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Hola!
Weekend started with a nice drink with my colleagues on Friday night, even there was some adventures about finding the place, but it was fun. Haha, the thing, that we all had to go to one pub, finally I found out how to get there..and guess what, when I was just infron of it- IT WAS CLOSED FOR RENOVATION!!! Nice, isn’t it? But there was a note, how to get to “back up” pub. Of course I haven’t notice that note and “pradejau skambint varpais”, well to sum up, it was nice evening with colleagues, good beer, bit chilly Belgium summer night.
On Saturday we went to the Royal Palace. It’s open only about one month a year. So again, we were lucky. It was nice to look around, me and Jan ( a czech colleague) decided that it would be kind of cool place to live. Yeah!!! And they had a “science room” which was actually more dedicated to kids, you could check physics rules( fizikinius desnius) in a funny way…uh, that was really really fun! Playing in the Royal Palace! Cool! Afterwards we had a nice walk…lol, that crazy guy tried to convince me take part in Brussels’ Marathon next day!! I am not so crazy to sign and take part in marathon voluntarily. Then It was an option just to run part of it…this time I was really inflexible and no compromise was reached! Thanks God! Then we went to have some hot tea. It was like a scene from a French movie: nice outdoor café next to a church, rain water going on the path, few musicians playing with accordion on the street…lovely! In the evening we had house warming/sushi party at new two trainees place! I was surprised how may sushi experts do we have! Yeah, chopsticks and innocent looking,but hot hot green souce was quite a challenge for me;)anyways, that was nice and finally our international crowd ended up in pub next to our home ( yeah, here is everything not so close as it used to be in kaunas, but this pub is still keeping the same distance;)) no doubts,dances are in Spanish ppl blood! I really adore it! Turkish guys made nice performance as well;)
Well, Sunday morning have started with the same question- WHY do I need wake up but volleyball and my will kicked me out from bed;) this time Ewa (my roomie) joined. Yeah, as usually some rain, some sun, some real pour and hot sun again…but we had nice, maybe I should say more fun, game, and those groovy ice-cream, yummy!!! After all this weekend I was exhausted ant took a power nap for about 14 hours;)

There was one thing, which made me feel like at home. You know, when you just go on the street and meet your friend. Not a big deal , uh? On the way to the Royal palace, accidentally I new some other trainees, and inside the palace one more known face! Yeah, so what, u gonna say?! But take into consideration that Brussels is as big as two Vilnius, and I am here for two month, coming here, knowing nobody and now I meet familiar faces accidentally on the street! That’s goodJ)))))

Two little words that can make the difference: START NOW. -Mary C. Crowley

Enjoying quatily of life! If you don’t have it, so START NOW;)

EXCITED about Sailing weekend

I am soo ecxited!!! In the mid of September we are going for a sailing weekend to the North Sea!
Team, or this time I should better use- crew, is international as always: Lithuania (yeah, that’s me;)), Poland, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Australia. The plan is to leave Friday evening and go along Belgium coast for a weekend and come back on Sunday noon! It’s sounds challenging, because I’ve never tried this before (well, I and my beloved roomies form Kaunas had nice few hour sailing in the kaunas sea for my farewell, but this time we are leaving for all weekend to the sea!), I really cross my fingers and hope that Belgium has nice and warm September, next thing which makes it a challenge- crew- I know some guys already (Dominik is my colleague, Anna- volleyball mate and active trampoline user;), Leon- aiesec trainee as well), others I am gonna meet, we are planning to meet up some evening for a beer and discuss a bit more about our trip. I guess it is very good teambuilding activity. Ok, let’s leave this when I am back from that;) haha, I liked my dad’s saying: if your captain is form Kazakhstan, where they have no sea, only steppe and the only ships- camels…good luck then!! Of course it’s only a joke!I’ll keep you updated;)

Back on track

Yeah, back on track...it's tuesday night, only now I sat down to put my weekend in here...This weekend was early...very early for weekend...again! uh, i'm such not a morning person! but life is life. My roomie Shinta and other DHL ppl were organizing really intersting and beautiful event- Flying blind. It was dedicated to blind ppl who had a chance to jump with parachute!!!! Sounds crazy! when I first heard that- my idea- why do you wanna kill those people?hahah:) So, for this event happen they needed volunteers, I was one of them. there were some known faces, many new ones, but all very nice people. Lots of action form sky diving club people- they were making tricks all the day..sometimes it looked all crowed on the ground stop breathing looking what are they doing! but they are proffesionals! they trained those blind ppl and where jumping with "double"parashutes, all landings were soft and safe. amazing! I can just guess what these people were feeling! I think it's very brave to dare step out from the plane when there is nothing under your feet, when you dont see anything, when you have to trust your life to person who you met first time in your life. I think it's really brave! All landings were met with applause and they were wearing t-shirt"I survived flying blind 2006"! that's cool! The idea of this event came up to Shinta' boss, who is crazy about sky diving and wanted to spread it out for people whom it seems impossible to do it. My dears, everything is possible if there is a wish. I was watching how he was careing about those ppl, wondering about their impressions after the landing..it was fire in his eyes, you could feel his passion. I admire this.
So what I was doing there? ha! shortly-having fun:) there where some jumping castle, trampoline for kids...guess who was one of first people who've tried it..i 'll give you a hint- it wasnt a kid;)))) It's extremely fun! well, later on i helped with other things...met some people who pretty well knew Vilnius and other parts of LT. cool! yeah, wonderful sunny day, with unexpected pours, but that's about belgium;) Of course, having nice belgium beer! Cheers for a great day and i am very happy that I was a part of it!
Uh, sunday morning i was soooooo lazy to wake up, but sunday volley- saint thing...everytime I cannot believe I am doing this, but it keeps on going. we met again the same team, again in the middle of nowhere, for beach volley with some rain, chilly weather, falling in the sand ( like real pros)....yeah, that's fun:)then Mitja, slovenian chef, was cooking slovenian dessert...honestlly, it was really good pancake with peaches...welll, it was like a friend of mine, George for Georgia was explaining that orange in his hand was washington...similar to Mitja... Afterwards, I was dreadly tired, came home, finished my BW sherlock holemes collection...Yeah!
Yesterday was Jan' ( aiesec trainee, coleague of mine) b-day! we met up with some guys from work in one pub with bad service, but good beer...yeah, it remind me good konradas times...oh, yeah...dark beer, nice people.Unfortunately, our project is young, but maybe because may ppl leaving, newies comming, then it's hard to keep traditions, like going for a beer, get know you coleagues in different environment. We will see how it turns:)
Still enjoyin' it! Quality of life
labanakt
Ms Europe;)

Grass day in Antwerp

Today is famous and wide celebrated Grass day- Zolines:) but it's so called only in Lithuania. Anywayz, as Veronica said, let's go to celebrate, whatever belgiums is celebrating here:) Well said, Vero!;) so, today was day off, I decided to use a chance and catch up Ari ( aiesecer from Antwerp, which I met in OPS 2006(2003)). I was told about his amazing tours! Sooo..again my alarm did a great job and at 10.30 I was already sitting in a train Brussels- Amsterdam going through Antwerp. Appearantly other guys got scared of monday' pour and i was going alone. At the very first Ari asked me how long I want to walk, how comfi my shoes and how much time I wanna spend. Scout woke up in my and I took max tour. It took 8 hours with few stops for a pizza and beer. But about it later. After all my day, with sun, and rain going rounds in Antwerp streets, imaging myself for 2 min like a sheep or cow ( that was necessary to get into mid ages:), visiting amazing secret streets and squares, getting and acomplishing tasks ( like find the differences between 4 buildings, or finding card figures smar hidden just infront of the church) seeing Ruben' works, wisiting red light street, student area, monasteries with cute cute garden inside, trying the best beer in the world ( ppl, calm down, I still love Konrado tamsuji or svyturiuka) and other many many things in Antwerp I can worthily tell, that Ari was the best guide I've ever had!!! Those hours runining around the city in the rain and sun with a friend who really loves doing that, telling stories/legends which almost make you cry or ther ones which makes you laugh that even ppl starts look at you...it's the best!!! Those who remember last year trip to Paris and our professional guide" führer"- I would like to send our Paris guide to Ari to see how guide should work!!!
yeah, about beer no 1. - Trappist Westvletern.Belgium is famous because there are some beers produced only in monasteries. The one I am talking about is exaclly the same. You can't buy it in super market or relurar pub, it's sold only in a very few places in belgium, the bottle is not labeled, only filler-cap is marked. And when you have it in the pub, the barmen opens a bottle and gives you a filler-cap, like a prove that you just had the best beer in the world( it;s named after some kind of survey, if i am not mistaken by Forbes)...well, you know, I really enjoy dark beer ( yeahhhh, good times in Konradas....), this one was dark and i would dare to say- strong one- 10,2%, a bit sweet taste, but still you can feel that it's strong one. Price of it- like the best beer- 5 euro for 0,33 ( here is normal glass, in LT would be considered as small one, but dont go into details;)). My final impression- Intersting to try, discover smth new, leaving pub a bit tipsy...hahaha...well, it's not my favourite one.
I had really great day! saw paradox of antwerp and all other really beautiful things, had good time. Now finishing my day, traditionally -sitting on my futon and putting all fresh impressions in here.
Quality of life. Sipmy lovin' it

one more smooth weekend in Belgium

Here is Sunday night, like a week ago I am sitting on my futon and... soooo...plan for this weekend was explore the beach and see sand sculptures exhibition there...ha! here is Belgium! on thursady and friday was raining like cats and dogs, in the evening +11c...yeah, mid of august..would you still be ready for a beach, a?Here came up plan B- go to see Gent!

Sat morning voluntary woke up at 7.30 am( ok, almost voluntary.....my alarm did really great job;))) so, I, Veronica ( trainee from Equador), Eric ( trainee from Malaisia) and his friends...we went to see Gent. We had very nice breakfast in cute, non touristic place...it looked like form a movie:small bakery, where you can pick still warm pie and enjoy your morning coffe with your friends! I havent notice any tourist there, but the place was full of local people, who were enjoying their sat morning. It looked like their ritual, they werent even looking in menus, and waitresses knew what they gonna have sice they step through the door:) well, Gent was really cute! finally the weather become more like august than october:) later on we came back to brussels and joined bunch of other trainees for a Flower carpet. It's really really really impressive, specially then you see it from above.

Flower carpet in Brussels
Gent! It's all about Belgium
After second try to get on the top..Bikes-not a myth in Belgium

This event happens only everysecond year and only one weekend! so, we felt kind of special...hahah susireiksminom;) then we tried to get on the rood of the war museum..but we were late for 2 min..2 min, and they closed:( but our international crowd ( i think this really good description how we looed like- crowed and very international)...were chilling next to museum in the park....one more thing I am keep on saying- IT'S ALL ABOUT ATTITUDE;) i believe we will do that muesum some day ( it was already second try...ehehe)

Sunday morning was early as well....uh, I such not a morning person..I couldnt believe how come I am starting my day , my weekend day before 8 am...uhh, but it's worth! Dont worry, II dont have any insomnia or stuff like this...We just keeping on new tradition- sunday volleyball...even it's in the middle of nowherre, even it's sunday morning, even it's mist all around, we did beach volley. it's really fun, some lessons about teamwork;) some fresh air for the lights after all we came back to the center and had nice coffe with nice talks:) Brussels is sooo empty and silent on sunday. Siply enjoying our drinks, our company, our time here...nevertheless...one more tradition came up- sunday cooking. Last sunday I made my pink soup performance, this weekend Mitja, slovenian guy, was making slovenian lunch and promissed nexr weekend to make smth slovenian again:) full intorduction to slovenian cuisine and nice chat with guys;)
one the way home I bought biiiiiiig watermelon. Dont knoe why, but it made me very happy, like kid who got a candy. I was almost jumping and smilling in the bus stop with huge watermelon.
Ending up smooth and glorious weekend I watched few black-white Sherlock Holemes movies with my happy happy watermelon

That was my belgium weekend, which I enojyed with my new friends and now sharing with you
Once again and again, it's all about people, all about attitude...

Lakanakt

Chilling weekend

It's sunday evening...
I had nice and chilling weekend with my roommates and other trainees here. On friday we had nice dinner in cute and kind of fancy italian restaurant with Ewa and Shinta. Yeah, we had nice occasion- it was Shinta' bithday...chilling dinner with rommates, at the beggining of weekend with nice food, nice waiters and tasetful interior. Saturday night we had dinner at the same italian place, but this time it was dinner with 35 people! It was very nice evening, Shinta was the queen of it:) I like belgium, they have many trainees or former trainees who still keep that spirit..everytime I meet some new people! It's really amazing when you, lithuanian, sitting in italian restaurant, in Belgium at the same table form Indonesia, Poland, Canada, Malasia, China!!!My dears, the world is getting smaller:)
Sunday was my show time. We arranged PINK SOUP...or saltibarsciai lunch. Haha I become famous about it, there is even mini pink soup fan club!! usually reacion is the same> we expected it is pink but it is really pink! It cant be more pink:))) I am really suprised that people dare to taste that"pink thing", actually till now only for one person was too hard to try it.
We end up lunch with ice cream ( it was gorgeous!!!) and movie..now I am finishing my chilling weekend by putting my "fresh" impressions here:)
Labanakt