A truly splendid Sunday! The sun has been out all day long and there has been a refreshingly brisk wind blowing through our apartment, as we had our windows open. One of those picture perfect days! We went for a walk through the winding streets and then down the center of the stunning Jubelpark near us. I wish we had a camera so we could have taken a picture to use as enticement for the members of our family who are somewhat reluctant to come for a visit. Their names shall rename a secret (for now)... you know who you are!
Peaceful...
--RP--
Sunday, October 12
Saturday, October 11
That's Europe For Ya!
Had a couple of experiences today that were prime "blogg-fodder". We decided to finally get off our butts to go to a movie. However, Kristen has had a craving for McDonald's for the past few days, so on the way to the movie theatre we stopped at one of Ronald's few locations within the city of Brussels.
First of all, the interior decor was similar to what you would find in a Starbucks. Dark colors and wood. No candy-reds or mustard yellows, aside from the sign outside. The second thing that is hard to miss is the fact that it was packed with people. If you've ever been to an In-n-Out Burger, this is the kind of throng that we encountered. The food tastes pretty much exactly like it does in the US. You have to pay 25 cents extra for ketchup. The drinks don't come with ice, but they're still quite cold. You can also buy a beer. Canned Jupiler (something akin to Miller or Coors), but beer nonetheless. They also had McCheese nuggets; wierd. Kristen had a double cheeseburger meal and I had a Royal (a quarter pounder)with cheese meal.
At the theater, we had to make sure we bought tickets for a VO (original language) movie, rather than a VF (dubbed in French). We chose Matchstick Men. Kristen got a student discount (5.25 euro ticket), but mine was the regular price of 7.50 euro. Of course, at the theatres in Brussels, beer is also available. And I'm not talkin' bout no paper cup, I'm talking about a glass of beer (to borrow a line from "Pulp Fiction"). The theatre had 12 screens, but since real-estate is scarce, they had to build up instead of out. We took several escalators to get to our theatre. The decor was spare and modern, slightly stark. With black, leather chairs in a lounge for people to wait for admittance. Inside was stadium seating, roomy seats, and a big, pristine screen.
It was nice to catch a movie. Been a while. Good movie, too. Highly entertaining. Matchstick Men... go see it.
--RP--
Had a couple of experiences today that were prime "blogg-fodder". We decided to finally get off our butts to go to a movie. However, Kristen has had a craving for McDonald's for the past few days, so on the way to the movie theatre we stopped at one of Ronald's few locations within the city of Brussels.
First of all, the interior decor was similar to what you would find in a Starbucks. Dark colors and wood. No candy-reds or mustard yellows, aside from the sign outside. The second thing that is hard to miss is the fact that it was packed with people. If you've ever been to an In-n-Out Burger, this is the kind of throng that we encountered. The food tastes pretty much exactly like it does in the US. You have to pay 25 cents extra for ketchup. The drinks don't come with ice, but they're still quite cold. You can also buy a beer. Canned Jupiler (something akin to Miller or Coors), but beer nonetheless. They also had McCheese nuggets; wierd. Kristen had a double cheeseburger meal and I had a Royal (a quarter pounder)with cheese meal.
At the theater, we had to make sure we bought tickets for a VO (original language) movie, rather than a VF (dubbed in French). We chose Matchstick Men. Kristen got a student discount (5.25 euro ticket), but mine was the regular price of 7.50 euro. Of course, at the theatres in Brussels, beer is also available. And I'm not talkin' bout no paper cup, I'm talking about a glass of beer (to borrow a line from "Pulp Fiction"). The theatre had 12 screens, but since real-estate is scarce, they had to build up instead of out. We took several escalators to get to our theatre. The decor was spare and modern, slightly stark. With black, leather chairs in a lounge for people to wait for admittance. Inside was stadium seating, roomy seats, and a big, pristine screen.
It was nice to catch a movie. Been a while. Good movie, too. Highly entertaining. Matchstick Men... go see it.
--RP--
Thursday, October 9
Still no word from any of my job prospects. A bit disconcerting. I called the young lady at Randstad (the first agency I went to) to ask if she heard anything. She said that I shouldn't give up on it yet, I have a good "profile", they will probably call me. I also called the other agency (where I took the test), but I didn't get in touch with the lady who interviewed me. She hasn't called back either.
This may just be the way things work here... long turnaround times, people dragging their feet in the hiring process, etc. According to my friend, Jeroen, there's a lot of paperwork when hiring someone and many companies are loathe to do it. So, perhaps that is why they have to deliberate and/or vacillate for so long. That's fine for them... they have a job!
It's only been a little over five weeks since we got here, but we don't have the luxury of a cushion to carry us very far. The cushion we have isn't much more than pillow-case now. It starting to get a bit tense. May have to do something drastic pretty soon...
--RP--
This may just be the way things work here... long turnaround times, people dragging their feet in the hiring process, etc. According to my friend, Jeroen, there's a lot of paperwork when hiring someone and many companies are loathe to do it. So, perhaps that is why they have to deliberate and/or vacillate for so long. That's fine for them... they have a job!
It's only been a little over five weeks since we got here, but we don't have the luxury of a cushion to carry us very far. The cushion we have isn't much more than pillow-case now. It starting to get a bit tense. May have to do something drastic pretty soon...
--RP--
Tuesday, October 7
Well, we can shed our coats and wool socks. Inside, that is! The heat was turned on this morning. Our landlord finally replied to Kristen's e-mail saying something like "Sorry for that. I will come and check it today." Anyway, it's on! Now, if we want, we can actually complain that it's too hot. Now if I can just get her to come by and see what's wrong with the two radiators that haven't come on...
--RP--
--RP--
Monday, October 6
It seems the "typical" weather of Belgium has finally set in. For the past week it has been cloudy, rainy and somewhat cold. It's still fluctuating a bit, though. The sun pokes through at least once a day and it varies between jacket temperature and several layer temperature. Today I wore a hat and gloves for the first time to go to the store.
Our apartment offers some protection against the cold. However, we have to stay semi-bundled inside as well. Toes, fingers, and noses get cold. Turn on the heat, you say? If it were within my power to do so, I would. We have radiators here, but the landlord has yet to turn the heat on for the building. Cranking the dial on the radiator does nothing. Apparently, it is customary for the Belgian landlords across the land to turn on the heat on October 1st. That date has come and gone, but still no heat. Kristen e-mailed the landlord on October 2nd, but she has still not responded. I called today and left a message on her cell-phone, but still no call-back. We're thinking they probably went out of town and forgot about the whole "heat thing". Strikes me as more than slightly unprofessional. Sure, it's not that cold, but I don't think I'm crazy to expect that I don't have to wear two pairs of socks, shoes, and sweater when I'm inside. Am I overreacting?
Aside from that, things are pretty good. We had our Jeroen, Valerie, and Arthur (our Belgian friends) over for dinner on Saturday. I cooked an "American Dinner" of barbecue chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob. They enjoyed it. Though Arthur, their infant child, got a little cranky for 20 minutes or so. Anyway, we had a good time and will hopefully do something like that again.
I'm still in flux regarding the whole job situation. I had two preliminary interviews last week, as well as a "technical test" to gauge my knowledge of software, hardware, and networking. The interviews were with two different job agents who have submitted me to their clients. Still waiting to hear back from them. Both jobs are call-center "tech support" positions for Swedish speaking people. So, if I am hired, my Swedish will improve tremendously which, if you ask me, is pretty funny. This is Belgium! They speak French and Dutch, but I now end up relying on Danish and Swedish. Two languages that have been heretofore pretty much useless. Now they are perhaps my greatest asset in the Belgian job market. The irony is not lost on me.
Keep your fingers crossed. I have a few other leads percolating, but nothing as solid as the two interviews. However, come December without a job, Belgium will kindly ask me to go live somewhere else (as I've stated before). Hopefully, I'll hear something tomorrow about these two jobs.
--RP--
Our apartment offers some protection against the cold. However, we have to stay semi-bundled inside as well. Toes, fingers, and noses get cold. Turn on the heat, you say? If it were within my power to do so, I would. We have radiators here, but the landlord has yet to turn the heat on for the building. Cranking the dial on the radiator does nothing. Apparently, it is customary for the Belgian landlords across the land to turn on the heat on October 1st. That date has come and gone, but still no heat. Kristen e-mailed the landlord on October 2nd, but she has still not responded. I called today and left a message on her cell-phone, but still no call-back. We're thinking they probably went out of town and forgot about the whole "heat thing". Strikes me as more than slightly unprofessional. Sure, it's not that cold, but I don't think I'm crazy to expect that I don't have to wear two pairs of socks, shoes, and sweater when I'm inside. Am I overreacting?
Aside from that, things are pretty good. We had our Jeroen, Valerie, and Arthur (our Belgian friends) over for dinner on Saturday. I cooked an "American Dinner" of barbecue chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob. They enjoyed it. Though Arthur, their infant child, got a little cranky for 20 minutes or so. Anyway, we had a good time and will hopefully do something like that again.
I'm still in flux regarding the whole job situation. I had two preliminary interviews last week, as well as a "technical test" to gauge my knowledge of software, hardware, and networking. The interviews were with two different job agents who have submitted me to their clients. Still waiting to hear back from them. Both jobs are call-center "tech support" positions for Swedish speaking people. So, if I am hired, my Swedish will improve tremendously which, if you ask me, is pretty funny. This is Belgium! They speak French and Dutch, but I now end up relying on Danish and Swedish. Two languages that have been heretofore pretty much useless. Now they are perhaps my greatest asset in the Belgian job market. The irony is not lost on me.
Keep your fingers crossed. I have a few other leads percolating, but nothing as solid as the two interviews. However, come December without a job, Belgium will kindly ask me to go live somewhere else (as I've stated before). Hopefully, I'll hear something tomorrow about these two jobs.
--RP--
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