The Fight and The Date

So, I've now been here for over a week. Work has continued to be a bit overwhelming, but the real test comes next week when Okie, the guy who had my job for the past six months, is no longer around to guide me, and I am truly on my own. More to come on that.

However, this has been an interesting few days. Firstly, on Friday, I went to my commune, to get my long term work visa. Now as a British citizen, I can legally work in Brussels, however, if I want to work there for more than two months, I have to get a Belgian ID, to do this you have to go to the headquarters of the commune you live in. The city of Brussels is divided into communes, with Brussels in the center and other ones surrounding it. (Think of like Queens and Manhattan in New York). I asked my landlord which commune I live in and he said Brussels. So, I googled the commune and found out I could get my identity card starting at 830AM.

I got there at 815AM and the line is out the door around the corridor and into the elevator lobby. Seriously. I stood waiting for over three hours. As I got close, I was about three people from the front, this man dressed in a disgusting shade of green steps in front of me. Now, for the past three hours, I have been standing behind a black woman dressed in bright pink with a screaming baby. I KNOW where I was, and after waiting for this long, there was no way in HELL this guy was going to push in front of me. So I simply said, "excusez-moi monsieur, the end of the line is over there". He turned, gave me a look that would freeze a lava field and said, "I do not speak English, you must speak French", and turned back. (He said this in perfect English mind you).

OH HELL NO....

So I replied, (whilst giving him an equally chilling look I hope) "La ligne est là-bas". He ignored me. So I said LOUDER, "escusez-moi, la ligne est là-bas". Then he turned, looked at me, and started SCREAMING in French. I have no idea what he said, but it sounded as though he was saying some not very nice things about me, and then the baby started crying LOUDER and his hands were going all crazy and his papers were flying everywhere...so someone called security and we were both brought into a back room.

Yep, I got hauled away by security. They basically told me that they believed me, but they ask that I don't do anything about the fact that this guy is an asshole line cutter and let it go. Because if they do have to escort him out (it's not like that's there job or anything) it would be SO much paperwork, so could I please shut up and let him go.

Welcome to Belgium.

Regardless, I didn't get to work until about 1:30pm that day.

So after a stressful Friday, today, Saturday, I decided to go out and hit the town. I left around 10:30PM and wandered the wonderful streets near La Gran Place, taking in the scenery, the smells, I got a delicious waffle. It was wonderful. Now, as part of the European experience, if you go out alone at night as a women, guys frequently talk to you, yell at you and/or whistle at you on the street. I usually smile at them or ignore them, but it is harmless. However, during my time in India, I was much more aware that their culture perceived American women as being "loose" women, basically sluts. I blame this on the mass amount of media that comes out of the States showing this, such as but not limited to the latest Britney video or those Dawsons River people jumping into each others beds all the time. Regardless, I am much more weary of attention from strange men when I'm a foreigner because of my experience in India. However, as I was enjoying my waffel in the main square, a guy came up to me, he looked harmless enough, gave me a cute little smile and asked if he could take me out for a drink.

I figured, I'm here, I'm alone, and I can't really afford to buy myself a drink, so why not.

I let him lead me to a bar where we sat on the street and talked. Or tried to. Unfortunately his English is..."how I say, not so good" so he taught me some French sayings and told me I was beautiful like one hundred times.

He then asked if I was hungry. I wasn't, but as I rule I don't turn down free food, so I said OK, and he led the way. He then pointed at a McDonalds, and said, "Food yes?".

Strike one.

I shook my head and made a vomiting motion. I think he understood, that or he thinks I drank too much (which I didn't because he didn't drink anything so I only had half a beer as a caution). He then tried to take me to a falafel stand.

Strike two.

So he finally found a sweet little Asian fusion place on the street where I ordered yummy curry and a diet coke, (he ordered a coke, so I’m so not going to be the lush with a stranger in a foreign country thank you very much).

It was good, and afterwards we wandered. He repeated the few phrases in English he knew such as, “You are so beautiful”, “Your hair is so beautiful” and “I love you”.

Yep, “I love you”.

Now, when someone that you haven’t been dating for a very, very long period of time says I love you, you are automatically put into one of two categories. Neither of them are preferable in my book.

1. ABC Family Channel (with an emphasis on “Seventh Heaven”)
2. Phil’s life

If you fall into option one, it means that he genuinely likes you, wants to marry you and for you to move in with his mother and nine siblings. If you fall into option two, it means he wants to get into your pants and will say anything to get there.

So, after we wandered for like ten minutes, I began to steer us towards the nearest metro station. As we got there, he kept trying to get me to go to his house to “meet his mom”. Because I’m sure his mom is up at midnight and anxious to see the hussy her son brought home. I said no and marched onto my platform, he was going in the other direction but wanted to “make sure I get to train ok”.

He then started to get a little bit too “touchy feely”. After turning my head a few times and hitting his hands away, I finally heard the train coming, as it pulled up to the station, I let him know exactly what I thought of his “fondling” with my knee... in his groin.

Well, at least I got a free dinner.