After a tearful goodbye, we departed Chicago and had a direct flight to Brussels. We landed in Belgium on the morning of January 17th and it has been a whirlwind ever since.

After landing, a driver was waiting for us where he took us to our temporary accommodation where we will be staying until mid-February. Our temporary housing is right near Parc du Cinquantenaire, a 19th-century city park with floral gardens and fountains, home to art and military museums.

Later that evening, Mallow finally arrived. We could barely wait up for her, as we were so exhausted. The number one tip for tackling jet lag is to avoid napping, and we were unsuccessful at that!

Our family was finally together and we began adjusting to the time difference and exploring. The next day we unpacked a couple of suitcases and made sure Mallow got plenty of exercise. The pet relocation company provided us with a bunch of tips on how to get your pet acclimated, and part of that means making sure they get back to a normal routine.

On Thursday morning, a private taxi picked me up from the apartment and I headed into the office for my first day of work as the first ever American expat at our European headquarters. Our office is located in Vilvoorde, which is only about 20 kilometers but takes roughly 45 minutes with traffic. In Brussels, everyone speaks French and some English. However, Vilvoorde is located in the Flemish Region of Belgium which is the Dutch-speaking portion of Belgium. Essentially, I need to learn both French and Dutch…wish me luck lol. The official language of the office in Vilvoorde is English, so I can certainly get by.

I was able to finally meet the HR team in person, and go through orientation. I received my laptop, rental car, gas card, and company phone. I also learned that it is extremely common for companies here to provide their employees with cars for tax advantages. I didn’t have these benefits in America so internally I was thinking, “this is sooo cool!!!”

The car is a Peugeot 2008, and yes, it is automatic. I made sure that my offer letter specified that I receive an automatic car, because ya girl cannot drive stick shift! After three months, I get to choose between different options that I will have for the rest of my time here. The only time I plan on using my car is to get to and from work. If you live and work in Brussels city center, there is no need for a car. I only need one because work is tricky to get to via public transport. Speaking of that…

The team hosted a welcome lunch for me, and kindly invited Ben. I asked him to meet us at the restaurant in Vilvoorde at 12:30 and he didn’t show up until a little past 1. Turns out, he took the wrong bus and accidentally ended up at the airport LOL. He was so embarrassed but we are able to laugh at it now.

Driving here has definitely been the hardest part for me (besides being away from family and friends obviously). Luckily, the driving is on the same side of the street as the US, however they are crazy filled with pedestrians, cars, trams, buses, bikers, dogs, electric scooters, and more. Hopefully it will get better…but for now, keep me in your thoughts!

We have also done some exploring. Below is a picture of the Grand-Palace, known for its decorative and aesthetic wealth. It is breathtaking, and the funny thing is we just stumbled upon it. That’s the thing I love about Europe…you find beautiful things without even looking for them.

We have also had some great cuisine. The refrigerator at our temporary accommodation only has two shelves, and the kitchen is extremely small so we have been dining out more often than I’d like to admit. Belgium is (obviously) known for their chocolate and waffles, but they also have frites (fries) stands on nearly every corner! Brussels is one of the most diverse and multicultural cities in the world, with over 104 languages spoken and 184 nationalities (eurocities.eu). A typical Belgian dish is called boulets liégeois; it is meatballs swimming in an apple and onion gravy, served with frites.