Quelques petites merveilles

I believe my last blog said that we had been 1 week without Internet, but it should be returning soon…. Well… As I don’t have access to my last blog to see exactly what I wrote, and as I’m forced to type this on MS Word and copy and paste later, I still don’t have Internet. I just did a quick count, and it has only been 16 days, but it feels like an absolute eternity has gone by. Thanks to Chavdar’s Baby Jesus Net (will explain later) and The Bench, I have been able to at least check Facebook updates and communications (as that is how all of BSIS communicates, via FB) and the news daily, and even stream an episode or two. I haven’t however, checked any of my pop culture and streaming news websites, including Twitter, Youtube and dA, and I’m a little afraid of how many updates there will be when I finally check them upon the Internet’s return. As it’s April 20th today (On a side note, Europeans have absolutely no idea what 4/20 is, in any way, shape or form, even the stoners), Chavdar has left for Bulgaria for Easter this morning, taking his laptop with him, leaving me totally and utterly internet-less and alone until the 25th. (Another side note, apparently Easter is a fairly big deal holiday here. I mean, I know it’s an important holiday in Canada too, but almost every European I know has or is going back home for Easter, even if they have to take time off work, and squeeze out essays early.) But, we finally have an install date, confirmed on paper: April 26th. Which is exactly a full month after I moved in, and two days before I leave for London, thank you Mobistar; worst efficiency and costumer service ever. 

As far as Baby Jesus Net, Chavdar discovered that on his Grandpapa computer (old as the hills), placed at a precise location in our kitchen, he could pick up a weak, unsecured Internet connection. It was slow, faltered sometimes, was only on his computer and at that location, but it was Internet at home. Chavdar was so excited he proclaimed, “It’s like a hug from Baby Jesus!!” I proceeded to make fun of him, obviously, and from there it turned in to Baby Jesus everything. When Chavdar started leaving his computer at home for me to use if needed while I was researching, he started leaving these hilarious Baby Jesus messages for me to see when I got up. 

The last message he left yesterday morning, was “Enjoy the last day on Jesus Net!” with a picture of Jesus browsing the Internet on a computer.

But enough about the Internet… Spring has officially hit Brussels. Well, in my opinion it’s basically summer, but Europeans insist it’s just spring. The trees and flowers are fully bloomed, the bugs are out (although here they really don’t bite!), it was 23C yesterday, and is supposed to be 26C this weekend. People have even said that I already have a tan, from sitting out and reading in the park so much I suppose. Every snack, coffee, lunch, meal, or beer is officially spent on a terrace, which every establishment owns, and if they don’t, it’s space on the sidewalk with a few tables.

This is really what I love the most about Europe, well, Western Europe anyways: the café culture. Even now, in ‘spring’, as I walk to my bench in the mornings I pass by and older man and a younger female couple sitting outside reading the newspaper and chatting over un petit café and un pain au chocolat. Or with an added jus d’orange and sometimes un croissant for the typical French breakfast. I love it. The ‘Breakfast Special’ at most places is actually a coffee or tea, freshly squeezed orange juice, a warm pain au chocolat and/or croissant, and/or a newspaper for the price of 4€, sometimes more, sometimes less. If you see someone with a laptop, almost guaranteed it will be a foreigner, either student or professional. The locals tend to have company or read. However, for all of us Master’s students who are at the point where we feel like our essays are one big karmic attack, attempting to right some ginormous past wrong in the form of essay nightmare, we are permanently attached to our computers; Internet-less computer at that. Studying for my exam on stacks of notes, documents, and textbooks after these are all done and submitted will be like a lovely break. And then, on May 18th at 5pm, I’m done. Finito. Well, I mean I still have my dissertation/thesis to do over the summer, but essays, academic assignments, lecture readings, ridiculous exams, all done.

As far as summer goes, I actually got an update from Johannah on dates and where we’re staying. The interns will be staying in this place called Chalet ­­­­Mavambo, which is right across the street from her place. Click here for the link to their website which has some pictures of the place and click the 'summer' tab for pictures of the surroundings, also click here to see a google map view of where it is exactly :). I also found out that my contract is from May 30th to August 30th. And as I hand in my dissertation August 8th, that gives me 3 weeks of total freedom (aside from work of course), to enjoy my last moments living in the Swiss Alps. Apparently the Chalet even loans you a free GPS with all the best hiking, biking, and climbing trails pre-programmed in. You even get a discount at the bike rental place which is conveniently located across the street. And after talking with Stephen last night about his work at an Office for Climate Change NGO in Hungary, I’m even getting more and more excited about the work itself, forget about the location.

This ‘little update’ ended up being much longer than expected… I really wish that writing my essays would come out as easy as writing this blog. Or that I could get paid for blogging; Life would be perfect.

Before leaving you for god knows how long, I’ll share you with a song I’ve been listening to on repeat lately. Not only is it wonderfully relaxing in this high stress time, the music as well as her voice, but the lyrics remind me of home, for many reasons :). Alexis, thank you.



Unfortunately I could not manage to find lyrics for this song online, let alone an english translation of the lyrics :/