European Cultural Notes

1. When people jog here (and they rarely do) they often wear backpacks or kahki shorts. 2. I've yet to meet a well educated European who doesn't speak 2 languages, and mostly its 3 or more. 3. Gas is over $6.50 a gallon here, and its down since the summer high of about $8, so stop complaining. 4. Milk here is "demi-creme" in french, yes, half cream, is what I pour into my bowl of Special K every morning. Its sweet, but surprisingly good. 5. For the most part I get looked at strangely when I say "Bonjour" to someone passing on the street. Belgians are more reserved and not as outgoing as the typical American. 6. The average Belgian has 30 vacation days per year, no I didn't mistype that i meant thirty, three-oh. Thats the state average, meaning some employees have more... 7. A two hour drive is exorbitantly long for a Belgian, you can basically drive across their nation in that time! So in effect, most Belgians are astounded at the sheer size of the United States...maybe something we don't think about enough. 8. There are little to no electricity cables in Belgium, they are all underground, which really makes for a nicer environment in the suburban areas. 9. In European English, you dont make decisions, you take them. For example, if I was the leader of a group and I had to decide what to do next, it'd be decision-taking time...no joke. 10. I just found out yesterday that rabbit is a common meat consumed in Belgium, just like cow or chicken, it is consumed in various dishes including stews or pastas.