Adventures of a Student in Leuven: quirks i've noticed

Hi! Happy weekend! If you're wondering, I'm not doing any serious traveling this weekend, but I do have exciting plans.. I'm going home with Evelyn, my Belgian "buddy," tomorrow evening! I think I may have mentioned that in my last post.. but that means I'll get to see a real, Belgian home and get away from the college-town setting of Leuven for a little bit. I'm really excited!! Hopefully I'll have some pictures to show you come Monday... I'm sure I will.

But for now, this is just a random post that's pretty much compiled of random things I've noticed in Belgium that greatly differ from life in the US. For the most part, they're just normal, everyday-type things that I probably wouldn't think to mention to anybody at home.. but it really is different than what I'm used to! So here ya go. Quick little list. Enjoy?

1. Chocolate & Beer really are better. A lot better.

It's not a myth. As far as chocolate's concerned.. go with the Cote d'Or. Oh my goodness. My life has been changed.. at least in regards to chocolate. It's gotten to the point that I buy a big, chocolate bar every time I go to the grocery store to last me the week. But let's be real, it lasts me a couple days. And then I go back and get another one. Oops? Gotta live it up while I'm here, right? My favorite so far has been white chocolate/milk chocolate pralines. Look it up. It's a Belgian thing.

And as far as beer.. yeah. Wow. Whenever I talk to Belgians here, they ask me how Belgian beer compares to beer in the States. My answer? "That stuff in the States? That's water compared to Belgian beer." And I mean it. You know how beer in America MUST be served cold or it's a crime? Well that's not the case here. I learned that serving beer cold kind of dulls the flavor a bit or something, so you don't really notice if it doesn't taste that good. Or if it's flavorless. Belgian beer is definitely not flavorless and it's just fine if you serve it warm. Odd, right? I am fully prepared to come back to the States a complete beer snob.. which is actually okay, since I won't be 21 for another 8 months. Awesome.

2. Bikes are the main form of transportation. THEY'RE EVERYWHERE.

I need to take a really solid picture to show you all the absolutely ridiculous number of bikes.. you can't even imagine the sheer number of cycles that I see everyday. I have a bike, too, but I still prefer walking as my main form of transportation. Except when I get to any sort of intersection, I have to look back and forth like four times to make sure I'm not about to get run over by some random biker.. they have no mercy.

3. Everyone follows the traffic signals. Seriously.

Jaywalking doesn't really exist. Pedestrians wait on the sidewalk until that walking-man-light turns green and they can officially cross... even if there's no cars coming. Sometimes it seems silly.. like when it's midnight, and there's hardly any cars on the streets? People still wait. It's mind-blowing.

4. You pay for your food right when you get it.

This has been the case at the few sit-down restaurants I've been to in Leuven, and it remains pretty constant at cafes (bars) also. I feel like in America, people would feel rushed and bothered if this was the case. But it's actually pretty smart. You just get it out of the way, and you can enjoy your meal or your drink, whatever it may be, and not have your waiter checking on you every five seconds like they do in the States. It's actually rather nice. So for all you traveling to Europe soon, don't be surprised when the waiter sets down your check right along with your food.. roll with the punches. It makes life so much easier.

5. Eating outside! Yes, even when it's forty degrees out.

It rocks. Seriously. I think that 96% of the American population wouldn't be caught dead eating outside past October - far too cold. Well, guess what? It's been "cold" here since my arrival in September, and there are ALWAYS people eating outside. Yeah, you have to wear your jacket and scarf and everything, but isn't there just a much better atmosphere when you're sitting outside? I think so. Some restaurants even have fancy heat lamps and blankets for customers - so handy. I wonder how long this eating outside will last into the winter season.. the longer the better! America: embrace the outdoors! Put on those jackets and eat outside!

6. Unreliable weather. Always.

I've gotten quite accustomed to carrying my umbrella around with me wherever I go. Seriously, I mean everywhere. In Leuven, and really everywhere in Belgium and this area of Europe, it could be sunny when I walk to class, pouring rain when I leave class, and sunny again by the time I get back to my house. That is not an exaggeration.

So yeah, it does rain a lot. But it's only poured a handful of times since I've been here.. usually it's just enough to make you have to take out your umbrella because it's annoying rain, but it's not always torrential downpour - thank goodness!

7. The beer selections in restaurants & cafes are off the charts.

I know, I know.. I'm sorry. One more about beer. Last one, I swear! But I mean, beer's a pretty big deal over here, so I've got to devote a bit of my blog to this Belgian delicacy!

I've been to a couple different restaurants and cafes that are known for their giant selections of beer and boast numbers anywhere from 300 to 2,000 different types of beer. Yes, I did just say 2,000. Does that even exist in the States? I have no idea. But it's insane.. and completely overwhelming! There's no way to even look through that many different kinds of beer before choosing one.

Now, there aren't 2,000 types of beer around every corner, but it isn't uncommon for places to have at least thirty or so solid choices.. pretty normal, actually. Go team.

8. My new favorite word since being here is "wandering."

Seriously... it has defined much of my existence since being abroad. I wouldn't have found half of the cool stuff if I hadn't been just aimlessly wandering.. whether here in Leuven, or while traveling. Sometimes you've just got to put down the map, drop all your plans, and wander around. Or else you're never going to find that quaint and beautiful church or those tucked away botanical gardens.

The word of the semester is "wandering," and I love it.

That's it! That's my list. Probably to be continued.. we shall see.
But here's a couple of pictures from the GORGEOUS week that we've had here in Leuven.. for real.