(This is where you will see Molly teaching Jenn a cheerleading routine… amongst other things)
George the pimp & Molly the dancer
Sorry guys but I just have to …
George knows where the action is.
And Molly… let’s just say that that girl has some moves!
You guys are the best. Thanks for a great day ♥
OMG so much glitter! (Belgian Pride 2013)
So today I have attended the first Pride ever in my 30 year-long life.
Inspired by – unquotable source – I brought my liquid eyeliner and put “kiss me I’m Irish” on Jenn’s cheek. It just seemed appropriate you know?
Before the parade kicked off there was some speeches about gay rights in Belgium and the rest of the world. Since there’s still parts of the world where it is “illegal” (because how can it really be against any law to be a human in love no matter who you love?) to be gay…
I loved it though. The parade, the people, the colours and the fact that it was all just like a big party.
Need I even tell you that we had a great time?
Then we went for something to drink!
These hats… I still have silver and blue glitter all over myself!
A quick stop at Delhaize for something a little bit stronger than beer (rum).
Molly – I just love this gal. She literally danced through the day (I have video proof which I will share in a later post!).
I could just make a 200 picture long blog post but I will split it up a bit to make it more readable….
Love ya guys!
A visit to NATO HQ
This very, lovely, rainy Thursday offered a short few hours at the office before we headed out on new adventures. NATO HQ outside the city – and a brave bus ride later – was our destination.
A fairly large group, as we were trainees from both the parliament and the commission, security had a hard time processing us all. This meant that we got the joy of waiting in the rain before finally getting inside where coffee awaited us.
We got briefed on NATO’s current political agenda and NATO’s operations in Afghanistan. Unfortunately my head was hurting and the second speaker made me sleepy – even though the subject was interesting. No cameras or phones with cameras etc is allowed inside – we had to leave it all at the security check.
(And yes, there is a giftshop and yes I took the opportunity to visit it even if I did not want anything for myself).
Happy birthday George (x4)
Times four because that’s the number of times we sang Happy birthday to you for George yesterday. We’re just a very happy bunch that likes to sing.
We also like cake and in office celebrations. So we surprised George with a delicious chocolate cake made by Franzi.
Blankie bought him a t-shirt and the rest of us chipped in for this nice Leffe gift box.
A very happy 24-year old.
After the workday was over we strawled back to George’s place for some cooking and dinner together.
It’s interesting cooking together with eight people. Like Georges new housemate said “it looks like a factory”, hehe.
The end result was awesome though. Chickpea salad, guacamole, humus, carrot cake… Om nom nom.
I had a great day and I’m fairly sure that goes for everyone else as well.
You guy’s are the best! (And it is quite possible that George’s birthday might be the most well documented one throughout history. I caught a lot of it on camera and Molly filmed not one… but three of the times that we sang for him. On a funny note, she was too slow to film it the first time we sang at the Mickey mouse bar at the Parliament, so we had to sing it again so she could film it…)
Exhibition from Taiwan
I suppose you could use the phrase “made in Taiwan” about this exhibition we went to at the parliament tonight.
They did have some really cool photos and I bet that the food they served was great.
As you can see it was a rather popular event so we didn’t even bother to try to reach the food.
It was cool though. I especially like the arts exhibitions that they tend to host at the parliament. Theres always different themes and cultures behind them!
It’s so official now – hello Strasbourg
I recived my mission statement for Strasbourg today, at long last.
Also got a little clarity in how the reimbursment for expenses work, bought train tickets and confirmed the couch I will sleep on. In a week I’ll be in Strasbourg, France. Whoppa.
Hello pidgeon! (& it’s official!)
I went home after work to drop some things off and take out my garbage before doing a grocery run. Imagine my surprise when I walk out of my kitchen and see this:
A pidgeon casually hanging in the unopenable window above my bathroom. Great, a new pet, I thought to myself, grabbed my garbage and walked down the stairs. Landlady nowhere in sight so I headed out and put this up on my way:
It only took me two and a half months to put my name on the door. Ah, well, it is done now! Then I set out for groceries sending my landlady a text as I walked. Her responce was swift and simple: “Oh my god! Xx is going up now!!”. When I arrived back some time later my latest housemate was gone leaving only a trail of white flufffy feathers…
Epic fail: making fun of Americans geography knowledge
Every European knows – for a fact (hey, we’ve seen it on TV ok) – that Americans have little to no idea of the geography outside of their own little bubble of the world…
Well, today three happilly ignorant europeans got their arses whopped by Georgia. Picture proof above. And yes, that drawing is supposed to represent the United states of America…and the round rings on said map is our guesses as to where Georgia is located. Guess who made the circle to the left of the picture…well, oops. Next time Molly…next time it’s Europe v/s the American!
Hug me I’m Swedish!
The customary way of greeting someone, whether it is a new acquaintance or an old friend, vary throughout the world. Here in Brussels, capital of the EU, refered to as the Eurobubble, you encounter a great mix of culture and customs. A lot of people, French or not French, seems to quickly adopt and adapt to the French way of cheeky-kisses when greeting someone.
It may be just one kiss, two kisses, or even three. There’s simply no way of knowing in advance unless you know the cheek-kisser well and have had a chance to put to memory just what preferences that specific person has when it comes to assaulting unsuspecting people by casually throwing themselves at you for a kiss-and-greet. (I think the Belgian way is one? Dutch three, french two? I think the Spanish people do two, Italians two or three? You see, it’s impossible to keep track!)
Swede as I am I am accustomed to greeting people – when I meet them for the first time, introducing myself – with a handshake. It has been noted that some Germans (sorry Nils, haha) tend to use the handshake as a way of greeting people when you meet up. As an alternative to the cheek kisses – I do prefer the handshake to be honest.
Of course there’s also the hug. I usually – rather quickly – tell people who lean in for the kissy-cheek thing to hug me instead. It is met with some amusement but if the choise is mine I prefer a quick hug any day.
Of course you can alter the enthusiasm of your hug to suit the person you greet. You don’t have to wrap your arms around stranger no 35464 for the day. A one armed hug works perfectly fine. Or you can just nod and say hi and leave it at that. But since the eurobubble way seem to be getting close and personal I prefer a hug over cheeky-kisses, which is just not something that I think I will be getting used to – even if I may hand out a kiss or two on occasion, to a selected few.
(Thanks a heap you guys for posing so nicely for the pictures to go with this post! ♥)
Hello Rotterdam & hello CHIO!
A week ago today I caved in … my withdrawals when it comes to horses was just too much. It gets worse the better the weather gets and the longer the days are. I know no better way of spending a nice warm summer evening than by horseback (sorry guys, I do love spending time with you lot…I guess we can call it a tie? Looking forward to many nice sunny evenings in your company!). I may not get to ride before I leave Belgium, then so be it (I have high hopes for a trip to Ardennen though …), but I will see horses live and I will spend a whole weekend in Rotterdam 22-23/6!
(Promo.vid from last year, but still!). I’m going to Chio! And I will be there for the Longines Grand Prix Port of Rotterdam. Need I tell you that I’m excited?! And to make it even better … right after Rotterdam Maria comes for a visit between 24-27/6. So much fun planned in the near future!
The fun you can have with reflective surfaces
Give us a few beers, a camera and a pair of sunglasses and the result is:
Miss you guys!
Indeed you can have a lot of fun with a pair of sunglasses!
Because I can
Or he, in this case. Thanks to Stall Hubbo for this one!
Follow me on instagram @evieastrom
And get the joy of seeing pictures you may or may not have seen before.
Lillsis made me do it.
On the topic of garbage disposal
Sometimes a single picture speaks volumes…
This is how the streets of Brussels look – several days a week. Coming from a country where we have special rooms or even small buildings designated for garbage untill pick up date this is just trashy and unhygienic. To top it off people with dogs happily let their dogs pee on these bags (so, the garbage men wear gloves, but it’s disrespectful and very arrogant behaviour) …then again, what did I expect from people who can’t be bothered with picking up the shit after their dogs? In Sweden we have signs here and there saying “keep your city clean”. Here it seems that the citizens expect someone else to clean up after them – or, I don’t know which is worst, they just don’t give a shit. I appreciate Sweden a whole lot more when comparing it to Belgium. What does it say about a country and a city when the people living in it can’t be bothered to take their responsibility to keep their city, their home, clean?
I, as so many others before me, have come to get used to this. I don’t agree with it, I don’t think it’s right and I will never accept it as “normal” because it’s not. But it is not something that I – alone – can change. But I put my garbage in the bins and if I had a dog I would take my responsibility as the owner. Anything else is not an option.
