Thank you, Belgium

As of last Tuesday, I have been here for one month.

what.
what.
WHAT.

Time is flying by so fast. As much as I can't wait to see my family and friends when I get home, I don't want to leave. With everything I've done in the past month, I can only imagine what the next four will bring.

This being said, study abroad isn't all glamour and travels. There are tough days, days where you wish you could walk down the hall to your mom's room and talk to her about the challenges you're having. Days where you don't want to go to that boring class. Days where you just want to snuggle in bed all day. And that doesn't always happen necessarily.

But you push through regardless. Belgium has already given me plenty of opportunities to grow as an individual, and for that I am so thankful. I would say in general I am a pretty independent person, but this country has brought my independence to a whole new level. They say when you go off to college, you learn how to live on your own, how to manage your time, etc. But this place is different.

After going from a schedule at Hanover where I'm busy from 8:30 am to 11:00 pm at night to a schedule in Leuven where I don't have to be awake before noon only to be busy for 2-3 hours a day, accountability means something different. It means forcing yourself to do your school work, to make time for friends, to travel, and to find time for yourself.

I'm learning to find a balance between relaxation and productivity. I have more time to enjoy the things I don't get to at Hanover. If I want to take a break from homework to go take a walk outside, I can do that. (Let me tell you, there are some beautiful places to walk here). I'm learning how to do it all.

With this, I am looking forward to warmer days and the adventures that come with them. Meanwhile, we spent a chilly weekend in Belgium with one of Izzy's friends who was visiting from her study abroad experience in Italy. It was tons of fun, we ended up going to Brussels for the afternoon and showed her around Leuven which was lovely. Enjoy several pictures below:

Views from "Mont des Arts".

Belgian fries with "sauce Americaine" - still no clue what it was. I can't seem to get on the bandwagon with the mayo obsession here. 

Still on track with my waffle goal.

Tropismes - the coolest bookstore fit for royalty.

The Grand Place of Brussels.

Phi Mu love from across the pond. 

I will forever obsess of Kasteel van Arenberg. It is so serene and calming here. I almost forget I'm in Belgium when I visit. It feels like walking through the grounds of a peaceful Irish manor.

Happy Sunday friends - until next time.

Exploring with Mal: Kasteel van Arenberg

Today brought the most wonderful adventure that I believed deserved its own post. I decided when I woke up this morning that I was going to visit Kasteel van Arenberg, this beautiful chateau located just outside Leuven that reminded me much of Downton Abbey. How did I find this gem, you may be asking? Instagram.

There's a moat, too!

Before arriving in Leuven, I looked up the city's "geotag" on the social media site to discover that this place existed. How neat is that? I found a girl who is actually studying abroad here and started scrolling through her pictures to discover the castle was within walking distance of my residence. After googling "Kasteel van Arenberg" I learned that this place has tons of history, and I mean tons. Since the 12th century, this has been the chateau of the lords of the Heverlee until the 15th century when it was passed from family to family during the Renaissance period.

You can find pretty little things everywhere you look.

Just before the first World War, the duke at the time was trying to sell the chateau to the University of Leuven. Unfortunately, it was seized by the Germans and Austrians once WWI rolled around. It wasn't until 1921 that the University of Leuven gained ownership of the building. Today, it acts as the engineering campus for our university. I can't imagine getting to go to class in a chateau everyday...how dreamy!

Belgium's very own Downton Abbey

The first signs of spring - the tulips are starting to pop up too!

The walk there was so beautiful. Leuven is surrounded by one big loop/highway that acts as the entrance/exit for the city. In order to get to Kasteel van Arenberg, you must cross this highway and then continue onward down this beautiful path lined with old homes and vine-covered fences and gates. If you're from Indianapolis - think Meridian Street, but 10x's more European. It was so romantic. I'm thinking this will be the perfect place to run once it gets a bit warmer out. Upon finally arriving to the castle, you can walk on the grounds and explore.

Another building just next to the castle with the neatest watermills. 

We even got to pet a few doggies being walked along the way! An afternoon well spent - but tomorrow it's back to class!