I have had a nice week of staying busy over here and being quite social. Monday I went to see "The Interpreter" with Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn. I would definitely recommend this as a date movie or just a good one to see. I finally found a good sushi place over here, so since Kyle was in London, I had a sushi dinner with just me and my knitting.
Tuesday I had a meeting for the Hints Committee that I am on at The American Women's Club. I took this class in January and it was incredibly helpful. It was so well run that I volunteered to help out with it because I knew I would enjoy working with these women. I will actually be presenting the section on Public Transportation. A majority of the women all have cars and GPS systems, so they don't venture out on the metro very often. My hope is to open their eyes to the fact that the metro is easy to navigate and very useful at times.
After the meeting, I had lunch with a friend that I actually met in the Hints class and then did a big shopping trip because I had a car that day. We have joined Cambio Car which is a car sharing program. Basically, rather than renting a car for an entire day, they have cars spread out throughout the city that you share with other people. You get a card when you join (for 33 euros for the year.) You reserve the car over the internet for the amount of time you need it and then scan your card on the front of the car when your reservation begins. The card unlocks the door and the keys are inside. You drive the car for how ever long you have reserved it for and then just pay 2 euro per hour used and .33 cents a km. It can definitely add up, but a friend of ours ran the numbers and figured out that owning a car in Brussels would run you 500 euro a month between gas/insurance/car payment etc. This is our first month doing this, but we are going to give it a try for awhile and the re-evaluate if we really want/need a car.
Wednesday I went to my Stitching group. Our group really has such a nice time together. Kyle and I have started going to the Church of Scotland on Sundays. The ministers wife was kind enough to invite me to a Mothers with Young Children luncheon so I could get to know some of the other women in the church. It looks like I am getting to know even more children! The women were great and I really met some nice people. Wednesday night I went to the market and then out for drinks with Jessica and my new friend Hanna (from Finland.)
Thursday I went driving with my friend Sallie (the article was from when they were in their home in the States, before Brussels.) Many women here use a GPS system to get around. Although I think these are handy for certain situations, I think they stunt peoples natural directional abilites. You start to second guess yourself if you think of going a different way than the GPS tells you to. So I told Sallie that I would be her "human GPS" and give her a tour of Brussels with my own additional commentary on landmarks and ways to get around. Since I have always been taking public transportation or riding shotgun in someone elses car I have had a lot of time to really learn the areas and not have to worry as much about traffic laws etc. We had a good time and each learned more about getting around in the city.
Thursday night we went to our book club meeting. Kyle and I are in one together with Sam, Brian, and a few other couples. This month we read Humbolt's Gift by Saul Bellow. I got through 250 of the 500 pages and just gave up. It was too rambling and boring for my tastes. Next month we are reading The Time Travellers Wife which I think I will enjoy more. I am also in another book club through the American Women's Club. Last month we read Running with Scissors. I really did not enjoy this book. Next we are reading Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons (ironic title huh?)
Friday I woke up and said to Kyle, "Oh good, I finally have a free day with no committments or anything planned." He laughed and said, "Who would have thought seven months ago that you would be happy to not have anything to do in Brussels?"
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