I am not even sure where to begin with all of the city hopping, VIP hotel living, lavishing eating, flag-pin business suit wearing, intense site seeing, high level conference meetings, and the political excitement that has been my life for the past 10 days in Belgium and Luxembourg. You could say I was drinking coffee with a purpose at the EU and NATO Institutions, on a special Fulbright EU Conference.
I had about four days to prep for my Brussels trip after my Karneval adventures. My precious few days in Berlin quickly slipped away, after seeing friends on the weekend, doing laundry, and packing for my 10 day conference trip. Rachel arrived in Berlin on Tuesday morning, I picked her up at the train station, and we were off together to the EU Conference via EasyJet. We schlepped our giant suitcases to the airport, taking the very comfortable Shoenefeld Airport Express bus. We made it through check-in, both barely within the weight limit of our luggage, and thoroughly frisked through security (the lady tickled me at the security check point, and I was laughing out loud, causing Rachel and everyone else to laugh as well : ) With two hours to spare, we did a little airport shopping of travel size magazines in German and bottles of water. Looking over the schedule in the lobby, we were really excited about our trip!
We landed with no problems, and we made our way to our hostel for the evening. Rachel and I had an evening flight and a hostel booked at a super good deal, and we would meet everyone for the conference the next morning.
Our hostel was less than luxury living, so we were glad we were there for only one night. We made our beds and headed out for dinner. The city of Brussels by night is very pretty - it has winding, cobble-stone streets, small cafes, and a grand square with beautiful lit-up buildings adoring all four corners. Rachel and I were taking in the sites, and before we knew it, we had been roped into a restaurant by a persuasive waiter. The sea bass meal was a little sub-par, but it was perfect when we were both really hungry. We finished our night with a Belgian beer at this kitchy, two-story beer hall that was recommended in the guide book - and it was a really fun place to end the night!
Rachel and I had a leisurely morning, getting ready and checking out. We made our way to the main train station and met up with the EU Fulbright contingent at noon. There was no signs or indicators on the exact location to meet, but Rachel and I spotted a small circle of young adults speaking English - we knew it was the Fulbright crew : )
The next few hours can be described as polite introductions and a bus ride to Luxembourg. I met several people and was enjoying the trip already.
We checked into our Luxembourg hotel, assigned to a random roommate (mine was Brenna, a journalist from Munich), and we were astonished by the nice, large room complete with a bathroom. All the scholars were so used to hostels and such, it was a nice change of pace.
The first location on the schedule was the American Embassy in Luxembourg. All of the girls were in and out of the hotel hallway asking each other what they were wearing, and displaying outfits for approval. I settled on my black and cream wrap dress with my black boots, and we boarded our coach bus to make the short trip into town. As I climbed the steps to take my seat, I looked up and had a mini reunion with another Marburg Fulbrighter, Katie! Hugs were exchanged and Rachel, Katie, and I talked non-stop on the short trip.
The Embassy in Luxembourg is really, really, nice. We were invited to a formal reception at the residence, and the buildings were reminiscent of a small palace. We sipped on Luxembourg champagne, listened to a speech by the Ambassador, and mingled with all of the invited guests. I met so many people - including the Mayor of Luxembourg and other politicians in the country. I spent most of the evening chatting up a lawyer at the European Court of Justice with Katie and Rachel.
Following the Embassy reception was a formal dinner at our hotel. The dinner was great, and we dedicated the meal to short introductions to the group. Each person would go around the table and stand before the 40 others and give a brief background - reminiscent of my first day in Alpha Xi Delta. The evening ended early with everyone exhausted, and we were off to bed.
The next day was our European Court of Justice and Auditors day in Luxembourg. We heard a court case argued in German, ate a delicious meal over a swimming pool, met one of the 27 Judges of the ECJ, and listened to several short presentations. I really enjoyed the court visit.
We made our way by bus back to Brussels that night, where we stayed for the remainder of our trip. The hotel room was less exciting than the one in Luxembourg, but I was just glad to have a friendly and fun roommate through the random pairing. Brenna and I unpacked, and we all headed out to a small cafe recommended to us by our program director. We sampled different Belgian beers and had fun getting to know each other better. Then in bed to get ready for a long day at the EU Commission!
The next day can be summed up as a series of PowerPoint presentations. We listened and listened to various speakers that came in and out of our windowless room, briefing us on several different issues. I really enjoyed the topics and the chance to interact with Commission members. I was no shy during the Q&A sections, and I was able to receive EU commentary on issues I have been looking at. But the day was slightly less exciting when we all learned that Hilary Clinton was speaking across the street at EU Parliament, that we had been invited to hear the speech, but our program director turned down the invitation because we had the PowerPoints scheduled - bummer!
It was Friday night, and I was ready to trade in my suit for blue jeans. We all gathered and headed out for a nice dinner. We settled on a fancy seafood restaurant, splurging just a little to sample the amazingly fresh seafood dishes Brussels is known for. I had the salmon pasta, and it was soooo yummy. It was a three course meal with fisherman's soup (sooo good), the fresh salmon in a light olive oil sauce, and a scoop of mango and strawberry sorbet. We ran into another group of friends roaming the streets of Brussels and all headed toward a bar affectionately named "Couches" by the group, for its loungey atmosphere and many old couches lining the walls. The owner was extremely friendly to our group, and it was nice to go somewhere that everyone could hang out at (a large group is always tough in small European cafes). It was a really fun night with lots of laughs.
The next morning we were off for a Saturday trip to Brugge and the College of Europe. I had been there before last Europe, so the trip was very similar to everything I had done before. But it is a really cute small town, and I enjoyed re-discovering all the sites.
Saturday night included movies in the hotel room in the afternoon, a light dinner, and dancing with everyone at a "Salz-ica." They played a lot of songs that I love to dance to in pop music category, and Katie, Rachel, Ashley, and I were singing song after song.
Sunday was a day off - much needed after our slammed packed schedule. I slept in, enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and coffee, followed by site seeing in Brussels on the most gorgeous day!! The sun was shining and it was perfect.
Monday morning came soon enough, with our trip to the EU Council and the US Mission to the EU. The discussions were similar to the Commission talks, and Monday was probably my least favorite day - but we did get to sit in a Council working room, which was a highlight for everyone.
The next two days were really exciting for me. We rode out to SHAPE, the NATO military base for a tour and briefings, and then also NATO Headquarters for in-depth discussions on transatlantic relations. I loved, loved my time at NATO. We touched heavily on energy security and other issues I enjoy following, and all of the speakers were excellent and extremely smart. I traded a few homemade business cards and took home a few souvenirs of free pens and notepads. The conference had come to an end! I was so tired, but the experiences had been so incredible for an aspiring transatlanticist.
Of course we ended the trip with goodbyes and dinner together on the Grand Place. Rachel and I flew home the next day, stopping at the Greek restaurant before collapsing in bed.
The EU Fulbright Conference was fantastic, and mom asked me why we went in the first place. The conference pulled together 40 Fulbrighters from across all of the EU countries that have an interest in politics, to experience the EU and NATO Institutions first-hand. It was an incredible networking opportunity to meet these Fulbrighters from other countries who have similar goals to myself, and also to meet with individuals in these various EU and NATO posts. And I wrote a short essay application to represent Germany and the German Fulbright Commission sponsored my trip to go. It was so great!!
I had about four days to prep for my Brussels trip after my Karneval adventures. My precious few days in Berlin quickly slipped away, after seeing friends on the weekend, doing laundry, and packing for my 10 day conference trip. Rachel arrived in Berlin on Tuesday morning, I picked her up at the train station, and we were off together to the EU Conference via EasyJet. We schlepped our giant suitcases to the airport, taking the very comfortable Shoenefeld Airport Express bus. We made it through check-in, both barely within the weight limit of our luggage, and thoroughly frisked through security (the lady tickled me at the security check point, and I was laughing out loud, causing Rachel and everyone else to laugh as well : ) With two hours to spare, we did a little airport shopping of travel size magazines in German and bottles of water. Looking over the schedule in the lobby, we were really excited about our trip!
We landed with no problems, and we made our way to our hostel for the evening. Rachel and I had an evening flight and a hostel booked at a super good deal, and we would meet everyone for the conference the next morning.
Our hostel was less than luxury living, so we were glad we were there for only one night. We made our beds and headed out for dinner. The city of Brussels by night is very pretty - it has winding, cobble-stone streets, small cafes, and a grand square with beautiful lit-up buildings adoring all four corners. Rachel and I were taking in the sites, and before we knew it, we had been roped into a restaurant by a persuasive waiter. The sea bass meal was a little sub-par, but it was perfect when we were both really hungry. We finished our night with a Belgian beer at this kitchy, two-story beer hall that was recommended in the guide book - and it was a really fun place to end the night!
Rachel and I had a leisurely morning, getting ready and checking out. We made our way to the main train station and met up with the EU Fulbright contingent at noon. There was no signs or indicators on the exact location to meet, but Rachel and I spotted a small circle of young adults speaking English - we knew it was the Fulbright crew : )
The next few hours can be described as polite introductions and a bus ride to Luxembourg. I met several people and was enjoying the trip already.
We checked into our Luxembourg hotel, assigned to a random roommate (mine was Brenna, a journalist from Munich), and we were astonished by the nice, large room complete with a bathroom. All the scholars were so used to hostels and such, it was a nice change of pace.
The first location on the schedule was the American Embassy in Luxembourg. All of the girls were in and out of the hotel hallway asking each other what they were wearing, and displaying outfits for approval. I settled on my black and cream wrap dress with my black boots, and we boarded our coach bus to make the short trip into town. As I climbed the steps to take my seat, I looked up and had a mini reunion with another Marburg Fulbrighter, Katie! Hugs were exchanged and Rachel, Katie, and I talked non-stop on the short trip.
The Embassy in Luxembourg is really, really, nice. We were invited to a formal reception at the residence, and the buildings were reminiscent of a small palace. We sipped on Luxembourg champagne, listened to a speech by the Ambassador, and mingled with all of the invited guests. I met so many people - including the Mayor of Luxembourg and other politicians in the country. I spent most of the evening chatting up a lawyer at the European Court of Justice with Katie and Rachel.
Following the Embassy reception was a formal dinner at our hotel. The dinner was great, and we dedicated the meal to short introductions to the group. Each person would go around the table and stand before the 40 others and give a brief background - reminiscent of my first day in Alpha Xi Delta. The evening ended early with everyone exhausted, and we were off to bed.
The next day was our European Court of Justice and Auditors day in Luxembourg. We heard a court case argued in German, ate a delicious meal over a swimming pool, met one of the 27 Judges of the ECJ, and listened to several short presentations. I really enjoyed the court visit.
We made our way by bus back to Brussels that night, where we stayed for the remainder of our trip. The hotel room was less exciting than the one in Luxembourg, but I was just glad to have a friendly and fun roommate through the random pairing. Brenna and I unpacked, and we all headed out to a small cafe recommended to us by our program director. We sampled different Belgian beers and had fun getting to know each other better. Then in bed to get ready for a long day at the EU Commission!
The next day can be summed up as a series of PowerPoint presentations. We listened and listened to various speakers that came in and out of our windowless room, briefing us on several different issues. I really enjoyed the topics and the chance to interact with Commission members. I was no shy during the Q&A sections, and I was able to receive EU commentary on issues I have been looking at. But the day was slightly less exciting when we all learned that Hilary Clinton was speaking across the street at EU Parliament, that we had been invited to hear the speech, but our program director turned down the invitation because we had the PowerPoints scheduled - bummer!
It was Friday night, and I was ready to trade in my suit for blue jeans. We all gathered and headed out for a nice dinner. We settled on a fancy seafood restaurant, splurging just a little to sample the amazingly fresh seafood dishes Brussels is known for. I had the salmon pasta, and it was soooo yummy. It was a three course meal with fisherman's soup (sooo good), the fresh salmon in a light olive oil sauce, and a scoop of mango and strawberry sorbet. We ran into another group of friends roaming the streets of Brussels and all headed toward a bar affectionately named "Couches" by the group, for its loungey atmosphere and many old couches lining the walls. The owner was extremely friendly to our group, and it was nice to go somewhere that everyone could hang out at (a large group is always tough in small European cafes). It was a really fun night with lots of laughs.
The next morning we were off for a Saturday trip to Brugge and the College of Europe. I had been there before last Europe, so the trip was very similar to everything I had done before. But it is a really cute small town, and I enjoyed re-discovering all the sites.
Saturday night included movies in the hotel room in the afternoon, a light dinner, and dancing with everyone at a "Salz-ica." They played a lot of songs that I love to dance to in pop music category, and Katie, Rachel, Ashley, and I were singing song after song.
Sunday was a day off - much needed after our slammed packed schedule. I slept in, enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and coffee, followed by site seeing in Brussels on the most gorgeous day!! The sun was shining and it was perfect.
Monday morning came soon enough, with our trip to the EU Council and the US Mission to the EU. The discussions were similar to the Commission talks, and Monday was probably my least favorite day - but we did get to sit in a Council working room, which was a highlight for everyone.
The next two days were really exciting for me. We rode out to SHAPE, the NATO military base for a tour and briefings, and then also NATO Headquarters for in-depth discussions on transatlantic relations. I loved, loved my time at NATO. We touched heavily on energy security and other issues I enjoy following, and all of the speakers were excellent and extremely smart. I traded a few homemade business cards and took home a few souvenirs of free pens and notepads. The conference had come to an end! I was so tired, but the experiences had been so incredible for an aspiring transatlanticist.
Of course we ended the trip with goodbyes and dinner together on the Grand Place. Rachel and I flew home the next day, stopping at the Greek restaurant before collapsing in bed.
The EU Fulbright Conference was fantastic, and mom asked me why we went in the first place. The conference pulled together 40 Fulbrighters from across all of the EU countries that have an interest in politics, to experience the EU and NATO Institutions first-hand. It was an incredible networking opportunity to meet these Fulbrighters from other countries who have similar goals to myself, and also to meet with individuals in these various EU and NATO posts. And I wrote a short essay application to represent Germany and the German Fulbright Commission sponsored my trip to go. It was so great!!
