Brussels was a primarily french speaking city, and that made for some pretty funny scenarios. Around 3 or 4 of my peers spoke decent French, some bordered on fluent. But when trying to order or start conversations in French, they were quickly shut down. Ironically enough, I do NOT speak french past the elementary level,…

In my time at Brussels, on of the biggest difference I noticed was how much American students ask questions. I think it’s because we’re taught that raising your hand and challenging the professor is how you show you’re smart and engaged; and it was a room full of Pre-Law or research driven students. We received…

My first real “aha” moment came during a meeting with European Commission officials. Listening to them describe how a single policy gets negotiated across 27 member states, each with different governments, economies, and priorities, completely reframes how I think about governance. Something I found particularly interesting was how every agreement has to be accessible in…

Looking back on my time in Brussels, and the EU as a whole, I feel grateful for everything a learned. Exploring a country and nation so foreign to me gave me so much perspective on the world and people around me! Learning of the cultural differences between Belgium, Amsterdam, the US, and many surrounding cities…