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Published: January 16th 2010
My apartment
4B03 Heilige Geest MaastrichtAs I'm on the train from Brussels to Maastricht, I realize what an incredibly exhausting day today has been. However, the adrenaline is pumping because I want to get to Maastricht without a hitch.
The flight from Dulles to Brussels was LONG, & we didn't take off for an hour after we were supposed to because United forgot to load a thing of luggage. Once in the air, it went well. I watched The Informant (so happy I didn't spend $8 to see that at the movies!) & I played some Mario on Nintendo DS. The lady sitting next to me only spoke Spanish so needless to say, we didn't talk other than for me to ask her to let me out to use the restroom. Considering the only things I can say in Espanol are "no habla espanol" & "yo tambien" plus the numbers 1 - 10, I think it's pretty safe to say that that conversation would have gone nowhere anyway.
At the airport gate, however, I met a lady, Michelle, from Belgium who was in the US visiting her son. She said that she graduated from Johns Hopkins School of International Affairs, & she worked for the UN & at various embassies around the world. She lived everywhere (including the Congo & Rwanda), & probably is an image of me in about 40 years. Not only because she worked in diplomacy, but also because she was traveling with her 14-year-old Himalayan cat. She gave me her contact information in case I ever become interested in the Hopkins program.
I got through Belgian customs without any problems after getting my bags. I finally found my way to the taxi pool. I thought I was so privileged that my first ride in the country was in a Mercedes, until about 20 minutes later when I realized that I racked up a 50 euro bill. The driver was so nice, though. We talked the entire time, & it was quite obvious that it's been several years since I've spoken French. He thought I was Dutch & was surprised when I told him that I was from the States. When he asked which one & I said "Pennsylvania" he was immediately like "PITTSBURGH!" hahaha. (How about that for all of you eastern Pennsylvanians who say there's nothing notable west of the tunnels!). Despite the fact that it cost me so much, I got to the train station @ a good time because a train for Maastricht was leaving in 10 minutes after I got there. Since I'd never done a train by myself before, I was sooooo nervous about the entire situation. I lugged all my bags to the "Travel Centre" & just asked for help. The guy directed me to platform 11, I got on the train, & I was on my way to Maastricht. Luckily, Maastricht was the last stop on that line so there was no way for me to miss it.
The countryside the train passed was beautiful. There's only a small amount of snow on the ground, but it's nowhere near the amount that we have at home. I love all of the farms, quaint country homes, & old churches. It's so picturesque.
After about a 2-hour train ride, I finally arrived in Maastricht safely. I took a taxi (another 20 euro!) to get my keys from the Guesthouse's main office. Once I had them, a man named Richard who works for the Guesthouse took me to my apartment at the Heilige Geest. It's really nice. Everything is new, & it's just the right size for me. It's essentially a glorified dorm room except that it has a small kitchen & washing machine (which is located in the bathroom). Heilige Geest is an alleyway essentially in the city center. Everything is right around here - including A LOT of shopping. So far, I've only gone grocery shopping. My first experience, I forgot that I needed to buy a bag to put my stuff in so I had to use the flimsy little plastic sacs like we use in the US to put produce in. Needless to say, that made for a clumsy walk back. One thing that I did learn is that toilet paper, tissues, & salami CANNOT all go in the same small bag without a disaster.... Luckily, the store was right across the square from my apartment building. Every Wednesday & Friday, there's a market in the square out front. That should make produce shopping & things a lot easier.
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Alice B.
non-member comment
Yay!
Yay! I'm so excited you decided to start a blog...it will make my stalking so much more efficient! Haha! Euro grocery shopping is quite the experience...I also forgot about the bring your own bag rules! I'm so jealous, but am glad you're settling in. Enjoy your free time now and catch up on all your rest. People will get there soon and you're life will revolve around school and Socrates/Erasmus parties!