the real world: belgium

Hello world. So, I’ve made my temporary home in Belgium. Just as my research predicted, it is indeed the country of waffles, beer, and chocolate. Also, french fries were invented here, so they have a million “Frituur” shops. With that being said, don’t worry, I haven’t gained 100 pounds.

Work has been extremely intense! We had a full week of consultant training last week every day from 8 to 5 – classroom style – and even finished out the week with a written test. Monday we had to do a super-structured 30-minute-ish sales “role play”, and it was basically defining whether or not you would be getting a project assignment. So, good news. I did really well and will be getting my assignment tomorrow! No idea where in the world I will go. You could literally hang a map up on your wall and throw a dart at it, and that would be as good of an estimation as I have currently. So, try it out if you like.. If you land on the country I actually get assigned to, I’ll give you five bucks.

Our company owns a few different houses throughout Belgium because consultants are always in and out, so we are staying in a huge house about 15 minutes away from the office. There are 8 of us, all from COMPLETELY different backgrounds. I feel like I am on The Real World Belgium, zero exaggeration. We have trainees from Ohio, Norway, Indiana, Africa, Holland, Illinois, England, and of course, me from Mississippi. So as you can imagine, I stick out like a sore thumb. Everybody is really wonderful though! A few of us took the train to Antwerpen (a big city in Belgium) last weekend to shop, eat, go out, etc. (Notice picture above.) There is also another big house on the property where some of the consultants and senior consultants are staying. We had a get-together the other night complete with a dance party to really weird foreign techno music. Fun times.

So, more news on my destination to come soon! I will find out in the morning and will then be flying out sometime early next week :)

Side note: With my down time at night, I’ve been watching the first season of Pretty Little Liars, and if you haven’t seen it, you should. It’s amazing. The last five minutes of the finale in intense, so prepare yourself.

the art of preparation.

Meet my closet, dresser drawers, bathroom cabinets, and desk for the next year. Yes, don’t be fooled. This is a terribly ordinary suitcase set. No extra space hidden away anywhere. I have a whopping 29-incher and the generic 20-inch carry on. If you have ever been anywhere near my closet, you are probably thinking, “how is this possible?” or maybe “this must be a joke.” Well, don’t feel bad because I am thinking the exact same thing. I have been doing an adequate amount of preparation though, I’d say. I did only start packing today (yes, I leave on Saturday), but I seem to have found space for a few grown-up items. Exhibit A: a sewing kit. I think my mom was scared to send me off on my own armed with a needle, but it was vital for Exhibit B: two 3-piece suits. Both came equip with slacks, skirt, and business-like (but currently stylish) blazer. One black, one gray, which will perfectly match Exhibit C: a briefcase. No, not a messenger bag or laptop case. It is a real-life, working lady briefcase. The company "strongly suggested" I purchase one or else it never would’ve crossed my mind. Embarrassingly enough, I don’t hate it.. It’s kind of cute. Does this make me lame? Probably.

My departure is Saturday afternoon from Jackson. Which means after drifting between connection flights, restless naps, and reading one of the 5 books I bought earlier this week, Belgium should expect me around 2 p.m. their time on Sunday. (Belgium is 8 hours ahead of Mississippi time for those of you that were wondering.) Sunday is actually a holiday in Belgium and many other countries in Western Europe. It is called the Assumption of Mary, something that Roman Catholics celebrate, and is basically the anniversary of the day the Virgin Mary went to heaven. I can’t figure out if anything exciting goes down to commemorate this, but after a bit of light Googling, I did find out that many people have a feast… Then, I start thinking that a feast in Belgium would probably consist of a smorgasbord of waffles, chocolate, and beer (the only 3 things Belgium does), which I really wouldn’t hate. So #1 goal before becoming a working lady on Monday at 9 am: find a holiday feast.