I have experienced the land of Hogwartesque castles, potatoes, and
the metric system for four days thus far, and I may never leave. Our
group arrived at Hostel Uppelink Sunday morning, and it took
approximately five minutes before us fourteen college kids from
Arkansas were stuffing our faces with Belgium waffles and chocolate.
The
hostel environment is unlike any temporary stay I have yet to
encounter, but in the best ways. I am finding myself in a bit of culture
shock with the unisex shower area and being handed sheets at the front
desk instead of walking into a room with a made king sized bed smothered
in pillows. I am enjoying staying in a city so rich with history and
actually having the opportunity to delve into each aspect of the
culture.
It’s so interesting to see the cultural norms here compared to
the cultural norms of America. One of the main differences I have
observed is how liberal the locals are with alcohol. For example, we
visited the VIB biotechnology lab in Flanders today, and the scientists
were casually chatting while drinking champagne inside the main entrance
at the end of their work day. We all stared because that would be
considered very unprofessional in the states. Seeing customs like this, I
can understand why Bernie Sanders would be considered “right wing” in
Belgium.
We were also very confused when we were told to not tip at
restaurants. It’s just an act so customary in America that I couldn’t
imagine not laying down extra money for the workers. That being said, I
would feel worse if waiters had to continually refill our beverages.
However, I have concluded that Europeans do not require much water with a
very large amount of food, unlike Americans. I have had chronic
dry-mouth for three days since eight ounces of expensive water quenches
no ones thirst.
Outside of the wonderful and unfamiliar culture surrounding me, I am
having my eyes opened to this new world of sustainability and
agriculture. Since my major is not directly related to these topics,
these last couple of days have served as my first opportunity to
understand the challenges the EU face agriculturally. The EU has very
high standards in terms of food safety, and this safety is difficult to
maintain with a steep growth in demand. This demand must also be met
while providing people a healthy diet despite climate factors.
Temperature rise, decreased rainfall, and decreased physiological
density are negatively affecting crop growth in the EU and around the
world.
A proven positive impact for approaching demand are the use of
GMOs. I was very shocked at the limitations on GMOs in Europe once I
learned what they really were. Genetically modified organisms have many
negative connotations promoted by the media and “healthy nuts.” In
reality, they allow scientists to produce safe crops that can grow in a
large yield under conditions the crops couldn’t grow in without this
modification. The US allows hundreds of GMOs without labelling
requirements, and the EU only allows one. Since the EU seems more
liberal and forward thinking than the US on many topics, it poses
questions as to why this safe and effective technology is not being
implemented more. I am very interested in expanding my knowledge on this
topic.
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Read more from Lauren at https://unculturedtraveler.wordpress.com/
To find out more about the U of A Faculty-Led: European Agriculture-Food Chain Sustainability
program at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/SUSTEurozone/
