Let it go

I have learned many things here in Brussels, but the most valuable trait I have learned it to just, "Let it go." Thank goodness I am not a controlling person, because I would be miserable here. I am constantly surprised by things, because they are never as they seem. Rather than getting down about it, I just try to look at everything as a surprise! A perfect example was yesterdays lunch.

I met Kyle at work and we went to a little cafe for lunch. I asked what the soup dejour was and she said 'tomato.' Since I had been craving that, I ordered it, and then I ordered a diet coke. After ordering the soup, the waitress said, "xyz yelksy slkjds tkllkjw?" (I typed it like that because that is about as much sense as it made to me.) Since I didn't know what she was saying, I just responded, "oui." Then I pointed to the word 'mozzarella.' I had no clue what I was ordering, whether it will be a sandwich or just cheese on a plate or what, but at least I knew I liked mozzarella. Just another surprise for the day. Then Kyle ordered and the waitress asks him a similar question. He didn't know what she was saying either, so he just said yes too. She asks one more thing, and since we still have no clue, we just say yes. We comment to each other that we have no idea what we will be getting for lunch and the guy next to us (who obviously understands English and French just starts laughing to himself). So after all of this the waitress brings over a real Coke and Vegetable soup. Since I don't feel like putting out the effort to correct her and then not being understood, I just eat what is there. It turns out that I ordered a mozzarella and tomato sandwich, which makes me happy.

So after not being understood throughout most of lunch by the waitress, Kyle makes me wonder if Belgium is rubbing off on him a little too much. I had been trying to grow out my hair, but then decided to get it cut in the States right before I came back. Kyle was already in Brussels, so he didn't know this had happened. During lunch Kyle says, "Wow, your hair is really getting long!" to which I reply, "Kyle, I just got 1 1/2 inches cut off" and he says, "Well, at least I noticed something was different." Just another opportunity to let it go.