back at square one

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Dank u wel, Brussel

Merci beaucoup, Bruxelles

When I went to high school we went on a studytrip to Brussels and Strasburg. We went to see the EU-headquarters and NATO and Wee Manneke Pis. It was interesting and I got to learn a lot on that trip. One of the things was that it is never a good idea to get drunk the day before having a lecture in the Commision. This I discovered after fearfully haven snorred through the entire lecture so loud that the people around me could not hear what was said.

Anyhow, my point in this is not to retell embarressing stories of my life. I rather want to engage myself in the explanation of why I have ended up being where I am today.
On one of our last days in Brussels I came into an argument with two girls from my high school and the experience was so bad that I decided to change high school immidiately afterwards. Surely, the incident in Brussels were not the only reason for my choice, but it was after this that I made my decision to leave.
So, I left and I started on a fresh at another high school where I got engaged in a, for me, much more attractive environment. Due to this shift and to my new high school I started my interest for travelling. It was in those years that I found out about workcamps and volunteer work, and in the end it was what got me to Slovenia. And as history goes, it was due to Slovenia that I chose the university that I am now enrolled in. Futhermore, my university decided to send me to Madrid. It was in Madrid that I met my very close friend Meike.

At the moment I am visiting Meike in Brussels, where she is doing an internship. And I find myself back at the place where my life so suddently took a turn. I wonder what I would have been today, had I not made that decision here in Brussels so many years ago, and I really appreciate that I made it. Without it I would not have met Meike or travelblog or fallen in love with Slovenia or my last three boyfriends. I would most likely have ended up as a very different girl.

By this reason do I like Brussels. Even though it at the time seemed as a terrible place due to memories and even though I have thrown away all the pictures from that trip (except one of me sleeping in the Commision) then I now start realizing how much Brussels has come to mean in my life.
So from today and unwards, when people tell me how terrible they find Brussels, I will tell them that for me it is a city of extraordinary history and beauty. It gave me an opportunity to find myself.

Anna

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Photos

meike at grande place
grande place - brussels

bouchers and waiters
rue de bouchers - brussels

meike and me
at ralph's bar - place luxembourg - brussels