Moving Along

As of this writing, I have completed my first week of classes at Vesalius College. Yes Mom and Dad, I am doing more than just drinking beer here. Much like at Richmond, I somehow finagled my way into a schedule with no Friday classes. Although its just syllabus week, I have already recognized several differences between studying abroad at Vesalius and back home at Richmond. For one, Vesalius is tiny, with a student population of about 350 students, 150 of which are students on exchange like me. The school really only possesses 2 floors in a basic office building, which include about 4 classrooms, a bathroom, a TV displaying the day’s class schedule, and a vending machine.

Yep, this is campus

Woah

Well its been a whirlwind first 72 hours for me here in the capital of Belgium. The past few days have consisted of plenty of walking, instantly forgetting the names of people in my group, more walking, learning about the people of Brussels' obsession with urinating, a bit more walking, rain, forgetting more people's names, being a stereotypical tourist, some standing, somehow managing to house 4 adult sized men in a hostel room the size of an ordinary bathroom, and oh yeah beer. Here's some of what I've tried so far:

The first beer I had was from a can...

Beginnings

"You better do a blog" - various friends during my last night in the US until the summer. Mostly said by Emily.

I told myself I wasn't going to do a blog. OMG look, I'm going abroad, you should totally read my blog so you can be jealous of all the fun i'm having! That's not how I wanted to approach my time in Brussels. Tons of other students, including three of my siblings, have studied abroad, and many of them have blogged their experiences for friends and family. Being me, I don't want to be just another student. I have to be different in my own way. But as the reality that I will be living in a foreign country for the next four months has really started to sink in over the last week or so, it has become apparent just how different my life will be this upcoming semester.

After consulting with some of my friends, including James and Pat who recently returned from their semesters in Turkey and Australia respectively, it had become apparent that during one's time away, communication with back home becomes an issue. Think about it, I'll be living in a foreign country where the population speaks different languages, I'll have to rely extensively on wi-fi for any sort of communication, there won't be a Chipotle or Chik fil A anywhere nearby, and who knows what sort of absurd rambunctiousness I might find myself in. And so, I have come to the conclusion that I will in fact do a blog (If you didn't see this coming, how are you even reading this right now!). Not to brag about my adventures and sightseeing, but rather to inform my parents, my siblings, my friends both from home and at Richmond, and any other unfortunate soul who might stumble upon this thing and find amusement in my writing, about what I'm up to and where I am. Let's face it, between the numerous family members and friends that I am lucky to have in my life, it'd be a difficult task to keep each and every one of you up to date personally. So, take solace in this blog, for it is your gateway into my life for the next four months (or until whenever I grow tired of updating this thing).

This will not be my first time blogging per say. Middle school Bo went through a blogging phase when he discovered that various people like to write satirical stories and make fun of culture on the internet. Amazingly, those blogs still exist to this day and can be found through my profile. To sum up each in a few words (not that you care, but it makes me feel better giving context for how weird Middle School Bo was. I mean he didn't even go by Bo then. Weird):

BOC Blog - My original foray into blogging.  Cringe Inducing. Like the shadowy places, you must never go there (that one's for you Jarn).

Caitlin Smells like poo - the true highlight of my brief blogging career. For a period of time, I constantly annoyed my sister by saying she smelt like poo. Childish? Yes. A peak into the future genius of my wit and writing? Yes.

Why I Control the Blogosphere - Apparently, my brother did something to piss me off during my blog time and my rebuttal was to create a blog where I post pictures of him and refer to him as The Creep. I was weird.

And so, here we are. I hope you find some enjoyment from following my stories, pictures, posts or whatever I put on this thing. If not please burn your computer and never speak of this again. I am typing this post on my phone during my 4 hour layover at Newark international airport because for some ridiculous reason Newark doesn't offer free wifi. Seriously, get with the times Newark. So as I'm about to start this adventure, get your fill of this post, cause honestly who knows when I'll post again. Cheers.