagine me overly exaggerating flushing a toilet (with the 'wooshing' sound and all) and then raising my hand to immitate how slowly the water refills. Kyle is next to me with four French translation books trying to look up the word 'refill.' Somehow the plumber got the drift and he is going to come back and fix it.
After the whole experience Kyle and I could only look at each other and laugh and be reminded that we REALLY need to enroll in some French lessons!
I had two hours to look up as many words as I could find relating to toliet, broken, refill, water and anything else I could think of to bridge the language gap. Our plumber finally arrives at 9pm and luckily Kyle is home to help. I really wish someone had a videocamera for this experience. Kyle and I speak no French, and the plumber speaks no English. At one point, Kyle is holding three French translation books and flipping through them furiously and I still have to run into the other room and find our fourth one to see if it has a specific word in it. After the plumber called his friend to translate again, we finally got the one toilet straightened out.
The next toilet was where some sign language came in handy. Imagine me overly exaggerating flushing a toilet (with the 'wooshing' sound and all) and then raising my hand to immitate how slowly the water refills. Kyle is next to me with four French translation books trying to look up the word 'refill.' Somehow the plumber got the drift and he is going to come back and fix it.
After the whole experience Kyle and I could only look at each other and laugh and be reminded that we REALLY need to enroll in some French lessons!
IKEA
There are many first time experiences you will always remember...the first time you drove a car or your first day of highschool. Another experience you will always remember is your first time going to IKEA if you live in Brussels. Now maybe I had the wrong image of IKEA when I was in the states, but I thought it was a very expensive store with really trendy furniture. Whatever it is like in the states is nothing like it is here. IKEA in Brussels is known for inexpensive furniture that you put together on your own. Basically the quality of furniture you would find at Target, but lots more of it.
IKEA is on the outskirts of Brussels. After walking at least a mile and looking at 5 different bus stops, I finally found the right stop and got on a bus to make the trek. Two hours after I started, I walked into IKEA. This is a building that is at least the size of Sam's Club or Costco in the states, but then multiply that by two, because it has a top and bottom floor. The top floor is the showroom, where you look at the furniture already put together and then write down the code for the product. After walking through the entire showroom, you go downstairs and look at all of the smaller products (linens, light fixtures, etc.) Once you have finally worn down the soles of your shoes, you make it to the product pickup area. None of the furniture is put together...that is left up to you (which rumor has it that some pieces have over 200 screws and can take up to 12 hours to put together!)
My main purpose in going here was to get a futon mattress that Kyle and I could sleep on for 3 nights until our furniture gets here. Well I found a mattress, and due to a variety of circumstance, I ended up carrying it home on the bus. Have you ever seen someone carying a mattress or pushing a shopping cart down a busy road and thinking 'Man, I feel sorry for them!' Yep, well that was me yesterday. I managed to push the futon mattress in the shopping cart out to the bus stop, then I heaved it on my shoulder and squeezed my way onto the bus. After changing buses three times, I finally made it home. The entire adventure took six hours, and I have sworn to myself that I will never go to IKEA alone again!
IKEA is on the outskirts of Brussels. After walking at least a mile and looking at 5 different bus stops, I finally found the right stop and got on a bus to make the trek. Two hours after I started, I walked into IKEA. This is a building that is at least the size of Sam's Club or Costco in the states, but then multiply that by two, because it has a top and bottom floor. The top floor is the showroom, where you look at the furniture already put together and then write down the code for the product. After walking through the entire showroom, you go downstairs and look at all of the smaller products (linens, light fixtures, etc.) Once you have finally worn down the soles of your shoes, you make it to the product pickup area. None of the furniture is put together...that is left up to you (which rumor has it that some pieces have over 200 screws and can take up to 12 hours to put together!)
My main purpose in going here was to get a futon mattress that Kyle and I could sleep on for 3 nights until our furniture gets here. Well I found a mattress, and due to a variety of circumstance, I ended up carrying it home on the bus. Have you ever seen someone carying a mattress or pushing a shopping cart down a busy road and thinking 'Man, I feel sorry for them!' Yep, well that was me yesterday. I managed to push the futon mattress in the shopping cart out to the bus stop, then I heaved it on my shoulder and squeezed my way onto the bus. After changing buses three times, I finally made it home. The entire adventure took six hours, and I have sworn to myself that I will never go to IKEA alone again!
Saturday, December 04, 2004
Monschau, Germany
Kyle's summary of our day trip to a Christmas festival in Germany:
We went to a Christmas festival in Monschau, Germany, today with the American Club of Brussels. Actually, it turned out to be mostly U.S. students at American University's campus here and then a few 60-year-olds. The students were pretty wrapped up in themselves, and the older folks were in the back of the bus, so we stuck to ourselves but had a great time. It was cold, but not too bad. We did a little shopping and a lot more eating: tomato soup, bratwurst, potato cakes with applesauce (it's a lot better than it sounds), Belgian waffle, gingerbread, apple streudel. That's what we ate between us, not individually mind you. They had some sort of "hot wine" that seemed to be very popular but which neither of us could bring ourselves to drink. We stuck with hot cocoa and a Coke.
We hiked up to a castle-turned-civic center and watched a nativity re-enactment in German. Which actually was a group of actors from the town who moved around like the nativity characters with a recording or PA announcer or someone narrating between songs. All in all, it was exactly the kind of place the founders of Helen, Georgia, either saw or had in mind when they got their start -- but much more beautiful. Lots of evergreens and hills (the city was in a river valley between two fairly tall ridges) and half-timber houses and cobblestone streets.
It definitely put us in the Christmas spirit!
We went to a Christmas festival in Monschau, Germany, today with the American Club of Brussels. Actually, it turned out to be mostly U.S. students at American University's campus here and then a few 60-year-olds. The students were pretty wrapped up in themselves, and the older folks were in the back of the bus, so we stuck to ourselves but had a great time. It was cold, but not too bad. We did a little shopping and a lot more eating: tomato soup, bratwurst, potato cakes with applesauce (it's a lot better than it sounds), Belgian waffle, gingerbread, apple streudel. That's what we ate between us, not individually mind you. They had some sort of "hot wine" that seemed to be very popular but which neither of us could bring ourselves to drink. We stuck with hot cocoa and a Coke.
We hiked up to a castle-turned-civic center and watched a nativity re-enactment in German. Which actually was a group of actors from the town who moved around like the nativity characters with a recording or PA announcer or someone narrating between songs. All in all, it was exactly the kind of place the founders of Helen, Georgia, either saw or had in mind when they got their start -- but much more beautiful. Lots of evergreens and hills (the city was in a river valley between two fairly tall ridges) and half-timber houses and cobblestone streets.
It definitely put us in the Christmas spirit!
Thursday, December 02, 2004
Lost in Translation
This afternoon has been quite frustrating. I think I have just become much closer to experiencing what a dyslexic or learning disabled person might experience. I had to go to the leasing agency to get something settled for our new apartment. The owner of the apartment was also there. Both women speak French and proceeded to speak French for about 10 minutes in front of me, all the while I looked like a person who had no clue what was going on. Obviously something had gone on concerning our apartment, but I was totally clueless to it. I tried to get them to explain the situation to me, but could never seem to get a clear picture. Between my non-existent French and their minimal English, I think a lot of things got lost in the translation. I have put a lot of trust in these women, and I hope to believe my gut that they are being honest, but I definitely felt completely out of control of the entire situation. I just felt completely helpless for the entire time and finally left just holding out hope in the goodness of people. Unfortunately, I have heard many horror stories about landlords over here, and I just hope to one day not be sharing my own story.
In other news, I had coffee with a delightful friend of a friend from Atlanta. She (Kelly) and her husband Rich have been married for 10 years with 2 daughters (3 years and 8 months). It turns out they took a trip around the world for one and a half years, so talk about experienced travellers!!! Everyone I have met thus far has children, so I am very thankful that I am so comfortable around kids and have a knowledge of various stages that come with each age. I have actually found myself giving advice of the best strollers and schools! Don't start the gossip train yet though, Kyle and I have enjoyed getting to play with all of these kids, but are not at all anxious to have any of our own for a long while. It has been really neat to get to see Kyle interact with all of the children though.
In other news, I had coffee with a delightful friend of a friend from Atlanta. She (Kelly) and her husband Rich have been married for 10 years with 2 daughters (3 years and 8 months). It turns out they took a trip around the world for one and a half years, so talk about experienced travellers!!! Everyone I have met thus far has children, so I am very thankful that I am so comfortable around kids and have a knowledge of various stages that come with each age. I have actually found myself giving advice of the best strollers and schools! Don't start the gossip train yet though, Kyle and I have enjoyed getting to play with all of these kids, but are not at all anxious to have any of our own for a long while. It has been really neat to get to see Kyle interact with all of the children though.
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
A Step Closer to Home
Well we have found out some details on our housing situation. Our stuff will apparently arrived in Antwerp on Dec. 2 and then have to go through customs. After that, they think it will make it down to Brussels by Dec. 9, so hopefully we will move in that day.
Last night we went to an Egyptian restaurant where Jean Claude van Dame used to workout (obviously it has been converted since then.) We had chicken, lamb, and 'bird' kebobs that were quite tasty.
In other good news we have found a new set of friends that not only are from the south, but went to UGA Law School and were marriend in Athens! I plan on calling the girl today and seeing if we can get together sometime.
I'm having coffee with a friend of a friend whose husband works for McKenna here in Brussels. She and her husband took off a year and a half to travel around the world and now have 2 little girls (ages 3 and 8 months). I am sure she will have lots of stories to tell!
Last night we went to an Egyptian restaurant where Jean Claude van Dame used to workout (obviously it has been converted since then.) We had chicken, lamb, and 'bird' kebobs that were quite tasty.
In other good news we have found a new set of friends that not only are from the south, but went to UGA Law School and were marriend in Athens! I plan on calling the girl today and seeing if we can get together sometime.
I'm having coffee with a friend of a friend whose husband works for McKenna here in Brussels. She and her husband took off a year and a half to travel around the world and now have 2 little girls (ages 3 and 8 months). I am sure she will have lots of stories to tell!
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