First day of EU class
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Brussels, Belgium
Music: Bright Eyes, Interpol
Books: Alexis de Tocqueville (“Democracy in America”), Thomas Friedman (“The World is Flat”)
Beers: Delirium Tremens Blonde, Rulles Triple
The day begins as it used to in the Tiepolo House during winter: a cold house and a fairly unsatisfying shower. I got used to it in Italy, so I figure I’ll get used to it now too. Downstairs, Sara’s got breakfast ready for us. She makes everything from scratch, as one would expect from any self-respecting Italian mamma. The cheese, jams, bread and yogurt are all her confections, and it’s delicious. The day is fairly uneventful, as it’s our first full day of lectures. The topic is interesting, but I personally feel as though we’re being force-fed. Thankfully, our host, Prof. Sherridan, is genial and engaging, and really makes the topic come alive. We touch on the history of the EU, and the reasons it came about, and the day is concluded by a visit to the EESC. I can hardly stay awake by the end of the day, but it’s not by lack of interest—I’m just plain beat. I do what I typically do when I’m struggling like this during a lecture (and when I commit the mistake of sitting upfront): I scribble down everything I hear. Useful, useless; it doesn’t matter in the least, I capture it all. And though this usually works admirably, this time the forces of jetlag and a steadily rising tide of boredom make it impossible to combat this overwhelming urge to peter out.
Out of desperation, I reach for the heavy ammunition: I ask a question. Unfortunately for me, our speaker doesn’t understand my question, and spends the next five minutes meandering in the dark while trying to address it as best she can. This is agony. Worse still, I have opened the floodgates: now everyone has a question, perhaps as eager as I am to remain lucid at the end of this long day.
But relief comes in the form of a home-cooked meal back at the host house. Tonight, Sara, perhaps inspired by J.'s past residence in San Diego, prepares some chili con carne, italian-style. It is, of course, excellent. And once again, not to be outdone by this town, we head for the Delirium Tremens cafe for a few drinks. This time, we bring along our housemates, Andrew and Steve.
Music: Bright Eyes, Interpol
Books: Alexis de Tocqueville (“Democracy in America”), Thomas Friedman (“The World is Flat”)
Beers: Delirium Tremens Blonde, Rulles Triple
The day begins as it used to in the Tiepolo House during winter: a cold house and a fairly unsatisfying shower. I got used to it in Italy, so I figure I’ll get used to it now too. Downstairs, Sara’s got breakfast ready for us. She makes everything from scratch, as one would expect from any self-respecting Italian mamma. The cheese, jams, bread and yogurt are all her confections, and it’s delicious. The day is fairly uneventful, as it’s our first full day of lectures. The topic is interesting, but I personally feel as though we’re being force-fed. Thankfully, our host, Prof. Sherridan, is genial and engaging, and really makes the topic come alive. We touch on the history of the EU, and the reasons it came about, and the day is concluded by a visit to the EESC. I can hardly stay awake by the end of the day, but it’s not by lack of interest—I’m just plain beat. I do what I typically do when I’m struggling like this during a lecture (and when I commit the mistake of sitting upfront): I scribble down everything I hear. Useful, useless; it doesn’t matter in the least, I capture it all. And though this usually works admirably, this time the forces of jetlag and a steadily rising tide of boredom make it impossible to combat this overwhelming urge to peter out.
Out of desperation, I reach for the heavy ammunition: I ask a question. Unfortunately for me, our speaker doesn’t understand my question, and spends the next five minutes meandering in the dark while trying to address it as best she can. This is agony. Worse still, I have opened the floodgates: now everyone has a question, perhaps as eager as I am to remain lucid at the end of this long day.
But relief comes in the form of a home-cooked meal back at the host house. Tonight, Sara, perhaps inspired by J.'s past residence in San Diego, prepares some chili con carne, italian-style. It is, of course, excellent. And once again, not to be outdone by this town, we head for the Delirium Tremens cafe for a few drinks. This time, we bring along our housemates, Andrew and Steve.
posted by Nic at 6:40 AM
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