Castles and Coffee and Class - oh my!

Week three is done. I can't believe it'll be a month that I've been gone here soon. Time flies. Unfortunately, I fell ill with a cold and sore throat (my body's way of saying slow down) so there was much more time for relaxation included in my schedule these past couple days. As you know, Monday I visited the beautiful Kasteel van Arenberg. From there, it was class - class - class - coffee - and more class.

I know I will be saying this throughout the entire semester, but I truly have already come to appreciate the education I'm receiving at Hanover College. While the subjects in my courses are extremely fascinating, it's difficult sitting in a lecture for 2-3 hours when there are no discussions to engage in. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to attend this university, but I already know I will be so happy to be back in our 15 student classrooms when I return back in September.

Tuesday, we had a girl's night with Annelien and a few of her friends. We made chocolate fondue that we dipped bananas, grapes, madelines, and marshmallows into and it was heavenly. While many foods taste different here in Europe - both the chocolate and marshmallows taste are out of this world in the best way possible. After indulging in sweet treats, we watched the movie, "The Other Women" in her residence hall's movie theatre.

Speaking of food, I am having McCalister's Sweet Tea withdrawals. I also want breadsticks....and Qdoba chips and queso. I have no clue how I will last the next 4 1/2 months, but I guess I can give in to snacking on some Belgian chocolate to ease my sadness.

Nonetheless, this week did bring a great surprise. My Institutions and Policy of the EU course met for the first time, where I discovered shortly after class began an exciting tidbit of information. My professor explained he was going to be at conferences throughout the semester, so days would vary when we would meet. As soon as he said this, I was curious, and googled him to find out that he serves on the European Commission (a.k.a the executive board of the European Union). How neat is that?! I will be learning all about EU policies straight from someone who serves at the executive level. I've heard the course is extremely tough, but I am so excited to gain knowledge on this area from an EU commissioner himself.

I also checked one of the coffee shops off my list - Koffie Onan. I already know I will be back. Say what you want, but I don't mind spending a few euros on a good vanilla latte. The drink I had was frothy, creamy, and dreamy all at the same time. I had a cliche European moment, as I sat at the cafe watching people walk by and taking in all that the scenery had to offer. It was a blissful moment - my sore throat was thankful for the warm drink as well.

So frothy, so wonderful.

You know how you can buy pillows or frames with cheesy sayings and life lessons to adorn your home with? Well, I've got one I want to custom make already. Life Lesson #1 brought to you by my time in Leuven: "Whether it's taking a different street home or going out of your comfort zone to meet someone new - don't always take the same path in life." I know I am a very task-oriented individual. I like knowing what I'm doing/where I'm going/how I will accomplish things. When you're traveling or living in a new place, that isn't always possible. I'm learning to slow down, to look up, and to take the long way back home - it's doing me wonders.

The cutest apartment I discovered, courtesy of "taking a different path home".

Today, I am catching up on some Cold War History readings and later we're meeting one of Izzy's friends who is currently studying abroad in Paris for dinner. New adventures are in the near future, and I can't wait to see what more this city brings me.