The way I see it: Antwerpenstraat

Goede dag iedereen!!

From the sunny warm beaches of Majorca, I have made my way to the chilly wet streets of Antwerp. But who's complaining?

The next step of my journey started with a short flight to Brussels. Well, it ended up being much longer then anticipated. It might have had something to do with the screaming baby beside me. Anyway, I arrived sane.

Let me tell you, when you go from having Nothing to do to having a bunch of small things that need attending to, it feels like the end of the world. My first week here was definitely very hectic. I spent most of my time after work running around left, right and center trying to get things organized. Which isn’t easy when you get off work at 17h, and stores close at... well, 17h. By the end of the first week I was more or less settled, I knew how to get around and I had met and remembered all the names of the 20-or-so trainees working here at Agfa with me.

This brings me to my next point. Multiculturalism is amazing. There are interns working here from all over the world. Most are even very interesting and insightful. We often discuss cultural differences and exchange thoughts on the subject. On occasions, parties are hosted by people sharing a common background to introduce the rest of the itnerns to their customs. I am planning on have a Canadian party, so to speak. There shall be de la tire, poutine and maybe even Nanaimo bars! My two flat mates are part of the large French community. We get along very well, in French. Its really nice to have people to go home to. I hardly ever feel lonely because they're there! There are also many other interns in the near vicinity.

Something which was repeated to me countless times before coming here was that Belgium is know for its chocolate, its beer and its astonishingly shitty weather. They were right on all counts. It feels like it rains a lot here, but maybe that's due to a reminiscence of beautiful weather from not so long ago. But when I'm at work, I don't care.

As long as my weekends are sunny, which they have been.

My first weekend here I went to Brussels on Saturday. We roamed the streets and marveled at the beauty of La Grance Place. A huge square surrounded by aged buildings sculpted to the finest detail, carefully illuminated to allow their gold pinnacles to glimmer in the night. The place was full of people gathered around, watching a musical march take place. We started our night in a bar with Chevaliers, a liter of beer served in an oddly shaped vase, and we spent the rest of the night drinking and wandering. We took the first train back in the morning, and from there I took the first train to Breda with a couple friends. Breda is a small town in Holland near the border. We were blessed with a cloudless sky and warm air. Having spent the day in the sun, we decided to go for a Koffee. That’s when an almost predictable event occurred. A girl by the name of Marie-Jane came and sat down with us. She was actually very nice, and knew just how to make us laugh! Being of good company, we spent the day with her walking around having a good-old-time.

My second weekend in Belgium, I went to see Yannis in Liège! Once more, beautiful weather was upon us. So what did we do? We played a game where he was The Guide and I the tourist. We drank among the Wallonians, the French Belgians, who were hosting celebrations in the name of their culture. We ate des gauffres and drank de l'hidromiel (honey wine, Mmmm). We drank des Bières Spéciales, which are high in alcohol content, all day. I really mean all day... I've never been drunk off of so many different beers before! Some had 8%, 9% and even 12% alcohol! Amazingness. On Sunday we drove to Holland again, to a town named Maastricht. We didn't stay very long; it was more of a drive through. And what a coincidence it was. You'll never guess who we saw! We spoke briefly and to my greatest surprise Yannis had already known Mary for many years!

Last weekend was just as amazing as the first two. Except this time I was in Paris! I got to spend the whole weekend with Samisosa. It was so amazing, everything about it! Thibault even came up from Toulouse. We also met up with my friend Marion which I met in Mallorca. So wonderfully pleasent that was. It was so warm and sunny all weekend; we walked around for hours on end hoping to see everything we had planned. From the Eiffel tower to le marché aux puces to le Cartier Latin. We did Paris in a weekend. I’ve posted pictures on BookFace.

As for work, I must admit how truly lucky I am. My colleagues are so nice. They're always there to help me and most of the time quite anxious to practice their English. Did I mention EVERYONE here speaks English? It's remarkable. What’s even better, my boss has been one of my most pleasent acquaintances so far. He's very understanding and knows how to handle my situation. I really lucked out. As of now, I've just barely scraped the surface of my project. Incase you care, my project involves a lithography** technique, the printing plate, and how it wears with time. These plates are used to print newspapers, books, magazines etc. I'm quite happy with the project because it draws concepts from my studies. What more could I ask for?

I'll leave it at that, I don't want to bore you with the meticulous details behind it all. I wish you all the best of luck.

Until next time,
Jaypee