Since my last post, our group has already had many more experiences. On Friday night we kicked off the weekend by going to a bar then to a Greek restaurant. It was surprising to me that it seems quite normal to go grab a drink before dinner. It was very fun none the less. One of the member of the international relations faculty, Michele, joined us for dinner with his girlfriend, Karen. I was lucky enough to be seated next to Karen during dinner. We got along very well and she is definitely one of my favorite locals I have met thus far. (Oliver, if you’re reading: no worries, you’re still #1). Karen and I discussed the politics of our countries at length. This was such an interesting and stimulating conversation and I learned a lot more about the general attitude towards Belgian politics. While I think of the Belgian economic system as quite socialized, Karen told me that she wished Belgium would move toward more socialization. This was very interesting to me, as socialism is generally unpopular in the United States. She was very interested in hearing about how things in the United States work as well. This conversation lasted the whole meal, with our glasses of wine being refilled periodically, so it was very good fun.
I have had other conversations and experiences that have revealed further differences between Belgium and the US. Oliver and I had a conversation regarding social issues such as racism and islamophobia. I learned that these issues are relevant here just as they are back home. Hilde informed me that issues such as abortion and homosexuality are discussed far less than in America. She says these issues are old news, that they have already been settled. This was incredibly fascinating to me, as they are extremely hot topics back home. I hope to have many more of these stimulating conversations in the week to come.
On Saturday we took a trip to Oostende, which is a tourist town located on the coast of the North Sea. We took a bus from our hostel and arrived outside of Oostende where we did a nature tour of some sand dunes. Our guide for this tour, Herman, was a fun character. He was very animated and told us all about many plants we encountered on our trail. We hopped back on the bus and had lunch when we arrived in Oostende. We then suited up for some land yachting. This was very fun, even though there was not enough wind to really pick up any speed. I just enjoyed having my feet in some sand and sun on my face. We then headed to our hotel, which was much more grand than I expected. We were situated right by the beach, which I was very pleased with. A group of us headed down to the beach before dinner. The water was quite cold but it was nice to walk along the shore.
For dinner we went to three different places: one for an appetizer, one for an entrée, and one for desert. This was a really fun way to see many places and try a lot of different food. Our entrée was fish. If you know me at all, you know that I have hated seafood my entire life. However, I decided to at least try a bite of the fish. To my surprise, it had a very inoffensive, non-fishy taste. I ended up finishing the whole dish, and enjoying it. I promptly texted my parents, knowing they would be shocked and proud.
Oostende was very interesting to me, as it was evident that it was a tourist town, but was quite different than the tourist towns I’ve visited in America. Compared to American tourist towns, Oostende was far less flashy and commercialized. That’s not to say that there weren’t many places trying to attract the money of tourists. The strip by the beach was lined with condos, restaurants, and small shops. However, you didn’t get as much a sense of the “tourist traps” as you do in some towns in the US.
The next day we rode these pedal-powered, four person go carts all around Oostende. We were supposed to go to certain places and answer questions about the city’s history. My group had some trouble navigating (Mom, I’m sure you’re not surprised by this as you know how directionally challenged I am). Luckily, our group had Hilde’s daughter, Renee, who knew her way around and was able to ask locals for directions in Dutch. This was a really fun way to see the ins and outs of Oostende. We then had a spaghetti lunch.
I have been surprised by the portion sizes we have received. Before coming to Europe, I had mentally prepared myself for smaller servings, as people have often told me that America has abnormally large serving sizes. However, almost all of our portions have been just as large, if not larger than the portions given at restaurants back home. With their love of fries, beer, and chocolate, Belgians have proven to be much more indulgent than I expected.
I had not been feeling well for a few days, so when it came time to take a train to Bruges, Hilde’s husband kindly offered to take me back to Ghent for some much needed rest. This definitely rejuvenated me, and I feel ready to take on the week ahead.
–Mary Kate
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Chemical Engineering major Mary Kate studied abroad with our U of A Faculty-Led: Sustainability in the Euro Food System program.
Read more from Mary Kate at https://you.uark.edu/mkfairle/
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