Classes, Interviews, and Brugges

This past Thursday we started classes with Jerry Sheridan, our program guide, teacher, and coordinator. He's an American Internationale of sort, with his first citizenship form the US and secondarily he is Belgian. He came to Brussels 20 years ago, wanting to teach about and study farther the EU and all of its intricate and changing qualities. He speaks fluent Dutch, French, and English and is very much aware of the histories of all three cultures, all in all a fascinating man with a lot to tell us about Europe, its history, and himself over the next three months.

Our first few classes have been introductions to the European Union governing bodies and also small overviews of the differences between European and American Politics. We also had a guest speaker, Colin Nimmens, an Irish Internationale, who has studied and taught his whole life the history of Belgium, of course, among an abundance of other subjects. This man was a riot, he interrupted his someone long and tedious lectures with hilarious anecdotes or Irish comedy that had most of the class rolling with laughter. I'd venture to say he is one of the most intelligent individuals I have ever been in contact with, knowing at least 4 languages, an extremely detailed history of basically everywhere in the world, and having lived for (my guess is) upwards of 80 years. At any rate it was an honor to sit in a class with him and I learned a fairly concise background of Belgium in 3 hours.

Another teacher who will be frequenting our class over the next 3 months is Jamie Shea, THE DIRECTOR of Policy Planning at NATO. Ha this blows my mind that someone this important and connected will be working with us this semester. He was also the NATO spokesperson during the Kosovo episode of the 1990s and has been an influential NATO officer ever since. I am really looking forward to learning from him and hearing all that he has to say.

These past 2 days I have been interviewing for an internship position with various institutions in the Brussels area. Its quite amazing, the organizations that AU Brussels hooks us up with. For example yesterday I met with The Transatlantic Business Dialogue (TABD), who work with large companies such as Apple, GE, Deusche Bank, etc, to lobby for a more open and integrated market between the US and the EU. A few hours ago, I interviewed with the Royal Military Academy, who I am relatively sure I'm going to work for. The project entails helping the academy finalize its plans to create a European Defense University, where a universal educational system could better serve the potentially unified armies of the EU...Very exciting stuff.

And finally Brugges (this is the French spelling). Brugges was nothing short of incredible. I have never been to a place so old, and with so much history. Buildings there date back to the 1100s and beautiful red roofed houses create the boundaries of the canals lazily strolling through the town. Belltowers and church steeples dot the sky every so often when you lift your head from the aged landscape lying in front of you, as Brugges was one of the first cities to grow up, instead of out. However it still boasts the feel of a small ville, with cobblestone streets, quiet parks, and sculpture gardens. I've made up my mind that I would live in Brugges if it were a francophone city, but alas, Brugges occupies a plot of land in the north of Belgium, 12 km from the North Sea, and there is no French to be heard there, only Flammond and English. It was interesting to see a bit of the Belgian countryside, and a whole new style of Belgian life and I look forward to returning there later in the semester.

How ya'll are doing well and I'll post again soon. Ciao.