Summer of 2010 is officially over. I had my first day of classes today (kind of....more or less) after an entire week of orientation. Orientation week was.. exhilarating, exhausting, inadequate, informative, and superfluous all at the same time. Obviously the most fun was had in the evenings at the mixer events planned by the JCR (student governing body). After the weekend of Olivia's birthday (which included amazing birthday cake, dancing at random pubs, almost getting in to a fight with an Algerian guy, lots of random wandering, and football Sunday afternoon in the park), we were determined to take it easy during the week... Well that lasted until about right after the tour Monday morning when we all went for a beer at a tavern after lunch. Basically we met tons of people, partied, networked, and generally had a blast every single night of the week aside from Wednesday, where we only sipped some 12 year old Scotch while playing the parking game on Andrew's balcony (1 sip if they parked in over 2 maneuvers, 2 if they hit another car while parking... 2/3 hit another car). Monday was just drinks, Tuesday was bowling (although Tom H. and I just drank a bottle of wine at our place because I got hit by a fucking car that day and didn't feel like going out), Wednesday was our sleepover at Andrew's (which we made into a weekly event it was so amazing), Thursday was drinks and networking at Place Lux where all the Eurocrats go after work. All this before the weekend. By the time Friday was finally there we were so exhausted, but then Friday was free wine at Welcome drinks on campus, so obviously we couldn't miss out. As usual, went for 1 free drink at 5pm, and ended up meeting a TON of people and getting home around midnight (while Andrew, Olivia and Tom B. didn't get home until 4am-ish). And then doing it again Saturday. We're suckers for punishment.
Aside from all the partying and "networking", we/I did get to get a feel for the campus, the program, and what we're in for for the next year. The campus is fairly small, especially compared to the U of S, but has everything you need. A cafe, a bar, an amazingly cheap cafeteria, library, and Common Room at Kent where everyone hangs out between classes. The teaching staff is a mixture of Professors and professionals in the field, and are all very down to earth and always cracking jokes. As a result of this and the small number of students, you get an amazing relationship with your instructors and an education that is a mixture of theory and hands on practical application. As for our individual programs, we're all very excited. That's the beauty of having friends who are all either in their Masters as well, or planning on doing a Masters very soon; we're all clearly very passionate about our fields. This makes for some wonderfully interesting discussions at random occasions. Such as Wednesday night where Olivia, Andrew, Tom B. and I were all in our pyjamas having a very a very trivial high school like conversation on the couch after watching Coco Avant Chanel when all of a sudden the conversation gets in to the political philosophical lens of the American education system, or lack thereof. And then on to sex. I love it.
As far as all of the people I have met, it's really interesting seeing the very diverse backgrounds, countries, and stories of everyone. I mean, the people in our group of friends alone ranges from an Irishmen, an Englishman, a Frenchman, an Aussie, a Spaniard, an Argentinian, a few Americans, some Canadians, and some Russian mixes. Out of all the people I have met so far at BSIS, everyone has a completely different story and perspective. The question, "What brings you to Brussels?" has given me some very interesting and thought provoking answers. Some people are being financed by their parents, some are on student loans. Some come from PhD and Professional parents, others from small town backgrounds. Some have international hands on experience abroad and in developing countries, others are just getting in to the international arena. Some have never travelled, others are on to their 32nd country. Some want to keep travelling after and stay in Brussels/Europe, others want to immediately go back to their respective countries. However, the one thing we all do have in common (aside from a select few who slipped through the cracks) is a passion for learning, thought provoking discussion, and the desire to make a difference. Be in through the LLM in Public International Law, the MA in International Conflict and Security, or the MA in International Development.
Since I never did find that poem I've been looking for that we found in Amsterdam, I'll finish this with the words of a fellow Canuck that sum things up nicely.
I'm broke but I'm happy
I'm poor but I'm kind
I'm short but I'm healthy, yeah
I'm high but I'm grounded
I'm sane but I'm overwhelmed
I'm lost but I'm hopeful baby
What it all comes down to
Is that everything's gonna be fine fine fine
I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is giving a high five
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