Terugkeren

Leaving for Belgium this afternoon.  I’m headed back for 3.5 weeks, almost three years after I was there last.  I’ll be spending Christmas with family in Gent and visiting my old haunts with Emily.  Hopefully, further continental travel will ensue. Plans still up in the air. 
My goal is to do what I didn’t do the first time around: actually use this blog.  The plan is to post something new every day, whether it be a picture, many pictures, words or some combination thereof.  We’ll see what happens – I’m a bit curious!

This picture pretty sufficiently sums up my emotional state post-finals: sprawled out on the floor amidst R’s packing frenzy. Pre-ankle sprain, post-last minute run (quite literally) to Mail Services to pick up my camera’s memory card.

Packing on Saturday morning. Fueled by the Stones, Jackson Browne and a good, healthy dose of the Scissor Sisters.

Done. Please note the backpack sitting by my dresser. That is, in fact, all I am bringing (with the exception of my Swelles tote as a carry-on).  Also notable is the lack of plant life – looks so sad!
Happy Holidays to all those I won’t see back in the States, and much love to those close to me!
xoxox M.

maybe it's all a matter of the packaging?...

*Note: found this while editing the blog layout.  Decided to post along with most other unfinished posts in the hopes of having a) some new content, and b) a more complete blog of my year*

I read this article in the New York Times on Thursday and was shocked, and a bit angry. Then, on Friday morning I read the same article in the De Morgen at breakfast and I understood. I understood where stereotypes of the US come from, why Europeans think we're all gun-crazy, enemy-killing idiots, and most of all, the lack of understanding that we as citizens have of where our image comes from.

2009 of your friends are fans of Barack Obama

I found this recently. I still think I had a point:
My Facebook news feed reports all things important, namely who’s in a relationship with who, who has posted new photos of their latest adventure, and who is attending Bush’s Last Day in Office (at the time of writing, it is 10.15 Central European Time on said day). Of those friends celebrating the end of an eight-year era and the inauguration of President Barrack Obama, more than half do not live in the United States, are not US citizens and most have never set foot on American soil. They hail from Belgium, Brazil, Venezuela, Turkey, New Zealand and China, and while they may not fully understand Obama’s speeches or policies, one thing is certain: this election has affected the whole world.
Despite our low popularity ratings around the world, the United States is still undoubtedly a “superpower” and our decisions (namely those of this election season) affect everyone. We are being watched, critiqued and supported as we swear in a new government and continue to grapple with an economic crisis, the issue of gay rights and the consequences of our overactive military and underactive diplomatic policies. This is our chance to reshape the world’s view of the United States, now is that time.
Much of the news media in Europe is focused on the fact that our President Elect is of African descent and that the United States has seemingly grown out of its racist attitudes. This bothers me. Such media coverage only shows the undercurrent of racism that remains, and a seemingly “holier than thou” sentiment that runs through Europe. Ideally, the President’s skin color should be a non-issue. He or she should be celebrated for his/her policies, accomplishments and plans for the future. And I think we’re getting there. We seem to be in sight of a place where politics and current events are discussed in politics while the triumphant underdog stories are left to Hollywood. Now we need to show that to the world. For me, the election brings in a government whose ideals are closer to my own, whose manner of accomplishing mirrors my own and whose focus in this game of politics seems to be about the issues. The same issues that will directly affect me and my fellow citizens. This election signifies a change, a chance for our country to get out of the rut into which we have fallen and once again grow and unite and invent and solve- the very actions that placed us on the political maps of atlases worldwide. And I think we can do it. I am hopeful that regardless of one’s political, cultural or economic background, the residents of the United States of America will be able to embrace this atmosphere of change and reevaluate their own lives and actions.
My challenge to you: figure out what it is that this change of government means to you. For some it signifies the end of a presidency they supported, for some it is a tangible symbol of how far our country has come in its tearing down of the social and cultural caste systems, and for others it is a new beginning and a chance to make the United States of America a country that they are proud to be a part of.

oh the times, they are a-changin'

*Note: found this while editing the blog layout.  Decided to post along with most other unfinished posts in the hopes of having a) some new content, and b) a more complete blog of my year*


College applications take up your life. Actually, they just ensure that you have no life for that one two-week period just before they're due and leave you tired of yourself, your achievements and writing in general. And who would have guessed that Wellesley needed my school reports translated into English, and that my English teacher would give me a 6 page description of the history of Sint-Bavohumaniora, in which the transformation from textile factory to Catholic girls boarding school is described in great detail? And thus began my hiatus from my journal, both online and on paper. I'm regretting it now, because I know it's going to be a bear to try and catch up, but it will be so worthwhile thirty years from now. So now, armed with a blanket, my Nalgene, Voltaire and Bob Dylan, I am going to conquer this writer's block, and at least get something out into cyberspace.
In Dutch, we're starting a unit on language, more specifically the psychology associated with language and the manner that we, as children, learn our mother tongue. One of the theories we've looked at is that of the language acquisition device, one popularized by the American linguist Noam Chomsky.

P.S.

It is currently snowing-ish here. Not much, and it's not quite cold enough to stay, but for now, the tile roofs look beautiful...Belgium really is an incredibly picturesque place.

the view from my window- it looks nicer in person...

on race and history (and the disparity between the views of many Europeans and my own)

So many newspaper headlines here focus on the progress that the United States has made- going from a country seemingly populated by racists to one that has just elected a black man as president (or as the papers are fond of saying "there will now be a black family in the White House"). They also speculate whether Europe could ever have "a European Obama". This morning, I read a letter to the editor in response to this. The woman noted that there was a Belgian politician originally from Africa who could potentially be the "Belgian Obama", if you will. Now, I may be misreading the reaction and sentiments of the citizens of the United States in relation to the election, but to me, it is more important that our president-elect is progressive than the fact that his skin color is darker than mine. While I do see it as a huge accomplishment that we have elected an African-American as our president, I am more proud of the unprecidented number of people who voted (notably the amount of young voters), the spirit and enthusiasm that seemed to affect everyone, the fact that so many people got involved in the campaign and in politics, and the sheer quantity of historical figures and moments that came out of this election. As viewed from afar (but through an American's point of view) I think that this election really brought home the sense that our government is a government "of the people, and by the people" (to quote Abraham Lincoln), and that is truly a sentiment unique to the United States of America. Or at least that's how I feel...

But what bothers me most is the sentiment that I am feeling, that Europe views the United States as finally growing up from "that horrible racism". I may be completely misreading the situation, but it seems as though the US is looked down upon for the way African-Americans were treated in the past centuries and decades. And for good reason. But, the other countries of the world should not feel that they are any more superior for their supposed lack of racism and intolerance. There were serfs in the Middle Ages and the Holocaust in the 1940s. And today, just as the United States struggles with the influx of Mexican immigrants looking for work, Belgium is learning to live with a population of immigrants- namely those from Turkey and Morocco, who came during the job boom of the 1970s. But while Latino culture and indeed most other "foreign cultures" have seeped into the mainstream American culture (although really, is there one singular "American culture"?), the Turkish culture and Belgian culture remain very separate, even after 40 years. Indeed, they seem almost loathe to begin the contact that must surely happen in such a small country. And while Belgian schools are required to offer Islam as a religion class to those who are Muslim, many cities do not allow Muslim women who work in governmental office to wear a headscarf. So I say that it is not just the United States that has work to do, but everyone, and instead of pointing fingers towards those who need change, we should all look at ourselves and our own society, and notice those things that need changing.

I was reading my host brother's girlfriend's blog from the semester she spent at Yale last year. In one of her posts, she noted how the US had made her notice the color of other people's skin, something which she did not like at all. And she noted that many of the waiters in restaurants, cabbies and truck drivers are "colored" (ie. Latino, African-American etc.), making her feel as though she belonged to the "entitled class", if you will. It's interesting, but I never really noticed the separation of cultures in the United States. Or at least not as much as I do now. I think it's not so much the United States that creates this change of awareness, but being outside of your comfort zone and away from the mix of cultures (or lack thereof) that you are used to. One thing that I have noticed (and have discussed at great length with some of the other American AFS students) is the lack of politically-correctness here (and I think in most other countries in the world). I think maybe because we have so many different groups of people living together in the United States, we feel the need to make sure we don't offend anyone. And I'm not sure that's such a bad thing (it can, of course be taken to the extreme). In Belgium, it is perfectly acceptable to imitate Chinese, even in front of a Chinese person, something that would definitely not fly in the Bay Area. And a few times, I have been shocked by what some of my other AFS friends have said, things that in the the United States would be considered racist. But here it's not, and this unexpected culture-shock has taken (and will take) a little bit of time to get used to. Surprisingly, like my host brother's girlfriend, I'm a little upset that Belgium/ my exchange has forced me to look outside my comfort zone regarding race and ethnicity. It's so easy to blame Belgium and Europeans, but at the same time, I acknowledge that this is a necessary and very important part of my development here. I'm not sure whether I'm upset by the fact that not everyone is as tolerant or respectful as I would like to imagine (please note, I realize this sounds incredibly naive. I know that many people harbor racist sentiments and can be outright intolerant. But in my optimistic mind, I feel that our society is overall getting beyond that...) or because I feel like my culture and country is being misrepresented in such an ugly way. Either way, something is bothering me- more than I had thought it would...

Another interesting thing to note- in Dutch, the word "gay" translates to "homo". Technically speaking, this isn't offensive, but because I've grown up hearing the word "homo" used primarily in a derogatory sense, it still feels strange to use it in conversations. And thus, the beauty of culture shock rears its incredibly confusing head...

just for the pure joy of having a castle...