Adieu, Belgium
2004-07-22, Mons, Belgium. By: cstclai

Today is my last day in Mons! I finished work on tuesday, and it was an uneventful last couple of days. I didn't work in the bakery this week, because they already had that girl to replace me, so I ...

Back home again
2004-07-19, Mons, Belgium. By: cstclai

I am happily back in Mons, and back in my little wing of the house. It was a busy, yet enjoyable weekend. saturday after work I took a brief trip to brussels (only 35 minutes by train) to see the fi...

The end is drawing near....
2004-07-15, Mons, Belgium. By: cstclai

The end of the Belgian adventure is sadly drawing very near! I only have four days of work left, and I leave for germany in a week. Germany, happily, will be an adventure in which I speak english (s...

Continuation of the crazy weekend
2004-07-13, Mons, Belgium. By: cstclai

So the big event this weekend was Antwerp, but before I went to antwerp on sunday morning I spent saturday afternoon and night at the father-in-law's house. This trip is one mind-boggling experience ...

The big four completed
2004-07-12, Mons, Belgium. By: cstclai

What a weekend! The first news is that is that, should I have to leave Belgium immediately, I can do so with a clear conscience as I have seen the 'big four' cities: Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, and Ant...

Une grande bouche
2004-07-09, Mons, Belgium. By: cstclai

There was a funny incident at work today. My co-worker and I were unloading a palette of boxes in the department, and a guy who works in another department, but is always loitering in our department,...

A brave attempt at sightseeing... and other things
2004-07-08, Mons, Belgium. By: cstclai

Nothing has been posted in awhile because nothing has happened for awhile. Work is continuing well. I have started to get to know my coworkers fairly well, and have ceased to really notice that we d...

Bruges and the Tour de France
2004-07-05, Mons, Belgium. By: cstclai

Bruges was absolutely beautiful! It has this air of perfect preservation. you don't feel like you are in some kind of staged setup that is meant to look historical and cool. It is completely authen...

My Belgian life continues, plus Gunter
2004-06-30, Mons, Belgium. By: cstclai

Things are continuing normally and peacefully at the store. I have noticed a big improvement this week on the amount I can understand of what my co-workers say. One reason is that I have figured out...

Daytrip to Ghent
2004-06-28, Mons, Belgium. By: cstclai

Ghent ("Gand" in french, and "gent" to the flemish people who live in ghent) was great! It had the typical belgian look about it: guildhouses, city hall, canals, cobblestones. It is on the other si...

Week One: Checkmark
2004-06-26, Mons, Belgium. By: cstclai

I've have successfully completed my first full week of work! Only three more weeks here. It gets progressively more relaxed and enjoyable everyday. I have just about figured all the breads out too,...

A discovery
2004-06-24, Mons, Belgium. By: cstclai

I am not sure if I have mentioned "sandwiches americains" yet. If not, sandwiches with this meat spread, called "americain" are the most popular sandwich here. they are kind of standard, and when I ...

There's nothing wrong with gluttony....
2004-06-23, Mons, Belgium. By: cstclai

It is a beautiful day here! I love the sun, and it rarely shines in Belgium. The weather has been cool (mid-60s during the day, mid-to-low 50s at night) and perpetually cloudy. It will rain off and...

First day of work
2004-06-21, Mons, Belgium. By: cstclai

Things are really starting to settle into a nice routine here. My first real day of work was wonderful. I get there at seven, collect the day-old bread and tarts, record them, restock the bread bins...

Sore Throat
2004-06-19, Mons, Belgium. By: cstclai

It has been awhile, so to update: My second day in Brussels was fairly uneventful. I got ready, went like a nerd to the train station where I would leave out from for Mons, and made sure I knew wher...