I haven’t posted on here in over a month which is crazy because I feel like I just posted about Trier yesterday. Anyway, I wanted to give a quick update on whats going on in my life and some things I’ve been thinking about.
I’ve now been in Europe for a month and a half and have a little less than two months left in this semester. Over the time that I’ve been here, I, of course, noticed the big differences between the US and Europe. Languages, food, architecture all are easy to point out as different. These differences aren’t hard to digest in fact in the case of the food its pretty easy. Sure there are awkward conversations with someone who doesn’t speak English but for the most part, English has gotten me along pretty well. As time here has progressed I slowly have begun to see that many differences lay beneath the surface.
The cultural differences between the US and the many cultures that exist in Europe have become noticeable. I see it every day, at dinner with my homestay parents, in class with a foreign professor, at my internship with my boss, in interactions with bartenders. The cultural differences can make communicating more difficult. My boss’s way of giving me projects and feedback at times feels cold compared to what I am used to in the states. It took until just recently to feel like my homestay parents finally warmed up to me and my roommate and started joking around with us at dinner. The underlying cultural differences are uncomfortable. There is no way to get around it. No short cut to make it easier.
It is easy though to fall into habits of going to touristy places to interact with other American students or go to McDonald’s for dinner and get a Big Mac. However, from my previous experiences in my modest travels, I have learned that growth and progress come out of situations where you are uncomfortable. To embrace these cultural differences and become more immersed in this culture I must be comfortable being uncomfortable.
During my three week trip to Malawi in 2015, my group stayed at a secondary school that our church built and helped to run. During that week we were paired up with a student and shadowed them during their day, going to classes and having lunch with them. On the third day of shadowing, we were told that we would be going home with our students. As a 15-year-old kid, I was scared. I was thousands of miles away from my home in a foreign country in Southern African with no cell phone, not to mention being by myself with a student I barely knew. What if he lived in a bad area? What if I couldn’t trust him? What if I got robbed? All these questions swirled around my head for hours. Some of my friends on the trip were worried like me so we decided to approach the leader of the trip, Pastor Dan, if we REALLY had to go. He listened to all out concerns and his response was simple. “I brought you all the way here but if you decide to not drink deeply from the well that is your choice”. I thought about his words the rest of the day and decided to go home with the student. Everything went well, I got to meet his family and eat some snacks with them. We walked around meeting his friends and extended family in Mulanje. By the end of the evening, I had a new friend and a new outlook on being uncomfortable.
Pastor Dan’s words continue to stick with me five years after that day. I am thousands of miles away from home on a different continent again. I may be in Europe this time but as someone told me once many of life’s experiences are the same familiar ingredients but different dishes. Western Europe couldn’t be farther removed from sub-Saharan Africa, economically, politically and socially but my circumstances here are not foreign.
As I go forward into the remaining two months of this semester I hope to continue to be comfortable being uncomfortable. I want to embrace the differences and put myself in situations where I can learn and experience new things. The well on this semester is filled with new experiences, knowledge, and fun and I intend to drink deeply from it.
Here are some pictures from the last month, I posted most of the them but here you go anyway.
These two picture are from the tiny village of Riqueqihr in Alsace, France. The town inspired Disney’s animators for Beauty and the Beast. The different colored houses were really cool. My favorite was the black and gold one obviously. I couldn’t find the picture thought.
These are from the Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle in Alsace. I didn’t take alot of picture because I think I was ridiculously tired. The selfie looks good though. The castle was massive and the views from the top of the hill were beautiful. The bus barely made it to the castle.
Strausbourg was a pretty cool city. We got to visit two European institutions the first was the Council of Europe with works to hold countries accountable for human rights abuses. The second was the European Court of Justice which is essentially the supreme court of the EU. We got to view a case at the court which was incredibly boring but also a cool experience. I wish I got a better picture of the cathedral. It was one of my personal favorites I’ve seen so far. We also got to see the restaurant where the founding fathers of the EU dreamed up the idea for the EU over a few bottles of wine.
The American Cemetery in Luxembourg was a sobering and beautiful experience. I have been to Arlington National Cemetery a few times but this particular cemetery hit me a bit harder. After touring many battlefields and learning about the struggles and battles that these brave men fought it was really something to see the enormity of the sacrifice young men my age made. I will forever be appreciative for these men who sacrifice so much to even make it possible for me to be here.
Fast forward to back in Brussels this is the Cinquantenaire. It was nice to go explore the city more and see this very nice park.
Amsterdam
I am writing this at on Monday night and I am still whipped from this past weekend in The Netherlands. Maybe I’ll do a proper recap of the trip when I’m bored at work tomorrow but until then I’m gonna get some rest.
Much love to everyone who read this far! See you in two weeks mom!
I also don’t have coronavirus…
…yet 😉
Blogging in Brussels 