New home that tastes like waffles and French fries

Pre-history

Here I'm, a bachelor student, I'm holding my diploma in hands and smiling in the pictures. I'm happy that I finally managed to reach something more important in my life but deep down in my mind there’s silent voice whispering:

- What now, Austeja? What to do now? Is it time to find a well – paid job and leave your parents’ nest? Is it time to spread your wings and go around the world for agap year? Or maybe it’s time to find THE ONE and start creating a family? What’s the point of my life now? To be or not to be – that’s the tough question.

While torturing myself with all these ideas, then suddenly it hit me… Why shouldn’t I act spontaneously, just to get out from my comfort zone, quit my job and find a study program in any European country and apply over there? Then this idea about spontaneity kept me alive, it became brighter and brighter and then I ended up looking to master programs in French speaking European countries. So basically that’s how my story started. I ended up in Brussels. Yeah, in the heart of Europe, where every day you can smell waffles with chocolate or caramel, taste crunchy French fries with mayonnaise sauce, to see handsome men in tuxedoes running towards European Parliament, to pass by le Grand Place every day, to enjoy the tasty beer in Delirium bar and to be in the middle of three spoken languages: French, Dutch and Flemish (yes, that’s where the tricky part starts).

Bonjour, Bruxelles! C’est moi!

Voilà je suis là! Bonjour, Belgique – I tell myself while getting off the plane. Even though I was homeless (but at least I got an opportunity from my boss to work as freelancer, so I was just homeless but not jobless) at that time and was crashing my friend’s couch for the whole week. But then a miracle happened and after for quite a while looking for a flat I finally found my spot, right in the city center with two a bit messy flatmates and room like Harry Potters – under the stairs without any windows. But for the student, that tries to safe money this option was one of the better ones. Even though, university is near, the main bars' street is around the corner (it’s impossible to resist not to try Belgian beers, even though as a wine lover I never thought I will be drinking beer) and all the other attractions you can reach by hand (or by metro not more than 30 minutes). It does sound like there are a lot of temptations around… So, if you can’t resist to them, well then slightly saying you might get into magical non-ending circle. But since we all know what sometimes happens in students’ life then it's worthless to judge.

I will not deny, to move out to completely new country is not easy. You know that you will be alone for some time till you find people from your circle, the new hobbies, that you could brighten your dull week, you will have to learn how to take care of yourself and cope with problems and to find solution ASAP. Before the big trip you just try to prepare yourself mentally. And here it comes, the first day in university. Of course, I’m late (ohh amazing SNCB system), while entering the place where the first meeting with professors and course mates was held everybody's eyes turned to me (I feel how red I became and just try to find a chair). Everybody needs to present themselves, at the first sight it sounded that the majority of people have a master degrees, a lot of working experience, well paid jobs and they were way older than me and then my turn comes:

• Hello, my name is Austeja, I came all the way from a Baltic country Lithuania, I’m 24 years, I’ve just graduated from French philology and Public Affairs bachelors studies and I’m working as a communication manager for 1 year.

I felt like an ugly duck, who tried to keep up with others but didn’t really managed and was left alone on the shore while others were having fun in the water. Nice try, Austeja, nice try. Please try again… Well and I did, after few classes, our European Public Affairs and Communication study program and course mates became pretty close and didn't had any problems, neither with some big age difference or lack of some skills.

New experiences, new friends

Well but the beginning always brings some struggles, which are completely normal to everyone, so compared with mines, I only was suffering for 2 weeks then somehow it got better. How did I manage to do it so fast? Easy : just tried not to stay alone at home. First, I tried to join one organization that works closely with European institutions and organizes every year for young people around Europe one week of trainings related with different and important subjects among Europe. And had an opportunity to become a head of communication, sadly not for long but that's another tory to tell. Then, as a single girl, I decided since I'm in a new country, new city, why shouldn't I use one of the dating apps, try to be spontaneous and just go to dates. After few swipes to the right and left I was invited to a few dates. I know what are you thinking but sometimes it’s just nice to find a new people to talk to and just to drink beer and to compare the cultures and nationalities. The following day completely by accident, in one of the Facebook groups I found out that I’m not the only one lonely in Brussels and don’t have friends or people to hang out with. That’s how appeared our “Hang outs” chat, which now has around 50 people in it. Of course like in every group, there’re mainly 10 active people who constantly suggest to go to the trips, museums, night clubs, bars or just enjoy good weather outside. Actually we got closer, with this group we travelled to Bruges, Cologne, Rotterdam, Luxembourg, we were partying on the weekends, enjoying the beauty of the city while drinking beer and eating French fries in la Bourse or having one more crazy Thursday in place de Luxembourg. Now I proudly can say that those people became like an international family to me, the people with whom I started sharing my ideas, desires, and funny moments or just with whom I could talk to. Even Brussels now with them doesn't look so big, cold and boring.

Other friendship happened again because of social media, this time it was on Instagram. I have to admit I really do enjoy social media, sometimes I feel addicted to it and upload way too many things to my story. So this friend appeared by looking at one of my Instagram stories, in which I just took a picture of the package that my mom sent from Lithuania, including home made tomatoes' sauce and some traditional Lithuanian drink, after few messages what both of us are doing here, suddenly, I got a message from him saying:

- So then I can be your friend - it does sounds very comforting and assuring, that finally you started slowly building the pyramid of friends and you're not solonely broken angel anymore. So, that's how our friendship started and it still develops and has many beautiful aspects, which makes me super happy.

I guess when you find your place, surround yourself with similar point of view people, find new hobbies and start enjoying the new place that you live in, then life gets more colourful than it was before and somehow slowly yourself change, to the better side of course and though I don't want to sound like a cliché but you manage to grow up as a personality and improve. Which makes you proud of yourself. At least I am.

"Coming home for Christmas"

Here I'm, in a plane, on the way home for Christmas after 3 months spent in royal Brussels. The time flew very fast, like a bird, it just gone somewhere but it was so amazing that I can't stop smiling. Because of the beautiful memories I'm bringing home, with new friends, improved French language skills, the cities and countries I've seen, all that full luggage of positive and bright ideas. I cannot wait for the next semester and what new it will bring. But I'm sure that everything I met, found, learnt, kissed, liked, missed, went out, drank, tasted, saw, visited and laughed about, this new semester will be even better. Bisou!