Week Two #HogsAbroad in Belgium

Hello again! I am halfway through my second week in Belgium, and I am still loving being here. We had a free day at the end of last week, and I headed to Antwerp, Belgium with a few friends. It was so cheap and easy to hop on a train and head across the country. Antwerp is known for its shopping, which we did a bit of. We walked around the mall area, the old book stores, an art museum, and the historic city center. I even got to go to an English mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady! It was a great time and fun to travel outside of Ghent.

In class, we learned about wetlands as wastewater treatment systems. This was new to me, because in America, we mainly have standard concrete settling ponds and chemical treatment. In this system, it was all natural, and the plants and microorganisms worked to clean the water. They could even take up heavy metals that passed through! One of the main problems with this system is it takes up a lot of land. At the University of Ghent, they are researching how they could make a more intensive wetland, either putting it on a rooftop or on a vertical wall. As the world’s population increases, there will be an increase in wastewater produced. I am curious to see how these technologies could be implemented in a living city.

As I have been seeing more of Belgium, I have continued to notice cultural differences. Between Arkansas and Belgium, the usage of plastic bags is very different. In Arkansas, the use of plastic bags is prevalent at grocery stores as well as clothing and goods stores. At grocery stores, bringing your own bag is common. At clothing stores, it is a bit odder to bring your own. I have received a few strange looks when offering my own bag instead of the store’s plastic one. In Belgium, the grocery store has a few plastic bags, but they are €0.50 each. At clothing stores, you’re asked if you would like a bag or not. On average, it is assumed that you will bring your own bag.

Nearly every weekend, students studying at the university head home. Many live close by, where they are only a short train or car ride away. This is much different than Arkansas, where students might go home once a month.

When eating at restaurants, the portion sizes are about the same as in Arkansas. I assumed that they would be smaller, since Belgians take pride in their food and you’re assumed to eat all or most of the food served to you. Several meals have been a ton of food, more than I could eat in one sitting. We’re never asked if we would like a to-go box, but they will box your food for you if you request it.

We have a few more tours on Friday, and then, sadly, we’ll be leaving Ghent. I am so thankful that I was able to have this experience and learn about so many new things! I am excited to bring this knowledge back to the states and implement it in my life and studies. Until the next blog, happy summer and thank you for all your thoughts and prayers!

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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

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