The Anxiety Before the Storm

As Kyle reminded me this morning, I always get anxious like this before a trip back to the States. However, for some reason this trip seems to have me in more of tizzy than others. There is just so much to get done! I have lists all around the house and Kyle grimaces each time he looks at the credit card bill. I am actually not a huge gift giver, but over the next two weeks we also have going away parties, birthday parties, and holiday parties before we even step on the plane. I think part of the reason I am feeling pressure to get things done is because early Monday morning I am driving to Germany with my friends Yvette and Maggie. Yvette moved back to Australia a few months ago, but came back here for a visit before all of her friends left too. So we are driving together to the Rothenberg and Nuremberg Christmas markets to tour around for a few days. Wednesday morning I am taking a 6:30am(!) flight to London to join Kyle, his colleagues and his NYC boss for a formal dinner that evening put on by some think tank there. I will tour around London until Friday while Kyle works up there. We will get back late Friday evening and then head to the States the Wednesday after that. Once we land, we have Kyle's sister's college graduation, and four family Christmas dinners planned. 'Tis the season!

AWCB Holiday Bazaar

I was asked to take photos for the Holiday Bazaar this year. Since they wanted them for promotional purposes, I didn't edit them down. So click here to view them, but be warned there are alot.

Wingfields in Elfland

Click here for some Wingfield Christmas cheer (and a good laugh)!

Freshman Blues

It is hard to grasp just how different Europeans are from Americans until you live over here. Even having been here three years I am still sometimes shocked at what I hear.

For example, I take French class through a university here in Brussels. Out of the 21 students in my class, only one guy is actually also a student at the university (and not just an expat or trailing spouse). He was recently telling us about the student "baptisms" that have been taking place these past few weeks. Basically each college at the university has a co-ed fraternity (so there is one for Literature, Economics, Political Science, etc.) but only about 10-15% of the student take part in the fraternities.

The final act/hazing the pledges go through has been happening the last couple of weeks. For those reading this in Brussels, the pledges are the ones you see at intersections wearing white lab coats that are covered in blue, baseball caps with really long bills, and collecting change in beer glasses to fund their beer money. As it was explained to me by my friend, the final act is for groups of three to five pledges to put on a performance each night which lasts about two to three hours. The performance addresses current issues, makes fun of embarassing things that have happened to people, and can basically cover a wide area of topics. These are done outside at night in a big white tent in front of about 300 students. This might all seem normal enough until you hear the next part. The performers are completely sober, naked and covered in oil. The entire time they are performing, the audience throws this blue stuff at them (I saw it -- the blue stuff, not the performance -- and it basically looks like dyed blue chunky sawdust or crumbled crayon). Each audience member pays 8 euros to enter and then is provided with all the beer and pot they can consume for the whole evening. As if just being naked in front of 300 of your closest friend wasn't bad enough, remember we are in Belgium where it is currently 32 F this evening.

If that hasn't shocked you, then check out this link: http://www.speedbandits.dk/ (not suitable for people at work or those who are offended by nudity).

Happy Thanksgiving!

Kyle andI have been in Paris since Monday where we were both tourists and business people. I was finally the one that was able to bring Kyle on one of my business trips, but he was able to fit in some work of his own too (rather than lounge in the hotel tub and knit all afternoon).

I take notes for a British company every so often. Usually it is in Brussels, but this time they needed me to do it in Paris. Minus the unfathomable French lack of customer service, the trip was very nice. (For a total of six coffee breaks througout the two-day meeting at the hotel, we had to ask the front desk at least 10 times for things like hot water for the tea, more than five coffee cups for the meeting of 13 people, milk for the coffee, etc. When we did ask for things they looked at us like teenagers look at their mothers. The ultimate was when one employee flatly said to me, "That is not my job.")

I must admit though, I just don't get what everyone loves about Paris. Yes, it is a very nice city. I have found it to be clean, beautiful and filled with art and history. However, I feel like I read the guide books or hear people talking about stopping in cute little cafes and shops and I just don't ever experience that. We wandered, shopped and stopped for coffee and wine, but it just wasn't that great. Maybe the real problem is that I would love it if I just experienced it on my own, rather than having heard everyone's hype about it before.

I am sure the weather had an effect too -- the first time I visited Paris was in December when it was freezing, then in July when it was hotter than hell, and then this time in November when it drizzled rain on us the whole time. It also didn't help that the Paris public transportation system has been on strike for the last week. We were able to get on the metro, but it was definitely a Sure deodorant moment. For some reason the museums decided to strike also, just to show solidarity with the metro workers, so the Impressionism paintings at the Orsay were closed and we missed seeing another museum because it closed early for the strikes.

However, I did get to eat two amazing lunches that were made in a Michelin One Star restaurant. We also got to stay in a lovely hotel room, which is always a treat to me. For Thanksgiving we were both working and then took the train back to Brussels. We had been invited to a Thanksgiving dinner, but didn't get back in time for it. Instead, we did the next best American tradition and ate McDonalds!

Nothing like eating McDonalds in silk and pearls on a train from Paris!

Click here for our photos from Paris.

Troisième Anniversaire Heureux (Happy Third Anniversary)

It's that time of year again -- as of November 13, 2007, we have been in Brussels for three full years. I have been thinking back on our time here and just how much we have changed. Well, I say we, but I have really only been thinking about how I have changed. Maybe Kyle will post about his thoughts later... Until then, here are my thoughts bullet style because I didn't want to deal with writing transitions as my editor suggested.

• I think I have become more laidback. Now a friend of mine here laughed in my face when I said that comment, but she just didn't know me back in the States! I just feel that I am taking life a heck of a lot easier and slower here. Things don't bother me as much as they used to, and I find myself frequently shrugging my shoulders or doing the Belgian shrug/frown/"pppffftt" (you would only know what that that looks like if you live here). I use the phrase "C'est Belge" and "C'est la vie" more than I ever thought I would. I am also alot more laid back in regards to germs. I figure if all these Belgians have survived this long without bread plates and Purell, then I will probably survive too. Belgium has a way of breaking you down so that you basically expect nothing and are pleasantly surprised when anything good happens. As frustrating as it can be sometimes, I think it might actually be a better way to think about life rather than expecting the world and then being mad when things don't work out.
  
• A friend of mine once explained to me the difference between California wine and French wine. I have found that the explanation also explains the entire difference between the USA and Europe. Basically a merlot from Kendall Jackson (California) will taste the same if it is from 2000 or 2005. There is constant consistency that comes with every year, whereas the French take a gamble each year. A French merlot from 2000 might have been great but the 2001 harvest was not so good. They didn't fret, though -- they just held out hope that the next year would be better. So they might have a few bad years, but their great year is a great year, rather than just a consistent year. If you think about it, this applies to so much more than just wine -- the US has franchises and chains so that at every major highway exit you know you are getting the food prepared the exact same way at each McDonald's, Arby's, and Applebee's whether you are in Arizona or New York. In France, you might come upon the most quaint cafe with a homemade lasagna to die for OR you might end up at a local mom and pop restaurant and have the worst food ever. Every day is a gamble here.
  
• For various reasons (the weak dollar and small sizes) I don't go clothes shopping here. I can't believe how much more free time I have now that I don't shop! I don't have the guilt of feeling bad from buying something too expensive. I don't feel bad if things don't fit. I don't have the added stress of buying something, deciding I don't like it, and then having to cart it around for two weeks until I find the time to return it. (That also wouldn't work here because they really don't let you return anything. You would be amazed at how you can make a definitive decision on something if you know you don't have the option to return it). Every so often I decide I do want to look around in a shop. And sure enough, those feelings of not being skinny enough, or rich enough, or being able to make a decision all come back to me. For now, I really just enjoy having at least six months free of shopping and then doing it all on during a one-week trip back to the States.
  
• I just love being away from societal pressures of the United States. My Spanish friend says the same thing about being away from Spain, so I know it is just your own country's cultural norms that are the pressure each of us feel. I am sure if I were Belgian then I would be very aware of social classes, occupations and dress styles. However, since I am not, I live a very ignorant and blissful existence here. I wear what I want to wear, live where I want to live and basically just float through life not having any clue what others think. On my last trip home I landed back in Atlanta and immediately felt pressure from all sides -- friends buying 3,000-square-foot homes, driving a Lexus, kids applying to Westminster, Harvard, working at King and Spalding, living in Buckhead, buying Prada, joining Piedmont Driving Club, owning a Penley. The list goes on and on. As much as I want to be able to ignore those pressures when I move back, I think it is impossible.
  
• Looking back over my recent blogs, I can see certain thoughts repeating themselves throughout -- simplifying my life, ignoring societal pressures, being more aware of the world. I have recently noticed that I am purposely trying to remove myself from some aspects of American life. I have just realized that having access to anything and everything 24/7 or knowing about every aspect of a person's life isn't always the best thing. I am trying to read celebrity gossip Web sites less and less. All they do is make me feel sad about the world and society as a whole. I am also trying to not read magazines anymore. I find that all they do is make me feel worse about myself -- I am not using the right eyeliner, wearing the newest style, or being organized enough. Also, when I see the pile growing of unread magazines, I feel like I have one more task on my to-do list to check off. Yes, there are some valuable tips in magazines, but on the whole the bad feelings and ideas they instill in me outweigh the good ones.
• In the movie One True Thing Meryl Streep says a line that I feel like summarizes what my thoughts have become while living here. "It's so much easier to be happy, my love. It's so much easier to choose to love...the things that you have. And you have so much... instead of always yearning for what you're missing...or what it is that you're imagining you're missing. It is so much more peaceful."
• I hope to be able to engrain these habits of being more aware of the world and environmental issues, shopping less, and being more sure of who I am and what I believe in so that I can hold on to them when I return to the States; however, I know that will be hard. Basically I want to guard myself against negative outside influences. Life is wonderful and we are the luckiest people in the history of the world -- the large majority of people reading this blog are in the top 5 percent of the world's richest adults! Read that again -- the top 5 percent of the world's richest people. We don't have to worry about food, shelter, safety, or where the next paycheck might come from. We can't fathom what it might be like to have your four children die from AIDS, to lose your husband to a car bomb, to live without heat throughout a long, cold winter. I am not saying I can fathom any of these things either. But my time here has opened my eyes that they do exist and I hope to be able to keep them in my field of vision enough so that I don't lose perspective and feel embarrassed for driving a Camry instead of a BMW.

**The richest 5 percent of the world’s adults — minimum net worth, $150,145 — hold 70.6 percent of the world’s wealth. The richest 1 percent — minimum wealth, $514,512 — hold 39.9 percent of the world's wealth all by themselves, 13,000 times more than the entire bottom 10 percent.
http://www.cipa-apex.org/toomuch/articlenew2006/Dec7a.html

A few sentences later Meryl Streep says a line that I feel like summarizes what my thoughts have become while living here.
It's so much easier to be happy, my love. It's so much easier to choose to love...the things that you have. And you have so much... instead of always yearning for what you're missing...or what it is that you're imagining you're missing. It is so much more peaceful.

Public Service Announcement

I don't know how many readers of this blog actually live in Brussels, but if you do, there are some great events coming up that I wanted to let you know about. First, the American Women's Club is putting on its 42nd annual Holiday Bazaar this weekend, November 17 and 18 at St. John's school in Waterloo. There will be over 90 vendors from all over Europe. UPS will also have a booth there and will be offering huge discounts to ship your presents back to the States, so remember you address book! Also, bring cash because most vendors are not set up for Bancontact. Click on the following webpage to find out more information and see a list of the vendors. http://www.awcb.org/club/awcb/bazaar/index.cfm

Thanks so my friend Sue Hutchins for sending on this idea for Thanksgiving Day:
Leiden Netherlands is south of Amsterdam about 3 hours drive from here. It is the town that the Pilgrims left after they thought their children were becoming too Dutch and went to America and founded our great country. Each year on Thanksgiving Day, November 22 this year, the American community of Leiden and DenHaag sponsor a non denominational church service in Saint Peters Church the church that the pilgrims worshiped in between 1608 and 1620. The service this year will begin at 11 and finish around 1:30.

I personally have attended the services several times in the years I've been here and have always found them very special. St Peters Kerk is a large church that now serves as a municipal building for exhibits and concerts. When the city took it over they refurbished the Organ that dates back to the 1700's and they play this wonderful instrument during the service. Usually the American Ambassador to the Netherlands is there and speaks plus a descendant of the pilgrims that didn't go with the group when they left. There have been fantastic soloists and choir groups. Much of the music played and sung are the good old American hymns and patriotic songs. Really moving. Makes you proud to be an American!

Leiden is also a university town and has a wonderful history. There is a big windmill right in the middle of town that you can tour or walk along the canals to see beautiful homes dating back hundreds of years. There are several museums of note and one is the American Pilgrim Museum. The curator is the son of the man who ran the Plymouth Plantation in Plymouth Mass. where the Pilgrims landed. The museum is in a house from the 17th century and when you visit you can see how they lived.

In honor of Veteran's Day, here is a great e-mail forward I received. I had never thought about it this way before:

It is the VETERAN, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the VETERAN, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the VETERAN, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the VETERAN, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to assemble.
It is the VETERAN, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the VETERAN, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote.

ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD, AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.

Normandy, France

This website gives you the opportunity to send a free printed postcard to U.S. military personnel stationed overseas. Show your support and appreciation for their service to our country by clicking here: http://www.letssaythanks.com/Home1024.html

Thanks to a commenter for letting me know that you can't send a letter to 'Any Wounded Soldier.' Instead the website says:

Walter Reed Army Medical Center officials want to remind those individuals who want to show their appreciation through mail to include packages, letters, and holiday cards addressed to 'Any Wounded Soldier' or 'A Recovering American Soldier' that Walter Reed cannot accept these packages in support of the decision by then Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Transportation Policy in 2001. This decision was made to ensure the safety and well being of patients and staff at medical centers throughout the Department of Defense.
In addition, the U.S. Postal Service is no longer accepting "Any Service Member" or "A Recovering American Soldier" letters or packages. Mail to "Any Service Member" that is deposited into a collection box will not be delivered.

Instead of sending an “Any Wounded Soldier” letter or package to Walter Reed, please consider making a donation to one of the more than 300 nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping our troops and their families listed on the "America Supports You" website, www.americasupportsyou.mil

BFS -- Teaching Life's Essentials

Sometimes I can't help but laugh at how I spend my time here. I really do feel like I have spent the ages of 25 to 28 at the Brussels Finishing School. Just today I took a tennis lesson for one hour, went to my French class for three hours, then came home, knitted, read a book for book club and tried a new recipe for dinner. Add that to the rest of the week where I attended a Bible study, bunko, a lecture series put on by our church and a visit to the US Ambassador's home and I feel quite polished!

The thing that makes me laugh the most are the classes offered at the American Women's Club. They are all great classes and since none of us can work, it is a great opportunity to develop yourself in ways you might not normally have time for; however I still can't help but smile when I read them. Here are just a few:

Understanding Your Camera, Entertaining with Style, Decorating Your Christmas Table, Scrapbooking, Rubber Stamping, Knitting and Crocheting, Interior Decorating, Doll Making, Finding Your Personal Style, Yoga, Pilates, Champagne Tasting, Wine Tasting, The Art of Cheese, Floral Arranging, a variety of Cooking Demonstrations, Mah Jongg, Bridge, and Chorus.

I actually sometimes worry that I have had three years here to really develop myself and I wonder if I have done enough. I have definitely become much better at cooking, knitting, and photo editing but there isn't one exact area that I now feel like I am an expert in. Oh well, I guess I will just have to be content being a jack of all trades and a master of none.

Some of the ladies in a cooking class at the Club.

Who doesn't need a 10 foot drill bit?

Congratulations to my father-in-law Burt for being named in the top one hundred of StartUpNation.com's Home Based 100!!! This competition was sponsored by Microsoft, Dell Computers, and Southwest Airlines and yesterday the competition was on the front page of http://www.msn.com/

The first time I visited Dalton, GA was also the first time I happened to hear about the 10 foot drill bit. It was 2001 and Burt had started a project to network all of the computers in their house. It was then that I began wondering if Kyle and I were compatable since it is now 2007 and my parents still do not have internet access at their house. But when Burt wants to do something, he figures out a way, and thus the 10 foot drill bit was born. He starts with a 3" section with a spade on the end. Once the first hole is complete, he adds on the next section, repeats the process, and then adds on the third section. Thus you can drill through the walls from the attic to the basement! I got to see his whole operation while I was back in the States this September and I was really impressed. Trust me, if you want something done well then Burt is the man. (Also, he doesn't normally wear the do-rag, that is just for the welding cap :)
Check out his website for more information and his other products. http://10ftdrillbit.com/


Click here for his award page.