January: Settling In

Construction workers are the same all over the world, I suppose. What a funny way to start this memoir of sorts, but, really they are. I was walking by Boulevard du Triomphe last Monday, the street of my school (BSIS – Brussels School for International Studies), with my head down, trying to faze the biting wind, and I hear a couple of Bonjour’s! I look up to see Mexican construction workers with their usual smirk and smile. I cringed, though I half expected a familiar “Ssst, Miss, Miss!”. The next day, the same time, same street, I hear them call out, “Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa!”. Ok, so they’ve figured out that I’m Asian...

So finally, here I am, en Belgique: a country so elusive from me the past seven months, a dream almost 2 years in the making. After so much tears and fears, I’ve finally arrived; to a tiny room with a slanted ceiling, to a group of six girls trying their hand on English, to a peaceful and friendly community, so picturesque like a Christmas village, to a school that is truly truly internationaux, to a city so surprisingly quiet, sometimes cosmopolitan, sometimes quaint.

“How very postmodern of you!” was one of the statements that welcomed me during the first few lectures in class. When the professor gave that comment, the class actually laughed. That utterly, utterly scared me. Here I was, barely adjusted to the weather, to the people, to the metro, to speaking French, to the water and whatever else, with my pen poised and ever ready to take notes, dumbfounded and well, doubtful. Of course, I laughed along, trying to act as if I got the joke (or was it?), and I later find out that the rest of the class was just like me!

The first few weeks have been tough. Mom found me crying at the end of my first day at school, as I had found out that I would be staying longer than I expected. (I didn’t know that my exams take place in January next year! And that dissertation will be submitted on May next year!) In the height of my spell, I was actually telling her that I could still back out since I haven’t paid anything yet. That, coupled with limited internet connection, the cold, my dry dry skin, my bad bad French, catapulted me into some homesickness frenzy. But I had to push it away. I’ve worked so hard to get here, gave up so many comforts just to pursue this, and I just really have to face everything that comes along with achieving this dream. Thank God Mom was here to listen to my woes and discoveries as the days went on, to cook me warm meals, to explore ways with chicken and soup, to hunt for the cheapest grocery (we’ve found it, it’s Colruyt and you have to bring your own bags since they don’t issue grocery bags), and to seek comfort in shopping in the soldes (January and July are the biggest sale months here!). Thank God too for the Good Shepherd accommodation as it really is the perfect place to stay given what I need; it’s near the church, the Laundromat, the bus stop, the metro stop, the tram stop. There’s even a market close by on weekends. The neighborhood is very quiet as it is a residential area; perfect place to study as well. The girls here are also friendly, though I am still trying to get to know them. Only 2 of them speak English, and the rest of them speak purely French. Just tonight, Ophelie, one of the English speaking girls, invited us to their home for dinner. How nice! Amelie, the other English speaker, came along with us. To them, it is a chance to practice their English. I guess it has to be the same for me for my French and the rest of the girls! Thank God too for Gina and Jessica! Gina was my officemate from Ayala and she’s now working here, and she will be my weekend refuge for most of my stay here. I can’t really “hang” in my dorm as the French girls dominate the TV (thus all French shows or shows dubbed in French) and I can do that, plus cook Filipino food at Gina’s place. (The girls here sometimes peer inside our pots just to see what exotic dish is cooking.) Jessica is a Fil-Am enrolled in the school and she’s heaven sent; she’s been here since September, so she’s been teaching me the ropes of dealing with school, the cheapest cafés, the best places in the library. I felt right at home with her; I knew it when she addressed my mom “Tita” right on the first meeting.

And so I find out that I can submit my dissertation from home, meaning I can leave after my exams and finish my research in Manila then submit it by post. Since then, and since I got connected through the convent’s LAN for Internet, life here has been much more comfortable. Slowly, my room’s becoming home to me, the school becoming familiar ground (the Library reminds me of the Rizal lib, it’s so uncanny), the coffee more pleasurable (Hema, a home store, is my best coffee so far. And it’s nice to study there, though it’s a tram ride from school.), the faces more friendly. I’ve even bought a yearly pass for the metro, bus and tram, so that means I just have to flash my ID to the driver rather than buying a ticket and having it stamped. It is also such a pleasure going to school, with the different cultures and accents coming into play, the wonderful experience of learning in and out of the classroom, the interaction, the shared experiences of busted printers, of the best sandwiches, of difficult readings, of funny posters on campus, of Thursday pub night. It’s such a rich mix of culture, I haven’t even met a Belgian! Just today, I had lunch with a Thai-American, a Norwegian (I had to ask him about DSound and proudly told him how they loved Manila), a German, a Russian and an African-American. The school work is very challenging as the subject matter is entirely new to me. (Anj is my idol and primary source.) But the faculty is very helpful and friendly, they give recommendations for the best books and bookstores. I have a total of 6 class hours, but with a lot of assigned texts. Much of the grade will be from essays (due in 3 weeks! And at the end of the term) and reports and the January exam. I’ve taken up the challenge to report next week for my class on State, Nationalism and Identity… Haven’t done this in a while, but I guess I’ll manage. I have to!

But then again, there’s no place like home. I miss the most mundane of things: Manang’s inihaw (yung sunog, shet), patis, wearing sleeveless, my sandals, riding a car, soap operas, the sun, Manila radio, telebabad, my nook at our kitchen. Not to mention my family, my friends, and Chris! But once in a while (or maybe once in a lifetime) I felt that I had to shake myself out of my comfort zone just to find out who I truly am, how I am in adversity and diversity, and maybe in the end find out what it is like to truly come home.

Thank you for your warm birthday greetings through text and email and snail mail! You wouldn’t believe how they brightened my day! My family back home celebrated as well. My day was spent in class and in Hema (study+coffee+a conversation with a German mother taking a break, and who again, mistook me for a Japanese) and dinner at an Italian restaurant with Gina, complete with a photo with the waiters. And it was ended with a sweet call from Chris, sweet, even if we had to chop 20 minutes into 5 intervals since he only had five 4-minute call cards!

I found out that KC Concepcion writes a column about her etudiante Parisienne experience. Shucks, I’m not an original. Kebs.

Until the next one, perhaps in a month or so? Do keep in touch and if by any chance Brussels is in your map this year, please do drop by.