Brussels

I visited Brussels last weekend. It was raining, it was gloomy, but it's just the weather. The city is really fantastic!!!!!!! Probably as walking around I looked a bit woozy-I was admiring the architecture - the old and the new one. What I wanted to see the most - was this "pissing little boy" - don't You think that I am rude; this is how everyone calls him. It's a fountain, and, as I was told, every month this "boy" is dressed up in some country's national clothing, or at least with some national symbols of that country. It turned out that some time ago this "boy" was dressed up in Latvian National Hockey team shirt :) But this time little boy was wearing estonian "Urmas" coat with belt in national flag colours.

And other thing I was rapturous to see was European Parliament building - found my country's flag there :)

I am really determined to visit Brussels again...

Getting used to...

I am almost a month here. Sounds strange to me. But I am getting used to the weather here-probably that is why I have caught a cold, but I will soon get through it. Bicycles....well, I have managed to get some pics with me on the bicycle, but I don't have one yet. And probably there are lots of places where I can go without the bicycle! And...Belgian waffles...mmmm tasty!:)

MOCOMA programme

This is the programme I am studying in Artevelde Hogeschool. It is spring semester programme in communication management, which includes such subjects as Aspects of PR & Corporate Communication, Marketing communication, European Media Scene, Public Relations Case Studies, Advertising cases and many other interesting courses. Probably my biggest challenge is going to be my French classes, because I am the one, who haven't studied French before...."rrrrrrrrrr"! :)

So far, 2 weeks of this programme have pased and I am starting to enjoy this multicultural context; Spain, Germany, Canada, Portugal, Poland, Finland, Romania, France, Turkey...I hope I haven't forgotten anyone!

Student city Gent

If you ask me, what is my first association of ideas about Gent-I would answer you; Beer, Bicycles, thousands of students and April weather. Gent is the third largest city in Belgium and it lives and breathes industrial pride. In the medieval era Gent was the powerhouse of European cloth industry. If you admire fine architecture, then you will love the city centre with its mix of Medieval, Gothic and Renaissance buildings. The city is really old and beautiful and everything's situated so that it is easy accessible for pedestrians and cyclists. Traffic department in Latvia could learn from this a lot about calming traffic. There is a large student population in Gent with all the buzz that goes with that. And the weather - no wonder almost half of students from my program have cought a cold or flu. In the morning there is a snowstorm, at forenoon it is raining, but in the afternoon sun shines and dries all the puddles...I am not sure if it is winter or already spring here?

My roommates

Luckily I was picked up from Gent train station by my new roommates, so I didn't have any chance to get lost at my first day in Gent. I am lucky, because my roommates are really great! They have helped me a lot, although they had their last exams during my arrival, but they did everything to make me feel at home. On my first day I was introduced to almost all of their friends and I was so confused that probably mixed their names for several times. But by this time I can remember them all :)

Me here, in Belgium...

I got here within Erasmus exchange program. Before my arrival I had to manage lot of things. Pile of wastepapers-all the formalities back in my home university in Tallinn, Estonia made some nervous tension. I had some small surprise when I couldn't get past the metal detectors in Riga airport, because they were peeping. I had to take off my boots and let the personnel check them one more time. It turned out that I had metal in my boots and they were joking that I will have to pay fine for that. Well, it did not seem funny for me at the spot, but luckily I am here...