With only a few days
left in this beautiful place known as Flanders, the Flemish speaking
portion of Belgium, I figured now was the best time to write this type
of post. While this has been the experience of a lifetime, it has not
always been easy! This post will mostly be bullet points of random
things that I have thought of throughout my time here, whether its been
about every day stuff or something you don’t notice for quite some time.
Here it goes:
-ATM’s are rare and are not all over the place like the states! Even rarer is a local store that takes Visa since it is expensive for shops to take it.
-Your typical loaf of bread is baked in the grocery store. While the freshness shows in the taste, the lack of preservatives does not let it keep as well.
-Virtually everyone in Ghent speaks English, which is great for an American! The Dutch and the Flemish speak excellent English, whereas the French speaking Belgian’s English is not as good.
-Wifi is not at every storefront! Which has been great for Evie from Oxford, Josh from Plymouth, and I to get to know each other over the last few months. It can be a pain for navigation, but an adventure is always better when you get lost along the way!
-There are two topics I get asked about the most from Belgians:
1. So what is the deal with the election and who are you for?
My answer: It is crazy and there are no good options between the two major parties.
2. What is going on with guns in America?
My answer: Depends on who you ask, but I have 3! (At the mention of me owning multiple guns, everyone so far has had their eyes wide open)
-Belgian’s claim that they were the inventors of French fries, known as frites here. Frite shops are everywhere in Ghent, and a small portion is bigger than a large at McDonalds.
-On a similar note, Europeans are not skinnier because the portion sizes are smaller, they are skinnier because they walk/bike everywhere!
Some notes on beer
-While Germany may be known as a big beer country in the states, the Belgian’s truly perfected the craft.
-In the United States, we are just recently seeing quality beer being produced. It is new, exciting, and beginning to become expected for most restaurants to have a decent craft beer menu. In Belgium, quality beer has been around for a long time, and is completely expected. But, in a sense, they do not recognize quality beer like an American would since they have always had it. It is not uncommon to see a homeless person drinking a beer that costs 6-10 bucks in the states.
-Beers I love here: Sours. Belgium is the king of sour beer, and it will be so missed when I come back to the US. While a case may cost 20 Euros at the local Bier Winkel, a case of the same may cost 70 bucks in the states.
-A few beers I miss: Ozark Beer Co. IPA and Onyx Coffee Stout, Marshall’s Atlas IPA and McNellie’s Pub Ale, Fossil Cove’s Hoppy Wheat.
Other things I miss:
-Wal-mart, and more specifically being able to read labels in grocery stores.
-Cain’s Chicken box combo and that delicious nectar known as Cain’s sauce
-Chili’s 2 for 20 (Queso and Salsa to start off, followed by pasta for Katherine and a sirloin for me!)
-The fiance mentioned above! Along with our soon to be combined families.
-My fraternity brothers and all the other great friends at the U of A
Something I have asked myself over the last few weeks has been, “Would you want to live in Ghent if it was an option?”
And to this question I would say that I would love to fully commit to this incredible city, but apart of me would be massively torn to live anywhere besides the United States permanently. I am the first to admit to curious Belgians that America has its share of problems, but I take pride in where I have grown up and lived.
Tomorrow Josh and I head to a small town called Lokeren to see the local club play Newcastle, one of our favorite English clubs, then I will finish off my time here with the ending of the Gentse Festeen (I will have a full post just for that). Should be exciting, cheers!
--
Read more from Ben at http://beninbelgium.tumblr.com/
Learn more about studying or interning abroad as a Bumpers college student at: http://bumperscollege.uark.edu/programs/international-programs/index.php
-ATM’s are rare and are not all over the place like the states! Even rarer is a local store that takes Visa since it is expensive for shops to take it.
-Your typical loaf of bread is baked in the grocery store. While the freshness shows in the taste, the lack of preservatives does not let it keep as well.
-Virtually everyone in Ghent speaks English, which is great for an American! The Dutch and the Flemish speak excellent English, whereas the French speaking Belgian’s English is not as good.
 |
| Evie, Josh, and I at the Paris Fan Zone during the Euro Cup |
-Wifi is not at every storefront! Which has been great for Evie from Oxford, Josh from Plymouth, and I to get to know each other over the last few months. It can be a pain for navigation, but an adventure is always better when you get lost along the way!
-There are two topics I get asked about the most from Belgians:
1. So what is the deal with the election and who are you for?
My answer: It is crazy and there are no good options between the two major parties.
2. What is going on with guns in America?
My answer: Depends on who you ask, but I have 3! (At the mention of me owning multiple guns, everyone so far has had their eyes wide open)
 |
| Two of the many border collies seen in Ghent, placed here for my parents! |
-Belgian’s claim that they were the inventors of French fries, known as frites here. Frite shops are everywhere in Ghent, and a small portion is bigger than a large at McDonalds.
-On a similar note, Europeans are not skinnier because the portion sizes are smaller, they are skinnier because they walk/bike everywhere!
Some notes on beer
-While Germany may be known as a big beer country in the states, the Belgian’s truly perfected the craft.
-In the United States, we are just recently seeing quality beer being produced. It is new, exciting, and beginning to become expected for most restaurants to have a decent craft beer menu. In Belgium, quality beer has been around for a long time, and is completely expected. But, in a sense, they do not recognize quality beer like an American would since they have always had it. It is not uncommon to see a homeless person drinking a beer that costs 6-10 bucks in the states.
-Beers I love here: Sours. Belgium is the king of sour beer, and it will be so missed when I come back to the US. While a case may cost 20 Euros at the local Bier Winkel, a case of the same may cost 70 bucks in the states.
-A few beers I miss: Ozark Beer Co. IPA and Onyx Coffee Stout, Marshall’s Atlas IPA and McNellie’s Pub Ale, Fossil Cove’s Hoppy Wheat.
Other things I miss:
-Wal-mart, and more specifically being able to read labels in grocery stores.
-Cain’s Chicken box combo and that delicious nectar known as Cain’s sauce
-Chili’s 2 for 20 (Queso and Salsa to start off, followed by pasta for Katherine and a sirloin for me!)
-The fiance mentioned above! Along with our soon to be combined families.
-My fraternity brothers and all the other great friends at the U of A
 |
| Saint Nicholas Cathedral |
Something I have asked myself over the last few weeks has been, “Would you want to live in Ghent if it was an option?”
And to this question I would say that I would love to fully commit to this incredible city, but apart of me would be massively torn to live anywhere besides the United States permanently. I am the first to admit to curious Belgians that America has its share of problems, but I take pride in where I have grown up and lived.
Tomorrow Josh and I head to a small town called Lokeren to see the local club play Newcastle, one of our favorite English clubs, then I will finish off my time here with the ending of the Gentse Festeen (I will have a full post just for that). Should be exciting, cheers!
--
Read more from Ben at http://beninbelgium.tumblr.com/
Learn more about studying or interning abroad as a Bumpers college student at: http://bumperscollege.uark.edu/programs/international-programs/index.php
