Brussels, Beglium

Well, I dont have much time to write and even if I did I couldnt because this keyboard is all backwards and it makes typing go verryy slowwlllyy. Brussels has been great. After much ado, we finally found our Servas host. Servas is an organization that Karissa and I joined that allows you to stay with local people for free on two conditions: you have to be open minded and kind hearted. (I would have used hyphens there if I could find them.) Our first Servas hosts were a young couple named Selma and Baptiste. They were great...they showed us where to go, things to see, took us out for drinks, and most importantly, gave us a place to sleep. They truly hrlped make our stay.

Brussels is a really cool city with great architecture and a surprising amount of culture. There are Turkish, French, Flemmish, and of course Belgians all in one city block. Today Karissa and I explored the city and went to an art museum exhibiting the artistic works of several famous ,usicians. It was an interesting show including Pete Doherteys drawings made from his own blood. The castles and statues and churches are magnificent and my pictures dont do them justice but peruse away.

The Calm Before the Storm

It's my 26th hour awake and I'm admittedly nervous. I don't think what I'm about to do will really hit me until I'm there. There...seems so far away, yet it's 26 more hours until it becomes here. I've had such a hectic summer that the plans to plan this trip went out the window with my normal sleep habits, eating habits, workout habits, and pretty much anything else I've become accustomed to over the past year. Never live the same day twice.

I'm not worried about finding fun things to do or meeting new people. I'm worried about not seeing enough and not experiencing enough and not meeting enough new people and just not fitting it all in. "Worry is a waste of imagination." Karissa, my travel buddy, is great and she'll keep me grounded for sure. Actually, the more I think about it the more excited I am. I think I've just been too caught up in all of my responsibilities here to really embrace the moment.

So the first place I'm off to is Brussels, Belguim. It turns out my one-way-freedom-from-life-go-with-the-flow-youthful-reckless-abandon-ticket is no good in Europe. In order to deboard, I have to have proof that I plan on returning to my country of origin. So, I guess I'll be buying a ticket back to the states tomorrow. But the purchase of a return ticket is all they need...no one said anything about actually leaving....

Just kidding, Mom. Maybe.