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Tag: Europe

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By jadoerge

After a few days of packing decisions, train schedules, and bookings through AirBNB (description later), Morgan were finally about to head off on our first extended trip of the vacation! This first leg of the trip took us through 3 cities: Budapest, Bucharest, and Istanbul. It was a week-long trip, but we wanted to spend the majority of our time in Istanbul, so we only spent one day in Budapest and one day in Bucharest. Despite the short time, however, we certainly made the most of the time that we allotted ourselves in these two cities, and this blog post will focus on our adventures in Budapest! ...continue reading "Hungary for some Turkey"

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ITS WARM.

That’s right. Brussels gets warm and you can only begin to understand how much I love it. I’m officially running outside in shorts daily, no longer need a jacket, and can wear sandals. HEAVEN.

I’ve discovered the most amazing place to run. It rivals the greenway and rock creek parkway. In February, I found this lake and collection of trails via my house mom’s advice. It supports a nice 45 minute out and back jog but nothing like back home. You can only imagine my excitement when I realized it was just a tip of the iceberg. There are trails for days a 9 minute run away from my house. How did I get so lucky. It is probably a 30 mile loop? With soft trails, asphalt trails, wide trails, narrow trails, curvy trails, hilly trails, flat trails, bike trails, muddy trails, and all any other kinds of trails you can think of in this great Brussels running wonderland. I’ve hardly been training enough to run for a hour regularly but I can’t help myself in this vast land of greatness. ...continue reading "Spring!"

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By crstein1

I wonder why it doesn’t bother more Spanish people that much of their television and movies are done with voice-overs.  They were originally American shows or movies, sometimes British, and when they arrived in Spain, were set to Spanish tracks instead of English.  It’s obvious that the words don’t match up with the actor’s mouth and sometimes the expressions don’t exactly follow through either.  I recognize many of the more famous actors, and it’s so strange for me to hear a different voice accompanying them.  I’ve noticed certain intonation patterns are different here.  For example, many times, when people say ‘sí’ (yes) they inflict their voice in a way that seems like a question, even if they are not expressing doubt.  For example, I might say to a friend, ‘have you eaten yet’, and they would definitively respond ‘yes?’  Also, I’ve noticed Spanish speakers tend to be more abrupt with their intonation patterns, whereas English speakers tend to sort-of trail off.  To me, these differences make voice-over movies so annoying.  ...continue reading "The Voice-over Curiosity"

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By unprofoundobservations

Today Paris went above 20 degree (centigrade) and the clouds disappeared. After one of the city's longest winters, this Sunday was the first real day of spring. While every Parisian I have spoken to insists that this is incredibly unusual and one of the longest winters they've ever seen, it is possibly the only winter that I will be in Paris for and it has become a bit rough.

I chose to celebrate in one of the most touristy fashions possible, which is to say that I picnicked under the Eiffel Tower with friends; there was bread, cheese, fruit, and every stereotypical panorama of Paris. While it's not hard to find someone playing "Aux Champs Elysées" in the metro, they were sadly lacking in the Champs de Mars this afternoon. ...continue reading "The more beautiful it is, the more it will hurt without you"

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By aubreygunnels

After travelling for spring break, I have a new appreciation for Belgium. Some good, some bad.

1) Compared to Italians, Belgians are extremely quiet. I love this about Belgians because I found the Italians to be rather loud.

2) Everywhere has nicer weather than Brussels (everywhere but London) It was so nice to travel South and get some sun. I have returned half way through April and the forecast this week is in the 60’s.

3) Compared to London, Brussels is tiny. London was too big. Not in the over whelming since but in a impossible way to get anywhere. The hour transit and multiple transfers on the tube made me miss Brussels’ simple and quaint system to get around. ...continue reading "Cultural Differences"

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By jadoerge

I’m back! After a 2-month semester break here in Germany, I am back in Munich on a (mostly) permanent basis for the rest of the German school year. I’ve done a ton of travelling over the last few months and wanted to share some of those experiences on this blog before returning again to discussing my life here in Germany. My next few posts will be me recounting all of the hijinks and shenanigans that my girlfriend Morgan and I got into while gallivanting around Europe. First stop: Denmark!

Morgan and I took off on our first mini-trip north to the lovely land of Denmark. A 13 hour journey by train, we made the best of our journey with some excellent french fries (with curry ketchup!) aboard the ferry taking us into Scandinavia. Once we reached our destination of Copenhagen, the real adventure began. ...continue reading "Back in Black (also red and gold)"

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By aubreygunnels

In the CIEE Brussels Business program, the students have a choice between living in a home stay or living in apartment style housing. In this blog, I'm going to compare two options however first I'm going to address the slightly confusing way you go about signing up for housing and how I was a little nervous and concerned about the process.

When you start the program's online to do list items, one is housing. I'm not going to claim this is verbatim of the options but I will try my best to write about what I remember. You have the option of French speaking home stay, Dutch speaking home stay, French speaking apartment style, and Dutch speaking apartment style.  ...continue reading "Home Stay vs Apartment Style"

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By aubreygunnels

One of the greatest things about choosing Brussels as you study abroad destination, is you ability to travel. Brussels in centrally located to most of Europe and the airport is relatively easy to get to. While, I considered studying somewhere with a larger culture shock like South Africa and Hong Kong, they are much harder to travel out of.  Therefore, I have taken a handful of trips to get a better feel for other parts of Europe. In Brussels, there are many ways to get around:

Airports ...continue reading "Brussels: Transportation Hub"

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By Jessica Hoffner

Doctora AnaAs I mentioned in my previous blog, I have begun helping Doctora Ana to write a research paper for the Journal of Prosthetics and Orthotics. In this role, I help her to compile research and patient information, in addition to helping her translate the paper in English once it has been completed. As the computer system in the hospital is a bit antiquated, we spend a lot of time going through archives of her patients to put together a comprehensive spreadsheet beginning with surgeries in the 90s up until last year. Although this is laborious task, it is so enjoyable to sit with her in the archives room and share laughs and learn more about her life. She discussed with me the "machismo" that she faced in the hospital and how hard she had to work to gain respect in her field as a woman, in which she is now one of the most well respected in the country. ...continue reading "More than Numbers"

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By jahdaimoriah

Fun Fact: Good Pizza is rare to find in florence.

You automatically expect that every pizza you consume in Italy will be the most divine pizza you have ever consumed  because, well it is Italy for god sakes. Unfortunately thats not true. Florence is located in the Toscana or Tuscany region of Italy  A place known for its simple food and where meat is the pride of the region. The south of Italy specifically Naples (where pizza originated) is where you want to go to get the best Pizza. Luckily I have had the chance to go to Naples when I came to Italy the first time, so I know what magical pizza tastes like.  ...continue reading "GUSTA GODS"

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