09.11.2010
Brussels
A Geography teacher once asked a student “What would happen if Columbus didn’t discover America?” The student answered “That would have been a relief; we wouldn’t have to study a whole big chapter in Geography!”
That’s exactly how I felt every time there was a presentation to explain to us the dynamics of the European Union. What was for the Europeans (well, not everyone but most of them) common sense about the history of the EU was to me absolute fiction.
Very hard to grasp all these treaties on the foundation of the Union, the different entities and their development as well as the differences between existing institutions like the European Commission and the European Council.
Yet it remained very hard for me to tell the difference until the day we visited the Council in Brussels. Then I finally knew it! the European Commission is the more fancy building across the street from the Metro station while the Council is on the same side!
The visit to the council went quiet well; although it was the 3rd attempt for a presenter to make us understand any other difference, other than that one mentioned above, between the council and the commission. But egoistically speaking, I was happy being in the European Council wearing a full suit and listening to a presentation and using the cool microphones they’ve got there to talk and answer questions.
Moving from Aachen to Brussels in a train that took around an hour, from one country to another, from German speaking Aachen to French speaking Brussels; We didn’t have to show any passports, and even when I asked my friend Mathieu, the Belgian, if we are already in Belgium he was unable to answer me for sure!
It was pretty interesting and to me I was wondering then why can’t each and every European speak at least 4 European languages if it’s only a matter of an hour by train to be among a very different culture and language!
What was very shocking to me is the large number of Arabs present in Brussels and the foreigners in general that at one point in the metro station everyone who was walking, buying AND selling were merely Arabs (I surely was very interested in knowing the reasons but unfortunately we had to leave the city on the following day)
All in all, the 1st day at Brussels was extremely amusing. None of those who stayed at the hostel (aka. Hostel people) can never forget our adventure to go back to the hostel on our own after having dinner at the AEGEE house.. They were 2 and half hours of pure fun to have around 13 people from different countries and cultures lost in the Brussels subway MAZE.
