Why Belgium Sucks #1: The Belgian Poste

The first in what I am sure will be an ongoing series of rants about my new, temporary home.

Last week, the Belgian Poste tried to deliver my boxes from the U.S., but surprise surprise, I was at work during the middle of the day on Wednesday. My choices for getting the boxes? Pick them up myself with my imaginary car in a town I've never heard of or arrange another day for them to deliver. My colleague Rebecca, who speaks way better French than me, graciously called on my behalf and scheduled a day for them to deliver the boxes ... yesterday, sometime between 9 am and 7 pm. Thanks for narrowing down that delivery window, Belgian Poste!

So yesterday, I stayed at home and waited. And waited. And waited. And when 7:30 rolled around, I was so frustrated that I just left and went for a really long run. And you know what? Still no sign that they've even attempted to deliver them. According to my colleagues, this means that I've had my first real encounter with Belgian customer service. According to me, Belgium sucks.

Yoga, the international language

Today, I started a month-long yoga course being taught by Hanna, a Finnish woman who used to work at the firm. The classes take place at Maison de Finlande and everyone in my class is Finnish! It is pretty awesome. The class is great ... all beginners like me ... and I love the experience of being the only American there. Not that it is so different from work, where I am one of three Americans, but this is pretty cool. Hopefully I'll learn a little Finnish along the way!

Speaking of a foreign lanuage, my colleagues are doing their best to teach me the proper English versions of American words and sayings. I've warned them that if I get in the habit, I'll be made fun of relentlessly when I get home. Here are the English words that are being pushed on me at the moment:

Crosswalk = zebra crossing. And the "zebra" is pronouned like "Debra".

Cookies = biscuits (things which are overflowing in my office ... today's were coated with brown sugar and came from Israel)

Tea time = dinner time (apparently only used incertain parts of Britain, but part of my education nonetheless)

Cross = angry (I knew this one but found it funny when my colleague asked me, "If I told you I was cross with you, would you know what I meant?" My response: "Yes, but I am pretty sure I would have from the non-verbal signs too.")

Shops = store. No one here says they are "running out to the store". They are just "popping out to the shop".

Oh, and changing all of the "z"s to "s"s in words like organization (organisation) is just a pain, but necessary. I know there is more but can't remember anything else at the moment. Maybe it is all the oxygen in my brain from the yoga?

Tomorrow is the dreaded day where I sit at home and wait for my boxes to arrive from the U.S. The post office's timeframe for delivering them? Sometime between 9 am and 7 pm. Sounds strangely familiar ... oh that's right, I have Comcast cable in D.C.

The Atomium and Mini Europe

This is the Atomium.

It was built for the 1958 World's Fair held in Brusslels. It is a replica of an iron crystal molecule magnified 165 billion times. If I were feeling cynical, I would say it is a lame excuse for a tourist attraction. But since I have a deep fondness for world's fair history (I wrote my undergrad thesis on the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago and am a big fan of The Devil in the White City), I am going to let you know that visiting the Atomium is actually pretty cool.

Once you get inside, you get to take stairs and escalators up to the spheres to see different exhibits about the World's Fair. You get some pretty amazing views of Brussels from up there. My favorite fact about the '58 Fair: they hired hundreds of women to serve as "ground hostesses" ... they wanted them to be a combination of "air hostesses" and beauty queens, but with brains and good foreign language skills. That's pretty much a direct quote from the audioguide. Here are a few more photos of the Atomium:

Now you want to know what's lame? Two things ... the Pavilion of Temporary Happiness and Mini Europe. The Pavilion of Temporary Happiness is the building set up specifically to highlight the 50th anniversary celebration of the '58 World's Fair. Look how lovely it is.

Apparently, it is constructed from real materials used at the '58 Fair. Oooooh ... ugly. I would have gone in but it was an extra 5 euros I didn't feel like spending.

Now Mini Europe is another attraction located next to the Atomium. Mini Europe is basically what it sounds like ... the most iconic buildings of Europe re-created in miniature and set in a min-golf-like setting. Seriously, it would have been more interesting if you could have been putt-putting through the exhibit.

I see London, I see France, and I see a water park in the background!

Mini Europe is really meant to be a propaganda ... sorry educational ... tool about the European Union. They only have recreations of buildings from the 27 Member States and they nicely juxtapose the ancient buildings of Europe with exhibits that show Europe's economic prowess.

Look, mom! It is an authentic Spanish bullfighting arena ... complete with little mechanical bulls that charge at the bullfighters!

Look, dad! In France, they have airplanes! And in Luxembourg, they move commercial goods by truck!