I’ve only been in Belgium for 3 days, but I am slowly falling in love with this little city. Okay, it’s not that little, since the population is higher than the biggest city in Arkansas. I have tried several types of Belgian chocolate, and well as a Belgian waffle with strawberries, Nutella, and ice cream. Jet lag has been real, and coffee hasn’t helped much. I won’t deny that I have nearly dozed off in half of my lectures so far…
One of our first lectures was all about beer. While it had little to do with sustainability, it had everything to do with Belgian culture. We learned about the history of beer, the different types, and the characteristics of beers that gave them their unique flavors, plus we were able to try some of each kind. I am not a beer drinker, so a few were lost on me, but there were several that I did enjoy. One was Lindemans Kriek, which is a sour cherry beer. I never knew that there were fruit flavored beers! It tasted more like a Moscato than a beer. I also enjoyed a white Hoegaarden. It was an unfiltered, light beer that was mild in flavor. We all left the classroom feeling very happy at the end of the day.
On Tuesday, we learned about the significance of animal agriculture in Belgium. In the 1800s, the country had a shift in the type of agricultural products it produced. Belgian farmers could no longer compete with the cheap cereal crops produced in the United States, so they started raising livestock as a main agricultural product. We talked about difference between types of livestock and the sustainability of each one. Monogastric animals like pigs and chickens make up a significant percentage of the Belgian animal crop, in addition to cattle. Cows produce more methane and take up more room per head, and they are generally considered less sustainable than pigs and chickens. The latter are more efficient at converting feed to muscle mass. The big question arises when one considers that the monogastric animals eat feed that could also be used for human consumption, while only 14% of a cow’s diet is digestible by humans. Cows are a way of converting inedible fibers into nutrient-rich meat. The question is posed: would we rather have a meat source that is taking away human food and causing less of an environmental impact, or a meat source that is converting inedible material to edible, but has a higher impact on the environment? There is also the question if we should even eat meat at all? Although it would benefit environmental sustainability and animal welfare, it would devastate the economic sustainability of many areas. And cheeseburger lovers would be sad. I will save that discussion for another day.
Some aspects of sustainability that I have noticed outside of the classroom include: Bathrooms and transportation. Many toilets are low-flow and have different water use settings based on what you need to flush. The showers and sinks are the push-button type, where they only stay on for 10-30 seconds. This did help me drastically reduce my water consumption while in the shower, because 1. It turned off, and 2. It made me stop and think about how many times I kept having the press the button. Transportation is mostly by bike and public transportation, such as buses and trams.
There are very significant culture differences between Belgium and Arkansas. The biggest difference is the transportation. Among students, very few have a car and get around solely by bike and foot. Currently, our group is traveling by foot. It’s working out well, but I must remember that I no longer have priority at crosswalks, unlike on campus in Fayetteville. When crossing the street, I have to make sure there are no trams, buses, cars, or bikes coming. We get rental bikes tomorrow evening. Part of me is very excited to be able to bike around town and explore further, but I am also terrified because I don’t bike much (thanks Fayettehills) and there is a lot of traffic.
A group of my friends and I went out for a walk yesterday evening, and for a while we sat and people watched. About half of the people who passed by were on bikes. We saw Uber Eats delivers driving on bikes, and pizza delivery guys riding their mopeds (or motorized bikes as the Belgians call them). Everyone dresses well. We saw no sweatpants or gym shorts, and no t-shirts. Everyone just had classy, non-branded outfits. The city is very compact, which makes it very easy to walk everywhere. The city center, where our hostel is located, is a strictly pedestrian portion of the city, excluding the occasional taxi, tram, or bus. This is very different from Fayetteville and other places in the US, where cities are built around automotive transportation. Although, this compaction comes with very little green space. There are trees around, but very few lawns or flowerbeds. That is one thing I miss about Arkansas.
A random culture difference that I have noticed is that most classrooms and restaurants have coat racks. People hang their rain jackets, windbreakers, and cardigans there. There are very few places around Arkansas that have coat racks available.
Thanks again for reading my blog today! I hope summer is going well for all of you as well. As always, I really appreciate all of the prayers and thoughts sent my way! Please enjoy some pictures that I have taken so far during my trip:
The view from my daily breakfast table in the hostel
Menin Gate: a World War I memorial in Ypres, Belgium dedicated to soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of World War I and whose graves are unknown.
The beautiful waffle I shared with friends on a warm afternoon
The canal at dusk
Our group in front of a plant research facility at the University of Gent
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My name is Maddie, and I am a 4th year engineering student. This May, I will be traveling to Ghent, Belgium to learn about Sustainability in the Euro Food System. I can't wait to learn more about green practices and share them with you all!
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Biological Engineering major Maddie Oxner is spending the May intersession 2018 in Belgium with our U of A Faculty-Led: Sustainability in the Euro Food System with the help of our our Office of Study Abroad Scholarship and the College of Engineering Study Abroad Grant.
Read more from Maddie at at sites.uark.edu/mjoxner
Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/
