Europe.

What Living in Belgium/Europe Has Taught Me:


1. I love America.

Since I am a Texan, I’ve always understood and maintained fierce loyalty and love for my country and state. Living in Europe, however, has helped my love for America to grow and flourish. I never really, truly understood how wonderful my country is. I knew the facts: we are a free country-that is a good thing. I have rights as an American citizen-that’s just the way of life. There are laws and rules – I’ve always seen most of these as hindering…and many others.

Living in Belgium has helped me UNDERSTAND these things. We are a free country with a running, functioning government (even though there are elements that are corrupt and unjust, it still is functioning and is doing its job better than most other places). The way our government is set up allows us to grow, prosper, and – for lack of better words- to live the American Dream. I understand that concept on a deeper level now, and am grateful that the opportunity exists. Belgium currently doesn’t have a government established, and when a government HAS been established, it quickly is overthrown. I love the stability the American government provides, and that there is a system that is generally respected by its citizens. I am so grateful for my rights. My gratitude starts with the smallest thing like the Texas anti-littering campaign, “Don’t Mess With Texas”. I love that in the places I have lived in the states, having clean streets is a priority, and that people even volunteer to do their part in picking up roadside trash. Belgium is so dirty!! They don’t even have a public trashcan system, so there are almost always bags of trash bags lining the street (side note: we find this pretty amusing, because Belgium has recycling centers like every few city blocks where you can go and deposit your recycling. You also get fined if you don’t recycle properly…it just feels like their priorities are a little backward!)

2. I love being LDS.
I have always loved being a Mormon. I’ve always appreciated the lifestyle and the fact that we have certain lifestyle standards that we live by. I love that literally across the world we are being taught the same principles and even the same lessons that are being taught at any other time in any other meeting house. Living here has sharpened my love for the fact that I am LDS. Going to church every Sunday was like going home. I went to church in multiple countries and cities, and in each place, I felt the same spirit—the same feeling of warmth that is given out back at home. I love that I know that the gospel is true and that I have the opportunity to live it every day.

3. I love driving.
I’ve always had this romanticized idea of how cool Europeans are because a lot of them live in cities where you can walk everywhere. While I still appreciate this concept, I have to admit that I MISS HAVING A CAR! I like that I was forced to walk everywhere, and that helped get me through the daily grind of sitting down for 8 hours in front of a computer. However, if we wanted to get anywhere, we had to do some serious planning. We had to make sure we knew what metro to catch to ensure that it arrived to the right train station in time and make sure the train goes to the right bus stop. It’s a balancing act that (thank goodness!) Lance was a natural at, but it was incredibly inconvenient and made even the smallest errand take 3x as long. For example, it should only take 45 minutes to get to the Charleoi airport, but instead we have to walk the 400 yards down to the metro, wait for it, arrive at the station, run through the station to get to the train, wait for the train because it’s always late OR in missed the train by 30 seconds so we have to wait another hour for the next one to come, ride the train for an hour, arrive, take a bus from the station to the airport. It’s a journey…The one that was the most frustrating for me was the fact that the grocery store is about 400 yards from my apartment-so carrying heavy groceries that far became not fun very quickly.

4. Speaking of grocery stores… I LOVE American grocery stores.
I had always heard missionaries who went foreign RAVE about American grocery stores. I always sort of shrugged my shoulders and thought “what’s the big deal?” I GET WHAT THE BIG DEAL IS. In American grocery stores, DOG FOOD that looks like hamburger meat is not mixed in with ACTUAL hamburger meat – which, don’t forget, is labeled in French and Dutch. The diapers are not placed next to the pasta sauce, and olive oil is not placed next to the brooms and cleaning supplies. In American stores, you can find whatever you want in whatever variety you want. I remember on multiple occasions going to the grocery store and being annoyed about something dumb like finding that they didn’t have some random variation of a spice, and feeling flustered that I had to settle for a slight variation of it. Here, I feel lucky that garlic powder is even something I can buy. American stores are (usually) so clean. Product placement is not only considered but is a priority. They provide you with grocery sacks…. If you don’t have your own backpack/bags, you can opt to use a cardboard box (think costco style) BUT often they are OUT of cardboard boxes, so if you don’t have bags, you’ll be shoving your things in your purse and shirt and jacket instead….and to my favorite point:THEY ARE OPEN LATER THAN 7:00. In fact, they are open 24 HOURS A DAY 7 DAYS A WEEK.

5. I WILL NEVER COMPLAIN ABOUT WALMART EVER AGAIN.
The end of my last point brings me to this point. I freakin love walmart. Belgian grocery stores make walmart look like the freakin White House. I don’t care if there are sometimes inappropriately clothed people shopping. I will even be able to turn my head from some bad parenting that goes down in some of the isles. I don’t even care that the lines are almost always ridiculously long. I love the “rollback prices” and the ability to buy things in bulk. I love that I can buy shoes, shampoo, bread, and a t-shirt all at the same time for reasonable prices if I want to. I love that they are open literally 24-7, so if there is an emergency – NEVER FEAR. Walmart to the rescue….and don’t even get me started on my love for Target. I’ve always loved Tarjet. But loving Walmart, by default, bumps Target to a much higher level. Target might as well be considered Nordstrom to me….oh and Nordstrom – I officially have beef with Nordstrom. Which brings me to my next point.


6. American shopping is LAME.
I’ve officially got beef with Nordstrom. WHY is H&M and ZARA dirt cheap here? Why are H&M’s clothing so inexpensive but (most of it) is found at amazing quality? Why are there SO many shops with SO many options and better fitting clothes? Nordstrom of Provo, I have officially dubbed you as lame and overpriced. American H&M and Zara, you are annoying for being more expensive than is necessary. I wish I had endless euros so I could redo my entire wardrobe here to correct the mistakes in my closet at home.

7. European style, in general, is TRULY amazing.
Some of it is a little strange, but I love it all.

8. I love my dog.
But that’s no secret or revelation.

9. Europeans LOVE American music.
It’s everywhere. In metro stations, in restaurants, in clothing stores…everywhere.

10. Europeans LOVE American TV and Film.
It’s just fact.

11. I do NOT like tiny cars.
Never have, never will. In Europe, it is really only possible to drive a tiny little compact car. They are hideous. I also now officially have a distaste for hatchbacks, as that is all I have seen here. I am now officially ready for a mid-sized sedan/small SUV.

12. I REALLY don’t like public transportation.
It’s EXTREMELY dirty. It’s smelly. People yell at you sometimes (or make fun of you in another language! RUDE!). It’s unreliable. You have to plan your LIFE around it. The upside to this means of getting around is the fact that there are some REALLY interesting people who ride… and it can be pretty entertaining. However, those same interesting people sometimes turn into scary-seeming people when I have to ride the metro/bus/tram/train alone. Did I mention it’s dirty? Thanks to the nasty public transportation, I wear gloves everywhere. Thanks to wearing gloves everywhere and my germ-a-phobe attitude, I have officially kicked my gross habit of chewing my nails! Really! I have ZERO desire to do it, and I LOVE having long nails. To celebrate this, I went out and bought some bright red nail polish. I love it.


13. I LOVE AMERICAN PUBLIC RESTROOMS.
They really don’t exist here. And if you’re in a restaurant or movie theatre where they MIGHT have a restroom, you have to pay… usually it’s around .30, but my friend Shayly once told me she had to pay 2 EUROS! This is only one side of the issue. The other side is that since there are NO public potties but there are a LOT of beggars and bums, they simply use the corner as their personal potty. Due to this, the ENCLOSED UNDERGROUND metros ALWAYS smell like fresh, warm urine. SICK. It’s so disgusting, truly.

14. The Europeans (and few americans!!) I have gotten to know and love over the last 3 months are truly wonderful people who have all left great impressions on my heart. I love the fresh view on life my friends have shared with me.

15. I am grateful for my family and friends in the states.
Not being able to communicate with them whenever I want or to be able to see them whenever I want has really heightened my love for them.


Overall, my European experience has been really positive. I’ve made some truly wonderful friends across the globe and have experienced a lot of things I will never forget….and I still have 20 days left of roughing it through Europe! Who knows what else I will learn/see/experience.

I still cant wait to come home and see my little pup, though. :)