A Belgium Layover…

I have a layover in Belgium on my way to Burkina Faso.  There are 3 things that are remarkable to me:

1.       It’s Green J- from the air it looks like you are descending on the green crayon.  You know, it’s like real green…so many trees and fields...my favorite. 

2.       It has Curves!- I was impressed that the women’s bathroom sign had a little curve to her body as opposed to the bathroom signs in America.  I wonder what the female self-image is like here.

3.       It’s Green J- I mean recycling this time…there are no stand alone trash cans; they come in a cluster of three: “waste”, “paper”, “recycle”.  I was slightly confused where to put my trash…obviously paper went with paper, but what was considered recycle?  Did waste mean compostable things or cellophane, and what exactly was considered recycle?  The plastics?  I appreciated it nonetheless.

It’s possible that I would have discovered more in the airport, but when I got off of the plane there was a woman holding a sign that said, “Transfers to Africa and India  ß”  funny because all other transfers went through the main airport, I am sitting on the boring side with only one little shop that sells sunglasses, men’s dress shoes, watches, and “tax free diamonds”.  I was hoping to get a post card as I have done in every other airport that I layover in and mail it so my family would know immediately that I was fine, but well, that wasn’t an option this time because I had to follow the arrow.  I guess my family will have to stick with “no news is good news”.   I assume that Belgium is not as boring as this side of the airport because the person beside me on the airplane was from Belgium and he told me all about how he has been in the states for the last 7 months rock climbing on the West Coast and hitchhiking from place to place.  He spoke with the maturity and free spirit of a young man pushing 30.  He was 19 and taking a year after high school to decide what to study.  What amazing maturity!  He has no idea what he wants to do for sure, but I of course encouraged him to figure out a way to use what he loved to do some good in the world.  We never exchanged names, but maybe one day he will be rock climbing to raise funds for women’s health worldwide…who knows.  I wonder if most people from Belgium are like him, but I doubt it because he was somewhat anxious to go back because he said he just wants to be in nature so it will take him a while to get back into the swing of things.  Good thing is, he is not on the boring side of the airport…

forgive me...I can't figure out how to rotate the picture and also I am not sure why this is the orientation anyway...I took it right side up!  last note...ignore the bright spot, its the flash and I didn't want to retake the picture it was weird enough taking one picture of a bathroom door, I didn't want to do 2.

Typed around 4am at home and 10am in Belgium on August 20, 2011

These views and opinions are my own and do not reflect that of the Peace Corps, Unicef or any other organization to which I am affiliated.