A New Continent - Initial Thoughts on My First Time in Europe#
Hey Blog!
It’s officially been a week of the Dialogue of Civilizations in Belgium, and it has truly been one of my most fond experiences in recent memory. It’s genuinely so interesting and exciting to interact with another culture and see the differences in the intricacies in how we live. We’ve also had so many amazing opportunities to visit some of the world’s most powerful institutions and attend talks with people who are truly shaping the globe. With that in mind, I’d like to walk you through some highlights of this trip so far.
Getting Here#
After the longest flight I’ve ever taken, I touched down in Dublin, Ireland. As I’m staying at the Irish College, it was a cool coincidence that I happened to transit through the country on my way to Belgium. I felt my stomach turn as the plane lurched forward to make the last 2 hour flight of my trip to Brussels. I had so many preconceived notions about what Belgium would be like, and I couldn’t have been more wrong.
When we arrived in Leuven, I was amazed at the city’s architecture. I joked with the people around me that everything looked like it was a facade, like on Main Street USA at Magic Kingdom. Everywhere you look, there’s some building with centuries of history. We finished a walking tour of Leuven, and I was thrilled to explore this new city.
NATO#
I’ll admit, I was not enthusiastic to wake up at 6:00am to go to NATO. In fact, when my alarm clock rang, there were many other things I would have preferred to do at that moment. Thankfully, I stuck it out, and got to have such an awesome experience at the headquarters of an extremely powerful organization. It was truly such a privileged experience to be able to have talks with such bright people.
Bruges#
On our free day, much of the group decided to take a 1.5 hour train to Bruges. What a beautiful place. It’s touristy, but for good reason. From the rivers winding through the city, to the massive bell tower, this city blew me away. It was the perfect temperature, the birds were chirping, and I was eating a waffle debating how it gets better than this. We took another 10 minute train to a town on the coast, a resort city called Blankenberge. The contrast between the medieval looking city just 15 km away was mind-boggling. There were a handful of palm trees, a thousand foot wide beach, and a tiki bar. I couldn’t believe I was in the same country. Eventually, we came back to Leuven, walked through the (extremely bright) evening, and I took a moment to appreciate the fact that I’m here.
All that to say I am truly so grateful to be a part of this program and I’m already dreading the day I’ll have to pack up my bags in Leuven. Belgium has exceeded my expectations in almost every way. I can’t wait to come back.