I've wanted to attend university in another country ever since I was a kid. The first place I remember wanting to go is the University of Malta (which was a choice for me). Then, I was determined to go to Trinity University in Dublin, Ireland. I was on that kick until I decided on what I wanted to do in my career in college and that college didn't have what I was looking for in a political science/international affairs program. Once I discovered my love of the French language, I was sure I would study in Angers, France. I was determined to go to this college, and then my advisor called me and told me I would need two more years of French classes. By the time I would be able to go to Angers, I would already be graduated.
Why Did I Choose Belgium?
I didn't know Belgium was an option to study at until I went to yet another study abroad fair at my university (this was my fourth in two years), and when asked about my major (political science), I was rushed over to the International Studies Abroad desk and given a booklet all about Brussels. I fell in love.
Warning: The amount of nerdiness in this list is astounding, and potentially mind-blowing:
- Brussels, the capitol of Belgium, is considered the capitol of Europe. It houses the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the European Union, and other international organizations that dominate diplomacy on a world-wide scale.
- It was founded by a descendant of Charlemagne - HOW COOL IS THAT?
- Belgium has recently set the world record for the longest time without a government - it has surpassed Iraq now. For more information on the complexity of the Belgium system, there is a slightly outdated video on the general
shittycomplicated non-system of government they have. This is bloody fascinating to me. - Napoleon surrendered at the Battle of Waterloo (his last word happened to be "Merde", which translates to shit in English), which happens to be located in Belgium.
- Belgium is one of the most culturally divided nations. In Flanders, to the north, people speak Flemish/Dutch. To the south, in Wallonia, people speak French. There is an enclave to the east and a few small others scattered throughout Belgium who speak German, but it is considered improper, and outright rude to speak German anywhere else, due to Belgium's painful history with the Germans. Brussels, located in Flanders, is bilingual, but a good percentage, around 60% speak Dutch. Most speak English, however. This language barrier has caused many political conflicts in Belgium, and is the reason why Belgium really has no system of government.
When I told people I would be living for seven weeks in Belgium, I got a variety of responses:
"I like their beer/waffles/chocolate"
"Where's that again?"
"Oh yeah. I remember that level in [insert World War II video game here]"
"Aren't they the ones who put mayonnaise on their french fries?"
"...Why?"The last is probably the one I got the most. Why would I choose Belgium, a country that is the size of Maryland, when I could be in London, Paris, or Amsterdam?
But I don't blame anyone who questions why I chose it; in fact, I didn't know anything, besides their violent history, about Belgium until less than a year ago. I was planning on spending a great deal of time in either Paris or Dublin, (or perhaps somewhere in Africa if my mother would let me get away with it...but that was highly doubtful).
Vesalius College
Ok, I didn't have a choice in this matter. It was the only university available for me to study at as an American student. But it was a huge factor in why I chose Belgium to study at. Around half of the students at VeCo (as it is nicknamed) are international, which gives me even more opportunities to experience other cultures and languages. The school also has a small population: 400 ... fantastic! Throw in the fact that employees of the EU and NATO teach political science there, and I've got my bags packed.
